Russia's Vera Zvonareva faced a few anxious moments before moving on to the second round of the WTA Bangalore Open with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 win over Romanian qualifier Monica Niculescu on Tuesday.
"The conditions are tough as I am playing for the first time here. I made a lot of unforced errors. She used different spins and I had to work harder for victory," the seventh-seeded Zvonareva said after the two-hour encounter. "I know I have to cut down on the unforced errors in order to win matches."
Ukraine's Olga Savchuk also faced stiff resistance before advancing to the second round with a 6-4, 2-6, 7-5 victory over Britain's Katie O'Brien.
"I needed this win," said Savchuk, who had lost in the first round of her previous four WTA events.
"I was not too confident when I walked on to the court. I was a bit nervous, but had good memories of my last year's performance here," she said, referring to her semi-final finish last year.
In other first round action, Russia's Anastasia Rodionova was also stretched to three sets before defeating China's Sun Tiantian 4-6, 7-6 (7/2), 6-4.
Israel's Tzipora Obziler beat German qualifier Angelika Bachmann 6-2, 6-3, China's Peng Shuai defeated Anne Kremer of Luxembourg 6-1, 6-2 and Croatia's Sanda Mamic downed Taiwan's Chan Yung-jan 6-2, 6-2 to enter the second round.
"It was a good draw as I played against a qualifier. I came here two days ahead of the tournament to get used to the conditions. I hope I can do better in the next match," said Obziler, who will now meet American Serena Williams.
Mamic, returning to the circuit after more than two years away because of injuries, said she did not play great tennis but was happy to post a victory.
"I then thought that everything was against me in the world. The win, coming after a long time, will help me a lot," Mamic said.
SIBLING RIVALRY: Marc Marquez was locked in a duel with his little brother, falling behind at one point before recovering for his first season-opening victory since 2014 Six-time world champion Marc Marquez yesterday won the MotoGP season-opening Thailand Grand Prix to complete a dominant debut weekend at his new Ducati Lenovo Team, having also romped to Saturday’s sprint. The Spanish great took the 26-lap grand prix by 1.732 seconds for his 63rd MotoGP victory from younger brother Alex Marquez, who is still seeking a first checkered flag, with Francesco Bagnaia third to complete an all-Ducati podium. It completed a perfect weekend for Marc Marquez, who took pole position, the sprint victory and the grand prix win for a maximum 37 points to open the 22-leg 2025 campaign. He led from
AC Milan’s slender hopes of reaching next season’s UEFA Champions League took another hit on Thursday with a 2-1 defeat at Bologna which left them eight points from Serie A’s top four. Sergio Conceicao’s team sit eighth, some way behind fourth-placed Juventus after losing an entertaining contest at the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara, a match which was rescheduled from October last year due to torrential rain and flooding. Swathes of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy, much of which is fertile agricultural land, had been left under water following a massive autumn downpour. Dan Ndoye prodded home the decisive goal in the 82nd minute
Former Australian motorcycle gang member-turned-golfer Ryan Peake, who served a lengthy jail term for assault, yesterday produced a “life-changing” maiden win to qualify for The Open Championship. Peake held his nerve for a one-stroke victory at the New Zealand Open, earning him a berth at the major in Portrush, Northern Ireland, in July, pending clearance to travel as a convicted criminal. The 31-year-old from Perth celebrated animatedly and was showered with champagne by friends on the 18th green of the Millbrook Resort course near Queenstown after a redemption story rarely seen in the refined sport of golf. Peake held back tears as he
MILWAUKEE PREVAIL: Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 28 points as the Bucks withstood Nikola Jokic’s 27th triple-double of the season to beat the Nuggets Golden State star Stephen Curry on Thursday drilled 12 three-pointers in a scintillating 56-point display that carried the Warriors to a 121-115 victory over the Orlando Magic. Curry’s explosive performance helped the Warriors dig themselves out of a 17-point hole, with the point guard signaling the start of the fightback with a three-pointer from beyond the half-court line to end the first half that pulled the Warriors within 66-52 at the break. In the third quarter, he single-handedly outscored the Magic with 22 points to Orlando’s 21. The four-time NBA champion finished two three-pointers shy of former teammate Klay Thompson’s record for most
RSS