Sharapova eeks out win in first round nailbiter at China Open

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Anastasija Sevastova gave it everything she had to begin the tournament at the China Open Saturday night. Despite playing three lengthy sets on Centre Court, Maria Sharapova

came out on top to win a thriller 7-6(3) 5-7, 7-6(7) at the National Tennis Centre in Beijing. The two had it out for one another in what never looked to be a lopsided match but a tug of war for control.

This was truly the rematch of the fourth round of the US Open where the Latvian put the pedal to the medal in her three set victory over the popular superstar. Sevastova overcame a tough ending to the first set at Arthur Ashe Stadium and impressed the crowd with her control over the Russian to go on and win. Things haven’t changed much since then with it being Sharapova’s first match since losing to Sevastova. Since it made the opening round that much interesting, the world ranked 104^th would try to avoid losing again in her continued quest to rise up the ranks.

She witnessed her serve broken by Sevastova who came out attacking despite the nerves both were feeling right from the start. In response, Sharapova intensified her skills and attacked the Latvian’s serve making her stance known. It led to a tug of war in the third with Sharapova trying to hold serve for once but fight on deuce with Sevastova. It went three breaks and lasted six and a half minutes before the former number one captured the win.

The next three went on pace of holding serve with Sharapova taking point in changing the score. By the seventh, it was Sevastova who made the lead change with a massive triple break of Sharapova that soon led to a conference with coach Sven Groeneveld during the changeover. His advice of hitting early on the second serve could help improve her percentage as it sat near 40. Staying focused, Sharapova added pressure to her shots across court coming out with the break that leveled the score at four all.

A key service hold gave Sharapova a 5-4 lead in the set which led Sevastova to call for her coach to calm the nerves and keep in the set. She did so in the tenth that pushed the players into the extension that would force one to take it. Sevastova was first to take the 6-5 lead but Sharapova immediately put her under pressure which led to their first tiebreaker between one another.

It was a breeze early for the Russian who gained a footing before the Latvian found ways of scoring points while not giving them up. Before she could overcome the deficit, Sharapova locked down the victory in 64 minutes. Though she had the capability of coming out ahead, her overall game in the first set didn’t make it easy. The former number won 14 of 27 on the first serve and 9 of 21 on the second.  Her 18 winners helped with the numerous unforced errors but more work had to be done going forward.

She indeed showed strength winning the break quickly, then consolidating with a service hold in the second game. It was a huge obstacle for Sevastova who watched Sharapova blast back returns. She adjusted to the attacks and made them work to her benefit of getting on the board. She was a game down after five decisions with Sharapova in control of her service game which produced another game winner.

Sevastova’s attempts to level the score in the eighth went sour as Sharapova struck back to recover three break points. She got to deuce with the Latvian but couldn’t get the AD leading to the inevitable tie. Another conference with Groeneveld took place after Sevastova took the lead that threatened a quick finish to the match for the Russian. She listened as he asked her to improve the second serve that was truly taking a toll on her game as well as her first act on the return.

With the pressure sitting well on her end, Sharapova double faulted at the wrong time giving Sevastova set point in the tenth. She saved it with a well-placed drop shot leading to a forehand placement of the ball. Game point was locked down with a smash well out of reach of the 27 year old to move the set deeper. Sevastova made well of serving tough in the 11^th where she quickly reached three game points.

Two errors and a double fault got Sharapova to deuce but she held on to win the game with aggressiveness to threaten a third set into play. Sevastova had three set points and easily capped the set with an error on the return from Sharapova and into the net ending another hour of play.

Both knew the opportunities and consequences with the way they played out the third set and for Sharapova, it was much more important to her. She made good on improving her offense taking Sevastova for an early jump ahead. It was a 3-1 run before the Latvian held serve in the fifth to stay close to the 30 year old. Sharapova had enough of close contact with Sevastova and put her game into a new gear that added back to back wins to stand 5-2 with a game between herself and the second round.

Sevastova didn’t make it easy for Sharapova to get away with the win and broke her to get herself in the momentum of getting back. The same was felt in Sharapova who reached two match points against Sevastova’s serve but were erased to force deuce. They went to three breaks where the Russian had critical errors that allowed the 16^th seed back into it with a chance to beat Sharapova again.

Groeneveld came out at the request of his athlete giving her a calm voice to play one point at a time, focus and relax her mind. She served in the tenth double faulting on the second point which became her ninth of the match. She reached double digits with another one that left the door open for Sevastova to overtake. The forehand of Sharapova was taking her on a roller coaster as the game ended with another unforced error to play the distance in a third consecutive set.

From 2-5 down, Sevastova completed the comeback with a win on serve in the 11^th that let her play for the match with Sharapova under duress. It took some serious court positioning and ball placement for Sharapova to get back into the set and force a second tiebreak with Sevastova. It was a give and take start between the two before a push from the Latvian let her dictate. She put down a good return standing close to the net to deliver a winner that gave her a 4-2 lead.

Sharapova recovered the two lost points but fell a point down the 27 year old got it on her terms. She answered with an ace but followed it up with a shot into the net. On match point for Sevastova, the Russian saved herself with a sliced shot that barely caught the line inside to keep things going. Every point counted at this moment with the former number one getting out front gaining a third try at ending it. It would take her one more to get the job done that brought a close to three hours and five minutes.

The two finished just before 11 p.m. local time making it an exciting start on the first day of the premier mandatory tournament. While Sevastova will have plenty to be proud of, her opponent would prepare for a second round match facing the winner between Jennifer Brady and Ekaterina Makarova Monday.

Leafs upset Detroit 4-2

The Red Wings suffered a second loss at Little Caesars Arena Friday night. The endless power play opportunities they handed to the Toronto Maple Leafs made things easier on the road where they finished with a 4-2 win. Toronto’s slow start in the first period turned into two consecutive periods where they shot a dozen times overwhelming Detroit.

The Red Wings first loss was a tough one to deal with in their new arena, but to finish off the preseason, Detroit wanted to end on a positive note. They began a home and home series with Toronto with captain Henrik Zetterberg in the lineup for the first time. His presence for the rest of the squad gives them a confidence boost to have more veterans on the ice with them. Two games remain for the prospects in order to impress coach Jeff Blashill to put them into the regular season.

Anthony Mantha knew his spot was secured but made the effort to get in the first scoring chance for his team. Mantha ripped one off the stick that just hit the post to Toronto goaltender Frederik Andersen’s left side. It didn’t Toronto long to bring something together for themselves and got it with a side to side pass play near the blue line. A final pass to Mitchell Marner allowed him a chance to fire one high that got over the shoulder of Jimmy Howard in net to score the first goal.

Toronto gained momentum but couldn’t increase their shots on goal with the Red Wings on a tight defense. When they broke Toronto, Detroit went back on the attack to take it to Andersen and get the game leveled. Their scoring chances blew up when they earned a power play midway into the period. They managed to take eight shots on the man advantage but all missed their mark. About a minute back on even strength, Gustav Nyquist set himself up for a drive in the slot that put Detroit on the board with his third of the preseason. It was their 13^th shot so far and continued to hold Toronto to a pair.

The final minutes were completely in the hands of Detroit who finished with allowing a single shot to Toronto before completing 20 minutes of non-stop offense. Though he hadn’t contributed a goal, Martin Frk was very much in the play of adding more goals to Detroit’s bottom line having four shots in the period. Defenseman Joe Hicketts was also in on the fun.

Toronto wanted to make something happen in the second period and created a surge in the opening minutes. A good turnover for them in the Detroit zone set up Mike Gardner to make a move of the puck that William Nylander to score on Howard for his second. Howard got into trouble a minute later trying his best not to give up any more to their Original Six rivals.

The Red Wings got another power play but couldn’t make anything of it as their trouble to get pucks on the net was just beginning. Toronto had quality time with the puck shooting three times as much as Detroit with man advantages to use. Though they were denied on both chances, the Maple Leafs had made a statement of their 2-1 lead until the final minute when Detroit woke up.

Detroit got lucky with a loose puck that ended in the hands of Luke Glendening. He got a second chance in front of Andersen that counted on a backhander attempt for his first. It was perfect timing prior to heading into the third which stated that they were done letting Toronto dictate on their ice.

They did just that to begin the third with another play with Nylander firing one into traffic where Auston Matthews was positioned. The redirect he put on the puck gave him his fifth this month to get back the lead 37 seconds in. It was his seventh point of the preseason making him just as good as where he would enjoy time playing the game.

Detroit was awarded the power play but Andersen and the Toronto defense remained firm. They took over possession soon after where both Nylander and Matthews took another shot at scoring a goal but were stopped by Howard. He didn’t find himself out of trouble as his team awarded three consecutive power plays to the Maple Leafs. He saw plenty of shots come to him but his defense helped out to kill every one of them before they got their own chance on the man advantage.

They weren’t able to convert in the 40 seconds they were given making it the fourth one that got away from them. Time quickly fell off the clock that was working against them still sitting a goal down. They took a timeout where they set up a situation that included taking Howard out of the net. It worked against them in the final seconds when Leo Komarov got hold of the puck near the blue line where he slid it across the ice for his first as well.

At the end of it all, Andersen skated off the ice victorious in his first full game stopping 21 of 23 for a .913 save percentage. They’ll prepare to host the Red Wings in the final game Saturday night before resting up for the start of an 82 game season next week.

Red Wings allow Blackhawks to slip by for victory

The Blackhawks became the first team to reach victory at Little Caesars Arena Thursday night. The Red Wings Original Six rival got ahead in the final period to beat them 4-2 for a second win against Detroit. Chicago netminder Anton Forsberg got 33 of 35 saves against Detroit in a big win that made him the difference maker.

With three games left and a winning streak in their new home, the Red Wings hoped to keep the positivity alive. Last week they took a 6-1 beating at the United Center in what was a split squad but dismal performance. Since playing on home ice, they have refused to lose with Martin Frk and Michael Rasmussen scoring in the last games. With them and a few others competing for a spot on the 25 man roster, the Red Wings would have a mission to uphold with a week before the 2017-18 season begins.

David Booth got the Red Wings started with a first strike on Forsberg who made the important stop in the opening minute of play. The Red Wings continued to bring it to him but Chicago also had their scoring chances against Petr Mrazek playing his first game at the new arena. He saw a surge from the Blackhawks but didn’t allow a goal through a majority of the period. Ben Street and Michael Rasmussen both earned time with the puck which they launched scoring chances at the Chicago net but came up empty as well.

The second stanza turned out differently for the home team and especially for Niklas Kronwall. The veteran defenseman who has struggled to get time on the ice delivered in the first minute with a centering shot from the far end tipping off the stick of Rasmussen for his third of the preseason. The lead change displeased the Blackhawks who attempted to even the score but Detroit was also on an offensive pace that kept Forsberg busy in net.

Chicago had their best chance midway through the period with Artem Anisimov going in on Mrazek but being blocked by Detroit’s defense around their goalie. They came up with a different plan with six minutes left as Blackhawks captain Jonathan Towes got hold of the loose puck in the Detroit zone and found Richard Panik across. His pass to Panik left enough time for the forward to fire his first goal getting his team even at one.

The Red Wings got the lead back later on with Colin Campbell skating the puck up along the boards before finding Libor Sulak on his wing at center. Sulak delivered a one timer straight at Forsberg to get his first with 4:22 left. Chicago increased the offense outshooting Detroit once again but had to deal with a penalty that had them a man down to finish the period. While they couldn’t get another in, the margin was close enough to make the third very interesting.

Chicago got the tying goal in 101 seconds into the period with Vinnie Hinostroza going at center with Mrazek in view. He made a quick pass behind him to the right where Tommy Wingels scored his first on a slightly empty net. They almost had a second straight goal with Alex DeBrincat firing a shot that went into the back of the net but was waved off due to goaltender interference by Panik.

While there was no penalty on the play, Chicago went for another chance back on even strength to get ahead. Gustav Forsling drove a shot at Mrazek where it nearly got a piece but was saved by Mrazek. Detroit awarded the Blackhawks another power play which they were more than happy to have. They gained the lead with Cody Franson pass one near the net where DeBrincat was to get one to count in his name. Detroit attempted the challenge the play due to off sides by the Blackhawks but lost putting Chicago back on the power play.

The Red Wings did well to kill the penalty and return to full strength where they wanted nothing more than to level the score. They spent a lot of time taking chances and chasing the puck but despite having another power play, they were unable to get back even with the Blackhawks. Detroit showed desperate moments in the final two minutes when Mrazek was pulled from the net.

Chicago dealt with the six attackers giving them very little to deal with and held their ground in the final seconds to come out as the first victorious opponents in Detroit’s new home. The Red Wing would try and recover as they host the Toronto Maple Leafs in a back to back series to end the preseason.