Thailand Open: Swiss youngster continues run to semis as top four seeds all out in Hua Hin
A STUNNING day of results has seen the remaining top four seeds ousted to blow the Thailand Open draw wide open. Number one seed and tournament favourite, Elina Svitolina was bundled out, as was third seed Wang Qiang and Chinese compatriot fourth seed, Zheng Saisai.
While Svitolina’s exit might be a headline story, it was the work of Swiss teenager, Leonie Kung who defeated Qiang in three sets, 7-5 4-6 6-4. Qiang was remembered this year as the 28-year-old who defeated Serena Williams at the Australian Open, but yesterday cam undone at the hands of the relatively inexperienced 19-year-old talent. Kung is ranked 283rd in the world and is yet to win a singles title. Already her semi-finals appearance here in Hua Hin has seen her bolt up to 180th in the world, with a top 128 spot on offer if she can find a way to win another two matches coming all the way from qualifying. Kung saved seven of a possible 13 break points, while breaking seven times herself, winning a superior 56.4 per cent off her second serve and really applying the pressure to her highly rated opponent, She attacked Qiang’s second serve with a 47.4 per cent success rate, and while the match took two hours and 17 minutes, the Swiss youngster booked a spot in the next round.
Kung will now take on Japan’s eighth seed, Nao Hibino who stunned top five player and number one seed, Svitolina in straight sets. She won 6-4 6-2 to advance through to the last four as the only Asian player to reach the next round. It was a quirk in the quarter finals with a European player facing off against an Asian player in each of the final eight matches. In the other semi-final, Patricia Tig will take on fifth seed from Polan, Magna Linette. Tig bundled out fourth seed Saisai 6-4 6-2, while Linette took three sets to win over Xiyu, 2-6 6-3 6-3.
QUARTER FINALS RESULTS:
[8] Nao Hibino (JPN) defeated [1] Elina Svitolina (UKR) 6-4 6-2
[Q] Leonie Kung (SUI) defeated [3] Wang Qiang (CHN) 7-5 4-6 6-4
Patricia Tig (ROU) defeated [4] Zheng Saisai (CHN) 6-4 6-2
[5] Magna Linete (POL) defeated Wang Xiyu (CHN) 2-6 6-3 6-3
Homecourt Humbert upsets Alcaraz
A RAUCOUS home crowd got Frenchman Ugo Humbert over the line against world number two Carlos Alcaraz to reach the quarter finals of the Paris ATP 1000 Masters. Humbert produced some lights out tennis, motivated by the fans driving him to a 6-1 3-6 7-5 epic victory. He looked to be doing it easy against […]
2024 WTA Finals preview: Singles
EIGHT players, one crown. That is what is in store for the prestigious WTA Finals which sees the best of the best going up against one another in a massive round-robin tournament. All four Grand Slam winners qualify automatically each year, with the remaining top ranked players for the calendar year filling out the eight […]
Popyrin powers to Paris pearler
AUSTRALIAN Alexei Popyrin has produced one of the best wins of his career, defeating fourth seed and US Open winner Daniil Medvedev in an incredible three-set match. Popyrin needed two and a half hours in Paris overnight to book his place in the ATP 1000 Masters Round of 16, winning 6-4 2-6 7-6. The deciding […]
Demon dares to dream as Ruud, Rublev gets rolled
AUSSIE Alex de Minaur‘s hopes of a maiden ATP Finals birth are within his own control after Russian Andrey Rublev suffered a spectacular second round defeat at the Paris Masters overnight. While Rublev went down to Argentinian Francisco Cerundolo in two tiebreakers, de Minaur overcame Cerundolo’s compatriot Mariano Navone, 7-5 6-1. Coming into the ATP […]
Tsitsipas survives first round Paris test
DESPITE being on the ropes early, Greek talent Stefanos Tsitsipas was able to recover and see off Spaniard Roberto Carballes Baena in just under two hours at the 2024 Paris Masters. The first round match saw the 10th seed – who has had a mediocre 5-4 record since the Laver Cup – have to fight […]
Frenchman aces past Shelton to win
BECOMING the lowest ranked player to win the Swiss Indoors event since it joined the official ATP Tour, Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard is now an ATP 500 champion. The towering young talent aced his way to victory against equally impressive server Ben Shelton, providing an ominous sign of things to come in a 6-4 7-6 […]
Zheng salutes in Tokyo for first WTA 500 title
A TWO-time winner in Palermo and an Olympic gold medalist in Paris, Chinese world number seven Qinwen Zheng can now add a home continent title to her CV after triumphing in Tokyo today. The top seed at the Pan Pacific Open was able to fend off a determined Sofia Kenin in straight sets, 7-6 6-3 […]
Young guns fire in Basel
A QUARTET of future stars battled it out in the Swiss Indoors ATP 500 semi-finals overnight, giving fans a glimpse into what to expect over the next decade. In the end, 2024’s big improver in huge serving Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, and American cult hero Ben Shelton booked their places in the Basel decider. Mpetshi […]
Zheng fights off Shnaider, sets up Kenin clash
A DROUGHT will be broken one way or another in today’s Pan Pacific Open final in Tokyo when top seed Qinwen Zheng and American wildcard Sofia Kenin face off the in the WTA 500’s decider. Zheng is gunning for her first WTA Tour title outside of Palermo, while Kenin can break an incredible four-year titleless […]
