Abubakar scores in stoppage time, Rapids tie Dynamo Serena, Medvedev into US Open SF
Thiem advances
NEW YORK, Sept 10, (AP): They were just two particular points from Serena Williams’ latest threeset comeback at the US Open, yet they were pivotal and consisted of the sorts of lengthy exchanges filled with athleticism and brilliance that in any other, non-pandemic year would be marked by thousands of folks rising to their feet for delirious roars and raucous applause.
She needed both of these points, one of which included a shot she hit left-handed, to reverse a deficit that reached the scale of a set and a break after 45 minutes of her quarter-final against Tsvetana Pironkova on a cloudy Wednesday in empty Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Williams needed both of these points during a five-game, match-altering run – along with 20 aces, her most in a match in eight years – to end up on the right side of a 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 score after more than two hours to get to the semifinals at Flushing Meadows for an 11th consecutive appearance.
“It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish, right?” Williams said.
Two more victories would allow her to claim a record-tying 24th Grand Slam singles title.
“In the beginning, I was a little fatigued, for whatever reason,” Williams said. “Obviously, I can’t do that if I want to keep winning, so I need to figure that out.”
How big an upset would this have been if Pironkova had held on? Not only is she not seeded at Flushing Meadows, she doesn’t even appear in
the WTA rankings at all – this was her first tournament of any sort in more than three years, because she left the tour to become a mother.
“It’s unbelievable,” Williams said about Pironkova’s impressive return to competition. “Wow. I couldn’t even do that.”
When the players stepped out onto the court, the stadium announcer – announcing for whom, exactly, was something of a mystery – referred to Pironkova, a 32-year-old from Bulgaria, as “Alexander’s mom” and then to Williams as “Olympia’s mom” during the pre-match introductions.
“It just shows me how tough moms are,” Williams said afterward.
“You play a match and you go home and you’re still changing diapers,” said Williams, whose daughter turned 3 on Sept 1 and is a little older than Pironkova’s son. “It’s like a double life. It’s really surreal.”
The American, who turns 39 in less than three weeks, has won six US Open championships; she was the runner-up the past two years. Williams last lost before the semifinals in New York in 2007, when Justine Henin eliminated her in the quarter-finals.
In the men’s quarter-finals Wednesday, 2019 runner-up Daniil Medvedev
beat No. 10 Andrey Rublev 7-6 (6), 6-3, 7-6 (5) to return to the final four. Medvedev hasn’t dropped a set in the tournament and will face second-seeded Dominic Thiem. Thiem advanced to the semifinals with a 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 win over Alex de Minaur.
None of the remaining men have won a Grand Slam title, and they all have their best chance with Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic not in the field. Nadal and Federer did not play and Djokovic, the top seed, was kicked out of the US Open for accidentally hitting a line judge in the throat with a tennis ball.
Williams also needed a comeback and the maximum number of sets to get through the fourth round before defeating 15th-seeded Maria Sakkari 6-3, 6-7 (6), 6-3.
In Wednesday’s turnaround, the first key moment involved 24 strokes, the next-to-last a cross-court forehand by Williams from wide of the doubles alley, and the last an on-the-run squash forehand by Pironkova that landed in the net. That gave Williams a break and a 5-3 edge in the second set.
Williams raised her left fist as her husband yelled from his front-row corner seat; Pironkova put a hand on her knee, smiled ruefully and squatted
behind the baseline.
The other came in a four-deuce opening game of the final set, and began with the right-handed Williams taking a page out of old friend Maria Sharapova’s playbook by hitting a left-handed return of serve. Another 15 strokes followed, with Williams smacking a forehand passing shot that Pironkova volleyed into the net tape.
“That was intense,” Williams said. “I was just trying to do everything I can – whether righty or lefty.”
Pironkova dropped onto her back, chest heaving; she left so much sweat on the court that a ball person was beckoned to wipe it away with a towel. That afforded Williams a third break point, which was converted for a 1-0 lead when Pironkova sent a forehand long.
“She definitely played like champion she is,” Pironkova said.
Williams then only added to the lead, her strokes finding targets better the longer the match went on. Her serve was especially good, as it usually is.
In contrast, Pironkova began to have more trouble on the longer points that she dominated early; she won the first half-dozen that lasted 10 strokes or more before Williams found more success.
the
COMMERCE CITY, Colorado, Sept 10, (AP): Lalas Abubakar scored in stoppage time to help the Colorado Rapids tie the Houston Dynamo 1-1 on Wednesday night.
Sam Vines lobbed an entry from nearly 40 yards out to Abubakar, who had slipped behind the defense, for a sliding finish from near the corner of the 6-yard box in the sixth minute of stoppage time. It was the first MLS assist for Vines, a 21-year-old homegrown defender.
Colorado (2-34) are unbeaten in their last three games but were winless since back-to-back victories to open the regular season.
Christian Ramirez tapped in a left-footer to open the scoring less than 20 seconds into the second half. Memo Rodríguez played a high entry from outside the area to the far post where Ramirez scored from point-blank range. Houston (3-2-5) are unbeaten in their last six games dating to a 2-1 loss at Portland on July 18. Real Salt Lake 3, Los Angeles FC 0
In Sandy, Utah, Damir Kreilach
SOCCER
scored, Andrew Putna had a careerhigh eight saves and Real Salt Lake beat Los Angeles FC.
Kreilach’s header in the ninth minute gave RSL a 1-0 lead. Mikael Chang lofted an entry to Kreilach between the penalty spot and the top of the 6-yard box for the finish that slipped under the crossbar and just over the fingertips of leaping goalkeeper Pablo Sisniega.
Justin Meram and Albert Rusnák also scored for Salt Lake (3-2-5). Los Angeles (3-4-3) have lost back-to-back games and four of their last five. Minnesota Utd 3, FC Dallas 1 In St Paul, Minnesota, Kevin Molino scored twice, Mason Toye added his first goal of the season and Minnesota United beat FC Dallas.
Minnesota (5-3-2) have won backto-back games after a three-game losing streak. Ricardo Pepi scored for Dallas (2-2-4).
Toronto FC 2, Impact 1
In Montreal, Jozy Altidore scored in the 89th minute and Toronto FC beat Montreal to snap a two-game losing streak. Pablo Piatti, also scored for Toronto (6-2-3). The Reds also finished the round-robin portion of the Canadian Championship with a 4-2-0 mark.
Victor Wanyama scored his first MLS goal for the Impact (4-4-1).
Inter Miami 2, Atlanta Utd 1 In Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Lewis Morgan scored twice in the first half to help Inter Miami beat Atlanta United.
Morgan opened the scoring for Miami (2-6-2) in the 28th, Eric Remedi countered for Atlanta (3-5-2) in the 33rd, and Morgan connected again in the 38th.