In an all-Belarusian battle, No.1 seed Aryna Sabalenka eased past 8th-seeded Victoria Azarenka 6-2, 6-4 to reach the Omnium Banque Nationale semifinals.
The World No.3 Sabalenka is currently the match-win leader for the season on the WTA, with her 1-hour and 19-minute victory over Azarenka marking her 38th victory of the year.
“I’m really happy with this, it was a tough match,” Sabalenka said to the media after her win. “[Azarenka] played really well. The second set was a little tricky. I’m really happy that I came back in the end of the set and won it actually.”
Sabalenka had to come back from a break down in the second set, but she is now 3-1 against her two-time Grand Slam-winning compatriot. In their most recent prior meeting, Sabalenka beat Azarenka for one of her 10 career WTA singles titles, in the Ostrava final last season.
Top-seeded Sabalenka was the aggressor in the match, as she had 33 winners to just eight from Azarenka. Sabalenka also won 74 percent of points behind her first serve, while Azarenka’s success rate behind her first delivery was 58 percent.
“I knew that even if I am down with the score, I still can come back in the match,” Sabalenka said. “These kind of thoughts help me to be a little bit more free on the court.”
Thus, Azarenka was denied a trip to the Omnium Banque Nationale semifinals for the first time in a decade. Azarenka reached the semifinals of this event three times in a four-year span between 2008 and 2011.
Sabalenka began her romp through the first set by breaking for 2-0 on her fifth break point of a marathon game. After the top seed raced to 5-1, Azarenka made a late charge to grab one break back, but Sabalenka returned with intense pressure to notch the following game and close out the opener.
A dropshot miscue by Sabalenka handed Azarenka a break in the first game of the second set, which Azarenka dutifully maintained through 4-3. But in that game, power and passes from Sabalenka helped her break back to get level at 4-4, and the No.1 seed ultimately reeled off the final four games of the match to clinch victory.
Sabalenka will face No.4 seed Karolina Pliskova in the semifinals, after the Czech defeated Sara Sorribes Tormo of Spain in their quarterfinal clash, 6-4, 6-0. It will be a rematch of last month’s Wimbledon semifinal, which Pliskova won in three sets.
Against Sorribes Tormo, Pliskova was down an early break in the opening set, but she turned the match around to cruise to victory in an hour and 20 minutes, taking a 2-0 lead in her head-to-head with the World No.48 from Spain.
“I really improved my game, especially [at the] end of the first set,” Pliskova told the press, after her win. “Of course, in the second set I think I did a good job, good points there, much better serving than in the first set.”
As expected, Pliskova was powerful on serve but she was truly overwhelming on return, as she collected 85 percent of points returning the Sorribes Tormo second serve. That helped Pliskova convert six of her seven break points on the way to the win.
Pliskova storms past Sorribes Tormo into Montreal semis: Highlights
2021 Montreal
Bolstered by impeccable defense and a challenging slice, Sorribes Tormo grasped the early lead by breaking Pliskova for 3-1. However, that started a run of four straight breaks which ended with Pliskova back on serve at 4-3, and the Czech at last took charge with a break at love for 5-4. Pliskova served out the first set from there.
Pliskova won the first 13 points of the second set, leading 3-0 before Sorribes Tormo pulled her into a topsy-turvy game. But Pliskova won that five-deuce game to lead 4-0, and the Czech eased home from there, finishing the match by winning 10 games in a row.
Looking forward to another battle with Sabalenka, Pliskova said that “we played in Wimbledon not many weeks ago, so I know what to expect. I know what I have to do to beat her, or at least to be close. So let’s see if I can do that.”
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.
