Hsieh Su-wei flew the flag for Taiwan in a surprise 6-2, 6-7(3), 7-5 defeat of France’s Kristina Mladenovic on the first day of the OEC Taipei Ladies Open yesterday.
Although better-known for her doubles prowess, the 24-year-old Kaohsiung-born player still proved too good for her French opponent, who reached the semi-finals of last year’s event.
Although she may progress further in the doubles — in which she is paired with Indian star Sania Mirza as second seeds — Hsieh showed signs of the form that took her to the fourth round of the Australian Open singles in 2008.
PHOTO: WANG YI-SUNG, TAIPEI TIMES
Next up for Hsieh, who overcame a ranking difference of more than 100 places to down her opponent, is an all Taiwanese clash against either Chang Kai-chen or Chuang Chia-jung.
Meanwhile, Taiwanese world No. 534 Chan Chin-wei gave eighth seed Junri Namigata of Japan a run for her money before losing in three sets. The 25-year-old wild card from Kaohsiung didn’t look like a player ranked nearly 400 places below her opponent and battled to the end in a close contest.
Namigata made a slow start as Chan broke her in the first game and won the next without dropping a point. The 28-year-old from Saitama then found her feet, breaking back to level at 3-3. She broke Chan again to go 5-3 up before wrapping up the set in the next game.
The third game of the second set proved to be a marathon, going to six deuces before Chan conjured up a forehand winner to hold serve and take a 2-1 lead. An exchange of breaks left Chan 4-3 ahead before she broke the world No. 135 again to take the set 6-4.
In the deciding set, Chan found herself 2-5 down before giving the Japanese a fright by winning the next two games.
In the 10th game Namigata put a backhand into the net on her first match-point before sending a forehand long on the second to make it deuce. It was third time lucky for the 1.7m right-hander though, as a Chan backhand landed wide on the next match point to hand Namigata the set, 6-4, and with it the match.
In the other singles matches Elena Bogdan of Romania defeated Taiwan’s Yi Chen 7-6(9), 6-1 and Yuliya Beygelzimer of Ukraine beat Thailand’s Nudnida Luangnam 6-2, 6-1.
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