Canada’s Bianca Andreescu has reached the final four at the Miami Open.
Andreescu earned herself a spot in the tournament semifinals on Wednesday by downing Spain’s Sara Sorribes Tormo 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 — in a match that went two hours 35 minutes.
“Three setters, what can you expect from me?” Andreescu said with a laugh.
“I’m a really good fighter and I never give up even through adversity. I’m super proud with how I handled it tonight because it wasn’t easy. She’s a really tough player.”
Andreescu will face No. 23 seed Maria Sakkari of Greece in the semifinals.
Sakkari upset No. 2 seed Naomi Osaka 6-0, 6-4 on Wednesday, ending the Japanese player’s 23-match win streak.
Andreescu, from Mississauga, Ont., quickly found herself in a 3-0 hole in the opening set after the Spaniard broke the Canadian’s serve twice.
But she appeared to settle in and followed up by taking six of the next seven games.
With momentum on her side, Andreescu earned her third break point to take the 51-minute first set.
“I never played her before and it’s hard to tell how a player plays online, so I think I got caught off guard a little bit,” Andreescu said of her slow start.
“I feel like I was going for too much at the start but I figured it out and adjusted.”
Neither player could take advantage of their serve in the second set. Andreescu struggled the most, never holding serve in the entire set.
She was called for a time violation while serving at 1-1, and appeared frustrated by letting the umpire know she didn’t agree with the call before falling behind 2-1.
The Spaniard finally held serve on her fourth try, putting her ahead 5-3 before breaking Andreescu for the fifth time to send it to a decider.
Both players had their service game going in the third set until Andreescu used a blend of power and finesse to break her opponent for a 3-2 lead.
Andreescu then let out a roar when she fought back to hold serve and go up 4-2, and was equally as thrilled when she broke her opponent a second time to take back serve with a chance to win the match.
“She doesn’t give you pace at all and those high, heavy balls, you have to generate your own and that consists of leg power, arm power….you’re putting your all into it. It was tiring towards the end of the second set,” Andreescu said.
“Trying not to show it but sometimes it’s hard.”
Andreescu mentioned earlier in the tournament that she was having some groin issues but said post-match Wednesday: “Groin is totally fine, no pain anywhere.”
This is Andreescu’s third tournament back after a 16-month absence in the aftermath of a knee injury. She’s trying to recapture the form of her breakthrough 2019 season when she won three tournaments, including the U.S. Open.
Andreescu returned from the layoff in February at the Australian Open, losing in the second round of the Grand Slam.
The 20-year-old Canadian followed that up by reaching the semifinals of an event in Melbourne for players eliminated early from the Australian Open, but a leg injury suffered there kept her out until Miami.
Andreescu, who entered Wednesday night’s match 31-1 in North America since the start of 2019, acknowledged she had a minor groin issue earlier in Miami.
Sorribes Tormo, ranked 58th in the world, already had matched her career best for wins in a season with 15 prior to facing Andreescu.
The 24-year-old won all four of her previous matches in Miami in three sets, including the last three against seeded players.
Sorribes Tormo has now faced all three of the top Canadians on the women’s tour this year. She beat Eugenie Bouchard in the final of an event in Gudalajara, Mexico for her first career title and lost to eventual champion Leylah Annie Fernandez in the semifinals of an event in Acapulco, Mexico.
All four Canadian men have been eliminated in the singles draw.
In women’s doubles, Ottawa’s Gabriela Dabrowski and Mexico’s Giuliana Olmos face No. 8 seeds Luisa Stefani of Brazil and Hayley Carter of the U.S. in a semifinal later this week.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 31, 2021.
TORONTO – Reigning PWHL MVP and scoring champ Natalie Spooner will miss the start of the regular season for the Toronto Sceptres, general manager Gina Kingsbury announced Tuesday on the first day of training camp.
The 33-year-old Spooner had knee surgery on her left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) after she was checked into the boards by Minnesota’s Grace Zumwinkle in Game 3 of their best-of-five semifinal series on May 13.
She had a goal and an assist in three playoff games but did not finish the series. Toronto was up 2-1 in the semifinal at that time and eventually fell 3-2 in the series.
Spooner led the PWHL with 27 points in 24 games. Her 20 goals, including five game-winners, were nine more than the closest skater.
Kingsbury said there is no timeline, as the team wants the Toronto native at 100 per cent, but added that “she is doing really well” in her recovery.
The Sceptres open the PWHL season on Nov. 30 when they host the Boston Fleet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2024.
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A top official of the Pakistan Cricket Board declined Friday to confirm media reports that India has decided against playing any games in host Pakistan during next year’s Champions Trophy.
“My view is if there’s any problems, they (India) should tell us in writing,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi told reporters in Lahore. “I’ll share that with the media as well as with the government as soon as I get such a letter.”
Indian media reported Friday that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has communicated its concerns to all the Champions Trophy stakeholders, including the PCB, over the Feb. 19-March 9 tournament and would not play in arch-rival Pakistan.
The Times of India said that “Dubai is a strong candidate to host the fixtures involving the Men in Blue” for the 50-over tournament.
Such a solution would see Pakistan having to travel to a neutral venue to play India in a group match, with another potential meeting later in the tournament if both teams advanced from their group. The final is scheduled for March 9 in Pakistan with the specific venue not yet decided.
“Our stance is clear,” Naqvi said. “They need to give us in writing any objections they may have. Until now, no discussion of the hybrid model has happened, nor are we prepared to accept one.”
Political tensions have stopped bilateral cricket between the two nations since 2008 and they have competed in only multi-nation tournaments, including ICC World Cups.
“Cricket should be free of politics,” Naqvi said. “Any sport should not be entangled with politics. Our preparations for the Champions Trophy will continue unabated, and this will be a successful event.”
The PCB has already spent millions of dollars on the upgrade of stadiums in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi which are due to host 15 Champions Trophy games. Naqvi hoped all the three stadiums will be ready over the next two months.
“Almost every country wants the Champions Trophy to be played here (in Pakistan),” Naqvi said. “I don’t think anyone should make this a political matter, and I don’t expect they will. I expect the tournament will be held at the home of the official hosts.”
Eight countries – Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan – are due to compete in the tournament, the schedule of which is yet to be announced by the International Cricket Council.
“Normally the ICC announces the schedule of any major tournament 100 days before the event, and I hope they will announce it very soon,” Naqvi said.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Ottawa‘s Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand are through to the doubles final at the WTA Finals after a 7-6 (7), 6-1 victory over Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Australia’s Ellen Perez in semifinal action Friday.
Dabrowski and Routliffe won a hard-fought first set against serve when Routliffe’s quick reaction at the net to defend a Perez shot gave the duo set point, causing Perez to throw down her racket in frustration.
The second seeds then cruised through the second set, winning match point on serve when Melichar-Martinez couldn’t handle Routliffe’s shot.
The showdown was a rematch of last year’s semifinal, which Melichar-Martinez and Perez won in a super tiebreak.
Dabrowski and Routliffe will face the winner of a match between Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, and Hao-Ching Chan and Veronika Kudermetova in the final on Saturday.
Dabrowski is aiming to become the first Canadian to win a WTA Finals title.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
