Medvedev overcomes Mannarino in Den Bosch, Mertens and Andreescu advance
FILE PHOTO: Tennis - French Open - Roland Garros, Paris, France - May 27, 2025, Russia's Daniil Medvedev in action during his first-round match against Britain's Cameron Norrie REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes/File Photo
Top seed Daniil Medvedev beat former champion Adrian Mannarino to reach the Libema Open quarter-finals in Den Bosch on Thursday while in the women's draw third seed Elise Mertens comfortably defeated Maria Sakkari and Bianca Andreescu also advanced.
Medvedev earned a straight-sets win over the 2019 winner, but the French lucky loser battled hard before the Russian claimed a 7-6(6) 6-4 victory to kick-start his grass season.
Mannarino broke serve in the opening game with Medvedev responding immediately, and the Russian came out on top in the tiebreak after saving two set points. Medvedev made the decisive break in the second set to lead 5-4 and held serve for the win.
The pair came into the meeting level at 4-4 in their head-to-head but Medvedev has now won three on the trot against Mannarino and will next meet lucky loser Reilly Opella after the American beat Chile's Nicolas Jarry 7-6(5) 6-3.
French second seed Ugo Humbert beat Briton Daniel Evans 7-5 6-3 and in the last eight will face Portuguese seventh seed Nuno Borges, who got a walkover after Finn Otto Virtanen failed to recover from a knee injury picked up during his first-round win.
Poland's Hubert Hurkacz also withdrew through injury, sending Estonian qualifier Mark Lajal into the quarter-finals where he will meet Zizou Bergs after the Belgian beat Australian fourth seed Alexei Popyrin 6-7(3) 6-2 7-6(3).
Belgium's Mertens had little trouble seeing off Greece's Sakkari 6-3 6-0 and her win versus the former world number three earned her a quarter-final meeting with China's Yuan Yue after the lucky loser's 6-4 6-3 win over Australian Kimberly Birrell.
Wildcard Canadian Andreescu eased to a 6-0 6-4 victory against New Zealand's seventh seed Lulu Sun, and last year's losing finalist will meet qualifier Elena-Gabriela Ruse of Romania in the last eight.
Ruse had a 6-4 6-3 win over fellow-qualifier Carson Branstine of Canada, who had knocked out defending champion Liudmila Samsonova in the first round.
Suzan Lamens of the Netherlands beat American Ann Li 7-6(4) 7-6(5) and will next face Italy's Elisabetta Cocciaretto. REUTERS
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Zverev sets up Stuttgart semi-final with impressive Shelton, Fritz also through
FILE PHOTO: Jun 4, 2025; Paris, FR; Alexander Zverev of Germany during his match against Novak Djokovic of Serbia on day 11 at Roland Garros Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Susan Mullane-Imagn Images/File Photo REUTERS Top seed and home favourite Alexander Zverev beat Brandon Nakashima 7-5 6-4 to advance to the semi-finals of the Stuttgart Open on Friday while Americans Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton also reached the last four. Zverev is seeking his first grasscourt title and he was involved in a tight opening set which was tied at 5-5 when the German switched gears in the final two games to clinch it. But Zverev was far more dominant against his American opponent in the second set as he finished the match with 31 winners in a contest that lasted 90 minutes. "I'm in the semi-finals now and now I really want to focus on trying to do the best I can," Zverev said. "I know the opponents are going to get tougher but I'm really happy on the court right now I'm really happy in Stuttgart and I'm looking forward to the next two days." Zverev will play third seed Shelton next after the American, who was virtually unstoppable on his first serve, beat Jiri Lehecka 6-4 6-4, firing 18 aces. Shelton was so dominant in the second set that he did not lose a single point on serve while he won 100% of his first-serve points in the match, with victory ensuring he will break into the top 10 for the first time in his career. Marton Fucsovics had beaten Fritz in straight sets in Stuttgart two years ago but this time the American, who has yet to drop a set at the tournament, came out on top in a dominant 6-3 6-4 victory. Although Fritz was involved in some long baseline rallies, he relied on his serve, sending 12 aces past the Hungarian to set up a semi-final clash with Felix Auger-Aliassime, who beat the 17-year-old German Justin Engel 7-6(3) 6-3. Engel had claimed his first professional victory on grass earlier this week when he beat James Duckworth, following it up with an upset win over seventh seed Alex Michelsen, but beating Auger-Aliassime proved to be a step too far for the teenager. "His serve was so incredibly good today that I felt pressure in my own service games," Engel said. "But it was great fun playing in front of this crowd again. I can't wait to play here again next year." REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
NASCAR brings American thunder to Mexico City in expansion drive
The throaty roar of NASCAR Cup Series engines will reverberate through the Valley of Mexico this weekend, marking a bold international gambit for America's beloved motorsport as it races beyond its traditional borders. The ambitious cross-border event required substantial logistical efforts to bring the entire racing circus down south, amid recent protests in Los Angeles and complex U.S.-Mexico relations as well as stricter border controls under President Donald Trump's administration. For Daniel Suarez, who carries the hopes of a nation as one of only three Mexicans ever to reach NASCAR's premier division, the Mexico City race transforms him from competitor to cultural ambassador. "It's a great privilege to represent all Mexico. This isn't just another race on the calendar," Suarez told Reuters. "I'm very fortunate not only for my country, but for the whole Latin America region. It's not pressure as I love it, this is more like motivation, to go race in front of my people." The cultural collision is set to be a striking one. NASCAR brings its distinctly blue-collar heritage, born when Prohibition-era bootleggers modified cars to outrun the authorities, to a nation where racing fans have traditionally embraced Formula One's technical sophistication through local hero and former driver Sergio "Checo" Perez. However, NASCAR's arrival illuminates potential pathways for emerging talents like Regina Sivient, who recently made history as the first Mexican woman competing in the ARCA Menards Series, the minor, semi-professional stock car racing league that provides a pathway into NASCAR's three national touring series. "The most important thing about NASCAR coming to Mexico is that it gives us exposure," Sivient told Reuters. "When we saw Checo Perez in F1, being in the spotlight meant many Mexicans got to know him, that we drivers supported him, and that he received sponsorship from brands. In the end, as athletes that's what we want and what the sport needs to grow". As engines prepare to roar, the question is not whether NASCAR can follow the NBA and NFL in establishing Mexican footholds, but how quickly the quintessentially American motorsport might transform itself from curious novelty to beloved fixture in Mexico's sporting identity. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
Hong Kong to host Saudi Super Cup
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Saudi Super Cup - Final - Al Hilal v Al Ittihad - Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates - April 11, 2024 Al Hilal's Neymar lifts the trophy with teammates after winning the Saudi Super Cup final REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo This year's Saudi Super Cup will be held in Hong Kong, the Saudi Football Federation said on Friday. The tournament, which will run from August 19 to 23, will feature Al-Ittihad, Al-Qadisiyah, Al-Hilal and Al-Nassr. Matches are set to take place at the 40,000-seat Hong Kong Stadium, the home of the Hong Kong national team, which was built in 1953 and renovated in 1994. 'This represents a qualitative shift for the tournament, which has achieved remarkable success in its previous editions, making it one of the most prominent local competitions attracting interest for hosting,' said Ibrahim Al-Qassim, Secretary-General of the SFF, in a statement published on the federation's website. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
