Andrea Petkovic defeated Samantha Stosur 6-4, 3-6, 12-10 to put Germany level at 1-1 against Australia in the first round of the Fed Cup World Group on Saturday.
With no third-set tiebreaker in the Fed Cup, Petkovic needed 3 hours, 16 minutes to prevail against the Australian No. 1 and tie the score following Angelique Kerber’s earlier loss to Jarmila Gajdosova.
Kerber lost her rhythm after winning the opening set and Gajdosova, ranked 44 places below, rallied to win 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 in 1 hour, 49 minutes.
Photo: EPA
Kerber was to play Stosur with Petkovic facing Gajdosova yesterday. A doubles match between Julia Goerges and Sabine Lisicki against Casey Dellacqua and Stosur would settle the tie if still level after the reverse singles.
ARGENTINA, US
AP, BUENOS AIRES
The Williams sisters gave the US a 2-0 lead over Argentina in their Fed Cup World Group II tie on Saturday.
Venus defeated Paula Ormaechea 6-3, 6-2, in the first match, and Serena, the newly crowned Australian Open champion, won over Maria Irigoyen 7-5, 6-0.
Serena was to play in the first reverse singles against Ormaechea yesterday, with a win clinching the tie.
ITALY, FRANCE
AP, GENOA, Italy
Italy eased to a commanding 2-0 lead over France after the first day of their Fed Cup tie, as Camila Giorgi and Sara Errani both won in straight sets on Saturday.
Giorgi had to save two break points in her opening set before going on to beat France No. 1 Alize Cornet 6-4, 6-2 in the second rubber to put Italy firmly in charge.
The Italian broke twice as she dominated the second set.
Errani earlier ended Caroline Garcia’s undefeated record in the competition, winning 7-6 (7/2), 7-5.
Garcia had also beaten Errani in their two previous meetings, but it was third time lucky for the Italian in a tight match, which saw eight breaks of serve in the first set and five in the second.
POLAND, RUSSIA
AP, KRAKOW, Poland
Russia took a 2-0 lead over Poland in the first round of the Fed Cup on Saturday after Maria Sharapova and Svetlana Kuznetsova took turns beating the Radwanska sisters.
Kuznetsova started by defeating Agnieszka Radwanska 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 and Sharapova followed up with an easy 6-0, 6-3 win over younger sister Urszula Radwanska.
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