Novak Djokovic is close to winning the calendar year Grand Slam
Sports Pulse: Will Novak Djokovic be the first male tennis player to win a calendar year grand slam since the 1960s
Sports Pulse
NEW YORK — Even in an era of unprecedented depth on the women’s tennis tour, where it seems like two dozen or so players come to Grand Slams thinking they have a legitimate chance to take the trophy, Leylah Fernandez should have had no reason to believe that she was among them.
After all, the 19-year-old Canadian was just at the beginning of her career with no real résumé to speak of against top-ranked players and no match experience on a stage as big as Arthur Ashe Stadium.
But as the U.S. Open has unfolded, the petite 5-foot-6 Fernandez hasn’t merely taken on the reputation of a giant killer. Her game, it turns out, is larger than life — it’s carried her within one win of the U.S. Open title.
“Thanks to the New York crowd. Thanks to you, I was able to win,” Fernandez said during an on-court interview.
Ranked outside the top 70 at the start of this tournament, Fernandez continued one of the most impressive runs to a Grand Slam final in recent memory, backing up previous wins over two other top-5 players by beating world No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka on Thursday night 7-6, 4-6, 6-4. She will play for the championship on Saturday against 18-year-old British qualifier Emma Raducanu, marking the first time in history that two unseeded women will play for a major title.
“I think one word that really stuck to me is ‘magical’ because not only is my run really good but also the way I’m playing right now,” Fernandez said. “I’m just having fun, I’m trying to produce something for the crowd to enjoy. I’m glad that whatever I’m doing on court, the fans are loving it and I’m loving it, too. We’ll say it’s magical.”
When Fernandez arrived in New York, she had just one career win over a top-10 player, beating Belinda Bencic in a team event in February 2020. Now, in the span of a mere seven days, she has knocked out Sabalenka, No. 3 Naomi Osaka, No. 5 Elina Svitolina and three-time Grand Slam champion Angelique Kerber — all in three-set epics where she was the more confident and composed player in crunch time.
Should Fernandez win the title, it would be reminiscent of Jelena Ostapenko’s out-of-nowhere victory at the French Open in 2017, but even more surprising and extraordinary given the quality and variety of players she has had to face round after round.
Unlike those wins earlier in the tournament, though, Fernandez did not have to play spectacular, spellbinding tennis to beat Sabalenka. Instead, she had to change gears and remain solid enough to test the patience and the nerve of the big-hitting Belarusian, who obliged with 52 unforced errors.
“I would say I destroyed myself,” Sabalenka said.
Some of Sabalenka’s shots were so wild by the end, it seemed like all Fernandez had to do was keep the ball in the court. And that’s exactly what she did after Sabalenka, serving to stay in the match, double faulted twice in a row to give her three match points. After Fernandez put a simple backhand return in play, Sabalenka lashed wildly at the ball with a forehand that sailed a foot long. Fernandez dropped to her knees in victory, becoming the youngest major finalist since Maria Sharapova at Wimbledon in 2004.
The 23-year-old Sabalenka, in the midst of her best year as a professional, entered the semifinals as the favorite to win the title but still with questions about whether her all-out, go-for-broke style would ultimately hold up at the tail end of a Grand Slam when nerves are frayed and points are precious.
For Sabalenka, facing a player as inexperienced as Fernandez was a massive opportunity — and one that she seemed poised to take early on when her power off the ground pushed Fernandez into the corners and produced enough winners for a 4-1 lead.
“She started incredibly well in the beginning,” Fernandez said. “But I was able to stay patient, fight for every point.”
As Fernandez adjusted to the pace of her opponent’s shots and started using it to change the direction of the ball, the errors started to come off Sabalenka’s racquet and the match began to tighten.
Then, for Sabalenka, it quickly fell apart. After winning the first two points of the first set tiebreaker, Sabalenka let things slide away with a mess of mistakes including two returns off second serves that never found the court, a double fault, a short ball forehand that she buried into the net, a standard forehand from the middle of the court that sailed long and an awkward overhead near the service line that she shanked well wide.
“This is what we call pressure, and that’s why I’m a little disappointed about this match because I had a lot of opportunities and didn’t use it,” Sabalenka said. “This is life. If you aren’t using your opportunities, someone else will.”
Despite continuing to spray the ball throughout the second set and appearing at times on the verge of letting the match fall apart completely, Sabalenka managed to break Fernandez late in the second set and immediately hold serve to send it into a third.
But ultimately, Sabalenka’s desire to go for big shots — and the frequency with which they missed — forced her to play catch-up in the third set, from down a break early to back on serve. But it never seemed like her game was going to remain solid for long enough stretches to put the onus on Fernandez.
“At the beginning of the tournament I was out of shape, wasn’t playing well the tournament before, wasn’t playing well in practice and I didn’t have any expectations so I was playing simple,” Sabalenka said. “Maybe today I should have done the same and see what happens and because of the expectation and all this pressure I was maybe trying to make her move and going closer to the lines and (making) mistakes. Maybe I have to go back and start from the simple game.”
But perhaps Fernandez had something to do with that, too. At this U.S. Open, it seems as if Fernandez can do no wrong. At the very least, she plays as if that’s what she believes — and so far, she’s been right.
“It’s helped me open my eyes that I have no limit to my potential, that I can go three sets against these players, I can play against these top players, and I can win against these top players,” she said. “I’m extremely proud of the way I fought for every point. My mental toughness, that’s been a huge plus for me. I’m just extremely happy with what I’ve achieved this week.”
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.
