Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei, the winner of the Guangzhou Open earlier this month, defeated Zheng Saisai of China 6-2, 6-3 to ease into the second round of the China Open yesterday, while former world No. 1 Ana Ivanovic also eased through, defeating Christina McHale of the US in straight sets 6-3, 6-2.
However, it was a mixed day for Taiwanese players, with Jimmy Wang and Yang Tsung-hua being knocked out in the qualifying for the men’s singles competition.
Jan Mertl of the Czech Republic defeated Wang 6-2, 6-3, while Yang lost by the same score to Michael Berrer of Germany.
In the women’s singles, 24-year-old Ivanovic played aggressively from the start, hitting big first serves and powerful forehand drives, which McHale, ranked 28 in the world, was unable to match.
Ivanovic’s returns from McHale’s service game were too good for the 20-year-old, with the French Open champion of four years ago breaking the American in the eighth game of the first set and twice in the second.
“I think that was the best service game I have ever had,” said the 11th seed, who wrapped up victory within an hour, agreeing that it had been a “perfect” start to the Beijing tournament.
“The last match I played in Tokyo I served terribly. It was probably the worst I served in a very long time, so I was really determined to do better today,” she said.
“I really took more time and focused on that, because I knew I could serve well and I did it in practice. So I had attention to serve well today, and it worked well and I’m very pleased,” she added.
The world No. 12 next faces Varvara Lepchenko of the US, who defeated Tsvetana Pironkova of Bulgaria.
In an all-Chinese clash, Zhang Shuai beat Wang Qiang 6-3, 6-2, while Romina Oprandi of Switzerland and Spain’s Carla Suarez Navarro also progressed to the second round.
In the late matches, No. 4 seed Petra Kvitova defeated Daniela Hantuchova 6-2, 6-3 and at press time, Tamira Paszek was ahead of Olga Govortsova 7-5, 0-5.
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