Slovakia’s Daniela Hantuchova eased into round two of the China Open yesterday.
Hantuchova, the seventh seed, had little trouble disposing of Argentina’s Gisela Dulko in straight sets. In blustery conditions on the sparsely populated stadium court, the 25-year-old former world No. 5 won 6-3, 6-1.
The win for Hantuchova followed a win for Spain’s Anabel Medina Garrigues over Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark, also in straight sets.
Serbians Jelena Jankovic and Ana Ivanovic are seeded one and two in Beijing.
World No. 2 Jankovic said yesterday she feels no extra pressure due to her lack of a Grand Slam trophy, as the chase for the top spot in the women’s game continues at the China Open.
The women’s top ranking has been in flux since Justine Henin’s surprise retirement in May, passing between Maria Sharapova, Ivanovic, Jankovic and current No. 1 Serena Williams.
“I don’t have to prove to anybody or any media about my ability, except to myself. I am only 23 years old, still young, and I have entered Grand Slam finals,” Jankovic said.
The US Open finalist, who briefly reached the No. 1 ranking last month, said it was good to see change at the top of the women’s game.
“All players are outstanding on court, and I will try my best to finish my job, to play tennis,” said Jankovic, who lost in last year’s final in Beijing to Hungary’s Agnes Szavay.
Meanwhile, French Open winner and former world No. 1 Ivanovic said injury had hampered her game over the past few months.
“I couldn’t even hold my racket. I think every player needs to face injury in their career,” said Ivanovic, who suffered a shock second round defeat at Flushing Meadows and has now slipped to No. 4 in the world.
“What I need to do is keep a positive attitude. I need to give myself time to get back,”
New world No. 3 Dinara Safina, who captured the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo on Sunday, withdrew from the China Open due to injury.
Safina pulled out because of a lower back injury, organizers said yesterday.
The in-form 22-year-old beat compatriot Svetlana Kuznetsova in the final of the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo on Sunday and had been third seed for the US$600,000 tournament in Beijing.
Safina hurt her back during the Japan event and her match against Kuznetsova had “worsened her injury a lot,” organizers said in a statement.
“After consideration, Safina chose to quit the China Open 2008,” the statement said.
The 2008 French Open finalist was among six of the world’s top 10 players to enter the tournament, although Serena Williams did not make the trip for the Beijing event that finishes on Sunday.
Safina says she is striving to follow in the footsteps of her Grand Slam champion brother Marat, as she climbs up the rankings toward the top spot he once held on the men’s tennis tour.
Her victory on Sunday marked her ninth tournament win since her first victory in 2002 at Sopot as a 16-year-old qualifier.
Her brother, Marat Safin, won the US Open in 2000 and reached the top of the ATP rankings in November that year. He also won the Australian Open in 2005.
Meanwhile, on the men’s side of the draw in Beijing, defending champion Fernando Gonzalez of Chile faces a tough battle to retain his title, with top seed David Ferrer and Andy Roddick in the hunt.
Taiwan’s Lu Yen-hsun won his first round clash yesterday against Xu Junchao of China, 6-4, 6-3.
Bologna on Thursday advanced past Empoli to reach their first Coppa Italia final in more than half a century. Thijs Dallinga’s 87th-minute header earned Bologna a 2-1 win and his side advanced 5-1 on aggregate. Giovanni Fabbian opened the scoring for Bologna with a header seven minutes in. Then Viktor Kovalenko equalized for Empoli in the 30th minute by turning in a rebound to finish off a counterattack. Bologna won the first leg 3-0. In the May 14 final in Rome, Bologna are to face AC Milan, who eliminated city rivals Inter 4-1 on aggregate following a 3-0 win on Wednesday. Bologna last reached the
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
From a commemorative jersey to a stadium in his name, Argentine soccer organizers are planning a slew of tributes to their late “Captain” Pope Francis, eulogized as the ultimate team player. Tributes to the Argentine pontiff, a lifelong lover of the game, who died on Monday at the age of 88, have been peppered with soccer metaphors in his homeland. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said, describing the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere as a generational talent who “never hogged the ball” and who showed the world “the importance of having an Argentine captain,
Noelvi Marte on Sunday had seven RBIs and hit his first career grand slam with a drive off infielder Jorge Mateo, while Austin Wynn had a career-high six RBIs as the Cincinnati Reds scored their most runs in 26 years in a 24-2 rout of the Baltimore Orioles. Marte finished with five hits, including his eighth-inning homer off Mateo. Wynn hit a three-run homer in the ninth off catcher Gary Sanchez. Cincinnati scored its most runs since a 24-12 win against the Colorado Rockies on May 19, 1999, and finished with 25 hits. Baltimore allowed its most runs since a 30-3 loss to