Top-ranked Ashleigh Barty and No.5 seed Elina Svitolina both pulled through in three sets Monday to become the first two quarterfinalists at the Miami Open.
Who will join them?
Late Sunday night, Bianca Andreescu edged out Amanda Anisimova in a tight three-set match to reach the Round of 16 at the Miami Open.
If Andreescu was hoping to play her way back into form after missing all of 2020, her 2-hour, 44-minute battle was a good start. Andreescu, the 2019 US Open champion, won’t have much time to recover. On Monday evening, she will take on Garbiñe Muguruza, who also survived a three-setter in her last match.
Here are the Sweet 16 matches still to be decided.
Top Half
Anastasija Sevastova vs. [WC] Ana Konjuh
Here’s a blast from the distant past: These two have met only once, with Sevastova taking a three-set match four years ago in Mallorca.
Konjuh has been the story of the tournament. As a 19-year-old she was ranked No. 20 in July 2017. Then a series of elbow surgeries – four, to be precise – knocked her far down the tennis ladder.
“Thankfully all of that is behind me right now,” Konjuh told reporters later. “But in those key moments where you’re sick of everything and you’re just questioning yourself like should I go back and is it worth it and whatnot, I just remembered why I started playing this sport and why I love it so much and just the feeling that I had when I was in the top and having these great results and what it meant to me.
“So, I decided I’m not going to stop until I do everything there is, every possibility to help me. Here we are.”
She had only one WTA main-draw match (a loss to Amanda Anisimova) coming in, but Miami’s tournament officials granted her a wildcard – and it’s paid off wildly. She beat No. 70-ranked Katerina Siniakova in the first round, then No.18 seed Madison Keys in the second. Her third-round victory over Swiatek represented her second straight Top 20 win and first three consecutive match wins since Wimbledon 2017.
“Obviously [Swiatek] is a great player and great champion,” Konjuh said. “I just wanted to stay mentally in it in those key moments just to be able to, you know, produce some great shots. I did that.”
Sevastova, who received a walkover from Halep, is through to the Miami Round of 16 for the first time.
No.7 Aryna Sabalenka vs. No.19 Marketa Vondrousova
This could possibly be the closest Monday match to call.
Sabalenka took care of No.32 Veronika Kudermetova 7-6 (4), 6-4.
And later, 2019 Roland Garros finalist Vondrousova upset No.11 seed Belinda Bencic 4-6, 6-4, 6-4. Bencic was looking for her first Top 20 win since the 2019 WTA Finals. Vondrousova, you might recall, reached back-to-back quarterfinals at Indian Wells and Miami that same year.
The 21-year-old player from the Czech Republic scored a career-best fourth-round appearance at this year’s Australian Open and got to the quarterfinals of Miami two years ago.
Vondrousova holds a 2-1 advantage in head-to-head play, but the last match was nearly three years ago.
2021 Miami Highlights: Vondrousova edges Bencic in a thriller
1 day ago
Bottom Half
No.2 Naomi Osaka vs. No.16 Elise Mertens
Don’t sleep on this match.
Sure, Osaka has won 22 consecutive matches, but Mertens is a formidable opponent. She’s already been to two WTA semifinals this year – at Dubai and in Melbourne – and Sunday beat No.22 Anett Kontaveit 6-2, 0-6, 6-2.
Osaka was granted a walkover when qualifier Nina Stojanovic withdrew due to a right thigh injury.
Osaka leads the series 2-1, most recently beating Mertens in the 2020 Western & Southern Open semifinals.
“I mean, it’s always a tough opponent,” Mertens said of Osaka. “Yeah, I know how she plays. I mean, she’s in form, she’s winning a lot. It’s going to be an interesting match what I can do against her, but I’m definitely gonna give 100 percent.”
No.23 Maria Sakkari vs. No.29 Jessica Pegula
This is a quality match, with two players at the very top of their game.
Sakkari is 10-5 for the season, while Pegula is 14-5.
Sakkari is ranked No.25, only five spots below her best career ranking. The 25-year-old from Greece raced past unseeded Liudmila Samsonova 6-0, 6-1. The match required only 68 minutes and Sakkari won 60 of 91 points.
Photo by Getty Images
Pegula, meanwhile, is at a career-high ranking of No.33 and reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open. She also made back-to-back semifinals during the Middle East Swing in Doha and Dubai. She now has a WTA-high four victories over Top 10 players this year after ousting No.6 Karolina Pliskova 6-1, 4-6, 6-4. Previous to this year, Pegula had no Top 10 victories.
It was the American’s third win over Pliskova in 24 days; Pegula won six of the seven sets.
Sakkari won their only meeting, on grass two years ago in Eastbourne, 6-2, 6-1.
“I think we played on grass, and I think she killed me,” Pegula said, smiling. “Yeah, I’m playing much better now. I know she’s been playing pretty well and kind of solidified her as a really good top player, dangerous, amazing athlete. It will definitely be tough. I’ll be ready for it.”
The 20-year-old Canadian is playing only her third tournament since the end of 2019, after missing the entire 2020 season with a knee injury.
“My game, I know that it can be better, but I’m trying to find ways to push through on my off days, and I think I’m doing that well,” Andreescu said. “I think that’s what makes a really good player, and I’m trying to be that really good player like I was in 2019. I did that today, and I just want to fight and give it my all and then the rest will come.”
Meanwhile, Muguruza rallied to defeat wildcard Anna Kalinskaya 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in 2 hours and 41 minutes. Coming off a title in Dubai and leading the tour with 20 match wins, Muguruza is now looking to advance to her first Miami quarterfinal.
“I’m not concerned about the day of rest, because I have been playing many matches back to back,” Muguruza said. “So I feel like, you know, it’s going to be a challenge, of course, because today was a very physical match and I could feel the heat and everything. But it’s for everybody. Everybody has to play tomorrow, so all the players that play today are in the same circumstances.”
No. 27 Ons Jabeur vs. Sara Sorribes Tormo
Jabeur, the 26-year-old from Tunisia, shocked No.4 Sofia Kenin 6-4, 4-6, 6-4. For context, consider that Kenin had won their four previous WTA main draw matches – and all eight sets. Jabeur, who orchestrated her third career win against a Top 5 opponent, sits at a career-high World No.30 ranking.
“I tried to play my game and to play for revenge, because I’ve been losing a lot against Sofia,” Jabeur said. “She’s such an amazing player. But I was there, I was confident, I wanted to win. I wanted to play well and play my game. Honestly, I’m so proud that I won today.”
Sorribes Tormo defeated No. 21 Elena Rybakina 6-1, 3-6, 6-2. The 24-year-old Spaniard is ranked No.58 and is a stellar 14-4 for 2021. She beat No. 14 Jennifer Brady in second round and already has a surprising 14 main-draw wins.
“I know that Sorribes is playing really good lately and she’s been winning a lot of matches,” Jabeur said. “She’s a good friend of mine on tour and honestly, I love playing her. I love the way she plays. I have to be ready tomorrow, especially physically and mentally, to win.”
Jabeur holds a 4-1 head-to-head advantage at WTA level, having won the past three – 2017 Shenzhen, 2018 Manchester and 2019 Rome – all in straight sets.
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.
Inter Milan winger Tajon Buchanan, recovered from a broken leg suffered in training at this summer’s Copa America, is back in Jesse Marsch’s Canada squad for the CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinal against Suriname.
The 25-year-old from Brampton, Ont., underwent surgery July 3 to repair a fractured tibia in Texas.
Canada, ranked 35th in the world, plays No. 136 Suriname on Nov. 15 in Paramaribo. The second leg of the aggregate series is four days later at Toronto’s BMO Field.
There is also a return for veteran winger Junior Hoilett, who last played for Canada in June in a 4-0 loss to the Netherlands in Marsch’s debut at the Canadian helm. The 34-year-old from Brampton, now with Scotland’s Hibernian, has 15 goals in 63 senior appearances for Canada.
Midfielder Ismael Kone, recovered from an ankle injury sustained on club duty with France’s Marseille, also returns. He missed Canada’s last three matches since the fourth-place Copa America loss to Uruguay in July.
But Canada will be without centre back Derek Cornelius, who exited Marseille’s win Sunday over Nantes on a stretcher after suffering an apparent rib injury.
The Canadian men will prepare for Suriname next week at a camp in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
“We are looking forward to getting the group together again with the mindset that there is a trophy on the line,” Marsch said in a statement. “We want to end 2024 the right way with two excellent performances against a competitive Suriname squad and continue building on our tremendous growth this past summer.”
The quarterfinal winners advance to the Nations League Finals at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., with the two semifinals scheduled for March 20 and the final and third-place playoff March 23, and qualify for the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Thirteen of the 23 players on the Canadian roster are 25 or younger, with 19-year-old defender Jamie Knight-Lebel, currently playing for England’s Crewe Alexandra on loan from Bristol City, the youngest.
Bayern Munich star Alphonso Davies captains the side with Stephen Eustaquio, Jonathan Osorio, Richie Laryea, Alistair Johnston and Kamal Miller adding veteran support.
Jonathan David, Cyle Larin and Theo Bair are joined in attack by Minnesota United’s Tani Oluwaseyi.
Niko Sigur, a 21-year-old midfielder with Croatia’s Hadjuk Split, continues in the squad after making his debut in the September friendly against Mexico.
Suriname made it to the Nations League quarterfinals by finishing second to Costa Rica in Group A of the Nations League, ahead of No. 104 Guatemala, No. 161 Guyana and unranked Martinique and Guadeloupe.
“A good team,” Osorio said of Suriname. “These games are always tricky and they’re not easy at all … Suriname is a (former) Dutch colony and they’ll have Dutch players playing at high levels.”
“They won’t be someone we overlook at all,” added the Toronto FC captain, who has 81 Canada caps to his credit.
Located on the northeast coast of South America between Guyana and French Guiana, Suriname was granted independence in 1975 by the Netherlands.
Canada has faced Suriname twice before, both in World Cup qualifying play, winning 4-0 in suburban Chicago in June 2021 and 2-1 in Mexico City in October 1977.
The Canadian men, along with Mexico, the United States and Panama, received a bye into the final eight of the CONCACAF Nations League.
Canada, No. 2 in the CONCACAF rankings, drew Suriname as the best-placed runner-up from League A play.
Canada lost to Jamaica in last year’s Nations League quarterfinal, ousted on the away-goals rule after the series ended in a 4-4 draw. The Canadians lost 2-0 to the U.S. in the final of the 2022-23 tournament and finished fifth in 2019-20.
Canada defeated Panama 2-1 last time out, in an Oct. 15 friendly in Toronto.
Goalkeepers Maxime Crepeau and Jonathan Sirois, defenders Joel Waterman, Laryea and Miller and Osorio took part in a pre-camp this week in Toronto for North America-based players.
Canada Roster
Goalkeepers: Maxime Crepeau, Portland Timbers (MLS); Jonathan Sirois, CF Montreal (MLS); Dayne St. Clair, Minnesota United FC (MLS).
Defenders: Moise Bombito, OGC Nice (France); Alphonso Davies, Bayern Munich (Germany); Richie Laryea, Toronto FC (MLS); Alistair Johnston, Celtic (Scotland); Jamie Knight-Lebel. Crewe Alexandra, on loan from Bristol City (England); Kamal Miller, Portland Timbers (MLS); Joel Waterman, CF Montreal (MLS).
Midfielders: Ali Ahmed. Vancouver Whitecaps (MLS); Tajon Buchanan, Inter Milan (Italy); Mathieu Choiniere, Grasshopper Zurich (Switzerland); Stephen Eustaquio, FC Porto (Portugal); Junior Hoilett, Hibernian FC (Scotland); Ismael Kone, Olympique Marseille (France); Jonathan Osorio, Toronto FC (MLS); Jacob Shaffelburg, Nashville SC (MLS); Niko Sigur, Hadjuk Split (Croatia).
Forwards: Theo Bair, AJ Auxerre (France); Jonathan David, LOSC Lille (France); Cyle Larin, RCD Mallorca (Spain); Tani Oluwaseyi, Minnesota United (MLS).
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
