Anna Danilina and Harri Heliovaara, who met by chance just over a week ago, became first-time Grand Slam champions on Saturday with a 6-3, 6-4 win over top-seeded Americans Jessica Pegula and Austin Krajicek in the US Open mixed doubles final.
Kazakhstan’s Danilina and Finland’s Heliovaara randomly teamed up ahead when they happened to be at the sign-in table at the same time.
“I want to thank my partner, I have no words. It was an amazing run,” Danilina said during her on-court interview. “I don’t know what to say. It’s been a pleasure. To many more.”
Photo: Geoff Burke-USA Today
The unseeded duo enjoyed a solid start to the final as they consolidated an early break for a 3-0 lead and never looked back as they saved all four break points they faced before Danilina wrapped up the 31-minute first set with a forehand smash.
Heliovaara and Danilina remained in control as they opened the second set with another break before the Americans got the set back on serve in the fourth game.
However, Heliovaara and Danilina refused to let the Americans back into the match and went on to break at love for a 5-4 lead before closing out victory.
Heliovaara initially forgot to mention Danilina when he addressed the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd during the trophy presentation, but quickly requested the microphone back.
“I also have to thank my partner,” Heliovaara said. “She is the reason we are standing here. I didn’t know you two weeks ago, now I know you very well. Thank you very much, Anna.”
Taiwan kept their hopes of advancing to next year’s World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Saturday, backed by solid pitching. Taiwan last night played against Nicaragua. As of press time, Nicaragua was leading 6-0. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan on Saturday kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen struck out one and allowed no hits, except for a hit-by-pitch over
Taiwan kept its hopes of advancing to the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome last night, backed by solid pitching. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. The win was crucial for Taiwan, as a loss would have eliminated the team from contention for the next WBC. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen (沙子宸) struck out one and allowed no hits, except for
Team Taiwan are set to face Spain in a win-or-go-home match tonight for the final berth at the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC), despite losing to Nicaragua 6-0 in the WBC qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Sunday. The home team’s loss on Sunday means Nicaragua finish first in the qualifier round in Taipei with a perfect 3-0 record and advances to next year’s finals. After crushing South Africa 9-1 earlier on Sunday, Spain took second place in the four-team qualifier with a 2-1 record. With a 1-2 record, Taiwan finished third while South Africa placed at the bottom with
The Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) is considering reducing its pitch clock by two seconds to help players better adjust to the rules applied at the World Baseball Classic (WBC). The proposal aims to shorten the pitch timer from 25 seconds to 23 seconds with the bases empty, and from 20 seconds to 18 seconds with runners on base. Currently, the WBC mandates that pitchers deliver a pitch every 18 seconds with the bases empty and 15 seconds with runners on base. The issue was raised during a pre-season CPBL managers’ meeting on Tuesday by Rakuten Monkeys bench and batting
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