Monday, May 31, 2021
Roger Federer Wins 363rd Career Major Match At French Open, Passes Serena Williams (For Now) - Forbes
Roger Federer hadn’t played a Grand Slam match in almost 500 days, but he hardly looked rusty in his return to major tennis.
The 39-year-old 20-time Grand Slam champion look cool, calm and confident in dispatching Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan, 6-2, 6-4, 6-3, to advance to the second round of the French Open.
Federer, who last played a major match when he fell to Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open semifinals in January 2020, won his 363rd career match at a major, passing Serena Williams — for now. Serena, also 39, will play the first night match in Roland Garros history Monday evening.
“Clearly I had a good start to the match with the break,” Federer told Jon Wertheim of Tennis Channel. “And then the second set, same thing again and I was able to serve well. I thought in the first set, I served excellent. Second set, maybe a little bit more up and down on the serve but overall not too much margin in the game. I had the option always to drop shot him because he was playing far back, or I could serve and volley so I had multiple ways to win the point, which I didn’t feel at all in Geneva against [Pablo] Andujar, so overall I think it was a better match for me.
“I think I was very focused, I’m finding match rhythm again whereas in Geneva I was all over the place...There was a lot going on in Geneva so I was just much better prepared mentally.”
Thirteen days ago, playing his first clay court match since 2019, Federer lost to Andujar in three sets in Geneva and hadn’t played since. Andujar, meantime, took out No. 4 seed and two-time French Open finalist Dominic Thiem in five sets on Sunday.
Serena also lost in Parma, Italy when Andujar topped Federer, meaning both legends lost on the same day.
Now the two legends can both earn victories on Day 2 in Roland Garros. Serena opens against Irina-Camelia Begu at 9 p.m. Paris time.
Federer hit 48 winners against 20 unforced errors and converted 5-of-13 break chances against Istomin. He converted 71 percent of his first serves and won 80 percent of points on his first serve and 79 percent on his second serve.
“His movement was crisp, comfortable and confident,” two-time French Open champion Jim Courier said on Tennis Channel. “Everything looked good.”
After recovering from two knee procedures in 2020, Federer was playing just his fourth ATP match of 2021, going 2-2 so far.
He is hoping to get several matches in here to prepare him for the grasscourt season, which culminates with Wimbledon beginning just two weeks after the French.
Federer has won Wimbledon eight times and just missed a ninth title in 2019 when he blew a pair of match points against Novak Djokovic in the final.
He now stands tied with Rafael Nadal at 20 Grand Slam titles, with Djokovic breathing down their necks at 18. If Nadal wins Roland Garros for a 14th time, he will surpass Federer with 21. Serena this week said she believes Federer is the “greatest” in men’s history.
For now, Federer is happy to be in the second round — where he could face 2014 U.S. Open champion Marin Cilic.
“I think confidence always wins,” Federer said, “just because you’re playing downhill. It’s like you got the wind at your back. You’re much more clear in the head...I feel confidence wins you a lot of matches and gives you clarity. You don’t doubt yourself. You feel like it’s going to go your way. In the most important moments, you’re going to make the difference. You’re not hoping for the other guy to miss, you feel like you’re going to hit the winner.”
Roger Federer Wins 363rd Career Major Match At French Open, Passes Serena Williams (For Now) - Forbes
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Ally Ewing wins LPGA Match Play, beating Sophia Popov 2 and 1 - CBC.ca
Ally Ewing won the LPGA Match Play on Sunday on another long, hot afternoon at Shadow Creek, beating Sophia Popov 2 and 1 for her second tour victory.
Ewing won the difficult par-4 14th with a birdie to take a 2-up lead and closed out her German rival with a double-bogey halve on the par-3 17th in the final event before the U.S. Women's Open next week at Olympic in San Francisco.
"I feel like I was limping in really," Ewing said. "Just kind of really got fatigued out there. Needless to say, Monday through Wednesday leading up to a major championship I'm going to have to find a way to prepare and get some rest.:"
The 28-year-old former Mississippi State player won her first tour title in October in Florida at Reynolds Lake Oconee, playing under her maiden name of McDonald. On Sunday, she won on her first wedding anniversary with Bulldogs women's golf coach Charlie Ewing.
WATCH | Ally Ewing drains monster putt to seal match-play win:
![](https://thumbnails.cbc.ca/maven_legacy/thumbnails/562/431/GettyImages-1233193444.png?crop=1.777xh:h;*,*&downsize=510px:*%20510w")
"Second coolest thing to happen to us on May 30th," Charlie Ewing said. "I had a lot of trust in her, so I felt like I kept it together a lot better than if I would've been playing. A lot of fun watching her. I'm really proud of her."
Ewing won the par-4 second and fourth holes and held the 2-up lead until Popov took the par-5 11th with a birdie.
"I'm just a little bit sad that I just couldn't play my best this afternoon, and I know a little bit was fatigue," Popov said. "I just hit too many bad iron shots on the front nine, and still I was right there. I knew if I had even close to the game that I had the last four days I think I could have won this match, but I think for both of us we could tell that that was not our best performance."
Ewing 'soaking up' her victory
She won the British Women's Open last year.
"My game is in really good shape heading into the U.S. Open — if I can give my feet a little break tomorrow," Popov said. "I'm just excited. I love major championships."
In the semifinals, Ewing beat Ariya Jutanugarn 3 and 2, and Popov edged Shanshan Feng 1 up. Feng conceded the third-place match to Jutanugarn because of the heat and fatigue with the U.S. Women's Open only days away.
"If I play 18 more I don't know how I will do," Feng said. "I might fall over on the course. I don't think I should push myself that bad. If I got in the top two, of course, yes, I would play until I fall down on the course. But I lost the match in the morning, and I think it's better idea just to get rested after this. Next week is the U.S. Open. It's a very hilly and challenging course, so, I just want to be well-rested and protect myself."
The Chinese star played 41 holes Saturday.
On Saturday, Ewing beat local favourite Danielle Kang 1 up in the quarterfinals after outlasting Jenny Coleman in 19 holes in the morning in the round of 16.
"Definitely a lot of sleep tonight, and, we'll just regroup," Ewing said. "Just going to soak in this week and be ready to tee it up Thursday."
Ally Ewing wins LPGA Match Play, beating Sophia Popov 2 and 1 - CBC.ca
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EURO 2020: Schmeichel looking to match father's achievement - Toronto Star
Kasper Schmeichel has been matching his father’s remarkable achievements one by one over the last few years, and the European Championship will offer him the chance for another.
Schmeichel, who won the FA Cup with Leicester this year and the Premier League title with the team in 2016, will be in goal for Denmark when its hosts Belgium, Finland and Russia in Group B at Euro 2020.
Peter Schmeichel won three FA Cups, three Premier League titles and the Champions League at Manchester United, but perhaps his most astounding accomplishment came when Denmark won the European Championship in 1992.
“I want to achieve success with Denmark. I want to win the European Championship with Denmark,” Kasper Schmeichel said. “I want to try something wild with Denmark, I want to go to the World Cup and play as long as I possibly can.”
With their imposing stature and commanding presence, both goalkeepers have excelled with their national team. The 34-year-old Kasper has kept 32 clean sheets in 63 matches for his country, while his father had 38 in 103 appearances.
Twelve of Kasper’s 32 have come in his last 16 appearances for Denmark and his form for the national team and Leicester earned him the Danish player of the year award in January for the second straight season (and third overall).
“For me, it’s not about having a good year, it’s about the continuity and stability that my position requires,” Kasper Schmeichel said. “A goalkeeper has to be stable and have a high base level.
“I feel that I have had that for many, many years now, and I also think that the teams I play for appreciate that they know where they have me and what they can expect from me.”
Denmark also boasts a lot of other talent, with most of the players plying their trade at Europe’s top clubs.
Apart from Schmeichel, there’s Chelsea’s Andreas Christensen in defense, Inter Milan’s Christian Eriksen in midfield and Barcelona’s Martin Braithwaite up front.
/https://www.thestar.com/content/dam/thestar/sports/soccer/2021/05/31/euro-2020-schmeichel-looking-to-match-fathers-achievement/20210531090516-60b4e26ad8ad3f3ef7fb5be8jpeg.jpg)
Eriksen will be the one expected to create scoring chances. The 29-year-old attacking midfielder has made more than 100 international appearances and became a key part of the Inter team that won its first title in 11 years.
Denmark also has something of a lucky charm. Defender Jens Stryger Larsen has never been involved in a defeat in 33 appearances for his country, racking up 20 wins and 13 draws.
“It’s true that I have not lost yet, and it is a completely crazy statistic to have,” the 30-year-old Udinese defender said. “I’m happy to have it, and I would like it to continue a little longer.”
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EURO 2020: Schmeichel looking to match father's achievement - Toronto Star
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Sunday, May 30, 2021
Landeskog on Reaves’ match penalty: ‘He’s on a mission to hurt someone’ - Sportsnet.ca
With the sore 6-1 (soon to be 7-1) and the Vegas Golden Knights' chances to win Game 1 long over, Ryan Reaves was assessed a match penalty for intent to injure.
The altercation occurred in front of the Colorado Avalanche net. After the puck was covered, Reaves skated toward the crease and crosschecked Avalanche goaltender Philipp Grubauer in the back of the head. In the ensuing scrum, Reaves threw Ryan Graves to the ice and kneed him in the face.
"I don't know if you can call that physicality. Reaves, he's on a mission to hurt someone in the third," Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog said after the game. "That’s what he goes out and does. I’m sure the league will take a look at it. It was intent to injure."
The match penalty, which triggers an automatic review for suspension by the NHL's Department of Player Safety, gave the Avalanche a nine-minute power play to end the game. It was the second such infraction Reaves has been given in the last two years.
A total of 74 penalty minutes were assessed between the two teams in Game 1.
The influx began in the second period. With the Avalanche leading 4-0, Golden Knights forward Mattias Janmark took a shoulder-to-chest hit from Graves at the 8:26 mark, sending him into the boards. Janmark was helped off the ice and Graves was given a minor penalty for interference. Shortly after, Golden Knights forward William Carrier later took back-to-back roughing penalties, first on Cale Makar and then on Graves.
"It's a playoff series, seven games, the game's out of reach and they were going to try to come and play physical," Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said. "I think that's to be expected, I think our guys knew that coming into it. I had no problem with the way they played when it comes to that.
"The only play that I really didn't like that was out of the context of the game was the Reaves play on Graves when he was down. Besides that, I think there was some big hits thrown, some clean hits, some of them were a little high and a little late. Besides that, I didn't see anything that was too crazy for playoff time -- except I didn't like that play with Reaves at the end."
Landeskog on Reaves’ match penalty: ‘He’s on a mission to hurt someone’ - Sportsnet.ca
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2021 First-Time Winners Square Off In Bank of Hope Match Play Final - LPGA
Ally Ewing (20) def. Ariya Jutanugarn (16), 3 and 2
A year ago today, Ally Ewing was getting married. Today, she’ll compete in the championship match at the Bank of Hope LPGA Match-Play hosted by Shadow Creek.
The Mississippi State University alumna kicked off her anniversary celebrations with a 3-and-2 victory over Ariya Jutanugarn this morning. Ewing never trailed in the match.
“It’s great that he [husband Charlie] is here,” said Ewing. “He has a super busy job as a college golf coach [at Mississippi State] and recruiting is opening up pretty soon. Thankfully, he can be here this week. Playing well and having him here has been great.”
It was the first time all week at Shadow Creek, between group play and bracket play, that Ewing did not face a deficit in her match. She will use all the experiences heading into the finals.
“I would probably say in some shape and form, I played a little more tentatively,” Ewing said. “I didn't make a very good swing [on 15] but I knew I was in the driver's seat, 4-up with four holes to play. On 16, I hit my drive a little left and didn't hit a very good punch shot from there. Told myself if I could get a ball up next to the green for a birdie putt, it might apply a little pressure knowing if I can two-putt she has to for sure birdie. If I take care of the shots I need to and stay in my own lane, kind of like I have all week, I should be able to pull out the win.”
Ewing also understands fatigue will be a big factor when she tees it up against Sophia Popov.
“Let's just say it's really hot. I'm going through my shoes because I'm sweating, and I have never had my feet this taped up from all the elevation changes, side-hill walks, uphill walks, hot temperatures, 36-hole days. That's not something we do very often on the LPGA,” said Ewing, a Rolex First-Time Winner at the 2020 Drive On Championship at Reynolds Lake Oconee. “It's just a little bit different of a grind this week. Certainly, when you signed up for the week, you said, ‘Hey, if I can play all those holes, then it is going to be well worth it.’ I need to be a little bit mentally sharp in the afternoon.”
Sophia Popov (15) def. Shanshan Feng (19), 1 up
The second semifinal match at the Bank of Hope LPGA Match-Play Hosted by Shadow Creek was a close-fought affair between Sophia Popov and Shanshan Feng. Feng won the first hole with par to go 1 up and held a 2-up advantage through 11 holes but made a bogey at No. 12 to open the door for Popov.
The German major champion tied the match with a birdie at No. 13 and took the lead with a par at No. 17, earning the victory with a short birdie putt to tie on No. 18.
“I left myself so many nail-biters coming down the stretch,” said Popov. “I think I had to make, feels like four or five 5-footers to stay in it, and then about a 6-footer at the end to win the match. I think it's just sigh of relief that it's over and that I was able to pull through.”
While general spectators are still not permitted on the course, players have been able to invite family and friends to enjoy the spectacular Shadow Creek layout. Popov’s parents have followed her every step of the way, as have her brother, his wife and their three daughters. Popov has called the girls her lucky charms and even had little Liviana join her the microphone for her post-round interview.
I never have them out, so even for my first win overseas I didn't have anyone out there, except for my boyfriend Max obviously, and now he's the one person missing, which is very sad because I would love to have him here,” said Popov, with Liviana clutching at her legs. “Other than that, just amazing to have the whole family out, and they give me so much energy. No matter, that's the greatest part. The outcome doesn't matter. These girls will hug me anyway, love me anyway, and vice versa.”
2021 First-Time Winners Square Off In Bank of Hope Match Play Final - LPGA
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Canadian Leylah Annie Fernandez wins her opening singles match at the French Open - Pique Newsmagazine
PARIS — It was a triumphant start to the French Open for Canadian Leylah Annie Fernandez.
Fernandez, of Laval, Que., earned an emphatic 6-2, 6-1 win over Anastasia Potapova of Russia in the first round of the women's singles draw Sunday. The Canadian needed just 59 minutes to register the decision.
Fernandez, 18, never surrendered control of the match, registering five service breaks. The 2019 French Open junior champion also won 74 per cent of her service points while Potapova committed 20 unforced errors in the contest.
Fernandez's dominant victory came after Canadian Milos Raonic withdrew from the tournament. Raonic, from Thornhill, Ont., made the decision just before the main draw for the clay-court Grand Slam started.
The Canadian has not played in the French Open since 2017.
Clay traditionally is not Raonic's preferred surface. He did not play in any of the clay-court events leading up to the French Open this year.
The No. 17 seed was replaced in the draw by lucky loser Francisco Cerundolo of Argentina.
The withdrawal leaves three Canadians in the main singles draws — Fernandez, Felix Auger-Aliassime of Montreal and Bianca Andreescu of Mississauga, Ont.
Andreescu faces Tamara Zidansek of Slovenia on Monday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 30, 2021.
The Canadian Press
Canadian Leylah Annie Fernandez wins her opening singles match at the French Open - Pique Newsmagazine
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Kvitova saves match point, Sabalenka cools off Konjuh in Paris 2021 Roland Garros 3 hrs ago - WTA Tennis
One point away from an opening-round exit at the French Open for the first time in 11 years, Petra Kvitova found her best tennis.
The No.11 seed saved a match point to overcome Belgian qualifier Greet Minnen, 6-7(3), 7-6(5), 6-1, on Court Suzanne-Lenglen on Sunday, staving off what would've been a second career first-round defeat in Paris dating back to 2010, where she was an unseeded 20-year-old and lost to Australian qualifier Sophie Ferguson.
Staring down 30-40 at 6-5 in the second set, Kvitova finished off a seven-shot rally with a crosscourt backhand winner to stay in it and hardly looked back to seal two-hour, 16 minute comeback: she forced a final set by winning the last three points of the tiebreak, and surrendered just three points on serve in the decider.
Confessing to Marion Bartoli on-court after the match that she felt nervous ahead of her first match in Paris this year, Kvitova found herself on the brink thanks to a steady performance from the world No.125, who won a set for the first time in her third career meeting with the two-time Wimbledon champion.
"First of all, definitely, she played very well. I didn't think that she played something different compared those two matches before, but I think just she likes clay. I think she has a good game for clay," Kvitova said after the match.
"I would say that from my side it wasn't really good from the beginning. I was very [much] struggling, I was missing a lot, I was double faulting a lot. I didn't really feel myself that well. I was pretty tight. It was really tough."
Though she denied Minnen an opportunity to win the opener earlier after leveling from 5-3 down, the Czech racked up 28 of her 44 unforced errors for the match in the opening set, as well as seven of her 11 double faults—including three in the tiebreak.
However, Kvitova's tennis grew cleaner as the match wore on, and she ended the second and third sets with more winners than unforced.
"I was just hoping that some point would just the turn the match... I was just playing point by point. I started to serve a little bit better in the second set, and that was pretty important," Kvitova said.
"I didn't really serve it out, unfortunately in the second. Suddenly, I was facing match point, which... in this time, you know it's match point, but you are not taking it like this. That's why probably I would go for it and I made a winner, which was very helpful in that moment.
"Since then, I think I felt a little bit better, and I was just trying to still be on the good mood and then play better."
Kvitova will next face former Top 20 player Elena Vesnina, who scored her first singles victory since a two-and-a-half-year long maternity leave over fellow touring mom Olga Govortsova, a lucky loser in the draw.
The Russian needed just 58 minutes to seal a 6-1, 6-0 victory, her first in Paris since 2017.
"I was just enjoying myself on the court, and I was not expecting that it's going to be that easy, like 1 and Love," Vesnina said. "I know Olga for many years. We've been playing together at the beginning of our careers, so I've known her for many years and I know her game style, so it was actually good to play someone that you know. Many girls on the draw, I was watching the draw, and I have no idea how they are playing."
Kvitova is 2-0 in her career against Vesnina, losing just eight games in four combined sets in matches in Madrid in 2016 and St. Petersburg in 2018.
"Petra is a great player and I have so much respect for her. She is a great champion. Of course, to play against her, it's a big challenge for me, as well. To play a Top 10 player in a Grand Slam, it's always not easy. You have to bring your best tennis on the court and you have to show that you want to win from the beginning of the match.
"I know that Petra had a tough match today... I've played against Petra a couple of times. She beat me, and she knows my game, I know her game, so we'll see. It's going to be very interesting, and I'm really looking forward to playing her."
After Kvitova was pushed to the limit by one qualifier, No.3 seed Aryna Sabalenka overcame another in straight sets. The Belarusian needed just 75 minutes to see off Croatia's Ana Konjuh, 6-4, 6-3, who was in-form after reaching the final at the WTA 250 in Belgrade, Serbia two weeks ago and scored three straight-set wins in qualifying.
From 4-2 down in the opening set, Sabalenka quickly found her range: in all, she racked up seven aces and 24 winners — double Konjuh's total — and broke serve six times.
"I would say it wasn't a great level today from me, but I kept trying, kept fighting, kept trying to find my game," Sabalenka said. "It was a little bit [of a] nervous game, especially in the beginning, because I felt like everything is not going well, and I don't really feel my game.
"I'm really happy in the end of the first set I kind of could find the rhythm. I won the first set, and then everything start to be a little bit better. It was tough match. She's really aggressive. Sometimes, it was really tough to play under the pressure, under her pressure. I'm just really happy with this win."
While Sabalenka seeks her first Grand Slam quarterfinal at her highest career seeding, a 2020 quarterfinalist in Paris also made a winning return to the terre battue.
American Danielle Collins had not played since the Miami Open in March and recently underwent surgery to treat endometriosis, but overcame Chinese qualifier Wang Xiyu in two hours and 15 minutes, 6-2, 4-6, 6-4.
"Coming into this tournament, it's kind of different going into a tournament just after having surgery, and so having different goals, different expectations," Collins said after the match. "It was kind of a different mindset today going on court, which I haven't really experienced as a professional tennis player. I experienced that a bit in college when I was dealing with some injuries.
"I think before I went out on the court today I was just like, 'I have to give it my best, and I have to know my strengths and I have to be aware of the things that might not be feeling great at certain points in time.' I was really pleased with how I felt. I felt really great the whole way through.
"I was a bit nervous, too, today going out since this was my first real match since surgery. I do still think sometimes I was a bit hesitant, but as the match continued to go on, I became more and more confident physically. It was just a really rewarding match."
Collins will next face Ukrainian qualifier Anhelina Kalinina, who extended her active winning streak to 14 matches with an opening upset of Angelique Kerber.
Kvitova saves match point, Sabalenka cools off Konjuh in Paris 2021 Roland Garros 3 hrs ago - WTA Tennis
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Osaka fined $15K for skipping post-match news conference at French Open - Sportsnet.ca
PARIS -- Naomi Osaka was fined $15,000 at the French Open for skipping a post-match news conference after her first-round victory Sunday -- and threatened by all four Grand Slam tournaments with stiffer penalties, including being defaulted, if she continues to avoid meeting with the media.
The fine will come out of Osaka's prize money and was announced in a joint statement from the president of the French tennis federation, Gilles Moretton, and the heads of the other majors.
The statement said Osaka has been "advised" that "should she continue to ignore her media obligations during the tournament, she would be exposing herself to possible further Code of Conduct infringement consequences."
Citing the rule book, the statement notes that "tougher sanctions" from "repeat violations" could include default -- being disqualified from the tournament -- and "the trigger of a major offence investigation that could lead to more substantial fines and future Grand Slam suspensions."
Osaka vowed in a Twitter post Wednesday she would not be doing the news conferences at Roland Garros. That didn't mean she was able to entirely elude any question about her problems playing on red clay.
Osaka returned to Roland Garros after skipping the trip last time, turning in a mistake-filled 6-4, 7-6 (4) victory over 63rd-ranked Patricia Maria Tig at Court Philippe Chatrier on Day 1 in Paris.
After the 2020 French Open was pushed to a September start with a limit of 1,000 spectators per day because of the coronavirus outbreak, things were closer to normal Sunday: It was a sun-kissed May day and more than 5,000 fans permitted, with a delay of only a week this year due to COVID-19 concerns.
While not quite back to its packed pre-pandemic self, Roland Garros did bubble with cheers and tennis.
Other results perhaps were more newsworthy than a straight-set win by the No. 2-ranked Osaka -- three-time major champion Angelique Kerber's third straight first-round loss in Paris, for example -- but the events that unfolded after the Japanese superstar's match were of high interest.
That's because of Osaka's stated intention to stay away from media sessions. What remained unclear was whether she would participate in the perfunctory exchange of pleasantries with on-court "interviewers" who lob softball questions so spectators can hear something from match winners.
As it turned out, Osaka did go ahead with that chat with former player Fabrice Santoro, who is hardly a journalist and kindly offered to help Osaka by carrying the flowers she was given by the tournament.
Santoro actually did raise the topic of the event's surface, noting that Osaka's Grand Slam titles only have come on hard courts.
She has won the Australian Open twice, including this year, and the U.S. Open twice, including last year. But she never has been past the third round at the French Open.
"I would say it's a work in progress," Osaka said about her game on clay. "Hopefully the more I play, the better it will get."
Osaka wrote in a Twitter post Wednesday that she was not going to participate in the standard back-and-forth with the media in Paris -- the sort of thing athletes in various sports do as a matter of course. She framed it as a mental health issue, saying that it creates self-doubt to have to answer questions after a loss.
Players at Grand Slam tournaments are required to attend news conferences if requested to do so; refusing is punishable by fines of up to $20,000, which is not much of a big deal to Osaka, the world's highest-earning female athlete thanks to endorsement deals totaling tens of millions of dollars.
"It's her own choice. I think she's capable of making her own choices and obviously she will do always what's best for her," Tig said. "I think that's what's happening now. It's her choice of doing what she feels is best for her."
As for her impression of Osaka's on-court ability on clay, Tig offered this assessment: "If she wins, she'll get used to it. She can play as good on clay as she plays on hard courts."
Osaka showed how Sunday: controlling points with her attacking game. She won 31 of 35 points when her first serve landed in and accumulated 39 winners -- more than twice as many as Tig's 18.
Osaka next faces 102nd-ranked Ana Bogdan, who swept aside Italian qualifier Elisabetta Cocciaretto 6-1, 6-3.
The 26th-seeded Kerber was beaten 6-2, 6-4 by Anhelina Kalinina, a qualifier from Ukraine ranked 139th and making her tournament debut.
Roland Garros thus remains the only Grand Slam title that Kerber hasn't won: She was the champion at the Australian Open and U.S. Open in 2016 and Wimbledon in 2018.
Also, 2019 Australian Open semifinalist and 2020 French Open quarterfinalist Danielle Collins defeated Wang Xiyu 6-2, 4-6, 6-4.
In men's action, 12th seeded Pablo Carreno Busta beat Norbert Gombos 6-3, 6-4, 6-3, and 27th-seeded Fabio Fognini broke a racket along the way to eliminating French wild-card entry Gregoire Barrere 6-4, 6-1, 6-4.
Osaka fined $15K for skipping post-match news conference at French Open - Sportsnet.ca
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Serena Williams To Play In First Official Night Match At French Open - Forbes
The first official night session in the history of the French Open will feature 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams.
Williams, 39, will face Irina-Camelia Begu at 9 p.m. Paris time Monday under the lights of Court Chatrier. Roger Federer, also 39, is slated to play the final day match on Chatrier Monday against world No. 203 Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan.
“[Night tennis] shines a spotlight on the center court matches,” two-time French Open champion Jim Courier said last week on a Tennis Channel conference call. “Players look forward to it. Fans look forward to it. There's something special and electric about those atmospheres.”
For the first time this year, there will be nine evening sessions at the Grand Slam event. But due to a Covid-19 curfew from 9pm, eight of those sessions will be played inside an empty Court Philippe Chatrier.
“I still think there's huge value there to be able to expand your day, open it up to tennis fans that are not in that time zone,” Courier said. “It will help a lot in America for kids that come home from school, there will be live tennis on, which is exciting. I think there's definitely value there.
“There's obviously economic value for the organizers that they need to explore to keep up with the Jonses. First and foremost, it's just about what does it do for the sport as a whole. I think it's a big positive.”
When the French Open was last held last fall, Serena withdrew ahead of her second-round match with Tsvetana Pironkova due to an Achilles injury suffered at the U.S. Open.
Williams, the No. 7 seed who turns 40 in September, remains at 23 majors, one shy of Margaret Court’s all-time mark of 24, and it is important to her to attempt to tie — and break — the record.
“It’s not enough, I still want to win more,” she said earlier this season, per EuroSport.” I want that title to be solidified in concrete.”
She is 1-2 on clay this year and her most realistic shot at No. 24 will likely be at Wimbledon, where she has won seven of her 23 majors. She reached the final the last two years, only to lose to Angelique Kerber (2018) and Simona Halep (2019) in straight sets.
“Especially for someone where the sand is coming out of the hourglass for Serena and Roger, Wimbledon offers probably their best chance to further add to their legacy,” Courier said. “They'll be jacked up. They've got to be.”
Serena Williams To Play In First Official Night Match At French Open - Forbes
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Ewing, Jutanugarn, Feng and Popov Reach Final Day at Bank of Hope LPGA Match-Play - LPGA
The inaugural Bank of Hope LPGA Match-Play Hosted by Shadow Creek is down to four players, vying for the LPGA Tour’s first match-play title since 2017. American Ally Ewing will take on Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn in Sunday’s first semifinal match, while China’s Shanshan Feng, who won her quarterfinal match with a 50-foot birdie on the first playoff hole, will face off with Germany’s Sophia Popov.
The four players survived three days of group play and two knock-out matches on the extremely difficult Shadow Creek layout. They also pushed through five days of blazing Las Vegas sun and heat, with daily midday temperatures hovering around 100.
QUARTERFINALS RECAPS
Ally Ewing (20) def. Danielle Kang (5), 1 up
Ewing’s quarterfinal 1-up victory over Danielle Kang was a back-and-forth affair from start to finish. Kang had not trailed at any point in the competition and with a 2-up lead through three holes, it looked like the Shadow Creek member might roll again to victory. But Ewing, her 2019 Team USA Solheim Cup teammate, made birdie on No. 3 and holed out from a bunker for eagle at No. 4 to square the match.
“That kind of settled me down,” said Ewing of that moment on No. 4. “Obviously from there on out it was a lot of trading back and forth of birdies.”
Kang took 1-up advantages twice more during the match, but Ewing never let her get too far ahead. Ewing’s birdie at No. 14 gave her the lead for the first time, also marking the first time all week that Kang had trailed. After Kang birdied the par-3 17th to again tie the match, Ewing’s chip from the front rough at 18 rolled to within five feet for the birdie that earned her a spot in the final four.
“I knew if I gave Danielle any open door, she would capitalize as she did all day,” said Ewing, who needed 19 holes to beat Jenny Coleman in the morning round. “Thankfully I rolled that putt in and sealed it.”
The match provided arguably two of the finest performances of the week. Ewing carded seven birdies and one eagle in the match (with match-play concessions) while Kang had six birdies of her own and went bogey-free. In a de-facto host role this week as an MGM Ambassador and Shadow Creek member, Kang was the odds-on favorite to take the tournament title. It’s a tough loss to swallow, but Kang pointed to the duo’s strong play as a reason to be proud of how her week ended.
“I'm really excited about where my golf game is headed. I definitely took a little detour for the last few months, and about a week ago, I felt like everything is starting to come together,” said Kang. “It showed this week. I played well today and Ally played really well, so it wasn't like she gave it away or I gave it away. She won the match. I hope I get to go head on head with her again.”
Ariya Jutanugarn (16) def. Minjee Lee (8), 5 and 4
Ariya Jutanugarn struggled with the heat in Saturday afternoon’s quarterfinal round, but certainly not with her game in a 5-and-4 win over Minjee Lee. Jutanugarn, the runner-up at the 2017 Lorena Ochoa Match Play, won the first hole with a birdie and cruised home from there. She reeled off four consecutive wins at holes 7-10 to go 5 up through 10 holes, an insurmountable lead.
Visibly drained after two rounds in the difficult weather conditions, Jutanugarn laughed when told she made the win look easy.
“It's not easy at all, and especially the course and playing against Minjee Lee. She is one of the best players on Tour,” said Jutanugarn, who reached the quarterfinals with a 4-and-3 win over Anna Nordqvist in the Round of 16. “It's match play. Sometimes you have a really good day and you lost the match, or sometimes you play okay and you win the match. It's match play, so we never know.”
Sophia Popov (15) def. Patty Tavatanakit (7), 3 and 2
Sophia Popov is on to the semifinals at the Bank of Hope LPGA Match-Play Hosted by Shadow Creek on the heels of her “lucky charms.”
The 2020 AIG Women’s Open darling never trailed in her quarterfinal match against fellow major champion Patty Tavatanakit, only surrendering one hole en route to a 3-and-2 victory.
“I’m very close to my family. My brother [Alex] is here with his wife and my three nieces, two of them are old enough to understand what’s going on at 3 [Liviana] and 5 [Annalise],” said Popov. “They’re pretty much what I play for. They’re everything to me.
“It’s the first time they came and watched me, so it has been pretty nice. They’re my lucky charms. I know they really want to go to the pool now, but I really want them with me,” Popov added, following her Round of 16 win over Inbee Park this morning.
This afternoon, Popov won No. 2 with a birdie, and secured par to win Nos. 9 and 10 to open her widest lead at 3 up. It was smooth sailing from there.
“The afternoon was stress-free, for the most part. Patty was playing really solid. I was playing really well. I didn't leave any openings, didn't make any bogeys until No. 15,” Popov said. “I was putting for birdie almost all day, and I could have made more. I think for me it was very stress-free.
“Definitely happy that I didn't have to go through the whole 18 and more like the first round again. I think maybe also that quick transition [between matches] helped. You almost just continue playing and I think that might have helped a little bit.”
Shanshan Feng (19) def. Eun-Hee Ji (43), 19 holes
Forty-one holes in a day is a lot of golf for anyone. Shanshan Feng now knows that first hand.
“Such a long day,” she said. “I never played 41 holes in my life. Never. I think 36 was the most, like for a U.S. Open qualifier. Yeah, 41 was kind of painful.”
It was especially gratifying for the 10-time LPGA champion to advance to the Bank of Hope LPGA Match-Play Hosted by Shadow Creek semifinals after such an exhausting Saturday. Feng ended her quarterfinals match against Eun-Hee Ji with a 50-foot birdie putt on No. 10, the first hole of a sudden-death playoff after the two were tied following 18 holes.
“I’m very happy that the putt finally fell in the hole on that 10th hole there,” said Feng. “To be honest, there were quite a few times when I was on the course, I was like, ‘You know what, you have tried your best already. Yeah, maybe you don't have to give it your 100%. If you make any mistakes, it's acceptable.
“But at the same time I said to myself, ‘Hey, if you win today, you just need to beat two more person to win the tournament.’ My last time to have a chance to win a tournament was 2019, my last victory. So I thought about this and I was like, ‘I'm getting close. Don't give up and fight until the end.’”
Feng made the turn with a 1-up lead and added to it thanks to a birdie on No. 11. But it was Ji collecting wins on Nos. 12 and 15 to ultimately force extra holes.
“Both of us played really well. The first three rounds, I’d say that I actually won many holes with par, but actually today playing with Eun-Hee, I had to make birdies to try to win the holes,” Feng said. “I really respect what Eun-Hee has done for her career, and I'm happy that I got Brittany [in the morning match] and Eun-Hee. They were both very, very nice and very good players. They really inspired me.”
Ewing, Jutanugarn, Feng and Popov Reach Final Day at Bank of Hope LPGA Match-Play - LPGA
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Saturday, May 29, 2021
Ewing beats Kang to reach LPGA Match Play semifinals - Toronto Star
NORTH LAS VEGAS, Nev. (AP) — Ally Ewing made a 5-foot birdie putt on the par-5 18th hole Saturday to beat local favorite Danielle Kang 1 up and join three major champions in the LPGA Match Play semifinals.
“It was a grind,” Ewing said after the long, hot day at Shadow Creek. “Danielle is a competitor and I knew it was going to be a match from the start.“
Ewing will face Ariya Jutanugarn, a 5-and-4 winner over Minjee Lee on Sunday in the final event before the U.S. Women’s Open next week at Olympic in San Francisco.
“Really tired,” Jutanugarn said. “I haven’t played 36 holes for so long.”
In the other semifinal, Sophia Popov will play Shanshan Feng. Popov beat ANA Inspiration winner Patty Tavatanakit 3 and 2, and Feng finished off Eun-Hee Ji with a birdie putt from about 60 feet on the 19th hole.
“I was very happy that the putt finally fell in the hole,“ Feng said.
Ewing, then known by her maiden name of McDonald, also held off Kang in late October in Florida at Reynolds Lake Oconee for her lone LPGA Tour victory. On Saturday with U.S. Solheim Cup captain Pat Hurst looking on, she rebounded on the par-5 18th after Kang pulled even with a birdie win on the par-3 17th.
“I knew if I gave Danielle any open door she would capitalize, as she did all day,” Ewing said. “Thankfully, I rolled that putt in and sealed it.”
An ambassador for course owner MGM Resorts, Kang missed a chance to advance to the final day in her home event.
“I’m really excited about where my golf game is headed,” Kang said. “I definitely took a little detour for the last few months. About a week ago I felt like everything is starting to come together. It showed this week.”
Ewing birdied all the even-numbered holes on the back nine.
“I rely a lot on my ball-striking, but you’ve got to be able to putt in match play,” Ewing said. “Danielle is a great putter. She’s a clutch putter. We saw that several times today. Thank goodness I was able to match her several times and close it out.”
Ewing rallied to beat Jenny Coleman in 19 holes in the morning in the round of 16. The 28-year-old former Mississippi State player birdied the 18th to pull even with Coleman and won with a par of the first extra hole.
Popov eliminated second-ranked Inbee Park in 20 holes in the morning, then headed back out to face another major champion in Tavatanakit in the afternoon.
“Obviously, the heat takes a toll on you.” Popov said. “I’m not going to lie. I can’t wait to put my feet up and do it all again tomorrow.”
Jutanugarn beat Sarah Schmelzel on the first hole of a playoff Friday to advance, then topped Anna Nordqvist 4 and 3 in the morning.
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Feng played 41 holes Saturday, She beat Brittany Altomare in 22 holes in the morning, tying the match on 18.
“I never played 41 holes in my life. Never,“ Feng said. “I think 36 was the most, like for U.S. Open qualifier.”
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Ewing beats Kang to reach LPGA Match Play semifinals - Toronto Star
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Drama in the Desert as Eight Advance in Bank of Hope Match Play - LPGA
Danielle Kang (5) def. Bronte Law (44), 2 up
In a match-up for formidable match-play competitors, local favorite Danielle Kang survived a late charge from Bronte Law, winning the final two holes for a 2-up victory. Kang, who has yet to trail at any point this week, held a 2-up lead through 11 holes, but bogeyed No. 12 to drop to 1 up. Law tied the match with a birdie at No. 14 but handed the lead back to Kang with a bogey at No. 17. Kang then reached the difficult par-5 18th in two and took the victory with a two-putt birdie.
“We both played pretty well on the front nine. She definitely outplayed me in the back nine, but I just think I got away with a lot of things. I technically hit it in the water on 15 and bounced out, and I just told myself, Members bounce,” said Kang. “I just told myself that's the momentum shift, because I needed that. I should have lost that hole but ended up tying it. Made a clutch putt there.”
Minjee Lee (8) def. Mel Reid (24), 5 and 4
Make it three matches in three days that Minjee Lee hasn’t played beyond the 15th hole. The Australian bested Mel Reid by a 5-and-4 final on Saturday morning to advance to the Bank of Hope LPGA Match-Play Hosted by Shadow Creek quarterfinals. A five-time winner on the LPGA Tour, Lee opened her Round-of 16 match with a birdie and never looked back, winning three more holes with birdies and taking a resounding win over Reid, a formidable match-play opponent.
“I holed a pretty length putt on the first hole, so that was a nice start for me,” said Lee. “Then I made a string of really good par saves, so had the momentum going. I was able to capitalize on my opportunities and just a solid morning.”
Ally Ewing (20) def. Jenny Coleman (61), 19 holes
Ally Ewing stepped to the 18th tee trailing by one to Jenny Coleman, knowing that she had to win the hole to force a sudden-death playoff. After taking an aggressive line with driver off the tee, the Mississippi native nestled her birdie putt in to 4 feet and won the hole when Coleman missed her par attempt. On the first playoff hole, Ewing took the win with a par, bringing Coleman’s breakthrough Las Vegas dream week to a close.
“Jenny has obviously been playing great golf. It was a great match. Came down to the end. I had to win hole 18 to even get an extra hole out of it,” said Ewing. “Even though my feet are already feel tired, I'm ready to play more golf.”
Ariya Jutanugarn (16) def. Anna Nordqvist (32), 4 and 3
Thai sensation Ariya Jutanugarn remains undefeated at the inaugural Bank of Hope LPGA Match-Play hosted by Shadow Creek. The 2021 Honda LPGA Thailand winner faced an early deficit against Anna Nordqvist when the Swede found par on the par-5 4th. She got it back and then some from holes 6-10, collecting four wins to jump 2 up.
A closing stretch of birdie-eagle-birdie on Nos. 13, 14 and 15 sealed the deal for Jutanugarn.
“No. 4, I hit pretty good tee shot. End up under the tree, so I had to hit out of that and make bogey. It's kind of like okay for me because I miss and after that I start to make some putts, make a few birdies,” said Jutanugarn. “I feel good. A bit tired but feeling good. I'm pretty sure I have to rest more [before the quarterfinals] because I didn't sleep well last night.
Patty Tavatanakit (7) def. Nasa Hataoka (10), 6 and 4
Reigning ANA Inspiration winner Patty Tavatanakit took the fastest win of Saturday’s Round of 16, only needing 14 holes to eliminate Nasa Hataoka, 6 and 4. After winning the first hole with a birdie, Tavatanakit earned a 2-up lead through two holes after Hataoka made bogey. She went up 6 up with a birdie at No. 12 and while her bogey at No. 13 kept Hataoka alive for one more hole, Tavatanakit took the match victory with birdie at No. 14.
“The first couple days I was struggling with ball striking. You have to hit it good here. I feel like I got adjusted to that pretty well. Just kind of seeing my shot way better the past two rounds,” said Tavatanakit. “If anything, I also read the greens a little better and have the right speed for the appropriate amount of breaks, so that helped a lot for the last two rounds. I was able to make some birdie putts, and I didn't really make much the first two rounds. To be able to have that adjustment and walking into the weekend and playing again today, it's a good feeling.”
Eun-Hee Ji (43) def. Jenny Shin (38), 19 holes
It took 19 holes but Eun-Hee Ji got the job done in the Bank of Hope LPGA Match-Play Hosted by Shadow Creek Round of 16. She defeated Jenny Shin with a par on No. 10, the first hole of a sudden-death playoff.
“I hit it pretty well from the tee shot, so I knew I’m going to hit it well on the hole,” said Ji. “She missed the fairway on the drive, so [I knew] if I make the par I could win. I just kept thinking about that.”
Ji made the turn with a 1-up lead and added to it with par at No. 10. Then starting on No. 12, Shin won four of the next five holes to take a 2-up advantage. A par and birdie on the final two holes by Ji forced extra frames.
“She putted pretty well. I couldn’t make putts on other holes but the last two holes and she missed short putt,” Ji said. “At the last hole, I hit it really great, my third shot onto the green to make it happen.”
Shanshan Feng (19) def Brittany Altomare (30), 22 holes
After 18 holes of regulation that saw neither player take more than a 1-up advantage, Shanshan Feng took advantage of a flubbed chip from Brittany Altomare, winning the match on the 22nd hole. Feng led by one for most of the front nine, with Altomare pulling into a tie with a birdie at No. 9 and ahead with par at No. 11. The Virginia native went to the 18th with that 1-up advantage, but her bogey sent the match to extra holes.
After swapping pars on the first three sudden-death holes, Altomare mishit a chip from the rough at the par-3 13th, giving Feng the marathon victory.
“I think that was my best round out of the first rounds, to be honest,” said Feng. “Brittany was a very good competitor and also is playing partner in the group, and we really had fun and both played really well. I was just a little more lucky at the end.”
Sophia Popov (15) def. Inbee Park (2), 20 holes
Sophia Popov and Inbee Park have competed in the same group at several events this year, most recently in the second round of the 2021 HSBC Women’s World Championship. Park got the best of Popov before but at the Bank of Hope LPGA Match-Play Hosted by Shadow Creek, it was Popov’s moment.
“It's honestly a nice reprieve because I've played with her a few times now over the last few months and she has been kicking my butt,” said Popov. “I kind of had it. It was my time this time.”
In regulation, the 2020 AIG Women’s Open champion stepped on No. 18 tee needing to win the hole to force a sudden-death playoff. She accomplished that objective in style, putting her approach in close and leaving her with a conceded eagle.
“Going back to No. 16 we were all square, and I hit a great shot on No. 17 that I thought was perfect and ended up short; made bogey and I'm 1 down,” Popov explained of the final stretch. “I had a good feeling about my game [going to 18]. I smoked my drive down there, which is great. That was step one.
“Then I had 152 [yards] to the pin, perfect 9-iron distance for me. Landed a couple short, it came up the ridge and back down. It was good, so probably the ideal scenario.”
It took two extra holes but a birdie on the par-4 11th bested Park and sealed a berth in the quarterfinals for Popov.
“We had a great match the whole day. She was just being her, playing super solid. Every good birdie look she had she made, and I knew that was going to be the case,” said Popov. “I just had to hang in there. I was hitting it great all day. If anything, I missed a couple putts that could have gone in, so I knew I was right there.
“Then I hit my second shot in the bunker on 10 and I said, ‘If you can get up and down here, you're good with your wedges so you have a chance on 11.’ Yeah, stuffed it on 11 and I made that to win the match.”
Drama in the Desert as Eight Advance in Bank of Hope Match Play - LPGA
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Bank of Hope LPGA Match Play recaps: Day 3 at Shadow Creek - Golf Channel
Here's a look at how the 32 matches played out on Day 3 of the round-robin format in the Bank of Hope LPGA Match Play.
Players competed in three days of pool play with the player with the best record from each of the 16 groups (playoffs, when necessary, determined a group winner) advancing to the knockout stage of match play at Shadow Creek. Click here for group records. Click here for the bracket.
Group 1
Anna Nordqvist (32) def. Jin Young Ko (1), 5 and 3: Nordqvist, a six-time member of the European Solheim Cup team, took down the No. 1 seed on Friday. Nordqvist won the first two holes of the day and never relinquished her lead in the match. Ko won just a single hole as Nordqvist closed out the match at the par-4 15th.
Caroline Masson (33) vs. Natalie Gulbis (64), tied: Trailing 2 down with 2 holes to play, Gulbis battled back to win both the 17th and 18th holes to tie her match with Masson. Gulbis rolled in a 6-footer for birdie at the par-3 17th and drained another from 12 feet at the par-5 18th to pull even with Masson and deny the German the chance to advance to the Round of 16.
Playoff: Nordqvist def. Ko: On the first playoff hole, the par-4 first, Ko found the rough off the tee. Nordqvist was able to easily two-putt for par to defeat Ko and advance.
Group Winner: Anna Nordqvist
Group 2
Inbee Park (2) def. Gaby Lopez (31), 2 and 1: The match between Park and Lopez swung both ways for the day at Shadow Creek. Park took an early 1-up lead but Lopez rallied with wins on three of five holes on the front nine to flip the lead, 2 up, in her favor. But as the pair made the turn, Park took control. She won six of the next seven holes to go 3 up in the match with Lopez. Lopez made birdie at the par-5 16th to cut into Park’s lead but it wasn’t enough to catch the former world No. 1.
Celine Boutier (34) def. Jennifer Chang (63), 3 and 1: Boutier took command of the match on the first hole, making birdie at the par 4 to take the lead. She extended her lead to as much as 4 up at the par-4 12th. Chang won holes 13-15, but Boutier responded with back-to-back birdies at the 16th and 17th holes to win the match.
Group winner: Inbee Park
Group 3
Yu Liu (35) def. Ayako Uehara (62), 4 and 3: Liu earned her first win of the week with a commanding victory over Uehara. Liu never trailed in the match as she won three of the first four holes to extend her lead to 2 up. Uehara won three holes on the day, but Liu responded with three birdies between holes 12-15 to close out the match, 4 and 3.
Sei Young Kim (3) def. Brittany Altomare (30), 2 and 1: Kim looked poised to close out the match early by going 3 up with three holes to play. But Kim stumbled on the closing stretch, recording back-to-back bogeys at the 15th and 16th holes to open the door for Altomare, who needed to birdie the 17th hole to extend the match. When she failed to do so, Kim won, 2 and 1.
Playoff: Altomare def. Kim: On the second playoff hole, the par-4 second, Altomare won with par when Kim made bogey.
Group winner: Brittany Altomare
Full-field scores from the Bank of Hope LPGA Match Play
Group 4
Brooke Henderson (4) vs. Angela Stanford (29), tied: Henderson got off to a good start on Day 3 with a birdie at the first hole to take a 1-up lead. But Stanford rallied with two birdies on the front nine to grab the advantage. However, the Solheim Cup veteran struggled on the back nine, where a double bogey-bogey stretch allowed Henderson to tie the match. Henderson took a 1-up advantage at the 17th hole when Stanford made double bogey at the par 3, but Stanford made a critical birdie at the closing hole to tie the match.
Jenny Coleman (61) def. Ashleigh Buhai (36), tied: Coleman’s improbable run continued on Friday as the No. 61 seed defeated Buhai in a hard-fought match that came down to the 18th hole. Tied at the par-5 18th, Buhai needed to win the hole to have a chance to force a playoff with Coleman in hopes of advancing to the Round of 16. Instead, her birdie effort came up inches short of the hole, allowing Coleman to two-putt for par to remain tied in the match and advance to Saturday.
Group Winner: Jenny Coleman
Group 5
Madelene Sagstrom (37) vs. Albane Valenzuela (60), tied: Neither Sagstrom nor Valenzuela won a match during the first three days at Shadow Creek. They both lost their first two matches and ended their duel in a tie. Valenzuela looked on track for the win, taking the lead at the fifth hole and extending her lead to 3 up with three holes to play. That’s when Sagstrom got aggressive and birdied the final three holes to tie the match.
Danielle Kang (5) def. Lizette Salas (28), 4 and 3: Kang and Salas entered the match both with a record of 2-0-0. While both were off to a great start, it was Kang who was able to keep her momentum rolling on the third day. Salas trailed the entire match and when Kang rolled in a 15-footer at the par-4 14th to go 4 up with four to play, it became a hurdle too high for Salas to climb.
Group Winner: Danielle Kang
Group 6
Jenny Shin (38) def. Alison Lee (59), 4 and 2: Lee took early command of the match with Shin, leading for the entire front nine. But the momentum shifted after the pair made the turn at Shadow Creek when Shin won the 10th and 11th holes to flip the match to lead 1 up. She won holes 14-16 to extend her lead and close out the match, 4 and 2, at the 16th hole.
Hyo Joo Kim (6) def. Megan Khang (27), 1 up: Neither player was able to lead more than 1 up during the course of their match. Kang held a narrow 1-up lead at the par-5 16th, but Kim won the final two holes, including an eagle at the par-5 closing hole.
Playoff: Shin def. Lee: Shin defeated Lee on Day 3 to advance to the playoff, where the pair met again. Shin won on the fourth extra hole to advance to Saturday.
Group Winner: Jenny Shin
Group 7
Patty Tavatanakit (7) def. Stacy Lewis (26), 5 and 4: Tavatanakit defeated Lewis, a four-time member of the U.S. Solheim Cup team. Lewis never led in the match as Tavatanakit took an early lead at the second hole when Lewis made bogey. Tavatanakit hit her stride at the par-5 seventh to win six of the next eight holes and close out her match with Lewis at the par-4 14th.
Mi Hyang Lee (39) vs. Sarah Kemp (58), tied: Kemp took early control in her match with Lee, which she held onto until the final four holes. That’s when the momentum shifted Lee’s way, as she won holes 15-17 to flip the match and take a 1-up lead over Kemp. But Kemp rallied at the last, making birdie at the par-5 18th to tie the match.
Group Winner: Patty Tavatanakit
Group 8
Cheyenne Knight (40) def. Jaye Marie Green (57), 1 up: Green jumped out to the early lead in her match with Knight by winning two of her first three holes. That would prove to be the biggest lead of the match as the two remained close the rest of the way. Knight won three of the last seven holes to take a 1-up lead with two holes to play. Green won the final two holes, including a birdie at the final hole to win the match.
Minjee Lee (8) def. Moriya Jutanugarn (25), 4 and 3: Lee never trailed against Jutanugarn, winning five holes to close out the match at the par-4 15th. Friday, Jutanugarn’s lackluster performance, winning just a single hole, came as a surprise given her success the first two days in closing out both her matches early.
Group Winner: Minjee Lee
Group 9
Azahara Munoz (41) def. Gerina Piller (56), 2 and 1: Munoz won the first three holes of the day to take a quick 3-up lead over Piller. She led the entire match and closed out things on the par-3 17th.
Mel Reid (24) def. Hannah Green (9), 1 up: Reid sat 3 down to Green through the par-4 11th, but that’s when the tide turned for Reid. She won with birdies on holes 12-14 to tie the match. Reid won the final two holes to flip the match and win, 1 up.
Playoff: Reid def. Munoz: On the first extra hole, Reid made birdie to defeat Munoz and advance to Saturday’s Round of 16.
Group Winner: Mel Reid
Highlights: Coleman springs upset at Bank of Hope
Group 10
Jing Yan (55) def. Jasmine Suwannapura (42), 4 and 3: The lead changed hands three times over the course of the match. As the pair made the turn, that’s when the momentum shifted in Yan’s favor. She put together five birdies over the last six holes to close out the match at the 15th and capture her first win of the week.
Nasa Hataoka (10) vs. Mi Jung Hur (23), tied: The match between Hataoka and Hur remained close throughout as both players won three holes each. Hatoaka held the biggest lead of the day when she went 2 up at the par-3 eighth hole, but a critical win at the par-3 17th allowed Hur to tie the match with one hole to play. Both players made par at the final hole to finish the match with a tie.
Group Winner: Nasa Hataoka
Group 11
Mirim Lee (22) def. So Yeon Ryu (11), 4 and 3: Lee’s first win of the week came on Friday with a convincing defeat of Ryu. Although Ryu took the early lead with a win at the first hole, Lee responded with wins at the second and third holes to take a 1-up advantage in the match. She carded three birdies in a four-hole stretch between holes 8-11 to extend her lead over Ryu and closed out the match with another birdie at the par-4 15th.
Eun-Hee Ji (43) def. Ryann O’Toole (54), 1 up: In this closely contested match, Ji took a 2-up lead for the first time in the match at the par-4 15th hole after winning back-to-back holes. O’Toole made birdie at the 17th to sit just 1 down with one hole to play. Faced with another birdie at the par-5 18th, O’Toole three-putted to lose the hole and the match.
Playoff: Ji def. Ryu: On the second playoff hole, Ji drained a par putt from long range at the par 4 to defeat Ryu, the top-seeded player in Group 11, to advance to the Round of 16.
Group Winner: Eun-Hee Ji
Group 12
Bronte Law (44) def. Annie Park (53), 6 and 5: Law won her second match of the week with a convincing victory over Park. She won eight holes in a 13-hole stretch to take a 6-up lead on Park, who Law defeated, 6 and 5, at the par-3 13th hole.
Austin Ernst (12) def. Amy Olson (21), 5 and 4: Neither player won a single hole until the par-3 eighth, when Ernst won her first hole of the day. She used that as a springboard, winning five of the next six holes to close out the match at the par-4 14th.
Group Winner: Bronte Law
Group 13
Ally Ewing (20) def. Jennifer Kupcho (13), 1 up: Kupcho was in command until the par-4 15th, when the momentum shifted in Ewing’s direction. It was at the 15th that Ewing made birdie to climb just 1 down with three holes to play. Ewing won back-to-back holes at the 17th and 18th to advance.
Christina Kim (52) def. Leona Maguire (45), 1 up: The match between Maguire and Kim was a tale of two nines as Maguire dominated the front and Kim the back. The tide turned in Kim’s favor after the pair made the turn and Kim won three holes in a four-hole stretch to take a 2-up lead on the LPGA rookie. Maguire won her fourth hole of the day at the par-3 17th to sit 1 down with one hole to play, but Kim sealed things with a birdie at the last.
Group Winner: Ally Ewing
Group 14
Shanshan Feng (19) def. Jeongeun Lee6 (14), 1 up: Feng won back-to-back holes at the 13th and 14th holes to take a 2-up lead in the match. At the par-5 16th, Lee6 rallied with a birdie to sit just 1 down with two holes to play. But neither player was able to make a move at the 17th or 18th holes, giving Feng the 1-up advantage.
Pajaree Anannarukarn (51) def. Brittany Lincicome (46), 2 and 1: The lead in this tightly contested match bounced back and forth between the two competitors five times over the course of the day. Tied with three holes to go, Anannarukarn won back-to-back holes at the 16th and 17th to defeat Lincicome, 2 and 1.
Group Winner: Shanshan Feng
Group 15
Sophia Popov (15) def. Sung Hyun Park (18), 6 and 5: Following a standout performance on Thursday that saw Popov defeat Su Oh, 5 and 3, she did one better on Friday by defeating Park, 6 and 5. Popov never trailed in her match with the former world No. 1 as she won eight of 13 holes.
Su Oh (47) def. Hee Young Park (50), 2 up: Oh earned her first win of the week with a defeat of Park. Oh extended her lead to 4 up with four holes to play, but Park won three of the last four holes to climb to just 1 down with one hole to play. Oh responded with a birdie at the last hole to win the match.
Group Winner: Sophia Popov
Group 16
Sarah Schmelzel (48) def. Lauren Stephenson (49), 3 and 2: Schmelzel stumbled early, making bogey at the par-4 second to fall 1 down to Stephenson. But that was the only weak part of the match for Schmelzel, who won her next two holes to flip the match. She never trailed the remainder of the match.
Ariya Jutanugarn (16) vs. Carlota Ciganda (17), tied: Jutanugarn held a 2-up lead over Ciganda at the par-4 14th, but struggled over the final stretch. Jutanugarn went bogey, double bogey, double bogey on holes 15-17 to open the door for Ciganda, who won those three holes. Ciganda held a narrow 1-up advantage as the pair headed to the par-5 18th, where Jutanugarn bounced back with a birdie to tie the match.
Playoff: Jutanugarn def. Schmelzel: Jutanugarn won at the first extra hole, the par-4 first to move to the knockout stage.
Group Winner: Ariya Jutanugarn
Bank of Hope LPGA Match Play recaps: Day 3 at Shadow Creek - Golf Channel
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Friday, May 28, 2021
Match, IAC Covered Up Sexual Misconduct, Tinder Suit Alleges - BNN
(Bloomberg) -- IAC/InterActiveCorp. and Match Group Inc. are being accused of covering up sexual misconduct allegations against a former chief executive officer as part of a broader scheme to manipulate the valuation of dating app Tinder in 2017, according to new motions filed in New York Supreme Court.
Lawyers say Tinder’s parents, IAC and Match at the time, are concealing documents relevant to an ongoing $2 billion lawsuit regarding the company’s valuation. Sean Rad, the co-founder and former CEO of the popular dating app, and other early employees claim in the lawsuit that IAC cheated them by purposefully suppressing Tinder’s valuation. That meant their shares were worth less, they argued, and that IAC didn’t have to pay them as much when they decided to cash out. The three-year-old case is set to go to trial in November. Match, which owns Tinder, was spun out of IAC last year.
As part of that case, lawyers for Rad and other plaintiffs are seeking to show that IAC and Match whitewashed an investigation of alleged misconduct against former Match Chairman and CEO Greg Blatt, in order to keep him in power long enough to complete the valuation process and avoid billions of dollars in stock option payments to Rad and other employees. Blatt, who had held various leadership roles at IAC for more than a decade by then, was appointed CEO of Tinder in December 2016, replacing Rad.
Lawyers for the plaintiffs argued IAC and Match should turn over all “notes, summaries and memoranda” related to the investigation of Blatt’s alleged misconduct toward Tinder executive Rosette Pambakian at a 2016 holiday party. Court filings this week included newly unsealed emails and deposition testimony that, plaintiffs allege, show company executives including then-IAC CEO Joey Levin and Chairman Barry Diller protected Blatt with a “sham” inquiry into the harassment incident “so that he could corrupt the 2017 Tinder valuation of which he was in charge.”
Attorneys for IAC and Match filed their own motion in response on Wednesday, reiterating their request to exclude evidence relating to the Tinder holiday party and the internal investigation into Blatt’s misconduct. “The ‘scheme’ theory advanced by plaintiffs is purely conjectural and wholly void of proof,” according to the filing states, adding that documents should remain sealed as it would “put irrelevant but highly prejudicial evidence before a jury.”
In a statement to Bloomberg News, IAC said: “The company has nothing to hide. We did prepare for exactly what came to pass: Sean Rad making scurrilous accusations, completely unsupported by even the alleged victim, in an attempt to harm the company and improperly benefit himself.”
According to a timeline described in the motions, Match’s board found out about Pambakian’s allegations in April 2017 and began an internal investigation. The valuation process for Tinder’s IPO began in May, and according to the filings and the previously disclosed lawsuit, Blatt intentionally withheld information from bankers to obtain a low valuation for the company.
Two months later, when a journalist got wind of the harassment allegations and began asking questions for a potential news story, the board suggested Blatt promptly resign his position, according to an email from Blatt to his public relations adviser. “We say this is long-planned. And we go about our business,” Blatt writes.
The suit claims that the board had debated disclosing his misconduct -- with Blatt even writing what appeared to be a draft resignation letter in an email acknowledging he “did a stupid thing” and “engaged in some snuggling and nuzzling.” Ultimately the board opted to make Blatt’s departure look like part of a planned transition the suit says, citing an email where IAC head of communications Valerie Combs writes to Levin “we need to get specific on the date of when the Board adopted a CEO transition plan, and it needs to pre-date the incident for the story to be credible should all of this come to light.” IAC and Match deny that Blatt was asked to resign
In a statement to Bloomberg, Blatt said he was “extremely confident” that he will be vindicated of the allegations against him. “As I made clear in my defamation lawsuit, Rad and Pambakian are attempting to extort an unjustified payout in their lawsuit against Match by making false allegations against me,” Blatt said. “Their claims have been repeatedly contradicted during discovery, both by sworn testimony from multiple third-party witnesses and contemporaneous documentary evidence.”
A second motion filed by the plaintiffs on Wednesday revealed new claims that Diller had been advised by counsel that the company had an obligation to disclose Blatt’s misconduct upon his resignation, citing testimony from Diller’s October deposition which has yet to be unsealed.
The motion also claims that other unreleased emails show that Diller notified Jack Welch, former chairman and CEO of General Electric Co. and adviser to IAC, that counsel had “changed his opinion,” saying “[N]ow we’re all right – protecting GB is the right thing to do but GB also makes it harder every day.”
The flurry of court filings comes as both parties prepare to go to trial in less than six months after nearly three years of suits and countersuits that has cost Match Group millions of dollars in legal fees. Earlier this month, Match and IAC moved to seal a trove documents related to the sexual misconduct investigation.
“Defendants know that if the jury sees the evidence that their investigation of Blatt was a sham and a whitewash— that the investigation was so egregiously deficient compared to how companies normally handle these situations—the jury will conclude that Defendants’ motive was to protect Blatt, to keep him in place, and to ensure that he remained at the controls to execute Defendants’ corrupt scheme by engineering a lowball valuation,” according to the suit.
Pambakian, who previously served as vice president of marketing and communications at Tinder, was originally part of Rad’s suit but withdrew after finding she had signed an arbitration agreement. She filed a separate claim against Blatt and Match Group in 2019 alleging she was fired for reporting Blatt sexually assaulted her. Her suit claims that Blatt, Match and IAC asked Pambakian to sign a non-disclosure agreement about the incident “in exchange for increased compensation,” which she declined to sign. Pambakian was initially placed on administrative leave and then fired on August 15, 2018, after four years with the dating app, according to the lawsuit.
Match acknowledged in a conference call last year that it expects its legal expenses to remain elevated. The Tinder litigation is “the most significant” lawsuit it faces and could result in legal headwinds and expenditures into 2021, according to Susquehanna litigation analyst Tom Claps.
©2021 Bloomberg L.P.
Match, IAC Covered Up Sexual Misconduct, Tinder Suit Alleges - BNN
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