Upset of Sakkari 'pretty awesome' for veteran player Maria
Tatjana Maria's Wimbledon run appeared to be in trouble when Maria Sakkari was a point away from going up 5-1 in the second set of their third-round match. Then Maria turned it around — in a hurry. The 34-year-old German won the next three points to get to 4-2 and later rattled off five games in a row to beat the fifth-seeded Sakkari 6-3, 7-5 at the All England Club.
news.yahoo.comThe Latest: Sakkari beats 2019 champ Andreescu at US Open
Maria Sakkari has eliminated 2019 champion Bianca Andreescu in the latest-finishing women’s match in tournament history to reach the U.S. Open quarterfinals for the first time. Sakkari came back to win 6-7 (2), 7-6 (6), 6-3 as Andreescu had trouble with a left leg that was taped by a trainer during a medical timeout in the third set.
news.yahoo.comOsaka's 23-match win streak ends against Sakkari in Miami
Maria Sakkari, of Greece, reacts after winning a point against Naomi Osaka, of Japan, during the quarterfinals of the Miami Open tennis tournament, Wednesday, March 31, 2021, in Miami Gardens, Fla. Sakkari won 6-0, 6-4. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)MIAMI – As Naomi Osaka's 23-match winning streak neared an end Wednesday, she paused before serving to crane her neck and study the sky, as if seeking intervention from above. 23-seeded Maria Sakkari, who upset Osaka 6-0, 6-4 in the quarterfinals of the Miami Open. Good job.”Osaka made just 41% of her first serves and paid a price, because Sakkari aggressively attacked the second set. “I just did what I had to do.”Osaka took a 40-0 lead in the opening game, but didn’t win another point on her serve until the second set.
Barty goes distance, tops Azarenka to reach Miami quarters
Ashleigh Barty of Australia, returns to Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, during the Miami Open tennis tournament, Monday, March 29, 2021, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)MIAMI – Ash Barty is tough to beat under any circumstances, especially when she’s on the ropes. The world’s top-ranked player has reached the Miami Open quarterfinals, getting there by holding off 14th-seeded Victoria Azarenka of Belarus 6-1, 1-6, 6-2. This, too, was cool: The match lived up to its showdown potential, with the reigning Miami Open champion and current world No. 1 in Barty facing someone who has won the Miami title three times and a previous world No. Svitolina will play unseeded Anastasija Sevastova of Latvia in the quarters; Sevastova was a 6-1, 7-5 winner over wild-card Ana Konjuh of Croatia.
The tennis crowd: players thrive with fans back in Australia
There was no certainty until last month that the Australian Open would even be staged. Wimbledon was canceled in 2020, there were no fans permitted at the U.S. Open and very few allowed at Roland Garros. The three-week delay to start the Australian Open this year will mean a slightly different atmosphere — the summer holidays are over, for a start — but that’s unlikely to upset organizers or players. “That’s the first thing I’m looking forward to when I come to Australia, so it was great. Ad“I don’t have a professional tournament back home, so ... every time I come back to Australia, it feels like I’m at home.”___More AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Kenin beats Putintseva to reach Abu Dhabi quarterfinals
Kenin is the top-seeded woman in Abu Dhabi, where the first womens tour-level tennis event of 2021 begins main-draw play on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021. (AP Photo/Michel Euler, File)ABU DHABI – Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin of the United States came back from match point down to beat Yulia Putintseva and reach the quarterfinals of the Abu Dhabi Open on Saturday. Kenin posted 57 unforced errors to Putintseva's 43 but still prevailed 3-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4 over the 13th-seeded Putintseva. Kenin dropped the opening set for the second consecutive match in Abu Dhabi. Also, Aryna Sabalenka recorded her 12th consecutive win in tour matches with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Ons Jabeur.
Serena Williams into US Open semifinals, closer to 24th Slam
Serena Williams, of the United States, reacts during a match against Tsvetana Pironkova, of Bulgaria, during the quarterfinals of the US Open tennis championships, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2020, in New York. Two more victories for Williams would allow her to claim a record-tying 24th Grand Slam singles title. Williams last lost before the semifinals in New York all the way back in 2007, when Justine Henin eliminated her in the quarterfinals. Another 15 strokes followed, with Williams hitting a forehand passing shot that Pironkova volleyed into the tape of the net. That afforded Williams a third break point, which was converted for a 1-0 lead when Pironkova sent a forehand long.
'It's how you finish': Serena Williams into Open semifinals
Serena Williams, of the United States, reacts during a match against Tsvetana Pironkova, of Bulgaria, during the quarterfinals of the US Open tennis championships, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2020, in New York. Williams last lost before the semifinals in New York in 2007, when Justine Henin eliminated her in the quarterfinals. Another 15 strokes followed, with Williams smacking a forehand passing shot that Pironkova volleyed into the net tape. A couple of times, Pironkova drew Williams forward with a drop shot, then took the point with a perfectly arced lob. But after compiling only five unforced errors in the first set, Pironkova had 21 over the last two.
The Latest: Serena Williams in 4th-round action at US Open
NEW YORK The Latest on the U.S. Open tennis tournament (all times EDT):12:05 p.m.Serena Williams and Maria Sakkari are on court in Arthur Ashe Stadium to warm up for their fourth-round meeting at the U.S. Open. It is a rematch of a contest Sakkari won less than two weeks ago at the Western & Southern Open, a hard-court tournament played this year at Flushing Meadows. Williams owns six U.S. Open titles and 23 Grand Slam singles championships in all. Sakkari, a 25-year-old from Greece, is trying to reach her first Grand Slam quarterfinal. The winner will face Alize Cornet or Tsvetana Pironkova next.
Down but not out, Serena Williams yells herself to Open win
Serena Williams, of the United States, reacts after defeating Maria Sakkari, of Greece, during the quarterfinals of the US Open tennis championships, Monday, Sept. 7, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)NEW YORK Theres no crowd at the U.S. Open this year to pull for Serena Williams and try to push her to victory. Shouting at herself point after point, Williams came back from a third-set deficit against a woman she lost to less than two weeks ago, and took another step closer to Grand Slam title No. When the match ended, Williams turned and yelled toward her husband, who stood at his front-row seat and yelled right back. She sent a backhand return long to give Sakkari her fifth set point, then pushed a forehand out.