
WTA roundup: Emma Navarro saves match point, wins in London
June 11 - Third-seeded Emma Navarro saved a match point before rallying to win as Americans went 3-0 on Wednesday in the second round of the HSBC Championships in London.
Navarro rallied for a 1-6, 7-6 (4), 6-3 victory against Brazil's Beatriz Haddad Maia, who had a 5-4 lead in the second set and a 4-2 lead in the ensuing tiebreak. Navarro advanced to the quarterfinal against compatriot and No. 8 seed Amanda Anisimova, who was a 6-1, 6-3 winner over Britain's Sonay Kartal in 64 minutes.
No. 2 seed Madison Keys joined them in the quarterfinals with a 6-3, 6-2 win against Russian qualifier Anastasia Zakharova. Down an early break at 3-1, Keys won 11 of the next 13 games. Germany's Tatjana Maria also reached the final eight with a 6-7 (3), 7-5, 6-1 upset of sixth-seeded Czech Karolina Muchova.
Libema Open
Canadian qualifier Carson Branstine, ranked No. 231 in the world, pulled off a 6-4, 5-7, 6-1 upset of top-seeded Russian Liudmila Samsonova in the first round in 's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands.
The stunning victory over the defending champion, in a match that was suspended Tuesday and resumed Wednesday, came in the first WTA main draw match of the 24-year-old Branstine's career.
No. 2 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova defeated fellow Russian Anna Blinkova 6-0, 7-5 to reach the quarterfinals. Up next for Alexandrova is another countrywoman in No. 8 seed Veronika Kudermetova, who ousted Belgium's Greet Minnen 6-4, 6-1 in 74 minutes.
Italy's Elisabetta Cocciaretto also moved into the quarterfinals with a 6-1, 7-6 (4) defeat of Bernarda Pera. Winners in first-round matches on Wednesday included Maria Sakkari of Greece and Elena-Gabriela Ruse of Romania.
--Field Level Media
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Daily Mail
43 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Lewis Hamilton gives update on his Ferrari future after terrible start to £60m-a-year deal with iconic team
Lewis Hamilton insisted that he will not walk out on his £60million-a-year deal to drive for Ferrari. Despite a terrible start to his time at the Scuderia, he is planning on competing into his early/mid-forties. He is now 40 and has a two or three-year contract to drive at the world's most famous team, where he hopes to embrace immortality by claiming an unprecedented eighth title. He called his last race, in Spain a week last Sunday, when he finished seventh, one of the worst he has experienced. Speaking ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix, scene of his first win as a rookie 18 years ago, Hamilton also spoke in support of his Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur, the French team principal, who is under pressure according to reports in the Italian press. Vasseur has time for now. But improvements are called for, as the team are 197 points behind McLaren, and patience will snap without an upturn. Hamilton said: 'I have literally only just started with this team, and I am here for several years. I am here for the long haul and there is no question as to where my head is at, and what I am achieving with the team, so there are zero doubts, so please stop making it up. 'I want to be at the front and we need to bring more performance out of the car. There are challenges but I am enjoying those challenges.' He added of Vasseur and stories surrounding his future: 'I was just made aware of it. But it is definitely not nice to hear there are stories out there. 'Firstly, I love working with Fred. He is the main reason I am in this team, and I got the opportunity to be here because of Fred, which I am forever grateful for. 'We are in this together, things are not perfect. But I am here to work with the team but also Fred. I want Fred here and I believe he is the person to take us to the top. 'It is nonsense what people have written. Most people don't know what is going on in the background. It is not easy. We are having to make changes. 'There is a lot of work to do and there is pressure because we want to win, but that (Vasseur leaving) is not a discussion at the moment.'


The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Forget Thomas Frank, it's Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta who's under real pressure in North London
THOMAS FRANK knows what he is getting into at Tottenham. But it could now become a lot tougher for Mikel Arteta. 9 9 Plenty of Tottenham supporters will now be demanding that Ange Postecoglou's replacement proves he is a level above the Aussie who ended the club's 17-YEAR trophy drought. Yet while the Dane will need to have some 'frank' conversations, that Europa League victory in Bilbao will have an equally big impact six miles down the Seven Sisters Road. Suddenly, after Son Heung-min lifted the trophy into the Basque night air, Spurs are not Spursy any more. Rival supporters can no longer mock their empty trophy cabinet. It might have been the worst European final in history, secured by the scrappiest of goals, against a Manchester United side destined to be remembered only for their ineptitude. Yet Spurs are proven winners, at last. But there is one club in the capital which does appear to have forgotten how to get over the line. Arsenal have been London's best, by a street, for three seasons. Join SUN CLUB for the Arsenal Files every Friday plus in-depth coverage and exclusives from The Emirates Boss Arteta has fostered a sense of purpose building a formidable unit and restoring, even enhancing, the bond between the club and its fans — however much pre-game anthem 'North London Forever' can grate. Yet while Spurs, Chelsea and Crystal Palace all lifted silverware this term, just as West Ham did in 2023, the Gunners' best shots have fallen a fraction short of their targets. Why Thomas Frank is the PERFECT manager for Tottenham Plenty of Arsenal fans will insist they do not care. Of course, they will. Arteta's men have come close to lifting the Prem crown, twice shaded out by Manchester City before being the only threat to champions Liverpool over the past ten months. It was Arsenal who went deepest in the Champions League, too, putting Real Madrid to the sword before being ousted by Paris Saint-Germain, the new kings of Europe. But Bukayo Saka's admissions this week of his feelings of 'hurt' at the triumphant scenes he witnessed in Bilbao, Wroclaw and Wembley were a window into the true reality. There comes a point when being the best of the rest is not enough. And those trophy lifts by Son, Enzo Fernandez and Marc Guehi mean that moment may have been reached. 9 9 9 Arteta's faith in the underlying numbers, in the expected goals metric and other analytical and statistical tools, is unquestioned. But he appears to be a believer in the 'one more heave' theory of football management. A couple of key additions — with Real Sociedad's Martin Zubimendi and Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko clearly identified as the priority acquisitions for around £115million for the pair — to bolt on to what he has, and that will be enough. Except it might not be. Arsenal under Arteta are all about control and, at times it feels, to the exclusion of imagination and spark. But their rivals might be breaking the glass. City's £108.4m early summer spending spree has been a statement of intent. Liverpool are likely to have German ace Florian Wirtz and left-sided full-back Milos Kerkez in to add to Jeremie Frimpong who is already through the door. Chelsea are ready to splash more of Todd Boehly's seemingly limitless cash. Arteta knows the fans will now expect him to deliver on his promises. His only trophy came five years ago, with an FA Cup final win over Chelsea in an empty stadium during the unprecedented aftermath of the pandemic. 9 Like a tree falling in the Amazon rainforest, some will ask if a Wembley win when there was nobody there to watch it really happened. Arsenal were unexpected challengers three years ago, leading the way until the last week of April when they hit the wall. The following campaign they were only overhauled in the final fortnight. Yet last term, hindered by injuries, red cards and some refereeing shockers, they were never really within touching distance of the Anfield side. Failure to reinforce significantly in the January window, despite the manager's public pleading to the board, was critical. That teams were terrified of Arsenal's set-piece prowess was unquestioned. 9 Yet that threat significantly dissipated after centre-back Gabriel limped off against Fulham at the start of April. Too many supporters have bought into the conspiracy theories, too. The belief that 'they' — whether that be the Premier League, FA, Uefa or PGMOL — are all part of a wide-ranging anti-Arsenal pact. Allowing that to fester risks giving players a get-out clause as well when things, as they do in football, go against them. It all adds up to extra scrutiny on Arteta from the first kick of the 2025-26 season. More questions. Additional demands and expectations. Answer all of them and he can book a modelling session with the statue maker. But stumble again and it may be the beginning of the end. Thomas tanking IT has taken only four games but Thomas Tuchel seems to have brought the England squad together — just not as he planned. The tough-talking German was supposed to be the missing ingredient after all the near-misses under Gareth Southgate. But after watching the miserable displays against Andorra and Senegal, it seems the players were united in not really wanting to be there. And that was before Tuchel brought his dear old mum into it. 9 Brits love sport GREAT to see a near-full house at Lord's on Wednesday for the first day of the World Test Championship final. The weather wasn't great and plenty would have wanted Australia and South Africa to BOTH lose. But further proof Brits will turn up for the opening of an envelope if there's a sporting event inside. Riots before World Cup RIOTS on the streets of Los Angeles and elsewhere. The Marines and National Guard called in, plus a crackdown on unwanted visitors. Who says the Americans aren't getting prepared to host the World Cup a year out? 9


Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
McLaren to offer 'junior race engineer' opportunity for British Grand Prix at Silverstone through exciting initiative
McLaren will hire the first 'Junior Race Engineer' in Formula One ahead of the British Grand Prix through an initiative from Mastercard. Formula One's dominant side will head to their home Grand Prix top of both Championship standings with Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris No 1 and No 2 respectively in the drivers' table. Entrants for the role must be aged between nine and 15 and can apply through the Mastercard website. They will be given exclusive access to the McLaren Technology Centre on June 24, going behind the scenes to learn the critical aspects to race performance and understand how the engineering team collaborates to produce a race winning car. Charlie Carrington, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Communications, at Mastercard, said: 'At Mastercard, we connect people to their passions and put the next generation in pole position. Our Junior Race Engineer competition embodies that spirit by offering one young fan the keys to an opportunity they will never forget. 'To be part of the McLaren Formula 1 team in the lead up to one of the most iconic races in the calendar is not just exciting - It's full throttle, turbo-charged and totally priceless. We can't wait to see the beaming smile on their face.' Piers Thynne, Chief Operations Officer at McLaren Racing, added: 'This is an opportunity of a lifetime for a young F1 fan looking for an unforgettable experience at the pinnacle of motorsport, thanks to our partnership with Mastercard. 'We hope the Junior Race Engineer will be able to take on some valuable insight from the day, and hopefully we'll inspire them for a future career choice.'