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Kerber knocked out by Kvitova at Wuhan Open
WUHAN: Angelique Kerber suffered her first defeat as world No 1 when Petra Kvitova beat her 6-7(10), 7-5, 6-4 in a marathon third- round match at the Wuhan Open
WUHAN: Angelique Kerber suffered her first defeat as world No 1 when Petra Kvitova beat her 6-7(10), 7-5, 6-4 in a marathon third- round match at the Wuhan Open in China on Wednesday.
German top seed Kerber saved three set points before a forehand error from Czech Kvitova handed the US Open champion a tense first-set tie-break.
But Kvitova, showing the battling qualities that have brought her two Wimbledon titles, fought back to force a decider.
Kvitova, seeded 14th, broke Kerber early in the third set to lead 4-2 and despite struggling with cramp, she held her nerve to convert her seventh match point after three hours and 20 minutes on court.
“At the end I think there is no loser. I did everything today. I was fighting until the end,” Kerber told reporters.
In the next round Kvitova will face Briton Johanna Konta, who boosted her chances of qualifying for her first WTA Finals when she beat eighth ranked Carla Suarez Navarro 7-5, 7-6(6).
Meanwhile, Simona Halep entered the quarterfinals despite being knocked dizzy and forced to retire from a doubles match a day earlier.
The Romanian world No 5 beat Yaroslava Shvedova 6-3, 6-3 before detailing the heavy blow from a ball which left her with bruising to her head.
Halep was struck by a shot fired from the baseline by her doubles partner Jelena Ostapenko, before retiring from the match on Tuesday evening.
“She hit me with the ball, like 150 kilometres (90 miles) per hour. I was dizzy in the first moment, but then was much better,” Halep said.
“I feel pain all around here, but it’s okay,” she added, gesturing to the left side of her head.
INJURED DJOKO PULLS OUT OF CHINA OPEN
BELGRADE: World No 1 Novak Djokovic has been forced to withdraw from next week’s China Open in Beijing because of an elbow injury.
“I am extremely disappointed not to be able to compete at the China Open this year. I’m still recovering from my elbow injury and have been advised not to play until my condition improves,” Djokovic said on his website on Wednesday.
SOUTH AFRICAN HANDED LIFE BAN FOR FIXING
LONDON: South African tennis player Joshua Chetty was banned for life on Wednesday after being found guilty of match-fixing charges, the Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU) announced.
The 21-year-old, ranked at 1,857 in the world, admitted offering another player $2,000 to under-perform in a singles match, and $600 in a doubles match, during a third-tier Futures event in November 2015.
“The player approached by Chetty, whose identity will remain confidential, rejected the corrupt offers and reported the matter to the Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU),” said the statement.
