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AUSTRIA’S GUT OPENS TITLE DEFENCE WITH GS WIN
SOLDEN, Austria — Lara Gut got the defence of her overall World Cup title off to a shining start on Saturday.
The first women’s champion from Switzerland in more than two decades, Gut dominated the season-opening giant slalom on a sunsoaked Rettenbach glacier. On an icy slope under crisp blue skies, Gut held onto her first-run lead to clinch a comfortable win, leading Mikaela Shiffrin by 1.44 seconds for her 19th career victory. The American also finished second here last year after winning the race in 2014. Gut held a 1.42-second lead over Shiffrin after the first leg and was put under pressure by the American’s near-flawless second run. The Swiss champion lost two-tenths early in her run but her victory never came under threat.
Marta Bassino of Italy was the only other skier to finish within two seconds of Gut to earn her maiden topthree result. It was the 100th podium in GS by an Italian woman. Only Austria, Switzerland and France have more top-three results. A men’s giant slalom on the same course is scheduled for Sunday.
GOFFIN SUFFERS UPSET IN EUROPEAN OPEN SEMIS
ANTWERP, Belgium — Unseeded Argentine Diego Schwartzman upset top-seeded David Goffin 7-5, 2-6, 7-5 to reach the European Open final on Saturday.
He gained some revenge after Goffin routed him in straight sets, dropping just six games, when Belgium beat Argentina in last year’s Davis Cup semifinals.
Schwartzman will need to produce another upset in the final against third-seeded Richard Gasquet, who earlier staged an impressive comeback to beat Britain’s Kyle Edmund 3-6, 7-5, 6-2. The win moved Gasquet into his third final of the season and 27th of his career. He has 13 titles.
DEL POTRO, SOCK REACH STOCKHOLM FINAL
STOCKHOLM — Olympic silver medallist Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina reached his second final of the year at the Stockholm Open after beating 2013 champion Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria 6-4, 7-5 on Saturday.
The wild card del Potro lost his serve for the first time all week, and again, but compensated with four breaks against second-seeded Dimitrov on the centre court in the Swedish capital.
In the other semifinal, sixth-seeded Jack Sock of the U.S. beat fourth-seeded Alexander Zverev of Germany 6-7 (4), 7-6 (4), 6-4 in two hours, 49 minutes. Sock goes after his second career ATP title and del Potro his 19th.
EDNEY, GOUGH SLIDE TO CANADIAN TITLES
Canadians Sam Edney, Alex Gough, Tristan Walker and Justin Snith won their respective luge races at the Canadian championships on Saturday.
The 32-year-old Edney of Calgary took the crown in men’s singles, putting down the fastest run of the day (50.435 seconds) in his second trip down the Olympic track at the Whistler Sliding Centre to take the gold with a time of 1:41.05. Reid Watts, a 17-year-old from Whistler, finished third.
Gough took top spot in the women’s national championship race for the eighth time in her career. The 29-year-old from Calgary posted the top two times en route to sliding into the winner’s circle at 1:17.828. Canada’s top doubles team of Walker and Snith posted a personal best start time at 3.284 and a new track record at 38.734 in their first rip down. The fourth-place finishers at the 2014 Olympics won the gold in doubles with a combined time of 1:17.529. British Columbia teenagers Matt Riddle and Adam Shippit were second at 1:18.876.
KORDA SURGES INTO TIE FOR LPGA BLUE BAY LEAD
HAINAN, China — Jessica Korda made up seven strokes on Minjee Lee on Saturday for a share of the Blue Bay LPGA lead. Ariya Jutanugarn made up even more ground to get into the final group Sunday at Jian Lake.
Korda shot a 6-under 66 in hot, mostly calm conditions off Hainan Clear Water Bay, four days after typhoon Sarika hit the South China Sea beach resort. The 23-yearold American had five birdies in a six-hole stretch in the middle of the round and got up-and-down for another on the par-5 18th.
Lee had a 73, also getting up-anddown for birdie on 18 to match Korda at 11-under 205. The 20-year-old Australian began the day six strokes ahead of Germany’s Caroline Masson after opening rounds of 65 and 67. The second-ranked Jutanugarn cut her deficit from eight to two strokes with a 65.