Osaka’s shyness a problem, says Kvitova
DUBAI: Two-times Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova says Naomi Osaka’s shyness is a problem for her as she struggles to deal with the increased scrutiny in the wake of her success at the Grand Slams and her rise to the top of the world rankings.
A tearful Osaka admitted difficulty in dealing with the attention of being the world’s top-ranked woman after a shock defeat by France’s Kristina Mladenovic at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships on Tuesday.
“She’s the No 1 player, Grand Slam winner, everyone just wants to beat her. That’s how players are thinking,” Kvitova, beaten by Osaka in the Melbourne final, said.
“I remember when I was young, I totally had same mindset. That’s how it is ... it’s about experiences and coming to the court knowing that you are the favourite of every match. Every player on the other side wants to beat you,” she said while talking to reporters.
HSIEH UPSETS PLISKOVA TO ENTER SEMI-FINALS
DUBAI: Taiwanese Hsieh Su-wei won the last six games to beat fourth seed Karolina Pliskova 6-4, 1-6, 7-5 on Thursday in Dubai and will face a woman she has never beaten, Petra Kvitova, in the semi-finals.
Second seed Kvitova, winner of the event in 2013, left nothing to chance as she crushed Viktoria Kuzmova 6-4, 6-0.
Kvitova has won all four of her meetings with Hsieh, most recently in January’s Sydney International second round.
On Thursday, Hsieh staged a remarkable fightback to beat another Czech.
ISNER POWERS PAST LACKO INTO QUARTERS
LONDON: Second seed John Isner used his powerful serve to overpower Lukas Lacko 6-4, 6-3 and reach the quarter-finals of the Delray Beach Open in Florida on Wednesday. Isner dropped only one point on his first serve, and broke his Slovakian opponent three times on the outdoor hardcourt to advance. The big-serving American was also pleased with the way he returned against 133rd-ranked Lacko.
“It was a good win. I think I’m getting more comfortable on this surface, especially with the positioning on my return,” Isner said.
“I was challenging him on a lot of return games. I was very happy how I came through that.”
INJURED DIEGO RETIRES FROM RIO OPEN
RIO DE JANEIRO: Defending champion Diego Schwartzman retired from the Rio Open on Wednesday because of a right leg injury.
The fourth-seeded Argentine player trailed Uruguay’s Pablo Cuevas 6-1, 4-1 when he stopped playing. The first-round match began on Tuesday and was interrupted by rain. Cuevas, the 2016 winner, will face Argentina’s Juan Ignacio Londero in the round of 16.
In second-round matches, Jaume Munar of Spain beat Cameron Norrie of Britain 7-6 (6), 5-7, 7-6 (4); Bolivia’s Hugo Dellien topped Roberto Carballes Baena of Spain 7-5, 6-4; and Slovenia’s Aljaz Bedene beat Thiago Monteiro of Brazil 6-3, 6-4.
TSITSIPAS BACK TO WINNING WAYS
MARSEILLE: Rising Greek star Stefanos Tsitsipas bounced back from successive defeats with a comfortable win over Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz to reach the quarter-finals in Marseille on Wednesday.
The 20-year-old, who stunned Roger Federer en route to Australian Open semi-finals last month, had lost his last two matches to Gael Monfils and Damir Dzumhur. But Tsitsipas, the top seed this week in France, was back in fine form as he brushed aside world No 78 Hurkacz 6-4, 6-2 in only an hour.