Defending women’s champion Petra Kvitova has withdrawn from the Apia International Sydney, marking the second consecutive week that the two-time Wimbledon winner has pulled out of tournaments due to a lingering stomach virus.
Kvitova retired during the first round of the Shenzhen Gemdale Open in China last week. She was scheduled to play her first match in Sydney against of Sabine Lisicki of Germany today.
“I’m really disappointed to have to withdraw ... but unfortunately I am still not feeling well,” Kvitova said in a statement yesterday.
Simona Halep and Agnieszka Radwanska are the top-seeded women at Sydney.
In first-round WTA matches yesterday, former French and US Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova beat Australian Tammi Patterson 6-2, 6-0 and Tsvetana Pironkova of Bulgaria defeated Lesia Tsurenko of Ukraine 7-6 (8/6), 6-2.
Ana Ivanovic, who received a wild card, was defeated 6-4, 6-2 in her first-round match against fifth-seeded Karolina Pliskova.
In women’s doubles action, Taiwanese sisters Chan Hao-ching and Chan Yung-jan outlasted Raquel Atawo of the US and Anna-Lena Groenefeld of Germany to secure a 7-5, 4-6, 10-7 victory.
At the Hobart International, another of the Australian Open warm-up tournaments, seventh-seeded Alize Cornet of France beat Denisa Allertova of Czech Republic 6-4, 7-5 and Russia’s Margarita Gasparyan defeated 17-year-old Maddison Inglis of Australia 6-4, 6-3.
Sloane Stephens, who won the ASB Classic in Auckland on Saturday, was a late withdrawal from Hobart due to a virus.
Former No. 5 Eugenie Bouchard, who is entered at Hobart, said she has “zero expectations” to perform at the Australian Open as she makes her comeback from a concussion she sustained at the US Open when she slipped and fell in the dressing room.
The Canadian made the quarter-finals at last week’s Shenzhen Open after a four-month layoff.
“A month or two ago I wasn’t even sure I could play the Australian Open, so I’m just so happy to be in Australia, looking forward to playing these two tournaments [with] zero expectations,” 21-year-old Bouchard said yesterday.
She was pleased with her play in China, despite losing in the final eight to Hungarian Timea Babos.
“To step on the court and play a full match with no pain, play three matches three days in a row, was a success for me, even though I lost the last match,” she said.
Bouchard is to play US veteran Bethanie Mattek-Sands in the first round in Hobart, likely today.
Last week, the world’s four top-ranked women retired or withdrew from tournaments due to injuries on the left side of their bodies — No. 1 Serena Williams (knee), second-ranked Halep (Achilles), No. 3 Garbine Muguruza (foot) and fourth-ranked Maria Sharapova (forearm).
Radwanska is ranked fifth and Kvitova sixth.
The Australian Open begins on Monday next week in Melbourne.
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
Forget Real Madrid, Manchester City or Paris Saint-Germain, the world’s best soccer team — statistically speaking — might be a little-known outfit from the closed central Asian nation of Turkmenistan. Founded last year, Arkadag, named in honor of former Turkmen president Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, have been unstoppable, notching up 36 consecutive domestic victories in a run still ongoing. The side have not lost a single competitive match and swept to a league and cup double in their inaugural season — success unthinkable almost anywhere else. However, in Turkmenistan, it could hardly have gone any other way. The energy-rich country is one of the most closed
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