Taiwanese sisters Chan Yung-jan and Chan Hao-ching both had to rally from a set down on Wednesday to advance to the quarter-finals of their respective doubles tournaments at the Mallorca Open and Aegon Classic.
Top seeds Chan Yung-jan and Martina Hingis overcame a tricky encounter against Veronica Cepede Royg of Paraguay and Sara Sorribes Tormo of Spain 5-7, 6-2, 10-7 on the grass courts in Mallorca.
The Taiwanese-Swiss duo saved three of six break points and converted four of seven in 1 hour, 19 minutes to advance to a quarter-final against Elise Mertens of Belgium and Demi Schuurs of the Netherlands.
Photo: Screen grab from facebook
The Taiwanese played her first ever match in shorts after spending her fourth day in Mallorca still awaiting the arrival of her suitcase.
In Birmingham, England, younger sister Chan Hao-ching and Zhang Shuai also had to fight back from a set down against Alize Cornet of France and Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan.
The Taiwanese-Chinese duo saved eight of 13 break points and converted five of 14 on their way to a 5-7, 6-3, 10-3 victory in 1 hour, 27 minutes at the Edgbaston Priory Club.
In the quarter-finals, Chan and Zhang face Shuko Aoyama of Japan and Yang Zhaoxuan of China, who comprehensively ousted third seeds Gabriela Dabrowski of Canada and Xu Yifan of China 6-3, 6-0.
In the singles, two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova produced her most encouraging result since returning from a knife attack to advance to the quarter-finals.
The left-handed Czech hit 25 winners with 11 unforced errors as she easily beat fellow wild-card Naomi Broady of Britain 6-2, 6-2.
Kvitova has recently returned to action after sustaining a serious injury to her left hand — when she was stabbed by an intruder last year at her home in the Czech Republic — playing two matches on clay at the French Open.
“I have a little bit different view for tennis right now and for matches,” Kvitova said. “When I’m playing, I’m just a little bit more relaxed, I think, and I’m not as nervous as I was before.”
Kvitova hit some raking ground strokes, gradually made some enterprising net plays and widened her range of tactical choices as her confidence grew. There were some double faults, but when Kvitova needed to serve well, she did so, and at the end she was loudly cheered.
“I am trying to find my best each time I play,” Kvitova said. “I am here to play tennis and on the grass that I love. My tournament isn’t finished yet, for which I am really glad.”
Kvitova next faces either France’s Kristina Mladenovic, the fifth seed who ended Garbine Muguruza’s French Open title defense earlier this month, or world No. 31 Zhang.
STILL IN THE HUNT: Rasmus Hojlund took his goal tally for SSC Napoli to nine as the champions cruised to a win at US Cremonese and stayed two points behind the leaders Inter on Sunday stayed at the Serie A summit after beating Atalanta BC 1-0 to maintain their slender lead over local rivals AC Milan. Lautaro Martinez netted the only goal of the game in Bergamo for Inter, who lead Milan, 3-0 winners against Hellas Verona thanks to Christoper Nkunku’s first Serie A goals, by a single point at the top of the division. The Argentina striker has scored in four consecutive league matches to end what has been a tricky year in positive style. “I ended last season in a lot of pain... I kept going during the Club World Cup and international
Hosts Morocco on Friday were held to a 1-1 draw by Mali at the Africa Cup of Nations, ending their world record run of wins and leaving them still to make sure of progress to the next stage. Midfielder Brahim Diaz tucked away a penalty in stoppage-time at the end of the first half, but Mali equalized from the spot midway through the second half through Lassine Sinayoko. Both penalties were awarded after video reviews in a tempestuous clash at the end of a busy day of action at the tournament. Morocco were atop the Group A standings with four points, while Zambia,
An astounding 20 wickets fell on a frantic first day of the fourth Ashes Test yesterday, with Australia all out for 152 before storming back to dismiss England for 110 and leave the clash on a knife-edge. England skipper Ben Stokes won a key toss on a green track and his quicks feasted after sending in the hosts under overcast skies in front of 94,199 fans at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. It was the biggest cricket crowd ever at the cavernous arena, exceeding the 93,013 who watched the 2015 World Cup final, and they witnessed the home side collapse with Josh Tongue
Algeria on Sunday became the third country after Egypt and Nigeria to qualify for the knockout stage of the Africa Cup of Nations by edging Burkina Faso 1-0 in Rabat through a Riyad Mahrez penalty. Defending champions Ivory Coast failed to join the trio after drawing 1-1 with Cameroon in a lively showdown in Marrakesh. Elsewhere, Mozambique ended a 39-match wait for a first victory by beating Gabon 3-2, while Sudan got back into contention for a last-16 slot by beating Equatorial Guinea 1-0 in Casablanca. Captain Mahrez converted from the penalty spot midway through the first half and Algeria then held on
RSS