Taiwanese hopes were ended at the US Open on Wednesday when Chan Yung-jan crashed out in the semi-finals of the mixed doubles, losing to a familiar foe.
Second seeds Chan and Rohan Bopanna of India fell to a 6-2, 7-5 defeat to fourth seeds Martina Hingis and Leander Paes of India in just over an hour a day after Chan’s bid for women’s doubles glory had also been ended by the Swiss former world No. 1.
Hingis and Paes saved one of two break points and converted four of eight, winning 61 of the 106 points contested on Court 17 to advance to a final against unseeded the US duo of Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Sam Querrey, who ousted Andrea Hlavackova of the Czech Republic and Lukasz Kubot of Poland 6-4, 6-3.
Photo: AFP
In the singles, Roger Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka shrugged off the threat of rain to storm into the semi-finals, while Simona Halep stood up for the younger generation to complete a women’s final four that features three thirtysomethings.
Moved from the Arthur Ashe Stadium court to Louis Armstrong to bring Federer’s match forward, Wawrinka appeared untroubled by the change of venue, needing just 1 hour, 47 minutes to repel big-hitting South African Kevin Anderson 6-4, 6-4, 6-0.
Second seed Federer turned in an equally economical effort, brushing aside Frenchman Richard Gasquet 6-3, 6-3, 6-1 in a tidy 87 minutes to set up an all-Swiss semi-final today.
The other side of the draw features a battle of the big men, with top seed Novak Djokovic taking on defending champion Marin Cilic.
“Emotionally it’s not so hard for me, but subconsciously, you know he knows what your preferences are, where you like to go and where you’re probably going to go,” said Federer, who holds a commanding 16-3 advantage over his Davis Cup teammate and reigning French Open champion.
“That’s the weird part. I feel we meet each other somewhere in our minds before the point is being played out,” he said.
Federer and Gasquet are both armed with elegant one-handed backhands, but apart from that aesthetically pleasing stroke, there were very few similarities in their lopsided contest.
The 17-time Grand Slam winner could hardly miss and Gasquet all too often played the role of innocent bystander as the Swiss maestro uncorked 50 winners to a mere eight from the 12th-seeded Frenchman.
Anderson lacked the energy he displayed in a fourth-round upset of third seed Andy Murray, allowing Wawrinka to dictate play for large stretches of the match.
The South African, who leans heavily on his serve, could manage just nine aces and one break point the entire match, which he was unable to convert.
“I’ve improved a lot over the past three years and feel much closer to his level now,” Wawrinka said of Federer.
“He is playing really well here, so I will need to be at my best,” he said. “He’s had some amazing matches and I know it will be a big challenge but I think I’m ready.”
Halep moved closer to a first Grand Slam singles title after edging Victoria Azarenka 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 to set up a meeting with Flavia Pennetta, who toppled Czech fifth seed Petra Kvitova 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 to join compatriot Roberta Vinci in the last four.
Defying the odds, rankings and age, 33-year-old Pennetta and 32-year-old Vinci etched their names in history by becoming the first two Italian women to reach the semi-finals of the same Grand Slam in the Open Era.
With 33-year-old Serena Williams also in the last four, 23-year-old Halep will be conceding almost a decade of experience to her remaining challengers.
“Of course we are a little bit old for the age of tennis right now, but we are here and still fighting,” Pennetta said.
However, the dream of an all-Italian final will require some special magic, particularly from Vinci, who has the daunting task of facing three-time defending US Open champion and world No. 1 Williams.
A seven-year-old horse had to be euthanized on Friday after breaking its back on the final fence of a Grand National steeplechase race that it won despite sustaining the serious injury. It follows the death of four horses at the Cheltenham Festival last month — including one after the prestigious Gold Cup. Gold Dancer was competing in the Mildmay Novices’ Chase during Ladies Day at Aintree’s Grand National Festival. The horse managed to cross the finish line approximately four lengths ahead of runner-up Regent’s Stroll. “The winner of our second race of the day, Gold Dancer, was pulled up after
Hans Niemann declares he would become a “stone cold killer” in a Netflix documentary released on Tuesday about his feud with five-time classical world champion Magnus Carlsen, a pledge that injects new edge into the lingering fallout from the cheating scandal that shook elite chess. “I’m gonna be a stone cold killer the rest of my life,” the US’ Niemann says in the film. “I’m going to become the best player in the world, and no one is going to believe that now, but this clip will play over and over again in 10 years — just wait.” “I just
OBJECTIVE REACHED: ’Now for us, it’s about getting healthy, making sure everybody is ready to go, and we can ramp up,’ the Atlanta Hawks’ C.J. McCollum said after the game The Atlanta Hawks on Friday secured an NBA playoff berth with a 124-102 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers as the Boston Celtics locked up the Eastern Conference second seed with a lopsided win of their own. C.J. McCollum scored a game-high 29 points for the Hawks, who came into the contest at sixth in the East and still in danger of falling into the play-in tournament that would see the seventh-through 10th-placed teams battle for the last two playoff berths in each conference. Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Jalen Johnson scored 18 points apiece, and Dyson Daniels added a triple-double of 13
The Daredevils yesterday took eight catches in the final as they eked out a victory in the Taiwan Cricket Triangular Tournament against PCCT at Yingfeng Cricket Ground in Taipei’s Songshan District. PCCT’s batting lineup collapsed after they asked the Daredevils to bowl in the T20 decider of the weekend tournament that also involved the Formosa Cricket Club. PCCT were bundled out for 76 in 16.2 overs against a disciplined Daredevils attack. Shahzad Khan was the top scorer in the innings with 21, but he was among those who offered chances to the fielders. Shane Ferreira and Jason Cameron took three wickets each, with
RSS