Italy on Sunday kept their Fed Cup title defense on track, downing the US to join Australia and Germany in the semi-finals of the women’s tennis competition.
Karin Knapp claimed the decisive third point for Italy, giving them an unbeatable 3-0 lead with a 6-3, 7-5 victory over American Alison Riske.
The holders will not know their opponents for the semi-finals on April 19 and April 20 until Spain and the Czech Republic finish their ties after rain in Seville forced decisive matches to be pushed back to yesterday.
Photo: AFP
Italy and the US were missing their top players for the tie on an indoor hard court in Cleveland, Ohio.
Italy, seeking a fifth Fed Cup in nine years, were without Sara Errani and Flavia Pennetta, while the US were without injured stars Serena Williams and Sloane Stephens.
However, Knapp, ranked 40th in the world, came through with two victories. She opened the tie with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 win over Christina McHale on Saturday, when Camila Giorgi crushed US teen Madison Keys 6-2, 6-1.
In the meaningless doubles match, Keys and Lauren Davis beat Nastassja Burnett and Alice Matteucci 6-2, 6-3 to prevent the whitewash, giving Italy a 3-1 triumph.
US captain Mary Joe Fernandez opted to substitute Riske for Keys in Sunday’s reverse singles, hoping her more aggressive style would prove troublesome for the Italian.
Instead, Knapp broke Riske seven times and while the Italian’s nerves got the better of her in her first two chances to serve for the match, she finished in style with a love game punctuated by a service winner on her first match point.
Australia ensured their place in the next round for the first time in 21 years with a crushing Samantha Stosur-inspired 4-0 defeat of Russia.
“We’re still in it, so we have a chance to win it,” Stosur said of Australia’s prospects of claiming the title for the first time since 1974.
For that, they will have to overcome Germany in the semis.
The Germans, who were last crowned champions in 1992, qualified 3-1 after Angelique Kerber defeated Slovakia’s Australian Open runner-up Dominika Cibulkova 6-3, 7-6 (7/5) in the first of the reverse singles in Bratislava.
In the Fed Cup World Group II, Alize Cornet and Kristina Mladenovic beat Belinda Bencic and Timea Bacsinszky 7-5, 6-4 in doubles on Sunday to give France a 3-2 win over Switzerland in their first-round tie.
In a first set with five service breaks, the Swiss pair took a 4-1 lead, but Bencic failed to serve out the set at 5-3 before Bacsinszky’s forehand went wide to drop serve at 5-5.
The hosts broke Bencic in the fifth game of the second set, but Mladenovic committed three double-faults to drop serve in the next game. Mladenovic made amends by earning the decisive break at 3-3 with and the French pair won the match when Bacsinszky’s backhand sailed long.
Cornet and Mladenovic celebrated their victory with a chest bump, as Bencic cried on her chair.
France and Switzerland will compete in playoffs on April 19 and April 20, with France trying to gain promotion to the World Group while Switzerland will aim to stay in World Group II.
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