Maria Sharapova moved into her fourth final of the season on Saturday as she fought through a tight second set to overcome Patty Schnyder 7-5, 6-4 at the Acura Classic.
Second seed Sharapova, back in action after taking three weeks off following Wimbledon, stormed through the opening set but found herself in a dogfight with the fifth-seeded Swiss in the second.
The Russian, winner of Wimbledon two years ago, broke to start the second set but struggled to get out of a 15-minute game where she had to save five break points for 2-0. They fought through nine deuces in the marathon game.
PHOTO: AFP
All of Schnyder's nine break points came in the hard-fought second set, with the Swiss converting only once as she broke Sharapova as the Russian served for victory leading 5-2.
"I made her run a lot and felt that I had a shot in all of our rallies," said Schnyder. "But by the time I broke her, it was too late."
After that serving misstep, Sharapova steadied to take the win two games later in one hour, 39 minutes.
PHOTO: AFP
"I served smart, mixed it up well and didn't try to go for too much," Sharapova said. "Against Patty, you need to be patient. She wants you to go for winners. When I got my opportunities, I took them."
Sharapova lost just six points on serve in her dominant opening set.
"I got a wake-up call when I was down 0-30 on my serve," she said. "But my serve helped me out."
Now 36-7 this year, Sharapova was due yesterday to play for her first title since Indian Wells in March, facing top seed Kim Clijsters.
"My record against Kim is not good (0-4), so I'd love to get a win," Sharapova said.
The former interpreter for baseball star Shohei Ohtani on Thursday was sentenced to nearly five years in prison for bank and tax fraud after he stole nearly US$17 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers player’s bank account. Ippei Mizuhara, who was supposed to bridge the gap between the Japanese athlete and his English-speaking teammates and fans, was sentenced in federal court in Santa Ana to four years and nine months after pleading guilty last year. He was ordered to pay US$18 million in restitution, with nearly US$17 million going to Ohtani and the remainder to the US Internal Revenue Service. He was
SPEEDSKATER: Her bronze medal ended Taiwan’s run at the Asian Winter Games without a medal since the nation first participated in the second iteration in 1990 Speedskater Chen Ying-chu yesterday made history as the first athlete representing Taiwan to secure a medal at the Asian Winter Games. Competing at the HIC Speedskating Oval in Harbin, China, Chen clocked 10.510 seconds in the women’s 100m event, finishing third behind South Koreans Lee Na-hyum and Kim Min-sun, who posted times of 10.501 and 10.505 seconds respectively. Her bronze medal ended Taiwan’s drought at the Asian Winter Games since the nation first participated in the second iteration in 1990. This year’s Games mark Chen’s debut at the event. Previously excelling in roller speedskating, she won six medals at world championships before transitioning
The 40-year-old LeBron James on Thursday became the oldest player to score 40 points in an NBA game, putting up a season-high 42 in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 120-112 victory over the Golden State Warriors. James passed the record held by Michael Jordan, his idol and the only other NBA player to score 40 after his 40th birthday. “I’m old, that’s my take,” James said when asked about his latest achievement. “I need a glass of wine and some sleep, that’s what I think.” Jordan did it for the Washington Wizards just three days after turning 40 in February 2003. James is 38
Aaliyah Edwards on Monday pulled off the stunner of the opening round of the Unrivaled one-on-one tournament, beating top-seeded Breanna Stewart 12-0. The tournament to be played over three days featured 23 of the WNBA’s 36 players. A few had other commitments and a couple others were out with injuries. Stewart got the ball first against Edwards and missed a contested layup. Edwards then hit a three-pointer from the corner and a jumper from the elbow to go up 5-0. The player who scores keeps the basketball. Edwards hit two layups and a three-pointer to seal the win. Stewart, a two-time WNBA Most Valuable Player,