Top seeds the Chan sisters began their Taiwan Open doubles campaign with a victory on Center Court at the Yang-Ming Tennis Center in Kaohsiung yesterday, while fellow Taiwanese Hsu Ching-wen and Lee Ya-hsuan advanced to the semi-finals.
Chan Hao-ching and Chan Yung-jan looked to be cruising into the quarter-finals when they wrapped up the first set against Zarina Diyas and Xu Yi-fan 6-1 without facing a single break point, but their Kazakh-Chinese opponents fought back to force a tiebreaker in the second, which the Taiwanese sisters won 7-5.
Overall the sisters saved and converted four of six break points, winning 69 of the 119 points contested to wrap up the victory in 74 minutes and set up a quarter-final against Marina Melnikova of Russia and Mandy Minella of Luxembourg.
Photo: Huang Chih-yuan, Taipei Times
Younger sister Hao-ching thanked the Center Court crowd for their support.
“Thank you for your passion and making us feel at home,” Hao-ching wrote on Facebook.
The Chan sisters were followed on Center Court by Taiwanese duo Chang Kai-chen and Chuang Chia-jung, who lost a cross-strait thriller against second seeds Liang Chen and Wang Yafan 7-6 (9/7), 7-5 in 1 hour, 45 minutes.
Photo: Huang Chih-yuan, Taipei Times
Earlier on Court 7, Hsu and Lee cruised into the semi-finals after a 6-3, 6-1 victory over Kristyna Pliskova of the Czech Republic and Stefanie Voegele of Switzerland.
The Taiwanese duo saved both break points they faced and converted four of nine, winning 55 of the 93 points contested to wrap up the victory in just 53 minutes.
In the singles, top seed Venus Williams of the US took just 57 minutes to win her first-round match against Taiwanese wild-card Lee Pei-chi 6-3, 6-2.
Williams saved both break points she faced and converted three of six, winning 66 of the 107 points contested to advance to a second-round clash today against Urszula Radwanska of Poland.
Asked about her first impressions of Taiwan ahead of her opener, Williams told the WTA Web site: “I’ve already hit for a couple of hours on the court, so I haven’t had the chance to see a lot. I’d love to see the mountains and the city, but from the plane it looked amazing.”
She also thanked the Chan sisters for their warm welcome.
“First of all they’re [the Chan sisters] really wonderful people. They welcomed me here and told me if I needed anything to let them know — so I think I’ll take them up on that. This year or last year I was watching them at the WTA Finals and it was unbelievable doubles — so exciting to watch it. Never played against them at the same time — I’ve played against them when they weren’t playing together and that was never easy. I guess now they’re going to be representing the country in the Olympics, and that’s so awesome for tennis and so exciting for Taiwan,” Williams said.
In the only other remaining first-round match yesterday, Poland’s Magda Linette beat Wang 7-5, 7-5.
In the second round, Russia’s Elizaveta Kulichkova pulled off the biggest shock of the tournament so far by ousting fourth seed Diyas 7-5, 0-6, 6-4; third seed Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan survived a second-set wobble to beat Japanese qualifier Miyu Kato 6-4, 5-7, 6-0; seventh seed Kurumi Nara of Japan downed Chinese qualifier Zhang Yuxuan 6-2, 4-6, 6-3; and unseeded Latvian Anastasija Sevastova edged past Donna Vekic of Croatia 7-5, 2-6, 7-5.
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