Amanda Anisimova wins Qatar Open in straight sets win over Ostapenko

Amanda Ansimova celebrates with her WTA 1000 title at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open. 

Amanda Anisimova earned her maiden WTA 1000 title at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open Saturday night. The 23-year-old defeated a deflated Jelena Ostapenko in straight sets 6-3, 6-3 on center court at the Khalifa International Tennis Complex. The American clinched her third WTA career championship and the first in three years. It came down to many double faults for the Latvian, whose performance dwindled when it counted most.  

The two finalists met in this tournament three years ago in a second-rounder that went the distance, and into the hands of Ostapenko. In this edition, the Latvian tore through the tournament, defeating the likes of Ons Jabeur and Iga Swiatek. She claimed her spot in the final without dropping a set, while the American downed top-30 players on her way to the title match. It was her first final since last season and knew that it would be tough to vie for her first championship in three years. 

Ostapenko got the ball flying, holding serve, followed by the American. After showing Ostapenko a challenging problem on serve in the third, she delivered a serve to love in the fourth, remaining firm on the scoreboard. She tied in a break in the fifth but suffered a breakback in the sixth. They returned to service holds in the following two games, with no momentum change apparent in the set. 

Anisimova made the change and broke Ostapenko in the ninth game, opening two break points for herself on double faults from her opponent. Her service for the set went smooth, holding the Latvian to a point before capping the first in 37 minutes. Five double faults came at a bad time for Ostapenko, who tallied 15 unforced errors along with it. 

The Latvian held serve to open the second set, but couldn’t do much to stop Anisimova locked in on her service game. In the third, the American attacked the open court, with winning returns that earned her the break to love. In a surprise twist, Ostapenko broke the American to love in the fourth, leaving the set’s fate unknown. As rain fell upon the court, the players competed through two games where the score remained level a three-all. Umpire Allison Hughes suspended play until the rain subsided. After a half-hour delay, the players got back into action. Ostapenko saw her serve broken quickly in the seventh, giving Anisimova the lead. 

A hard-fought service, gave the American a 5-3 stand after Ostapenko hit too many errors on the returns. It didn’t get better with Anisimova playing for the title as the Latvian reached double digits on double faults in the match. The American reached match point but needed a second attempt on a great saved point by Ostapenko. A clean cross-court backhanded winning return gave the 23-year-old a massive win in 1 hour and 21 minutes. 

Belinda Bencic wins second Abu Dhabi title

Belinda Bencic becomes a two-time champion of the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open defeating Ashlyn Krueger in three sets.

Belinda Bencic rises again as champion at the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open on Saturday night. The unranked Swiss star lost a tough opening set against Ashlyn Krueger to commanding the remainder of the match in a 4-6, 6-1, 6-1 victory on Stadium Court at the Zayed Sports City International Tennis Centre. It marked the first WTA title win for the new mom, who became another example of success after maternity. 

The two never faced off in competition making it a chance for the veteran to conduct the match as she wished or faced heavy opposition. The American took out seeded players Daria Kasatkina and Layla Fernandez to reach the late stages of the tournament. Her straight-sets win over Linda Noskova marked her first WTA final appearance in two years. Bencic had a full night of challenges from Elena Rybakina but controlled her destiny to return for a chance at her eighth WTA title. 

The first set was full of fights between the players as breaks opened the match. It led to four drawn-out games, with the last won by the American, giving her the lead after 67 minutes. Bencic used her tactics from previous battles and shunted Krueger out of her path in the second set. She quickly had a 4-0 run, with a double break in hand. Krueger got on the board, but a break of her serve in the seventh leveled the score for Bencic after 36 minutes. The American’s second serve proved destructive winning just one of seven from it. 

Bencic dominated again in the third, opening up a three-game lead on Krueger. The American cracked onto the scoreboard in the fourth, but it was all Bencic to the finish line. The Swiss served to love on one occasion, and after breaking Krueger for a second time in the set, she had the match within reach. Two set points were all Bencic needed to cap the night off with another 6-1 result that ended the final in 2 hours and 22 minutes. 

Bencic overpowers Rybakina in three sets at Abu Dhabi Open

Belinda Bencic celebrates a hard-earned victory against Elena Rybakina at the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open

Belinda Bencic prevailed in a high-quality performance between the players at the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open on Friday night. The Swiss star defeated Elena Rybakina in three sets to advance to the finals after a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 result on Stadium Court at the Zayed Sports City International Tennis Centre. It was Bencic's first WTA final appearance after giving birth to her daughter last April. 

The two former tournament champions met for the third time and the first since a Chicago warm-up four years ago. It was where the Kazak leveled the score after losing the Olympic semifinal to the eventual gold medalist. Since her maternity leave, Bencic performed well at the Australian Open, battling hard to beat silver medalist Marketa Vondroussova. Rybakina kept her title defense alive after narrowly defeating Ons Jabeur Thursday, with another hard match at her feet, the number one seed had time to readjust. 

The 25-year-old dug in deep to her service, trading points into deuce before eventually taking it. Bencic followed suit with a comfortable hold, followed by Rybakina, who held Bencic to a point in the third. The Swiss star leveled the score, with her first ace of the match heating up to hunt down breaking Rybakina. The top seed iced Bencic in the sixth to capture the break and consolidated her service to widen the gap to three. 

Bencic served Rybakina to love in the eighth, but her efforts were cut short as the 25-year-old cruised to victory in the first set, taking it in 41 minutes. The output performances by both players were even on the numbers, but the breaks for Rybakina gave her an easy finish to the set. 

The 27-year-old made a huge statement in the second, taking control of the pace on serve. She tied in a break of Rybakina, building a three-game lead in her favor. The Kazak avoided giving Bencic the double break, but the grip of control remained in the hands of the unseeded Swiss. The two players held serve through five quick games, leading Bencic to force the defending champion to the distance after 40 minutes. It was another high level of tennis between the two, with the numbers close but the edge going to Bencic. 

She kept up the strategy that paid off in the second, breaking Rybakina then suffered a break to love in her service. The 27-year-old brushed it off with a double break and made it 3-1 on serve. She continued to march forward, with the top seed two games down after six. A critical break of serve in the seventh opened the door for Bencic to serve for the match. A good challenge for match point went to Bencic after the call of out was overturned. Both were surprised that the point went to the Swiss, who lost on two opportunities to close it out. Rybakina took her statements made in the game, breaking Bencic with a fourth straight winner. 

The 25-year-old took her surge and constructed a strong service to eat her way into Bencic’s lead. Bencic felt the pressure in her second attempt to serve out the match, denying Rybakina a point in the ninth. With three match points, the Swiss star blew one of them, but succeeded on her fourth attempt, watching a return from Rybakina land into the tramlines. It was a 2 hour and six-minute fight for the 27-year-old, who dug in and held her success against another top ten player. “I worked really hard to come back,” said Bencic during her on-court interview. “It was not an easy road, and I’m so excited that the results are coming so fast. It still doesn’t mean the work is over, and I’m happy that it's working on the court.”

Bencic will face Ashlyn Krueger on Saturday in their first meeting, with a second potential title in the tournament on the line for the Swiss. 

Belinda Bencic wins second round in straight sets over Lamens

Belinda Bencic with her eyes on the ball during the second round of the Australian Open.

Belinda Bencic made it another straight-sets win at the Australian Open on Wednesday. The Swiss star dispatched Dutch player Suzan Lamens 6-1, 7-6(3) on Court Six at Melbourne Park. Bencic scored 20 winners with a combined 18 unforced errors which was less than half of Lamens. 

The Swiss star made an impressive start to 2025 in her straight-sets win over Jelena Ostapenko on Monday. Bencic saved two set points in the tiebreak before clinching her first top-50 win since returning from maternity. Lamens went two hours against a fellow debutante, barely surviving the battle with Veronika Erjavec. Facing a seasoned athlete, the Dutchwoman knew that the difficulty rose exponentially going into the second round. 

Lamens won the opening point of her service, right before Bencic conducted the remainder of the first and captured the break. She consolidated the early success on serve, rolling through Lamens to remain solely in the lead. The 25-year-old charged in the fourth, breaking the former world number four, only to see herself broken back in the fifth. Bencic coasted to a set win that took 25 minutes, achieving the easy shutout on serve and break to love. 

Lamens wanted to tell Bencic that she wouldn’t be an easy competitor, taking the Swiss star to deuce for the first time in the match. Bencic overcame the deficit on serve, playing two breaks before achieving the hold. The 27-year-old broke the qualifier, then shut her down in the third. Lamens got onto the scoreboard scoring an ace from the forehand, and a winner to clinch the service game.

By the sixth, the Dutchwoman had two under her belt, sitting in a better spot to challenge Bencic. The Swiss star led the way, with Lamens gaining a third win in the set on a break. Bencic broke back for the 5-3 lead, going for the match on serve. The 25-year-old jumped out to another break chance in the ninth, forcing tough shots for Bencic to smack into the net. Lamens managed to dig in and level the score, holding Bencic from taking the easy route. Bencic took the initiative in the 12th, putting pressure on her opponent to either force a tiebreak or fall out. 

The game went deep, with Lamens defending her side of the court, and Bencic hunting for a break chance. After six times at deuce and two blown match points for the Swiss, Lamens took the long-awaited win on serve to force a second-set tiebreak. Bencic used her experience in the situation, jumping out to a 4-1 stand, until Lamens surged. She put that to an end, reaching a third match point, and solidifying her way to the third round on a final error from Lamens ending 1 hour and 40 minutes on the court. 

Elina Svitolina coasts in first round win at Australian Open

Elina Svitolina celebrates during her first round of the Australian Open against Sorana Cirstea.

Elina Svitolina had a successful win to start 2025 at the Australian Open on Monday. The former world number four took down Sorana Cirstea in straight sets 6-4, 6-4 on Court Seven at Melbourne Park. The 30-year-old showed minimal struggle, moving well to get back in the form she wanted. 

The Ukrainian and Romanian met for the fourth time, and both were coming off four months of absence from tennis. Svitolina required foot surgery, which would be tested against Cirstea, who also needed the same surgery. Her path to comeback was five months in waiting after losing six straight from May to July. Despite Svitolina’s three-match wins playing Cirstea, both players came into the open hungry to tally wins under their belts. 

Cirstea opened the match serving well to Svitolina, until the Ukrainian got her hands on the ball. The 28th seed glided through her serve in the second, then broke Cirstea for the lead. Svitolina got into a groove, marking another win from her service for a 3-1 stand. The Romanian struggled to make the returns in the fifth, allowing the 28th seed to widen the gap. The Ukrainian ran into problems with both sides of her hitting, committing a second double fault late in the game. 

Cirstea gained the AD point for the break and consolidated a hold that brought her within a game after seven played. Svitolina reeled in her offense in the eighth to put pressure on the 34-year-old. She made a statement at the business end of the set, smashing winners near the baselines to send the pressure her opponent’s way. Svitolina managed the challenge earning a shutout of the Romanian to go up a set after 40 minutes. 

The opening of the second set was a challenge for Cirstea, who fell short of the 28th seed but forced a deuce on serve. They went three breaks before the Romanian sealed the win. Through the next seven games, the two players held serve, trading off control to one another. The ninth became the most competitive as Cirstea again fought from behind the score. 

She forced deuce, going five breaks with the Ukrainian, who gained every break chance. A total of seven were saved before Svitolina broke the 34-year-old to serve for the match. She jumped out to a strong lead, achieving two set points before a return landed behind the baseline to end her first-round victory in 1 hour and 31 minutes. 

Penguins storm off with Detroit's opening night 6-3

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The Pittsburgh Penguins put a sour note to the Red Wings opening night on Thursday night. Anthony Beauvillier scored two on the night, while Joel Blomqvist debuted his first NHL victory beating Detroit 6-3 at Little Caesars Arena. What looked like great coverage in the beginning disappeared by the Red Wings, who had to switch goaltenders in their loss.

The Red Wings opened their seventh season, with Larkin leading a stacked team in his fourth season with the “C”. Detroit faced Pittsburgh, who were already into the action despite their shutout loss to the Rangers on Wednesday. The Penguins wanted to avoid getting gooseegged but faced a team with many veterans in its lines. The Red Wings acquisition of Tarasenko and extensions of Raymond and Seider, left their performance to determine their place back in the postseason 82 games from now. 

Detroit's first four minutes were very productive. They spent a lot of time getting shots on goal in the Penguins' zone. At 3:46, DeBrincat shot it top shelf behind Pittsburgh's goaltender. They marked their first shot on goal against the Red Wings, but great defense from Olli Maatta cut them off. They dug in to get more chances against Husso in between the pipes for Detroit, but the home team continued to dictate. 

The Red Wings earned a power play from Lars Eller and attacked Blomqvist, gaining a second opportunities on the loose puck. The Penguins killed off Detroit’s power play but trailed the Red Wings on shots and scoring chances. With less than five to play in the period, Beauvillier leveled the score. Whiffing a shot near the net on a pass from Crosby, the left winger’s second attempt bounced off Ben Chiarot and across the goal line, ending their short goalless streak. 

While things looked even on the scoreboard, the Red Wings' transition game continued to dominate the Penguins. Detroit earned a second man advantage with three to go, doubling their shots at the net when it came to an end. Twenty minutes was in the books between the two, and the Red Wings looked strong. 

The second period went the way of the Penguins, who increased their shots at Husso in the first two minutes. Beauvillier got his second of the night after a win from the faceoff by Crosby, who shot the puck to the net where the left winger consolidated the rebound. It was 3-1 58 seconds later with Malkin breaking through the slot and the Red Wings defense. He found Drew O’Connor, who took the shot and credited his team to widen the gap. It got worse for Husso, who suffered an awful goal just flying above his glove from Marcus Pettersson making it 4-1 for Pittsburgh.

Cam Talbot came off the bench to replace him in the crease, hoping to stop the onslaught and get Detroit back in check. Their first test down a man came at 7:50 fighting the shots that Pittsburgh took. The Detroit PK did well in working with Talbot and clearing out the puck. They earned a third chance and got close, but despite not happening on the power play, Vladimir Tarasenko made it 4-2. He rifled one from the back part of the faceoff, making his presence known on the team. 

It was almost 5-2 for the Penguins, but a hand pass seen by the officials negated that opportunity for them to go up three. After 40, the Penguins outshot Detroit 14-11, destined to take their lead and charge forward. A bad penalty from Detroit in the third cost them a small gap to cover and turned into a larger one. Karlsson scored his first with the team, with assists from Kris Letang and Evgeni Malkin. Four minutes went by, with Detroit looking helpless and out of ideas on how to strike back three goals down. Letang, put the Red Wings on the power play until another Noel Acciari made it a 5 on 3. Detroit fought hard to make good of their push to score on the advantage, doing so on a second goal from DeBrincat. His efforts were felt through the squad, who took every opportunity to inch forward on the Penguins. 

Kevin Hayes returned the Penguins to a three-goal lead, ringing the puck around in the Detroit net, with 7:39 left in regulation. Both teams had eight shots on goal in the period, but the margin was not going to change for the home team. 

 

El Bakkali repeats as Olympic champion in men's steeplechase

Morocco's Soufiane El Bakkali wins his second straight gold medal in the men's 3,000 meter steeplechase 

Soufianne El Bakkali made history in the men’s 3,000-meter steeplechase at the Paris Olympics Tuesday night. The Moroccan became the first man since the 1936 Berlin games to repeat as gold medalist in the event at Stade de France. Team USA's Kenneth Rooks stayed within reach of El Bakkali to earn silver, and Kenyan Abraham Kibiwot got bronze. 

El Bakkali didn’t have the best time to qualify, but it was enough to get him into the final with 14 other competitors. In the last 1,000 meters, the Moroccan seemed uncomfortable as he sat in the middle of the pack. The final lap was drama-filled as El Bakkali interacted with the leaders. Ethiopia’s Lamecha Girma fell hard after tripping the hurdle. He did not finish the race and was taken off on a stretcher. 

The three stayed with one another, clearing the remainder of the pack to medal at the end of the night. The time of 8:06.05 was put up by El Bakkali, followed by the American, who beat Kibiwot by six-hundredths of a second.