Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei on Monday battled into the second round of the Nature Valley International on the grass courts in Eastbourne, England, while second seed Karolina Pliskova was just happy not to have her twin sister on the other side of the net as she also made a winning start.
Hsieh outlasted world No. 41 Camila Giorgi 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 in a first-round tussle that lasted 2 hours, 13 minutes on the English south coast.
The world No. 29 saved two of seven break points and converted seven of 18, taking advantage of her opponent’s 16 double faults to even her career record against the Italian to 1-1 after she lost their only previous encounter at the US Open in 2013.
Photo: Reuters
The Taiwanese 33-year-old was next due to face another tough task against world No. 7 Simona Halep, who she defeated at Wimbledon last year.
Former world No. 1 Pliskova, given a bye in the opening round, booked her spot in the round-of-16 with a straightforward 6-3, 6-3 defeat of Margarita Gasparyan on the Devonshire Park grass.
It was her first match since losing a three-set thriller to world No. 112 Kristyna Pliskova in Birmingham last week in what was the first WTA Tour meeting between the Czech 27-year-olds.
“I didn’t really enjoy myself if I compare my match today and the match with Kristyna,” said the big-serving world No. 3, who will be one of the fancied players at next week’s Wimbledon. “It’s totally different feeling if you play somebody, you know, not from your family. I didn’t enjoy the match at all, not even for a while, but on the other hand, I’m just happy that it happened, because it can happen in the future.”
Karolina Pliskova, champion at Eastbourne in 2017, but still awaiting her first Grand Slam title, next faces either Elise Mertens or fellow Czech Marketa Vondrousova for a place in the quarter-finals.
Vondrousova was playing her first match since the French Open final she lost to Ashleigh Barty.
The 13th seed beat China’s Zheng Saisai 6-2, 6-3 for her first WTA Tour victory on grass — a surface she admits is still something of a puzzle.
“You have to be more aggressive on grass and have a high first-serve percentage,” said Vondrousova, whose game is perfect for the slower clay courts.
Not that she will put the drop-shot back in the box though, the shot she used to such devastating effect during her run to the final at Roland Garros.
“I think I tried five today and made two, so we’ll see,” she said. “It’s about using more slice.”
Reigning Eastbourne champion Caroline Wozniacki opened her defense with a 6-3 6-4 win over Belgium’s Kirsten Flipkens, while former French Open champion and last year’s Wimbledon semi-finalist Jelena Ostapenko won the last four games in each set to beat Romania’s Mihaela Buzarnescu 6-4, 6-4 and set up a clash with Sloane Stephens of the US.
After letting another big lead slip with an error-strewn performance at the French Open on Wednesday, top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka felt like getting as far away from the courts as possible. “Just want to quit tennis right now,” Sabalenka said after wasting a lead of a set and two breaks in a 3-6, 7-5, 6-0 loss to Diana Shnaider in the women’s singles quarter-finals. “We’ll see in few days. Hopefully I’ll get back on track mentally.” Sabalenka’s wait for a first French Open title continues despite the four-time major winner leading 4-1 in the second set and being two points from victory while
BIG NAMES GONE: Zverev is the clear favorite for a maiden Grand Slam title, reaching semi-finals for the fifth time in six years and finishing second on three occasions Alexander Zverev on Tuesday breezed past Rafael Jodar to stay on course for an elusive Grand Slam title at the French Open, while Jakub Mensik halted Joao Fonseca’s scintillating run in the quarter-finals. Zverev, the highest-ranked player left in the men’s draw, put an end to Spanish teenager Jodar’s impressive Roland Garros debut, easing into the semi-finals with a 7-6, (7/3), 6-1, 6-3 win. The 29-year-old Zverev is the clear favorite for a maiden Grand Slam title. He has finished runner-up on three occasions, including at the 2024 French Open. “I want to win the matches that are ahead of
Liverpool are in advanced talks with former AFC Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola as they seek a replacement for Arne Slot, reports said on Tuesday. Iraola has emerged as Liverpool’s top target to replace Slot, who was sacked on Saturday last week after a turbulent second season in charge. Liverpool have reportedly agreed a deal in principle to bring the Spaniard, who left Bournemouth at the end of this season, to Anfield. Sporting director Richard Hughes was heavily involved in hiring Iraola during his time at Bournemouth and is again spearheading the recruitment of the highly rated coach. The Reds are
KNICKS TAKE LEAD: San Antonio put on a 9-0 run to be up 95-94 with just over 2 minutes to play, but the rest of the game belonged to the New York Knicks It was past five minutes through the third quarter of Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday and the New York Knicks’ 11-game winning streak was in major jeopardy. The Knicks missed nine of their first 10 shots in the early part of the period and trailed the San Antonio Spurs by 14 points. They were floundering. Then something crazy happened. The Knicks found new life from an unlikely source: The Spurs. New York rallied to tie the game by the end of the period, gave up the lead briefly late in the fourth quarter, and pulled away late for a 105-95
RSS