Emma Raducanu beats Naomi Osaka at the DC Open to win their first matchup
Raducanu, the only qualifier to claim a Grand Slam title when she did that in New York in 2021, saved the only two break points she faced and managed to break the big-serving Osaka three times.
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Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Emma Raducanu: British No1 beaten in Washington Open semi-finals by Anna Kalinskaya
Emma Raducanu missed out on what would have been her first WTA final in four years as she was defeated in straight sets by Anna Kalinskaya at the Washington Open. The British No1 was aiming to make the final stage of a tournament for the first time since her extraordinary US Open triumph back in 2021, when she won the year's final Grand Slam as an 18-year-old qualifier. Raducanu has struggled signficantly with injuries since then, although she hit form at the perfect time in the US capital, reaching the last four with some statement victories. She beat Marta Kostyuk, the seventh seed, in the opening round, before battling past former world No1 Naomi Osaka and Greek wildcard Maria Sakkari in her last 16 and quarter-final clashes. However, Kalinskaya in the semis was just a step too far. Raducanu was handed a 6-4 6-3 defeat to end her superb run on the American acrylic. The Briton conjured five aces in the early exchanges, but it was her return game that let her down, as she spurned all but one of her break-point opportunities. Kalinskaya was ruthless when she needed to be, breaking in the ninth game of a close first set at the second time of asking, and then she fended off two break-back points as she served out the opener. The pair traded breaks at the start of the second, but it was in the fifth game where Raducanu lost it, broken to 15 before she finally ceded as she attempted to serve to stay in the contest at 5-3. Kalinskaya will face Leylah Fernandez, the Canadian, in the final. Fernandez was Raducanu's opponent at the US Open final, with the Briton defeating her 6-4 6-3 on Arthur Ashe Stadium to clinch the title. Raducanu's next focus is on Montreal, where she faces Elena-Gabriela Ruse in the first round of the WTA 1000 event.
Hamilton Spectator
7 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Leylah Fernandez's biggest tennis title at the DC Open was fueled by Shake Shack
WASHINGTON (AP) — The biggest tennis title of Leylah Fernandez's career arrived at the D.C. Open on Sunday with the help of a terrific backhand, some superb returning — and energy courtesy of Shake Shack's burgers and fries. The left-handed Fernandez , a 22-year-old from Canada who is ranked 36th, wrapped up a big week of tight matches with a lopsided victory, defeating Anna Kalinskaya 6-1, 6-2 in the final. Fernandez earned her fourth singles trophy — all have come at hard-court tournaments — and first at a WTA 500 event. She came quite close to a Grand Slam championship as a teenager at the 2021 U.S. Open , making it all the way to the final in New York before losing to Emma Raducanu. There almost was a rematch in Washington, but Kalinskaya eliminated Raducanu in the semifinals Saturday. The men's final later Sunday was No. 7 seed Alex de Minaur against No. 12 Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. Fernandez took quite a journey through the bracket. She needed 2 hours, 19 minutes to oust No. 1 seed Jessica Pegula — last year's U.S. Open runner-up — in three sets in the second round, then 2 hours, 20 minutes to beat Taylor Townsend in the quarterfinals, and 3 hours, 12 minutes for a three-tiebreaker victory over No. 3 seed Elena Rybakina — the 2022 Wimbledon champion — in the semifinals. After each of the last two, Fernandez and her father — who is also her coach — opted for Shake Shack. 'We got burgers, hot dog, cheese fries — everything that an athlete should not eat before a match, but it did the trick,' Fernandez said about what she ate after the Townsend match. 'It gave me the right nutrients to recover from the cramps and get ready for the next round.' Following the Rybakina marathon, Fernandez said she and her father 'were messaging, and I was, like, 'OK, what do you want to eat tonight?' We both answered at the same time: burgers. ... That was kind of my diet for the whole week.' Sure worked: This was the first title for Fernandez since October 2023 at the Hong Kong Open. Plus, she arrived in Washington with a losing record this season and hadn't won more than two matches at the same tournament since last November. 'I have gone through so many different challenges this week. It just has made me stronger, in a way, that if I can get through this week — through the cramps, through the long matches, through the heat, the humidity — I can get through anything,' Fernandez said. 'So I was just very happy that I got to not only push myself physically through the limits, but also mentally. So that kind of will help me hopefully for future tournaments.' Against the 48th-ranked Kalinskaya, who hadn't dropped a set until Sunday, Fernandez saved the only break point she faced while breaking four times. One key: Fernandez claimed 10 of the 12 points when Kalinskaya hit a second serve. Another: Kalinskaya — a 26-year-old Russian who is 0-3 in tour finals — finished with 24 unforced errors and just nine winners. 'Amazing fight this week,' Kalinskaya told Fernandez. 'You truly deserve it.' ___ AP tennis:
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
Naomi Osaka announces she is no longer working with coach Patrick Mouratoglou
WASHINGTON (AP) — Naomi Osaka and coach Patrick Mouratoglou are done working together after less than a year, the four-time Grand Slam champion announced Sunday on social media. 'Merci Patrick,' Osaka began her post, with a photo of her hitting a practice serve while he stands nearby. 'It was such a great experience learning from you. Wishing you nothing but the best. You are one of the coolest people I've ever met and I'm sure I'll see you around.' The news comes three days after Osaka lost her second match at the D.C. Open and just before she begins competing in Toronto. The U.S. Open, the year's last major tournament and an event Osaka won twice, begins in New York on Aug. 24. Osaka hired Mouratoglou — who was the longtime coach of Serena Williams — when she fired Wim Fissette shortly after her second-round exit at last year's U.S. Open. Osaka, a former No. 1, is currently ranked 51st and has a 21-11 record this season. She hasn't been past the third round at a Grand Slam tournament since winning the 2021 Australian Open. ___ AP tennis: The Associated Press
