Chan Yung-jan (詹詠然) won her second consecutive WTA Tour doubles title at the Aegon International in Eastbourne, England, on Saturday as the Taiwanese and Martina Hingis head to Wimbledon among the favorites to land the third Grand Slam title of the year.
Having lost just six games in their unstoppable march to the final, the second seeds finally came up against some resistance from Australian duo Ashleigh Barty and Casey Dellacqua, but they were not to be denied as they completed a 6-3, 7-5 victory in 1 hour, 19 minutes on the south coast of England.
The Taiwanese-Swiss pairing saved seven of 10 break points and converted five of nine to claim their fifth title of the season and their second consecutive trophy on grass following their victory at the Mallorca Open over the previous weekend.
Photo: Facebook screen grab
Chan and Hingis also claimed the titles at Indian Wells, Rome and Madrid earlier this season.
On their way to the final, the second seeds routed US duo Lauren Davis and Alison Riske 6-1, 6-2 in 48 minutes; Anna-Lena Groenefeld of Germany and Kveta Peschke of the Czech Republic 6-2, 6-0 in 49 minutes; and Nicole Melichar of the US and Anna Smith of Britain 6-0, 6-1 in 43 minutes.
They next head to the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in London, where they are seeded third and are due to take on Alize Cornet of France and Xenia Knoll of Switzerland in the first round.
Joining them is Chan’s younger sister, Chan Hao-ching (詹皓晴), who is partnering Monica Niculescu of Romania and is seeded ninth.
They are due to face Veronica Cepede Royg of Paraguay and Raluca Olaru of Romania in the first round.
The Chan sisters headline a large Taiwanese presence in the women’s doubles at Wimbledon, with Hsieh Su-wei (謝淑薇) and Barbora Krejcikova of the Czech Republic taking on seventh seeds Julia Goerges of Germany and Barbora Strycova of the Czech Republic; Chang Kai-chen (張凱貞) and Sloane Stephens of the US facing Chinese duo Duan Yingying (段瑩瑩) and Liang Chen (梁辰); and Chuang Chia-jung (莊佳容) and Misaki Doi of Japan taking on Oksana Kalashnikova of Georgia and Francesca Schiavone of Italy.
In the women’s singles, Chang is taking on China’s Wang Qiang (王薔) and Hsieh Su-wei faces British sixth seed Johanna Konta, whose participation is in doubt due to a spine injury sustained in Eastbourne on Friday.
In the men’s singles, Taiwan’s Lu Yen-hsun (盧彥勳) is taking on Simone Bolelli of Italy, while in the men’s doubles, Taiwan’s Hsieh Cheng-peng (謝政鵬) and Max Schnur of the US are due to face Marcin Matkowski of Poland and Max Mirnyi of Belarus.
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College