German seeds Philipp Kohlschreiber and Andreas Beck advanced to the Open de Moselle quarter-finals on Wednesday.
The second-seeded Kohlschreiber rallied to beat countryman Bjorn Phau 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 and will next face Evgeny Korolev of Russia, who defeated Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (2).
The seventh-seeded Beck broke French qualifier Thierry Ascione three times before winning 6-2, 6-4. Beck, a finalist in Gstaad, Switzerland, will play another Frenchman, Paul-Henri Mathieu.
The third-seeded Mathieu, the Metz runner-up last year, defeated Marc Gicquel 7-6 (5), 6-4 in an all-French matchup.
Mathieu earned a decisive mini break at 5-4 in the tiebreaker and took Gicquel’s serve in the opening game of the second set.
Also, French wild cards Michael Llodra and Sebastien Grosjean moved into the second round. Llodra, a finalist in Marseille, hit 15 aces in beating Mischa Zverev of Germany 4-6, 6-3, 6-3.
■HANSOL-KOREA OPEN
STAFF WRITER
Maria Kirilenko’s title defense continues at the WTA Hansol Korea Open after her opponent in yesterday’s second-round match, third seed Francesca Schiavone of Italy, retired with the Russian leading 6-1, 1-2.
Schiavone had taken a medical time-out in the first set with what appeared to be an injury to her right thigh.
In yesterday’s other second-round matches, Kimiko Date Krumm of Japan beat Alisa Kleybanova of Russia 4-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-3 to advance to the quarter-finals, while Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia defeated Chanelle Scheepers of South Africa 6-1, 6-1. Vera Dushevina of Russia beat Anastasija Sevastova of Latvia 7-5, 6-1.
Taiwan’s Chan Yung-jan and Abigail Spears of the US defeated Polish duo Klaudia Jans and Alicja Rosolska 6-3, 7-6 (7/4) to advance to the doubles semi-finals.
Also advancing were Taiwan’s Chuang Chia-jung and China’s Yan Zi, who beat Andrea Petkovic of Germany and Magdalena Rybarikova of Slovakia 4-6, 6-3, 12-10, while Russian duo Alisa Kleybanova and Ekaterina Makarova defeated Natalie Grandin of South Africa and Angela Haynes of the US 6-3, 6-3.
Twelve days after winning her second Grand Slam title at the French Open, Coco Gauff fell at the first hurdle on grass in Berlin on Thursday as beaten Paris finalist Aryna Sabalenka advanced to the quarter-finals. Recipient of a first round bye, American Gauff lost 6-3, 6-3 to Chinese qualifier Wang Xinyu as world number one Sabalenka beat Rebeka Masarova 6-2, 7-6 (8/6) in her second round tie. Winner of 10 main tour titles, including the US Open in 2023 and the WTA Finals last year, Gauff has yet to lift a trophy in a grass-court tournament. “After I won the first
Sergio Ramos on Tuesday outfoxed two Inter players and artfully headed home the first goal for Monterrey at the FIFA Club World Cup. The 39-year-old Ramos slipped through the penalty area for the score just as he did for so many years in the shirts of Real Madrid and Spain’s national team, with whom he combined smarts, timing and physicality. Ramos’ clever goal and his overall defensive play at the Rose Bowl were major factors in Monterrey’s impressive 1-1 draw against the UEFA Champions League finalists in the clubs’ first match of the tournament. “There is always a joy to contribute to the
Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka staged a “crazy comeback,” saving four match points before beating Elena Rybakina 7-6 (6), 3-6, 7-6 (6) in the quarter-finals of the Berlin Open on Friday. Sabalenka was 6-2 down in the final-set tie-breaker, but won six straight points to reach her eighth semi-final of the season. “Elena is a great player and we’ve had a lot of tough battles,” Sabalenka said. “I have no idea how I was able to win those last points. I think I just got lucky.” “I remember a long time ago when I was just starting, I won a lot of matches being down
While British star Jack Draper spent the past week trying to find rhythm and comfort in his first grass tournament of the season at the Queen’s Club Championships in London, Jiri Lehecka on Saturday bulldozed everything in his path. After more than two furious hours of battle, their form was reflected in the final scoreline as Lehecka toppled a frustrated Draper, the second seed, 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 to reach the biggest final of his career, against Carlos Alcaraz. Lehecka is also the first Czech to reach the men’s title match at Queen’s since Ivan Lendl lifted the trophy in 1990. Draper, who
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