Jelena Ostapenko was to play Estonia’s Anett Kontaveit in the final of the women’s singles at the Viking International Eastbourne after an impressive 6-4 6-1 win against Elena Rybakina on Friday, while Taiwan’s Latisha Chan and Chan Hao-ching were defeated in the women’s doubles.
Former French Open champion Ostapenko, now 43rd in the world rankings, struck 38 winners against Kazakhstan’s Rybakina, who appeared to be hindered late in the first set by a back problem.
World No. 21 Rybakina required medical treatment after holding serve to trail 5-4.
Photo: AFP
Ostapenka went on to dominate the second set.
Kontaveit, the world No. 27, progressed to her eighth career final after Italy’s Camila Giorgi was forced to retire due to a thigh injury when trailing 5-4 in the first set.
Giorgi ousted top seed Aryna Sabalenka in the quarter-finals on Thursday but paid for her exertions in that match as she lasted just 47 minutes before having to pull out.
Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego and Australia’s Alex de Minaur were to contest the men’s final, with all games to finish after press time last night.
In the semi-finals of the women’s doubles at the Devonshire Park Lawn Tennis Club, Nicole Melichar of the US and Demi Schuurs of the Netherlands defeated the Chan sisters 7-6 (7-1), 4-6, 10-5.
In the final, they were to play Japan’s Shuko Aoyama and Ena Shibahara, who ousted Lyudmyla Kichenok of Ukraine and Japan’s Makoto Ninomiya 7-5, 6-1.
Additional reporting by staff writer
Taiwan won a back-and-forth match at the Unions Cup in Singapore yesterday, but the hosts claimed the trophy due to a better points differential over the tournament. Singapore’s players celebrated with the cup, despite losing a match in which they seized the lead three times, but ultimately fell to a 19-16 defeat. Their points advantage was due to their strong opening game against the other team in the competition, Thailand, who they beat 30-8 on Saturday last week. Taiwan narrowly lost to Thailand on Tuesday and went into yesterday’s match facing a steep challenge. They responded well, opening the game with sustained pressure
An “outstanding” 17-year-old Chinese badminton player died of cardiac arrest after collapsing on court during a tournament in Indonesia, officials said yesterday. Zhang Zhijie was playing a match late Sunday against Japan’s Kazuma Kawano at the Badminton Asia Junior Championships in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The score was 11-11 in the first game when Zhang fell to the floor between points. The teenager received treatment at the venue and was rushed to hospital in an ambulance, but passed away later that night after repeated efforts to resuscitate him failed. “Medical conclusions ... indicated that the victim experienced sudden cardiac arrest,” Broto Happy, spokesman for
A buzz of excitement crackled through the hushed arena as the rider gripped the reins of her stuffed steed. Welcome to the strangely exacting world of hobby-horsing, the Finnish sport guaranteed to put a smile on your face. Immaculately coiffed equestrians leap athletically over fences just like in horse jumping, going as fast as they can against the clock straddling their stick steeds. Things are more stately in the dressage, with riders trotting their stick horses with intricately decorated stuffed heads before the discerning eyes of the judges. About 260 riders from 22 countries — most women and girls aged 10 to 20 —
Taiwan’s men’s national basketball team is set to upgrade its depth in the paint after signing Brandon Gilbeck of the P.League+’s Formosa Dreamers to a naturalized player’s contract. The 27-year-old big man from the US landed in Taoyuan early on Monday, where he was welcomed by Chinese Taipei Basketball Association deputy secretary-general Chang Cheng-chung. The two signed the deal, which still has to be approved by the Sports Administration and the Ministry of the Interior. Chang said he is confident that “the proceedings would go smoothly.” If approved, Gilbeck would become the third naturalized basketball player in Taiwan, following the New Taipei Kings’ Quincy