Jessica Pegula could not get her serve going on Saturday. Luckily for her, neither could her opponent.
The American broke world No. 1 Iga Swiatek of Poland 11 times en route to a 6-2, (4) 6-7, 6-4 victory in an unusual semifinal where serving appeared to be a major disadvantage at the National Bank Open in Montreal.
“I was getting frustrated that I wasn’t holding,” said Pegula, who was broken eight times herself. “But then at the same time I knew she was having trouble holding as well.
“I was just like, I know I’ll get more chances if I can just … hold. Basically, it was whoever could kind of consolidate the break.”
Pegula, the tournament’s fourth seed, advanced to Sunday’s final where she’ll face the winner of the semifinal match between third-seeded Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan and 15th-seeded Liudmila Samsonova of Russia.
PEGULA PREVAILS ????<a href=”https://twitter.com/JPegula?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@JPegula</a> takes down Swiatek in three sets 6-2, 6-7, 6-4 advancing to the finals for the first time in Montreal. <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBO23?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#NBO23</a> <a href=”https://t.co/no3bGLU6nv”>pic.twitter.com/no3bGLU6nv</a>
Pegula will have to wait until Sunday afternoon to learn who her opponent will be as play was called off in Montreal due to poor weather conditions. The semifinal is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. ET, and the final is expected to be played later in the evening.
It’s Pegula’s first time in the NBO final after falling out in the semis the last two years.
Up 5-4 in the third set, Pegula broke Swiatek a final time after the top seed hit two shots long to take the win in two hours 30 minutes on a sunny afternoon at IGA Stadium.
The two opponents only won 11 of 30 service games combined.
Pegula even had a chance to end the match much earlier, up 5-4 in the second set and serving, but Swiatek broke her serve to stay alive and eventually win the set in a tiebreak.
New tennis balls
So how does one explain why the players struggled so much on serve? Pegula couldn’t say for sure, but wondered if it might have something to do with new tennis balls.
WTA players are testing out Wilson extra duty balls — instead of regular duty — for the first time on hard courts this week, through next week and into the U.S. Open in late August/early September.
“I don’t know why this week all of us seem to be really having trouble, even girls that are considered the best servers on tour. It’s weird,” said Pegula. “It feels like the conditions, it’s flying a little bit, it’s swirling. I know it’s also the first week we’re playing with the Wilson extra duty balls.
“They’re a little bit heavier, so they’re not quite coming off the racket as well. Maybe we’re not used to it.”
Swiatek — the No. 1 for 71 weeks running — made an uncharacteristic number of errors throughout the match, including four double faults.
“I kind of knew what I had to do to push her. Sometimes I could do that, sometimes I was making more mistakes — and I think that was the difference,” said Swiatek. “But I tried to play aggressively for the whole match.”
Pegula, who beat doubles teammate Coco Gauff on Friday, advances to her second WTA final this year.
The 29-year-old can bring her career title count to three with a win Sunday. She hasn’t won a tournament so far this season.
Game plan
Whether she plays Samsonova or Rybakina — who played until 3 a.m. local time Saturday morning — Pegula says her approach will be the same.
“Two similar players, serve big, hit big, like to really go after their shots, both really tall, physical girls,” she said. “Whoever wins I feel like it’s a very similar game plan, trying to take away their serve and then do my best to just play my game.”
Serving was not an advantage from the beginning on Saturday. Pegula broke three times and Swiatek broke twice to start the match, which was filled with numerous long rallies.
Pegula, who did much of her damage with her forehand, finally broke through in the sixth game, scoring four straight points to secure the first hold of the match and take a 4-2 lead.
And Pegula wasn’t done there. She broke once more as Swiatek continued making unforced errors while serving, despite getting 86 per cent of her first serves in play.
The American then served to take the set handily, sealing it with an ace.
Swiatek opened the second set strong, finally winning her first service game of the match.
Then the pattern from the first set continued as both players struggled gaining momentum on serve.
Swiatek and Pegula both broke each other twice consecutively before the American held to tie the set 3-3.
Then the players returned to breaking each other until Swiatek and Pegula both held to tie it 6-6 before the tiebreak.
Pegula lost the ensuing five points and the tiebreak before falling behind 2-0 to Swiatek early in the third, but climbed back knowing she’d always have a chance to break back the way the match was going.
Sinner sets up clash with de Minaur
It took Alex de Minaur a few days to find his form at the men’s tournament in Toronto after a packed schedule created some challenges.
Now that he’s settled into a groove, the wins just keep on coming.
De Minaur was in full control of a 6-1, 6-3 semifinal victory over Alejandro Davidovich Fokina on Saturday to earn a berth in his first career Masters 1000 final.
“I just told myself that no matter what, I was going to compete every point,” de Minaur said. “Stay positive and not get frustrated by how the match may go, and I’m just going to give myself the best chance of staying tough mentally.
“And I think that’s probably what got me the win today.”
That finals-bound feeling ????<a href=”https://twitter.com/alexdeminaur?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@alexdeminaur</a> | <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBO23?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#NBO23</a> <a href=”https://t.co/7wDyDv93rZ”>pic.twitter.com/7wDyDv93rZ</a>
The 18th-ranked Australian will play seventh-seeded Italian Jannik Sinner in Sunday’s final. Sinner beat 12th-seeded American Tommy Paul 6-4, 6-4 in the other semifinal.
“I just tried to stay aggressive and take the tough challenges in important moments,” Sinner said. “[I] tried to play the right way.”
De Minaur arrived in Toronto in the wee hours Monday after reaching the final in Los Cabos, Mexico. It was a quick turnaround with an opening doubles match that day ahead of his singles opener on Tuesday.
“The first couple rounds, I didn’t play my best tennis,” de Minaur said. “Just things weren’t clicking. I couldn’t really feel the ball in the strings and I just told myself to keep going at it.”
He managed to beat 11th-seeded Cameron Norrie in the first round and bested Canadian wild-card entry Gabriel Diallo in the second round, dropping nine games in each straight-sets win.
Eighth-seeded Taylor Fritz pushed de Minaur to three sets and the Australian reached the semis by upsetting second-seeded Daniil Medvedev.
“It’s always a huge boost of confidence when you’re able to go on these deep runs,” de Minaur said. “But I get to play a final tomorrow and the job is not done. Keep on going.”
De Minaur broke Davidovich Fokina’s serve on his first opportunity. He used his speed and return skills to keep the pressure on the Spaniard throughout the 77-minute match.
Davidovich Fokina made 22 unforced errors to just four for his opponent on a sunny but windy afternoon.
“The conditions were very, very tough for both of us, so it didn’t allow for ideal tennis [or] perfect tennis,” de Minaur said.
In the evening, Sinner and Paul exchanged service breaks to open their match. Sinner used his strong pace from the baseline to prevent Paul from dictating the rallies.
The American received treatment on his lower back/right hip area early in the second set and was broken in his next service game.
At 2-4, Paul had three break point chances but couldn’t take advantage. Sinner saved one by outlasting Paul in a 46-shot rally that brought the near-capacity crowd to its feet.
Sinner, who reached the Miami final twice but has yet to win a Masters 1000 title, has won all four of his previous meetings against de Minaur. Three of the victories came on hard courts while the most recent win — last year in Madrid — came on clay.
‘Very bad day in the office’
Davidovich Fokina, meanwhile, upset third-seeded Casper Ruud and 13th-seeded Alex Zverev en route to the semifinal. The 37th-ranked player showed flashes of his previous form against de Minaur but mistakes snuffed out any rhythm.
“I was late off everything,” Davidovich Fokina said. “I didn’t move my legs today. I [was] not giving up but it was very weird. Like a very bad day in the office.”
De Minaur did give up a break late in the second set but broke right back to improve to 32-16 on the season. He’ll rise at least five spots in next week’s rankings and would reach a career-high No. 11 with a title.
Sinner, currently ranked a career-high eighth, will rise to No. 6 if victorious.
In doubles play, El Salvador’s Marcelo Arevalo and Jean-Julien Rojer of the Netherlands posted a 6-3, 3-6, 10-5 win over the seventh-seeded duo of Spain’s Marcel Granollers and Argentina’s Horacio Zeballos.
They’ll play the third-seeded team of American Rajeev Ram and Britain’s Joe Salisbury in Sunday’s final. Ram and Salisbury advanced with a 6-4, 6-4 win over sixth-seeded Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz of Germany.
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — No. 1 Texas will start Arch Manning at quarterback Saturday against Louisiana-Monroe while regular starter Quinn Ewers continues to recover from a strained muscle in his abdomen, coach Steve Sarkisian said Thursday.
It will be the first career start for Manning, a second year freshman. He relieved Ewers in the second quarter last week against UTSA, and passed for four touchdowns and ran for another in a 56-7 Texas victory.
Manning is the son of Cooper Manning, the grandson of former NFL quarterback Archie Manning, and the nephew of Super Bowl-winning QBs Peyton and Eli Manning.
Ewers missed several games over the previous two seasons with shoulder and sternum injuries.
The Longhorns are No. 1 for the first time since 2008 and Saturday’s matchup with the Warhawks is Texas’ last game before the program starts its first SEC schedule against Mississippi State on Sept. 28.
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Making 104 senior appearances for Canada over a 20-year span, Atiba Hutchinson embodied quiet professionalism and leadership.
“He’s very humble but his influence is as strong as I’ve ever seen on men,” said former national team coach John Herdman.
“For me it was just a privilege, because I’ve had the honour to work with people like (former Canada women’s captain Christine) Sinclair. And Atiba, he’s just been a gift to Canada,” he added.
Hutchinson documents his journey on and off the field in an entertaining, refreshingly honest memoir called “The Beautiful Dream,” written with Dan Robson.
The former Canada captain, who played for 10 national team coaches, shares the pain of veteran players watching their World Cup dream slip away over the years.
Hutchinson experienced Canada’s lows himself, playing for a team ranked No. 122 in the world and 16th in CONCACAF (sandwiched between St. Kitts and Nevis and Aruba) back in October 2014.
Then there was the high of leading his country out at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar after a 36-year absence by the Canadian men.
And while he doesn’t throw anyone under the bus — for example, he notes the missed penalty kick in Canada’s World Cup opener in Qatar against Belgium without mentioning the taker (Alphonso Davies, whom he is very complimentary to) — he shares stories that paint a picture.
He describes the years of frustration the Canadian men experienced, with European club teammates ridiculing his commitment to the national team. In one telling story about a key World Cup qualifier in Honduras in October 2012, he relates learning in the dressing room before the match that the opposition players had been promised “land or homes” by their federation if they won.
“Meanwhile an executive from the Canadian Soccer Association entered and told us that we’d each receive an iPad or an iPod if we won,” Hutchinson writes.
Needing just a draw to advance to the final round of CONCACAF qualifying, Canada was trounced 8-1. Another World Cup campaign ended prematurely.
Hutchinson writes about the turnaround in the program under Herdman, from marvelling “at how good our younger players were” as he joined the team for World Cup qualifying ahead of Qatar to Canada Soccer flying the team to a game in Costa Rica “in a private jet that was swankier than anything I’d ever seen the federation pay for.”
Canada still lost 1-0, “a reminder we weren’t there yet,” he notes.
And Hutchinson recalls being “teary-eyed” during Canada’s memorable World Cup 2-1 qualifying win over Mexico in frigid Edmonton in November 2021.
“For the first time we had the respect of the other countries … We knew we had been viewed as an easy win by opponents like Mexico. Not anymore,” he writes.
The Canadian men, currently ranked 38th in the world, have continued their rise under coach Jesse Marsch
“I’m extremely proud to see how far we’ve come along,” Hutchinson said in an interview.
“Just to see what’s happening now with the team and the players that have come through and the clubs they’re playing at — winning leagues in different parts of Europe and the world,” he added. “It’s something we’ve never had before.”
At club level, Hutchinson chose his teams wisely with an eye to ensuring he would get playing time — with Osters and Helsingborgs IF in Sweden, FC Copenhagen in Denmark, PSV in the Netherlands and Besiktas in Turkey, where he payed 10 seasons and captained the side before retiring in June 2023 at the age of 40.
Turkish fans dubbed him “The Octopus” for his ability to win the ball back and hold onto it in his midfield role.
But the book reveals many trials and tribulations, especially at the beginning of his career when he was trying to find a club in Europe.
Today, Hutchinson, wife Sarah and their four children — ranging in age from one to nine — still live in Istanbul, where he is routinely recognized on the street.
He expects to get back into football, possibly coaching, down the line, but for the moment wants to enjoy time with his young family. He has already tried his hand as a TV analyst with TSN.
Herdman, for one, thought Hutchinson might become his successor as Canada coach.
Hutchinson says he never thought about writing a book but was eventually persuaded to do so.
“I felt like I could help out maybe some of the younger kids growing up, inspire them a bit,” he said.
The book opens with a description of how a young Hutchinson and his friends would play soccer on a lumpy patchy sandlot behind Arnott Charlton Public School in his native Brampton, Ont.
In May, Hutchinson and Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown celebrated the opening of the Atiba Hutchinson Soccer Court, an idea Hutchinson brought to Brampton city council in March 2022.
While Hutchinson’s playing days may be over, his influence continues.
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“The Beautiful Dream, A Memoir” by Atiba Hutchinson with Dan Robson, 303 pages, Penguin Random House, $36.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 16, 2024
LONDON – Canada will meet three-time champion Germany in the Davis Cup quarterfinals in Malaga, Spain this November.
Canada secured a berth in the quarterfinals — also called The Final 8 Knockout Stage — with a 2-1 win over Britain last weekend in Manchester, England.
World No. 21 Felix Auger-Aliassime of Montreal anchored a five-player squad that included Denis Shapovalov of Richmond Hill, Ont., Gabriel Diallo of Montreal, Alexis Galarneau of Laval, Que., and Vasek Pospisil of Vernon, B.C.
The eight-team draw for the quarterfinals was completed Thursday at International Tennis Federation headquarters.
Defending champion Italy will play Argentina, the United States will meet Australia and Spain will take on the Netherlands. Schedule specifics have yet to be released but the Final 8 will be played Nov. 19-24.
Tim Puetz and Kevin Krawietz were unbeaten in doubles play last week to help Germany reach the quarterfinals. The country’s top singles player — second-ranked Alex Zverev — did not play.
The Canadians defeated Germany in the quarterfinals en route to their lone Davis Cup title in 2022. Germany won titles in 1988, ’89 and ’93.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
