Top-seeded Amelie Mauresmo of France beat Varvara Lepchenko of Uzbekistan 6-4, 6-1 on Wednesday to reach the quarter-finals of the Strasbourg International.
Second-seeded Jelena Jankovic of Serbia, No. 4 Li Na (
Jankovic beat Thailand's Tamarine Tanasugarn 6-3, 7-5, while Bartoli defeated Tatjana Malek of Germany 6-3, 6-3.
PHOTO: AFP
Li beat Russia's Vera Dushevina 6-2, 6-3, while Medina Garrigues downed Alicia Molik of Australia, 6-2, 6-4, and Loit routed Lilia Osterloh of the US 6-1, 6-0 to set up a meeting with Mauresmo in Thursday's quarter-finals.
Lleyton Hewitt and Andy Roddick both won in straight sets on Wednesday to advance to the quarter-finals of the Hypo Group International.
The fourth-seeded Hewitt needed five match points to defeat Potito Starace of Italy 6-4, 6-4, while the second-seeded Roddick downed Denmark's Kristian Pless 6-4, 6-3.
Defending champion Nikolay Davydenko also advanced to the quarter-finals, beating Nicolas Lapentti of Ecuador, 6-4, 6-2.
Hewitt broke Starace in the first game and dropped just four points on his own serve to comfortably win the first set.
In the second, the Australian managed an early break again but had to fight off three break points when serving for the match at 5-4. He finally converted his fifth match point as Starace put a forehand wide.
Hewitt plays Diego Hartfield of Argentina in the quarter-finals. Hartfield defeated Vincent Spadea of the US 6-4, 7-6 (5) in a match that was interrupted because of rain.
Taiwanese women had mixed results in the qualifying round for the French Open in Paris on Wednesday, with Hsieh Su-wei (謝淑薇) beating France's Stephanie Vongsouthi 6-3, 6-4, while Chuang Chia-jung (莊佳容) lost 4-6, 4-6 to Anda Perianu of Romania.
Hsieh, ranked 125 in the world for women's singles, was scheduled to play 17-year-old US player Madison Brengle yesterday afternoon.
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping
The sacred flame for the Paris Olympics was lit yesterday in Olympia, Greece, the birthplace of the ancient Games, in a ceremony inspired by antiquity and marked by messages of hope amid multiple global crises. “In ancient times, the Olympic Games brought together the Greek city states, even — and in particular — during times of war and conflict,” International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach said. “Today, the Olympic Games are the only event that brings the entire world together in peaceful competition. Then as now, the Olympic athletes are sending this powerful message — yes, it is possible to compete fiercely