Qualifier Wang Yafan made a triumphant return to the Grand Slam stage at the US Open, knocking out No.7 seed and last year’s semifinalist Caroline Garcia in the first round 6-4, 6-1 in just 70 minutes.
However, Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova booked her place in the second round in exactly an hour, defeating qualifier Han Na-Lae 6-3, 6-0.
Former World No.47 Wang last played a major main draw at Wimbledon 2021, and last won a Grand Slam match at Wimbledon 2019. But after missing seven months of the 2022 season, she has been on a roll this year. Her 2023 record so far stands at 57-10 at all levels, including titles in five ITF events and the Stanford WTA 125 tournament two weeks ago, and she has rocketed from No.696 to No.114 in just six months.
Dating from the latter championship, Wang is now on an 11-match winning streak. She has not dropped a set, or even lost more than four games in a set, in four matches at Flushing Meadows so far. And though she has played exclusively below tour level so far this year, she adapted to the step up in opponent with ease to notch her second career Top 10 win (following her defeat of Elina Svitolina at Miami 2019). It was also Wang’s second victory in three meetings with Garcia, having also beaten the Frenchwoman 6-4, 6-2 in the second round of Tianjin 2019.
Wang will next face Nottingham champion Katie Boulter, who raced past Diane Parry 6-4, 6-0 in 1 hour and 22 minutes.
How the match was won: Five of the first six games featured break point opportunities, but Wang was the only player to take one as Garcia double-faulted twice to fall behind 3-2.
The WTA Finals champion had lost five of her last seven matches ahead of the US Open, and her mounting error count illustrated why. Standing inside the court, Garcia repeatedly failed to make returns, and Wang did not face a break point across her last five service games.
Wang had needed to hit just two winners to take the first set, but pressed home her advantage at the start of the second, breaking Garcia immediately with a superb inside-in forehand. From there, the 29-year-old rolled as Garcia tallied 34 unforced errors, including six double faults — the last of which came down match point.
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Vondrousova wins eighth straight Grand Slam match: Playing her first Grand Slam match as the Wimbledon champion and a Top 10 player, the No.9 seed patiently worked out a tricky opponent before stamping her authority on the match.
Han was making her tournament debut at the age of 31, the first South Korean woman in the US Open main draw since Cho Yoon-Jeong in 2007. The disguise on the left-hander’s two-fisted strokes on both sides and her superb touch at net made for numerous crafty exchanges, and the match opened with five straight service breaks.
Vondrousova had her share of highlight reel moments, too, such as her slide into a sharply angled pass that kissed the sideline in the first set. Her two key shots were her signature drop shot, with which she repeatedly out-manoeuvred Han, and her return, which punished the World No.241’s softer serve relentlessly.
Han managed to hold serve just once in the match, and once Vondrousova had the first set under her belt the Czech accelerated towards the finishing line. She will next face Martina Trevisan, who defeated Yulia Putintseva in a wild 0-6, 7-6(0), 7-6[8] barnburner. The Italian won just six points in the first set, but came from 4-2 down in the third to triumph in 3 hours and 19 minutes — the longest WTA match of the US Open so far.
CLEVELAND (AP) — Restricted free agent forward Isaac Okoro has agreed to re-sign with the Cleveland Cavaliers on a three-year contract, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on Saturday.
Okoro’s new deal is worth $38 million, according to the person who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the contract has not been signed or announced by the team.
ESPN.com first reported the agreement, citing Okoro’s representation.
The fifth overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft, Okoro is Cleveland’s best perimeter defender, often drawing the assignment of guarding the opponent’s top scorer. Okoro also has worked to improve his offensive game.
The 23-year-old averaged 9.4 points and 3.0 rebounds in 69 games — 42 starts — last season for the Cavs, who beat Orlando in the opening round of the playoffs before losing to eventual champion Boston.
Okoro shot a career-best 39% on 3-pointers, forcing teams to come out and guard him.
His agreement caps an extraordinarily busy summer for the Cavs that began with coach J.B. Bickerstaff being fired and replaced by Kenny Atkinson. All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell signed a three-year, $150 million extension in July, ending months of speculation that he wanted out of Cleveland.
Also, power forward Evan Mobley signed a five-year, $224 deal and center Jarrett Allen signed a three-year, $91 million extension.
GUADALAJARA, Mexico – Canada’s Marina Stakusic fell 6-4, 6-3 to Poland’s Magdalena Frech in the quarterfinals of the Guadalajara Open tennis tournament on Friday.
The 19-year-old from Mississauga, Ont., won 61 per cent of her first-serve points and broke on just one of her six opportunities.
Stakusic had upset top-seeded Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (0) on Thursday night to advance.
In the opening round, Stakusic defeated Slovakia’s Anna Karolína Schmiedlová 6-2, 6-4 on Tuesday.
The fifth-seeded Frech won 62 per cent of her first-serve points and converted on three of her nine break point opportunities.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
TORONTO – Alejandro Kirk’s long single with the bases loaded provided the Toronto Blue Jays with a walk-off 4-3 win in the 11th inning of their series opener against the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday.
With the Cardinals outfield in, Kirk drove a shot off the base of the left-field wall to give the Blue Jays (70-78) their fourth win in 11 outings and halt the Cardinals’ (74-73) two-game win streak before 30,380 at Rogers Centre.
Kirk enjoyed a two-hit, two-RBI outing.
Erik Swanson (2-2) pitched a perfect 11th inning for the win, while Cardinals reliever Ryan Fernandez (1-5) took the loss.
Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman enjoyed a seven-inning, 104-pitch outing. He surrendered his two runs on nine hits and two walks and fanned only two Cardinals.
He gave way to reliever Genesis Cabrera, who gave up a one-out homer to Thomas Saggese, his first in 2024, that tied the game in the eighth.
The Cardinals started swiftly with four straight singles to open the game. But they exited the first inning with only two runs on an RBI single to centre from Nolan Arendao and a fielder’s choice from Saggese.
Gausman required 28 pitches to escape the first inning but settled down to allow his teammates to snatch the lead in the fourth.
He also deftly pitched out of threats from the visitors in the fifth, sixth and seventh thanks to some solid defence, including Will Wagner’s diving stop, which led to a double play to end the fifth inning.
George Springer led off with a walk and stole second base. He advanced to third on Nathan Lukes’s single and scored when Vladimir Guerrero Jr. knocked in his 95th run with a double off the left-field wall.
Lukes scored on a sacrifice fly to left field from Spencer Horwitz. Guerrero touched home on Kirk’s two-out single to right.
In the ninth, Guerrero made a critical diving catch on an Arenado grounder to throw out the Cardinals’ infielder, with reliever Tommy Nance covering first. The defensive gem ended the inning with a runner on second base.
St. Louis starter Erick Fedde faced the minimum night batters in the first three innings thanks to a pair of double plays. He lasted five innings, giving up three runs on six hits and a walk with three strikeouts.
ON DECK
Toronto ace Jose Berrios (15-9) will start the second of the three-game series on Saturday. He has a six-game win streak.
The Cardinals will counter with righty Kyle Gibson (8-6).
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
