The Chan sisters failed to survive a second-set meltdown at the Swedish Open in Bastad yesterday as the top seeds crashed out in the quarter-finals.
Taiwan’s Chan Hao-ching and Chan Yung-jan, the world No. 34 and No. 22 in the doubles rankings, were stunned 5-7, 6-1, 10-8 by world No. 84 Tatjana Maria and world No. 59 Olga Savchuk on the Scandinavian clay courts.
The Taiwanese duo saved seven of nine break points and converted three of six to take the first set, but their German-Ukrainian opponents then saved all three break points they faced in the second set and converted three of six to level the quarter-final at one set each.
The Chan sisters then produced two double faults in the super tiebreak as their opponents went on to complete the victory in 1 hour, 39 minutes, while the favorites for the title exited in their second match.
Maria and Savchuk next face a semi-final against either third seeds Mandy Minella of Luxembourg and Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic or Spanish pairing Lara Arruabarrena and Beatriz Garcia Vidagany, who were due to play their quarter-final later yesterday.
In the singles on Wednesday, top seed Serena Williams sailed through her opening match with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Belgian qualifier Ysaline Bonaventure.
Seventh seed Johanna Larsson of Sweden advanced to the second round after beating Richel Hogenkamp of the Netherlands 6-1, 6-3 and next plays Anna-Lena Friedsam of Germany.
In the first three second-round matches, Arruabarrena rallied to upset second seed Samantha Stosur of Australia 7-6 (7/5), 6-0 after being 2-4 down in the first set.
Fourth seed Mona Barthel and Jana Cepelova joined Arruabarrena in the quarter-finals.
BUCHAREST OPEN
Top-seeded Sara Errani overcame a slow start to beat Shahar Peer 7-6 (5), 6-2 on Wednesday and reach the quarter-finals of the Bucharest Open.
Polona Hercog of Slovenia also advanced, defeating Patricia Maria Tig of Romania 6-0, 6-2. Roberta Vinci eased past Hungary’s Timea Babos 6-2, 6-1, No. 4 Julia Goerges of Germany overcame qualifier Daria Kasatkina of Russia, 7-6 (7/4), 6-4 and Sorana Cirstea of Romania beat Sesil Karatantcheva of Bulgaria 6-2, 6-2.
RECORD DEFEAT: The Shanghai-based ‘Oriental Sports Daily’ said the drubbing was so disastrous, and taste so bitter, that all that is left is ‘numbness’ Chinese soccer fans and media rounded on the national team yesterday after they experienced fresh humiliation in a 7-0 thrashing to rivals Japan in their opening Group C match in the third phase of Asian qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. The humiliation in Saitama on Thursday against Asia’s top-ranked team was China’s worst defeat in World Cup qualifying and only a goal short of their record 8-0 loss to Brazil in 2012. Chinese President Xi Jinping once said he wanted China to host and even win the World Cup one day, but that ambition looked further away than ever after a
‘KHELIFMANIA’: In the weeks since the Algerian boxer won gold in Paris, national enthusiasm is inspiring newfound interest in the sport, particularly among women In the weeks since Algeria’s Imane Khelif won an Olympic gold medal in women’s boxing, athletes and coaches in the North African nation say national enthusiasm is inspiring newfound interest in the sport, particularly among women. Khelif’s image is practically everywhere, featured in advertisements at airports, on highway billboards and in boxing gyms. The 25-year-old welterweight’s success in Paris has vaulted her to national hero status, especially after Algerians rallied behind her in the face of uninformed speculation about her gender and eligibility to compete. Amateur boxer Zougar Amina, a medical student who has been practicing for a year, called Khelif an
Crowds descended on the home of 17-year-old Chinese diver Quan Hongchan after she won two golds at the Paris Olympics while gymnast Zhang Boheng hid in a Beijing airport toilet to escape overzealous throngs of fans. They are just two recent examples of what state media are calling “toxic fandom” and Chinese authorities have vowed to crack down on it. Some of the adulation toward China’s sports stars has been more sinister — fans obsessing over athletes’ personal lives, cyberbullying opponents or slamming supposedly crooked judges. Experts say it mirrors the kind of behavior once reserved for entertainment celebrities before
GOING GLOBAL: The regular season fixture is part of the football league’s increasingly ambitious plans to spread the sport to international destinations The US National Football League (NFL) breaks new ground in its global expansion strategy tomorrow when the Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers face off in the first-ever grid-iron game staged in Brazil. For one night only, the land of Pele and ‘The Beautiful Game’ will get a rare glimpse into the bone-crunching world of American football as the Packers and Eagles collide at Sao Paulo’s Neo Quimica Arena, the 46,000-seat home of soccer club Corinthians. The regular season fixture is part of the NFL’s increasingly ambitious plans to spread the US’ most popular sport to new territories following previous international fixtures
RSS