Chang Kai-chen’s big day at the Taipei Arena fell flat yesterday as the Taiwanese followed up a loss in the OEC Taipei WTA Challenger singles final by succumbing to a fightback in the doubles final as a trio of Russians silenced the partisan home crowd.
In the singles final, the Taoyuan-born 25-year-old fell to a 6-4, 6-3 defeat to sixth seed Evgeniya Rodina in 1 hour, 20 minutes.
The Russian world No. 104 saved one of the three break points she faced and converted five of 13, winning 71 of the 129 points contested to claim this year’s title, while the Taiwanese world No. 154 mixed four aces with five double faults.
Photo: Lin Cheng-kung, Taipei Times
Rodina, a semi-finalist in Taipei last year who was cheered on by her husband and daughter, had some kind words for Chang at the post-match presentation.
“Chang played really well today, but I was lucky I came out on top in the important moments,” Rodina told the WTA Web site. “It was great to have my daughter and husband here this week — it really helped — I played second time here and I hope to come again next year.”
After a sort rest, Chang returned to the court alongside fellow Taiwanese Chuang Chia-jung in the doubles final and it looked like a title could be theirs for the taking after they won the first set 6-4 against Natela Dzalamidze and Veronika Kudermetova.
However, the Russian duo, who ousted both the second and third seeds on their way to the final, fought back and eventually completed a 4-6, 6-3, 10-5 victory in 1 hour, 14 minutes to claim their first WTA Tour doubles title.
When Paddy Dwyer arrived in China in 1976, crowds jostled to catch a glimpse of him and his companions — the first Western soccer team to play in the country. China was emerging from the chaos of the Cultural Revolution, and on the brink of market reforms that would take the country from economic stagnation to explosive growth. “All we could see was lines of people running beside our bus, trying to look in the windows, to see their first visual of a white person,” he said. “It was all bicycles,” he said. “There were very few cars to be seen.” Dwyer,
Jannik Sinner continued his quest to become the first man in history to win five Masters 1000 tournaments in a row with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Danish qualifier Elmer Moller at the Madrid Open on Sunday. The world leader extended his winning streak to 19 matches, a run that began early March in Indian Wells, and he has captured 24 consecutive victories at the Masters 1000 level, dating back to the Paris Masters last October. Searching for a maiden title at this level on clay, Sinner advanced to the round of 16 at the Caja Magica with a 77-minute performance against
Tennis players are facing an unexpected opponent at the Madrid Open. A stomach virus or food poisoning has affected Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, Marin Cilic and others, raising concerns. World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka avoided an upset by Naomi Osaka on the court on Monday and said she is trying to avoid illness by sticking to a diet of chicken breasts, rice and salad. The rumor among the players was bad shrimp tacos were to blame. Sabalenka knocked on wood for luck and said, “So far, so good. I heard that I have to avoid those tacos,” she laughed, adding “I stick to the
Some of Clearlake Capital Group’s largest investors are growing increasingly concerned about how much time the company’s co-founders are spending on sports investments as they have struggled to complete the fundraising for the private equity firm’s latest flagship fund. One of Clearlake’s co-founders, Behdad Eghbali, has been spending what some investors described as a disproportionate amount of time on the firm’s investment in Chelsea Football Club in recent months. Now, co-founder Jose E. Feliciano and his wife, Kwanza Jones, are nearing a record US$3.9 billion deal to acquire the San Diego Padres. That personal investment by Feliciano has set off the latest
RSS