Former world No. 1 Serena Williams is hoping she can maintain her unbeaten run as she clocked up her 16th straight victory to reach the third round at the German Open on Tuesday.
The eight-times Grand Slam winner had few problems in her second-round match against Italian Francesca Schiavone when she claimed a 6-2, 6-3 win in just one hour, 11 minutes.
Williams, currently ranked sixth in the world, has not been beaten since she lost to Jelena Jankovic in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open at the start of the year.
PHOTO: EPA
After winning the Bangalore and Miami tournaments on hard courts since she was defeated in Australia, Williams also won the Charleston tournament on clay last month and she is the woman to beat in Berlin.
Even world No. 1 Justine Henin was hammered by Williams in Miami last month when the Belgian was beaten 6-2, 6-0 in emphatic style in the quarter-finals.
“I just want to keep my winning streak,” Williams said. “I love playing here, especially on clay, I can slide a lot more. It means I don’t have to move up to the ball and I can be a bit more lazy.”
Williams has never won in Berlin and this is her first appearance in the German capital since 2002, when she lost in the final to Henin.
With a reputation for being as difficult to deal with off the court as she is to beat on it, Williams was asked by a German journalist if she regarded herself as a “diva.”
“Divas normally make unreasonable demands on people and I don’t think I do that, or maybe I do and I don’t realize it,” she said.
When asked how many suitcases she had brought to Berlin, in true diva style she answered: “I can’t answer that question, maybe I am [a diva]!”
The US player is now likely to face 11th seed Agnieszka Radwanska from Poland, who played German Angelika Bachmann in the second round yesterday for a place in the quarter-finals.
All three seeds involved in second-round games made it through on Tuesday as seventh-seed Elena Dementieva from Russia saw off Ukrainian Kateryna Bondarenko with an untroubled 6-1, 6-2 win.
And earlier in the day, French eighth-seed Marion Bartoli had few problems as she enjoyed a quick 6-0, 6-3 win over Lucie Safarova from the Czech Republic.
The only seed to bow out was Switzerland’s Patty Schnyder, seeded ninth, who was beaten by Vera Dushevina from Russia 6-2, 6-3 in the first round.
Bartoli is now the only Frenchwoman left in the competition following a black Monday for Gallic hopes.
Former world No. 1 Amelie Mauresmo, who won the German Open in 2001 and 2004, pulled out of the tournament late on Monday because of pain in the muscles between her ribs caused by a coughing fit.
And Tatiana Golovin, ranked 21st in the world, suffered a first-round defeat in only her second tournament back after a 10-week break in which she had surgery to remove a cyst that was causing back pain.
Taiwan’s top women’s badminton doubles duo, Hsieh Pei-shan (謝沛珊) and Hung En-tzu (洪恩慈), achieved a straight-sets victory over Japan’s Kaho Osawa and Mayui Tanabe at the Badminton World Federation (BWF) Super 300 Macau Open on Sunday. The Taiwanese pair won the final 21-18, 21-12, marking the duo’s second title this year after their win at the BWF Super 300 Taipei Open in May. The match on Sunday was their first encounter with the Japanese duo, ranked No. 63 in the world. Hsieh and Hung, ranked No. 12, began the opening game well. Hung, who plays left-handed, performed strongly at both the net and the
Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko upset top-seeded Coco Gauff 6-1, 6-4 on Saturday night to reach the National Bank Open quarter-finals. “Your support was incredible,” Mboko told the crowd in French after a chorus of “Ole, Ole, Ole” chants echoed around the venue. “I’m really happy to win today ... It’s incredible. I’m so happy to beat such a great champion.” Gauff dropped to 2-3 since winning the French Open. She followed the major victory with opening losses in Berlin and Wimbledon, then overcame double-fault problems to win two three-set matches in Montreal. Gauff had five double-faults on Saturday after having 23 in
Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen on Thursday said that he is staying with the Red Bull team next year, ending months of speculation over his future. “Some people just like to stir the pot, some people just like to create drama, but, for me, it’s always been quite clear, and also for next year,” the four-time champion said ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix. “I’m discussing with the team already the plans — the things that we want to change for next year, so that means that I’m also staying with the team for next year,” he said. Verstappen has a contract with
Alex Michelsen on Thursday rallied for a 3-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-4 upset victory over third-seeded Lorenzo Musetti in the men’s singles, converting his seventh match point to reach the fourth round of the Canadian Open. Michelsen reached the last 16 of a Masters 1000 for the first time with his second win over a top-10 player in eight attempts. The 20-year-old American survived nearly 50 unforced errors and converted just two of nine break chances, but it was enough to vanquish Italy’s Musetti, a two-time Grand Slam semi-finalist ranked 10th in the world. “It feels really good,” the 26th-ranked Michelsen said. “I’ve put
RSS