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Swiatek, Gauff through in Madrid Open as Osaka falls | The Express Tribune

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MADRID:

World number one Iga Swiatek beat Wang Xiyu 6-1, 6-4 to reach the third round of the Madrid Open on Thursday as she bids to win the competition for the first time.

Earlier Coco Gauff sailed through to the third round with a 6-0, 6-0 thumping of Arantxa Rus, while Liudmila Samsonova ousted Naomi Osaka in three sets.

Runner-up last year, Swiatek bounced back from her semi-final defeat by Elena Rybakina in Stuttgart with a largely comfortable straight sets victory.

The Pole, a four-time Grand Slam winner and an expert on clay, wobbled in the second set as Wang won three games in a row but recovered to triumph in one hour 16 minutes.

“I love this place — I got to know the city a little better last year,” Swiatek said. “So this time I feel more comfortable around.”

Madrid is the only major European clay tournament that three-time French Open champion Swiatek has yet to win.

Swiatek coasted through the first set, breaking twice for a 4-0 lead. She wrapped up it up with another break, leaving Wang no chance of reaching her red-hot backhand return.

The Doha and Indian Wells winner took a 4-1 lead in the second set but Wang fought her way back in for 4-4, before the top seed steeled herself to hold.

Wang then handed the second set on a plate to Swiatek with two double faults, and the Pole will face 27th seed Sorana Cirstea in the third round.

Earlier Gauff, 20, earned the first ‘double bagel’ victory of her career in a WTA Tour main draw event in only 51 minutes against her 33-year-old Dutch opponent Rus.

The American saved four break points in the match to become the third player ever to win 6-0, 6-0 in the Madrid Open main draw.

World number three Gauff will face Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska next.

Samsonova brought former world number one Osaka’s return to clay to a halt with a 6-2, 4-6, 7-5 victory.

Four-time Grand Slam champion Osaka twice battled back from a break down in the second set to force a decisive third but world number 17 Samsonova eventually ground out the win.

Japanese star Osaka returned to tennis in January after a long break and earned her first victory on clay for two years on Wednesday against Greet Minnen.

However Russian 15th seed Samsonova, whom Osaka beat at Indian Wells in March, was able to end a four-match losing streak with her victory in two hours 22 minutes in the Spanish capital.

Hard-court expert Osaka, 26, is not overly fond of the red dirt and has not won back-to-back matches on the surface since 2019.

She lost last week at the Rouen Open in France against Martina Trevisan in her first match back on clay but improved this week.

“I felt — I don’t want to say happy — I felt good that I was able to fight back,” said Osaka.

“I think it’s a big difference from my match in France, so I was happy that I learned from that match, but obviously really sad that I lost.”

Samsonova raced into a 4-0 first set lead, breaking in the first and third games as Osaka struggled.

“Honestly, it’s not the sliding part for me, it’s the touch,” said Osaka.

“I feel like I’m getting the balls, I’m just not really placing them well.”

Samsonova will face Madison Keys in the next round.

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Liberty rebound vs. Mystics, lock up No. 1 seed

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The New York Liberty clinched the top seed in the WNBA playoffs with an 87-71 victory at Washington on Tuesday night.

At 32-7, the Liberty are guaranteed the league’s best record with one game to go.

This marks the second time the Liberty, an original WNBA franchise dating to 1997, will have the best record in a season. The other came in 2015, when the WNBA played a 34-game schedule and New York was 23-11.

Minnesota, which defeated Connecticut 78-76 on Tuesday, moved to 30-9 and will be the No. 2 seed. Connecticut is 27-12 and currently in third place. Las Vegas, 26-13 after winning at Seattle, is in fourth.

Coach Sandy Brondello said it was one of the Liberty’s goals to get the No. 1 seed. Last year, New York was the No. 2 seed and lost in the WNBA Finals to top-seeded Las Vegas.

After losing 88-79 at home to Minnesota on Sunday, Brondello said she wanted her team to be angry at how it played and it responded.

“We started talking about it after Minnesota … they were playing playoff basketball and we weren’t,” Brondello said. “So we have to learn from that. We put the emphasis tonight on, ‘OK, it’s playoff basketball now.’

“These games are very meaningful; it was clinching the No. 1. [In the playoffs] it goes to another level. That’s our focus, just that mentality. The extra physicality, we have to play better. Also continue to trust what’s got us here and make sure we’re playing in the right way.”

Breanna Stewart led New York with 15 points and 10 rebounds.

The Liberty don’t know who they will face in the first round of the playoffs, which begin Sunday. Atlanta holds the eighth and final playoff spot after its 86-70 victory over injury-riddled Chicago on Tuesday.

Atlanta is 14-25, while Washington and Chicago are 13-26. That means the last playoff team won’t be decided until the final night of the regular season Thursday, when all 12 teams play. Atlanta will face New York, Washington will play Indiana and Chicago will meet Connecticut.

Indiana already has secured the No. 6 seed and Phoenix the No. 7 seed.

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Mohsin Naqvi assures ICC delegation of stadiums’ timely upgradation

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Islamabad: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Mohsin Naqvi assured the delegation of the International Cricket Council (ICC), who visited Pakistan in connection with the Champions Trophy, for the timely completion of the stadiums’ upgradation.

According to the details released by the PCB spokesperson, the ICC met the Chairman PCB Naqvi in ​​Islamabad, in which a detailed discussion was held regarding the preparations for the ICC Champions Trophy tournament.

In the meeting, security arrangements for the ICC Champions Trophy tournament were also discussed, while the delegation expressed satisfaction over the arrangements for the Champions Trophy in Karachi and Rawalpindi.

Chairman PCB Mohsin Naqvi has assured world-class arrangements for the ICC Champions Trophy and that the upgrade work of all stadiums will be completed before the Champions Trophy.

Mohsin Naqvi stated that foolproof security arrangements will be made for all the teams. After the upgradation, the stadiums will have international standard facilities and the fans will enjoy cricket matches more. Pakistani people love the game of cricket and support all the teams.

The delegation included ICC Senior Manager Events Sarah Edgar, Event Manager and Champions Trophy Event Lead Aoun Muhammad Zaidi, General Manager Cricket Wasim Khan, Security Manager David Musker and Broadcast Consultant Mansoor Manj.

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2nd Women’s T20 International: Pakistan beat South Africa by 13 runs

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Multan: Pakistan defeated South Africa by 13 runs in the second Women’s T20 International.

Pakistan Women posted their highest score of 181 in the history of T20 Internationals and defeated South Africa Women by 13 runs in the second match of the T20 series.

Earlier, Pakistan’s highest score in a Women’s T20 International was 177 for five against Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur in June 2018.

With this win, Pakistan also leveled the three-match series, the third and deciding match of the series will be played on Friday.

In the second match played at the Multan Cricket Stadium, South Africa won the toss and allowed Pakistan to bat first, scoring 181 runs for the loss of four wickets in 20 overs.

The South African team could only score 168 runs for four wickets in reply.

Muniba Ali and Gul Feroza gave Pakistan a 25-run start. Gul Feroza got out for 10 runs with the help of four fours. Muniba Ali batted positively and aggressively but Derrickson ended her brilliant innings of 45 off 34 balls which included six fours and two sixes.

Sidra Amin scored 28 runs with the help of three fours and a six and was bowled by Soane Lease. Nida Dar and captain Fatima Sana managed to add 60 valuable runs in the fourth wicket partnership, Dar scored 29 runs of which four fours were included.

Fatima Sana scored 37 runs with the help of three fours and two sixes while Alia Riaz scored 17 runs with the help of a six and two fours while facing seven balls and remained not out.

In South Africa’s innings, Soane Lees was the top scorer with 53 runs not out with the help of six fours and a six, Chloe Troun scored 30 runs and she also remained not out. Captain Laura Woolwart played an innings of 36 runs.

Sadia Iqbal and Nashera Sindhu took two wickets each.

Fast bowler Tasmiya Rabab replaced skipper Fatima Sana as a connection player.

It is pertinent to note that Fatima Sana was hit in the face by a ball while fielding, Muniba Ali took the lead in her absence.

Muniba Ali also won the player of the match award.

Pakistani team

Muniba Ali, Gul Feroza, Sidra Amin, Nida Dar, Fatima Sana, Alia Riaz, Sadaf Shams, Sadia Iqbal, Nashra Sandhu, Diana Baig, Tobiah and Tooba Hassan Shama.

South Africa

Laura Wollward, Zamin Burts, Anneke Bosch, Nadine De Clerk, Sun Luce, Sinaloa Jafta, Henri Derrickson, Sessions Naidoo, Tami Sukhone, Ayanda Halbi.

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Kings revive iconic look with 2024-25 Classic Edition uniform

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The Sacramento Kings unveiled their Classic Edition jerseys on Monday in celebration of their 40th year in California.

The uniform is a return to their popular purple jersey worn from 2002 to 2008, one of the more successful eras in franchise history. Sacramento had four playoff appearances and three 50-win seasons during that span.

The uniform marked the first time “Sacramento” ran across the chest. It also included the secondary “SK” logo, which was introduced in 1994, but that didn’t feature on a uniform until appearing on the right side of the shorts on this design in 2002.

The Kings had former stars Doug Christie — who is an assistant on coach Mike Brown’s staff — and Mike Bibby help with the unveiling, which came on 916 Day, a nod to Sacramento’s area code. Christie and Bibby appeared in the video posted on social media doing a mock photoshoot and hooping around outside while wearing the uniform set.

“This 2024-25 Classic Edition is more than just a jersey — it’s a tribute to our city and the game we love,” the Kings said in a news release. “It represents our proud history and the unforgettable moments shared on the court.”

Sacramento will wear the uniform eight times at home next season. It will debut against the Brooklyn Nets on Nov. 24.

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