Taiwan’s Chan Hao-ching and Chan Yung-jan yesterday crushed the second seeds to win their second straight round-robin match at the WTA Finals in Singapore and stand on the verge of a spot in Saturday’s semi-finals.
The third-seeded Taiwanese sisters took just 71 minutes to complete a crushing 6-2, 6-2 victory over Bethanie Mattek-Sands of the US and Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic to go top of the White Group.
The Chan sisters saved all three break points they faced and converted four of seven, winning 60 of the 106 points contested to maintain a 100 percent record at the season-ending tournament.
Photo: AFP
“Got our 2nd win here in the White Group, happy we got the advantage with 2-0, but still need to stay focus with every single match,” Chan Yung-jan said on Facebook.
The Taiwanese duo would qualify for the semi-finals should Caroline Garcia of France and Katarina Srebotnik of Slovenia, who they defeated 6-4, 7-6 (7/5) in their opening match, have defeated eighth-seeded Spanish duo Garbine Muguruza and Carla Suarez Navarro in the late match last night.
“We were a little bit nervous, but definitely excited, and it was quite a good first match for us,” elder sister Chan Yung-Jan told the WTA Tour Web site after their opening victory against Garcia and Srebotnik. “They’re not a weak team — everyone here could be in the finals of a Grand Slam. Everybody’s trying their best and I’m happy we got the advantage in the first round.”
“At the end of the second set, we just tried to keep...” Chan Hao-ching began, before her sister suggested: “Calm?”
The two laughed, before the younger sister finished: “Yes, and to keep playing the way we were for two sets.”
In the singles yesterday, US Open champion Flavia Pennetta kept alive her bid with a flurry of backhand winners as she downed a strapped up and fatigued Agnieszka Radwanska in straight sets.
The Italian, who said she plans to retire after the tournament, struck her 11th backhand winner crisply down the line on her fourth match point to seal an impressive 7-6 (7/5), 6-4 victory over the Pole at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
It was Pennetta’s first win in the Red Group after she was blown away by top seed Simona Halep of Romania 6-0, 6-3 in her opener on Sunday. The Italian said a pep talk from her coach proved to be the difference.
“[He] just came in the court and told me to be more aggressive, to be more with my backhand more than my forehand,” the 33-year-old Italian told reporters. “He just told me: ‘Keep going and try to go for the shot.’”
“The concentration was really slipping away sometimes and I wasn’t focused enough,” Radwanska said.
The Polish world No. 6 had started brightly, twice holding a break in the first set, but was broken when trying to serve it out at 5-4 and Pennetta’s dominant backhand took control as the Italian prevailed in the tiebreaker.
Pennetta had a worrying moment in the tiebreaker when she appeared to hurt her ankle and needed a medical time-out in the third game of the second set because of blisters, but the issues failed to halt her ambition.
Pennetta crushed 37 winners against an increasingly deflated Radwanska — who played with a heavily taped shoulder and looked weary after a recent hectic schedule in a bid to qualify for the eight-woman finals — and secured the sole break in the seventh game with a powerful backhand return before confidently riding out winner.
In yesterday’s late match, Maria Sharapova defeated Halep 6-4, 6-4. A victory for the Romanian would have eliminated Radwanska, who was beaten by the Russian in her opener.
Sharapova and Halep consecutively traded points in the first game until the Russian was able to pull away. In the second game, Halep rallied from 4-1 down, but Sharapova managed to maintain her lead for the victory.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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
Taiwan’s Lee Jhe-huei and Yang Po-hsuan on Saturday won the men’s doubles bronze medal at the Badminton Asia Championships in Ningbo, China, after they were bested by the hosts in their semi-final. The Taiwanese shuttlers lost to China’s Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang, who advanced to yesterday’s final against Malaysia’s Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzudin. The Chinese pair outplayed Lee and Yang in straight games. Although the Taiwanese got off to a slow start in the first game, they eventually tied it 14-14, before Liang and Wang went on to blow past them to win 21-17. In the second game, Lee and