The Malta Independent on Sunday
Liensberger ends Shiffrin's gold streak in slalom
Mikaela Shiffrin had her winning streak in slalom at world championships ended by Katharina Liensberger on Saturday as the title returned to Austria after 10 years.
Shiffrin had to settle for bronze after earning slalom gold at a record four straight worlds since Marlies Raich — competing under her maiden name Schild — won it in 2011.
This time, Shiffrin finished 1.98 seconds behind Liensberger, who posted the fastest times in both runs. Petra Vlhova, the overall and slalom World Cup leader from Slovakia, was one second behind the Austrian for silver.
After her triumph in Tuesday's parallel event, Liensberger became a double world champion but has yet to win on the World Cup circuit.
"I really gave it all today," Liensberger said. "I worked so hard for it, every single day in preparation. It's amazing that it all comes back. If you really want something, the whole universe, it's just happening for you."
Shiffrin earlier won gold in the combined event and took silver in giant slalom after opening the worlds with bronze in super-G. It made her only the fifth female skier to win four medals at one worlds, and first since Swedish standout Anja Pårson achieved the feat 14 years ago.
"It's incredible," the American said. "I don't think there was ever a time where I could have said 'I win four medals in one world championships.'
"But it's one thing to sort of dream about getting the medals, but in the moment when it counts, having good enough skiing to do it, especially for the world championships to do it four times, is really special," Shiffrin said.
Shiffrin's previous world title came in her record-breaking World Cup 2018-19 season, winning 17 races on the road to her third overall title.
This season is a different one for the American. She took a 10month break from racing last year after the death of her father, Jeff Shiffrin, which was followed by the coronavirus pandemic and a back injury.
"If this was last year, I would be maybe disappointed but not as grateful for the good moments in the day," Shiffrin said.
"Maybe 'normal' is just going to be changing all the time. I have a different opinion of what normal means now," she said. "Here, in these last two weeks, every day had something really special, and it's something to smile about."
Liensberger certainly had something so smile about as well.
Her biggest triumph came 1½ years after her career went off the track. An up-and-coming prospect in the Austrian team, she made a surprise switch from her ski brand Rossignol to another supplier, which led to a dispute with the Austrian ski federation.
Liensberger joined revived Austria-based ski brand Kästle but failed to find a fitting boot supplier as she wasn't allowed to use ski boots from a manufacturer outside the federation's supplier pool.
The dispute even led to Liensberger having to sit out the World Cup season opener in October 2019, but she re-signed with Rossignol the following month.
The move has kick-started her career.
In 11 World Cup slaloms since, Liensberger was never worse than seventh and racked up six podiums, including in all five races this season.
It was fitting that her first win came at the worlds, as her late grandfather, Albert Liensberger, lived in nearby San Lorenzo di Sebato.
For a women's slalom course, the Druscié had an uncharacteristically steep start and a long pitch with a gradient of up to 60 precent. Also, conditions with grippy snow were considerably different from the icy slope used for the previous events at these worlds.
Only 65 from 107 starters in the opening run reached the finish.
Michelle Gisin, the only skier other than Shiffrin or Vlhova to win a World Cup slalom this season, straddled a gate early in her run on the course set by one her Swiss team's coaches.
Overall World Cup champion Federica Brignone and Shiffrin's teammate Paula Moltzan also skied out in the first run, while Americans Nina O'Brien and AJ Hurt didn't finish their second runs.
The worlds conclude with the men's slalom on Sunday.
The trouble for Naomi Osaka at Grand Slam tournaments comes in Week 1. Get beyond that stage at the hard-court majors, though, and start preparing to etch her name on the trophy.
Osaka won her fourth title in her past eight appearances at a Slam, emerging from what initially was a tight Australian Open final and pulling away by grabbing six consecutive games to beat Jennifer Brady 6-4, 6-3 on Saturday.
With strong serving that produced six aces, Osaka improved to 4-0 in major finals, the first woman to start her career that way since Monica Seles did it 30 years ago. For Osaka, that is part of a 120 record so far in the quarterfinals and beyond at the majors.
The 2020 AP Female Athlete of the Year is also on a 21-match winning streak that dates to last season. That includes a championship at last year's U.S. Open. She also won the U.S. Open in 2018, and the Australian Open in 2019.
"Tonight it wasn't meant to be," Brady said after participating in her first Grand Slam final at age 25. "Hopefully there's many more."
The 23-year-old Osaka was born in Japan to a Japanese mother and Haitian father, and moved to the United States with her family when she was 3.
She was seeded No. 3 at Melbourne Park and is now assured of moving up to No. 2.
Only two active women own more Slam titles than Osaka: Serena Williams, with 23, and her sister, Venus, with seven.
Next task for Osaka is improving on clay and grass: She's never been past the third round at the French Open or Wimbledon.
"She's such an inspiration to us all, and what she's doing for the game is amazing in getting the sport out there," said Brady, an American who was seeded 22nd. "I hope young girls at home are watching and inspired by what she's doing."
Brady had to go through a hard quarantine for 15 days when she arrived in Australia in January because someone on her flight tested positive for COVID-19 when they arrived.
This was a big step up in competition during this tournament for Brady, who had not faced anyone ranked in the Top 25 nor anyone who previously appeared in so much as one Grand Slam semifinal.
Brady's only previous final four appearance at a major came at the U.S. Open in September, when she lost to Osaka in three sets.
She wasn't able to push the champ as much this time.
"I told everyone that would listen that you're going to be a problem — and I was right," Osaka told Brady with a chuckle, after her asking her whether she prefers to be called Jenny or Jennifer. "To see your growth over the past few months is really cool for me to see."
During the pre-match coin toss, the silver women's trophy stood on a clear, plastic pedestal not far from Osaka on her side of the net. After beating Serena Williams in the semifinals, Osaka had made her intentions clear: "I have this mentality that people don't remember the runners-up. You might, but the winner's name is the one that's engraved."
And she keeps making sure that name is hers.
It was cooler than it's been in Melbourne recently, with the temperature down below 70 degrees Fahrenheit (20 degrees Celsius) and a breeze that made serve tosses difficult for both players, who would catch the ball instead of hit it and say, "Sorry!"
The stadium was allowed to be at half capacity — about 7,500 people — after spectators were barred entirely earlier in the tournament for five days during a
COVID-19 lockdown.
"Thank you for coming and watching. It feels really incredible for me," said Osaka, whose U.S. Open title came in empty stadiums. "I didn't play my last Grand Slam with fans, so just to have this energy, it really means a lot."
In the men's final Sunday (7:30 p.m. local time, 3:30 a.m. EST), No. 1 Novak Djokovic will be seeking his ninth Australian Open championship and 18th Grand Slam trophy overall. He faces No. 4 Daniil Medvedev, who carries a 20-match winning streak into his second major final.
On Saturday, the women's match was locked at 4-all, when Brady used an onthe-run lob winner that she punctuated by waving her arms to request more noise from the crowd. That earned a break point — convert that, and she would serve for the opening set.
But Osaka erased the chance with a cross-court forehand winner, and two errors by Brady made it 5-4.
Osaka then broke to grab the set, helped by Brady's double-fault and a netted forehand on a short ball to end it.
That was part of the six-game run that put Osaka ahead 4-0 in the second and she was on her way.