The Chan sisters advanced to the doubles final at the Taiwan Open in Kaohsiung yesterday, but fellow Taiwanese Hsieh Su-wei’s campaign ended when she crashed out of the semi-finals of the singles.
Top seeds Chan Hao-ching and Chan Yung-jan defeated unseeded fellow Taiwanese Hsu Ching-wen and Lee Ya-hsuan 6-3, 6-3 on Center Court at the Yang-Ming Tennis Center.
The world Nos. 11 and 10 saved six of seven break points and converted all four they created, winning 57 of the 100 points contested to complete the victory in 65 minutes.
Photo: Huang Chih-yuan, Taipei Times
In today’s final, the Chan sisters face Japanese duo Eri Hozumi and Miyu Kato, who defeated third-seeded Ukrainian sisters Lyudmyla and Nadiia Kichenok 6-1, 2-6, 10-7 in 66 minutes in the second semi-final.
Hozumi and Kato saved three of five break points and converted three of seven, winning 58 of the 107 points contested.
The Chan sisters have a 1-0 career record against the Japanese pairing after a semi-final victory in the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo last year.
“Today Lee Ya-hsuan and Hsu Ching-wen put in a really good performance... I believe there are better results to come,” Chan Yung-jan wrote on Facebook. “Happy to get in to the doubles final tomorrow at the Taiwan Open. First final of 2016, getting exciting about it.”
Earlier, Taiwanese hopes of a home singles victory in the inaugural Taiwan Open quickly disappeared in the first match on Center Court when world No. 81 Hsieh fell to a comprehensive 6-0, 6-2 defeat to second seed Misaki Doi in just 54 minutes.
The Japanese world No. 61 saved the only break point she faced and converted five of eight, winning 61 of the 93 points contested to set up a final against top seed Venus Williams, who defeated third seed Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan 7-5, 6-3 in 1 hour, 42 minutes.
The American world No. 12 saved six of nine break points and converted five of eight, winning 81 of the 148 points contested to improve her career record against Putintseva to 3-0, following victories at Wimbledon last year and in Montreal in 2014.
“What a tough opponent today,” Williams told the WTA Web site after the match. “She has so much energy. It was very difficult to win, but I am very glad to be in the final tomorrow.”
Today’s final will be the first time Williams has faced Doi.
“I have never played her before,” Williams said. “I have no idea what to expect, but to be in the final you have to play well, so I am sure to expect the best tennis from her.”
Bayer 04 Leverkusen go into today’s match at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim stung from their first league defeat in 16 months. Leverkusen were beaten 3-2 at home by RB Leipzig before the international break, the first loss since May last year for the reigning league and cup champions. While any defeat, particularly against a likely title rival, would have disappointed coach Xabi Alonso, the way in which it happened would be most concerning. Just as they did in the Supercup against VfB Stuttgart and in the league opener to Borussia Moenchengladbach, Leverkusen scored first, but were pegged back. However, while Leverkusen rallied late to
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
Japanese players are moving to English soccer in record numbers and more look set to follow with clubs attracted by their quality, strong work ethic and value for money. Kaoru Mitoma is the standout talent of five Japanese players in the English Premier League, with eight more in the Championship and two in League One. Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo, the captain of Japan, believes his compatriots are “being held in higher esteem” by English clubs compared with the past. “The staff at Liverpool ask me about lots of Japanese players, not necessarily with a view to a transfer, but just saying this or
Taiwan yesterday survived Bosnia and Herzegovina to win their Davis Cup World Group I tie at the Taipei Tennis Center. The tight series started on Saturday with world No. 123 Jason Tseng losing 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 to Mirza Basic in the opening singles matchup. However, teammate Tony Wu kept the tie even, dominating world No. 86 Damir Dzumhur 6-2, 6-1. Yesterday, 24-year-old Ray Ho and partner 25-year-old Hsu Yu-hsiou kept up the momentum, making short work of Basic and Nerman Fatic, winning 6-3, 6-4. Tseng then suffered another defeat, losing 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 to Dzumhur in a brutal match that lasted more than two