The Omnium Banque Nationale quarterfinals will see the fourth edition of the big-name all-Belarusian rivalry between Aryna Sabalenka, after the countrywomen won their third round matches in contrasting fashion.
No.1 seed Aryna Sabalenka became the first player into the last eight of the Omnium Banque Nationale with a 6-1, 6-3 defeat of wildcard Rebecca Marino.
The result marks Sabalenka’s eighth quarterfinal run of the year, and first in Montreal. Having battled for two hours and 25 minutes to overcome Sloane Stephens less than 24 hours previously, the Belarusian bounced back to race past Marino in only 59 minutes.
She was followed on Centre Court by No.8 seed Azarenka, who needed two hours and 34 minutes to triumph in a nailbiter over No.11 seed Maria Sakkari 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(2). Three-time Montreal/Toronto semifinalist Azarenka needed to overturn a 2-4 deficit in the third set to reach her fifth quarterfinal of 2021.
Given both players’ power-centric approach to the game, the contest was unsurprisingly decided by the quality of their serving. World No.220 Marino had upset two Top 50 players in Madison Keys and Paula Badosa to reach this stage, but was unable to find the same form at first. A flurry of unforced errors saw her drop her opening service game to love; landing only 39% of her first serves in the first set, the Canadian did not get on the board until the sixth game.
Sabalenka’s service stats ostensibly indicate inconsistency, with six aces outweighed by seven double faults, but it was when they came that was important. The double faults rarely got the Wimbledon semifinalist into scoreboard trouble, mostly occurring when she already had a lead in a game; by contrast, she saved all five break points she faced with either aces or service winners.
Marino, the former World No.38 who is returning to the sport after retiring in 2013 due to depression, delivered a better serving performance in the second set, raising her first serve percentage to 59%. But at 3-3, Sabalenka gave herself an opening with one of her best forehand winners of the day, and Marino responded with a forehand over the baseline to drop serve.
Marino’s best shots had come in flurries – three heavy returns in a row in the third game of the first set, three aces in the first game of the second. But serving to stay in the match, she coughed up consecutive double faults. Sabalenka made no mistake in taking advantage, sealing her second match point with a backhand winner.
Azarenka survives Sakkari in 3rd-set tiebreak: Montreal Highlights
2021 Montreal
Azarenka holds nerve to win nailbiter
Azarenka’s only previous encounter with Sakkari had been a straightforward 6-1, 6-3 defeat in last year’s Ostrava semifinals – a match which, coincidentally, also set up a clash against Sabalenka.
It was very different this time round, with the former World No.1 pushed to the limit by Sakkari, whose full commitment to more aggressive tactics has been evident in 2021. The Greek finished with 35 winners to 44 unforced errors, compared to Azarenka’s 17 winners and 27 unforced errors.
Throughout the match, Sakkari walked a tightrope of keeping Azarenka on the back foot while battling her own inconsistency. A forehand winner gained her an immediate break of serve, but errors off that wing saw the 26-year-old broken at 3-3 and come up short down set point.
Sakkari’s subpar 46% first serve percentage had also hampered her in the first set, but raising it to 65% in the second enabled her to turn the match around. As in the opener, she was unable to hold on to an early break – but this time, Sakkari responded with a mid-set purple patch in which she fired a series of down-the-line winners past Azarenka. The scintillating form continued into the decider, which saw Sakkari save four break points in grinding out her first two service games en route to a 4-2 lead.
To this point, Azarenka had opted for a steady strategy. Just five of her 17 winners had come in the first two sets. But with her back to the wall, the two-time Australian Open champion rose to the occasion. She came up with her finest shots in the home stretch of the match, including a magnificent reflex pass to bring up a crucial break-back point for 4-4 – converted as Sakkari committed her seventh of eight double faults.
The set would head inexorably towards a deciding tiebreak, and once there it was Sakkari whose game proved less reliable. The Roland Garros semifinalist opened with three unforced errors and a double fault, and the 0-4 hole was too deep to overcome.
Friday’s quarterfinal will be the fourth meeting between Azarenka and Sabalenka. Sabalenka leads the head-to-head 2-1, having scored wins at the 2019 US Open and the 2020 Ostrava final. In between, Azarenka triumphed at the 2020 US Open en route to her fifth major final.
DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Red Wings made another investment this week in a young standout, signing Moritz Seider to a seven-year contract worth nearly $60 million.
The Red Wings announced the move with the 23-year-old German defenseman on Thursday, three days after keeping 22-year-old forward Lucas Raymond with a $64.6 million, eight-year deal.
Detroit drafted Seider with the No. 6 pick overall eight years ago and he has proven to be a great pick. He has 134 career points, the most by a defenseman drafted in 2019.
He was the NHL’s only player to have at least 200 hits and block 200-plus shots last season, when he scored a career-high nine goals and had 42 points for the second straight year.
Seider won the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie in 2022 after he had a career-high 50 points.
Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman is banking on Seider, whose contract will count $8.55 million annually against the cap, and Raymond to turn a rebuilding team into a winner.
Detroit has failed to make the playoffs in eight straight seasons, the longest postseason drought in franchise history.
The Red Wings, who won four Stanley Cups from 1997 to 2008, have been reeling since their run of 25 straight postseasons ended in 2016.
Detroit was 41-32-9 last season and finished with a winning record for the first time since its last playoff appearance.
Yzerman re-signed Patrick Kane last summer and signed some free agents, including Vladimir Tarasenko to a two-year contract worth $9.5 million after he helped the Florida Panthers hoist the Cup.
PENTICTON, B.C. – Vancouver Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko says he’s been working his way back from a rare lower-body muscle injury since being sidelined in last season’s playoffs.
The 28-year-old all star says the rehabilitation process has been frustrating, but he has made good progress in recent weeks and is confident he’ll be able to return to playing.
He says he and his medical team have spent the last few months talking to specialists around the world, and have not found a single other hockey player who has dealt with the same injury.
Demko missed several weeks of the last season with a knee ailment and played just one game in Vancouver’s playoff run last spring before going down with the current injury.
He was not on the ice with his teammates as the Canucks started training camp in Penticton, B.C., on Thursday, but skated on his own before the sessions began.
Demko posted a 35-14-2 record with a .918 percentage, a 2.45 goals-against average and five shutouts for Vancouver last season.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
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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