Team USA wins gold in women's team final at WGC

Team USA gymnastics once again stood as champions at the World Gymnastics Championships in Doha Tuesday evening. Both Simone Biles and Morgan Hurd as world champions carried the team to victory for the gold in the women’s team final at the Aspire Academy Dome. Russia took home the silver medal with China making a massive comeback to secure the bronze.

Biles made her return to the sport after a year off to be the big factor in Team USA rise to glory once again. After making a statement at the US Classic and winning the US Championships, the 21 year old made her way back to Worlds with the intention to get into the groove for 2020. Her presence gave Hurd a real chance at winning the team final standing as last year’s all round champion. With just three women able to compete, it gave the United States a lot of leverage to come out on top with two world champions in the competition.

They started the competition off on the vault where Biles and Hurd put down the best scores. The Olympic champion made her vault easier than her signature style that scored a 15.6. With Hurd’s 14.633, they stood three points ahead of the Russians who faltered on the same apparatus. China ended up getting ahead of Russian who scored 41.966 while on the uneven bars.

The US moved to that apparatus where Hurd started things off displaying a smooth routine that ended with her taking a hop on the dismount but scoring a 14.433. Teammate Riley McCusker scored a 14.506 edging Hurd by just a hair but the anchor remained as their best shot at keeping them in first. Aliya Mustafina of Russia who made her return to action after giving birth to her daughter set the score high on the bars making her routine look so easy.

She got her team a 14.500 but it wouldn’t stand out as the high score with Biles going next. The American had every level of difficulty in her skillset scoring 14.860. The margin was almost five points with Russia getting back in front of China with Mustafina being the major factor after the second rotation. 2017 floor champion Mai Murakami of Japan scored which helped her team have the highest score of the discipline so far.

McCusker started the United States on balance beam getting her team started with a 13.733 not carrying a high difficulty in her routine. Kara Eaker topped her with a 14.333 having a balanced routine where she finished it with a back-spring two and a half rotation dismount. Mustafina’s routine shined with her tremendous poise on the two and a half inch wide apparatus but only got a 13.433.

Biles had a rare mistake during her beam routine grabbing the beam with her hands. It gave her a 13.733 which left her very disappointed even though they remained well in control of first place by almost seven points. She still made an inquiry about her score Brazil climbed into third with China falling to seventh after their time on floor.

Mustafina started the final rotation while on floor against the United States where the 24 year old got a 13.066 that helped Russia clinch the silver medal. Hurd opened up the final event for Team USA but her first combination had her landing with a foot out of bounds taking a three tenths deduction. She suffered another stumble that ended her with a 12.966 but didn’t take her out of the running for the all-around or the event final.

Jade Barbarosa was Brazil’s hope of staying in third on the uneven bars but she stalled during her routine that ended things with a 12.233. It left the door wide open for everyone else to try and get into bronze medal position with China, France, Canada and Japan in the hunt. The score killed the team’s chance to securing what would have been their first worlds medal.

Grace McCallum helped out with Hurd’s score with a great routine scoring a 13.633 with Biles left to complete the competition. She scored a 14.766 that was highest of the day to give the team an overall score of 171.629. They stood well ahead of the Russians by more than eight and a half points. The Chinese barely edged the Canadians for third with a score of 162.396 that almost got them into silver.

Svitolina wins WTA Finals with three setter over Stephens

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Elina Svitolina put a terrific finish to 2018 with a huge WTA title at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Sunday night. The 24-year-old stayed in control despite a terrific fight from Sloane Stephens

who got in trouble late in the match that ended in a 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 score at Singapore Indoor Stadium. She became a name to a very short list of players that remained undefeated throughout the event while also becoming the first Ukrainian to win a major title.

This was the final match for both of them this season and the fourth of their careers. Stephens took the series lead ending the Ukrainian’s run to win her third title at the Rogers Cup. It was the second time she defeated Svitolina on the hard court making her the heavy favorite despite the different conditions of ball speed.

The 24-year-old hasn’t lost a single game since playing in the event making her one away from joining a small group of players who went undefeated. If her tactics can produce a win, it would become the biggest victory of her career and one to end with a bang for 2018.  Stephens has also gone 4-0 dropping three sets in total making it a true fight for conquest. With her game in fine form since recovering from last year’s US Open, the 25-year-old is set to get into action and try to keep Svitolina at bay.

Stephens had a comfortable hold of serve to start the match which wasn’t the same for the world number seven who had trouble hitting from her spots committing a double fault in the process. She put too much on the ball that easily handed the American a break. She went for a hold but it didn’t come easy for her in the third as Svitolina was trying to break her back. Svitolina missed on some key moments that opened the door for Stephens to commit to her serve and clinch a 3-0 hold.

The deficit called down Andrew Bettles to get her back in telling her to breathe and get closer to the baseline to avoid dealing with the fast spin Stephens put on it. She faced the challenges that were alive and well with the 25-year-old who almost forced deuce but erred the ball into the net to make it 3-1. Despite giving her a game, Stephens was still in a comfortable spot and returned her three-game margin with a service hold in the fifth.

Svitolina got into a small groove, but the dictation from Stephens was too much to handle for a chance at the break. The American reeled it back in to secure the hold and pressure the Ukrainian to break in the next game. She did indeed get the job done taking care of continuing the attack on Svitolina to gain a break point for the set which earned her a huge lead after 47 minutes. She had a healthy serve percentage of 72 percent while recording nine winners. Despite having a shade more errors than Svitolina, the 25-year-old was closer to the title than ever.  

After taking a break off the court, Svitolina regrouped to make sure she held the opening game of the second seed. The seventh seed got deep with Stephens in a rally for a late point which helped her dictate things. She set the pace showing a lot of response against Stephens adding a break in the fourth to get a 3-1 lead. Stephens made sure to get back on serve at all costs as her game slowly got back into gear pressuring Svitolina who was late on the returns.

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She didn’t let her do more to level the score as she broke back in the sixth to keep Stephens back two games. The American was still a big challenge but getting at the ball each time during the rallies allowed her to stay focused and gain the right moment that made it 5-2 with the chance to force a third set. Despite the challenges from the American, Svitolina found ways of taking charge to capture the set in the eighth that closed out 49 minutes with both coaches coming out to speak to the players. Bettles asked Svitolina to stay focused and keep the heat on while Stephen’s coach Sylvester Black told her to regroup, breathe and bring some intensity back to her offense.

Svitolina made the first move and held to open the third as she looked to be the dictator going forward. Stephens was struggling to hold her serve as Svitolina surged to achieve the breakpoint. Despite playing nine minutes in the game, she captured the break on her second attempt which came on a net-front lob winner. The competition was still fierce as the two went 10 minutes into the third game where Svitolina had more of a push to get the AD point on deuce. The Ukrainian had the momentum running for her as she had Stephens in trouble on the returns.

The American was in a rage of anger during the break and came into the fourth with a will to hold in the fourth. Stephens gave Svitolina no chance of coming in for a break chance that brought an end to her winning streak. She soon found herself on a role gaining a triple break that clearly chipped away at the 24-year-old. It was a one-game margin standing for Svitolina whose confidence began to slide which sent out Bettles to tell her to make an adjustment of matching Stephens shape of service shots. A plea to physically battle Stephens like she had to start was the last thing he got in before play continued into the sixth.

The world number seven did just that playing the rallies well to force errors to come from Stephens resulting in a key break. Errors were coming too much from Stephens that allowed Svitolina to keep calm and dictate her serve. With the Ukrainian one game away from the biggest title of her career, Stephens was on the verge of collapse with the ball in hand to serve. She couldn’t keep it together giving Svitolina a chance at the title that ended with a return landing wide giving the seventh seed a massive victory after 2 hours and 23 minutes.

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It’s a very special moment for me,” said Svitolina to Andrew Krasny during the trophy ceremony. “I played great tennis this week and I’m happy to share this moment with my team.” When asked about what this meant to her going into next season with the Australian Open three months away, Svitolina had the best answer to end the night. “It’s going to bring a lot of confidence and finishing the season on a high note so I’m very pleased with my performance.”

The victory gives her a place back in the top five gaining back the world number three spot while Stephens rises to fifth. Svitolina sets herself up with a real opportunity to make 2019 a year of winning titles much bigger than the season finale.  

Svitolina enters first WTA Final with thrilling win over Bertens

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Elina Svitolina took one giant step into the end of the 2018 at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Saturday afternoon. The 24 year old world number seven had another thrilling match to play against Kiki Bertens who gave it her all in a 7-5, 6-7(5), 6-4 match on centre court at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. This was the first anyone from Ukraine made it to the final match of the tennis season and remained undefeated in the event with her fourth straight match win.

The two met twice splitting victories at the WTA Elite tournament in 2016 and at Cincinnati this season where the Dutch star won in straight sets. With three consecutive wins under her belt in Singapore, Svitolina looked to keep up her winning ways by advancing to the final for the first time ever. After locking down the second set against defending champion Caroline Wozniacki, the 24 year old would try to get revenge over Bertens who already recorded a loss so far. With a short finish Friday where she played one set before Naomi Osaka, the 26 year old in her first run of the tournament would push herself to get another win over the Ukrainian.

Svitolina opened with a service hold followed by Bertens who had a stronger one than her opponent. It began to become a question on consistency as the 24 year old held again in the third while the Dutch star struggled. She double faulted in the fourth that gave Svitolina the AD point break chance taking a 3-1 lead. Bertens wouldn’t let the gap get any bigger and broke back in the fifth before consolidating it with a key hold to level the playing field.

Svitolina went back to holding the seventh before calling coach Andrew Bettles who gave her a few adjustments on how to keep control of the lead. Another hold from end saw the sixth seed battling to win two set points clinching it in 57 minutes. Svitolina had a better second serve that got her a set up against Bertens. While there wasn’t significant differences in their games, the leverage was in the Ukrainian’s hands to go for it in the second.

Bertens wouldn’t let her get the start she wanted breaking her in the first before holding for a 2-0 run. As she found herself in a good rhythm it gave her a chance to pressure the sixth seed and find a way to control the set Svitolina got on the scoreboard but continued to trail despite having her offense locked down going forward. By the time they got to the ninth, the 24 year old went for the break against the Dutch star who at times couldn’t play against Svitolina’s return game. She saved four game points to force deuce and win it to level the set a five-all and hunt down a shot at the match.

Svitolina got within a game of the final putting down a terrific shutout of Bertens who was beating herself with bad returns from the forehand. It left with one last chance to speak to coach Raemon Sluiter to get out of trouble. Bertens stayed calm to deal with Svitolina and push her to a tiebreak that she would search to extend her time on court. Every point between the two was huge with Bertens and Svitolina neck and neck in the tiebreaker.

The 26 year old kept an edge on Svitolina enough to give herself a set point at 6-5 to send them to a third set after playing 56 minutes. Bertens had 17 winners that helped her get into this spot recording the eighth three setter played at the event. The key to entering Sunday’s final would be the unforced errors as Bertens had 18 to Svitolina’s 11. Keeping that number one would assure one of them to take another step forward and try to become champion.

Svitolina kept her eyes on the prize breaking Bertens before going for the hold. Just when it looked as if she would have it, Bertens rallied back to force deuce that extended for some time. She got four break point chances through seven breaks before the last one did the trick. It was again another tight race for the two that saw Bertens broken for the double break. It gave Svitolina two game margin but not enough to keep her opponent down.

The 26 year old struck back to keep fighting and rage back with all the effort left. She got within a game when Svitolina served for the match that didn’t go her way. Bertens dug in to force deuce in the tenth where she had the opportunities but couldn’t lock them down. It gave the Ukrainian a huge chance at ending it on her terms which came after a good rally that ended with Bertens popping a return that came back landing wide of the net ending the match in 2 hours and 38 minutes.

“It was an epic match and I’m very happy to be going into the last match of the season,” Svitolina said to Andrew Krasny after the match. “In the end it was about running and chasing every ball and I think the level was very tough and we both played good tennis and serving, but I’m pleased that I could stay in the match and close it.”

She’ll await the winner between Karolina Pliskova and Sloane Stephens that will put the finishing touch to the 2018 season. “There is still a lot of work tomorrow and whoever ill play is gonna be there and it’s gonna be very tough. It’ll be the last match of the year so I’ll leave everything on court.”

Svitolina wins group, match over Wozniacki at WTA Finals

Elina Svitolina clenches her fist after winning the second set to advance to the semifinals of the BNP Paribas WTA Finals

Elina Svitolina played a tremendous match of tennis that secured her place in the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Thursday night. The Ukrainian had to fight hard in the second set starting late against Caroline Wozniacki who gave it her all but came up short to secure a straight-sets win that would have kept her title defense going.   In the end, the Ukrainian won the match 5-7, 7-5, 6-3 on centre court at the Singapore Indoor Stadium going 3-0 in group play.  

This was the fifth meeting and the second to occur at the season finale. The defending champion won her meeting in Singapore earning a shutout of the Ukrainian to recording her first win after losing three straight. The Dane would need to keep her down entirely as Karolina Pliskova took the first spot leaving one left for the group. The sixth seed was only required to win a set in the match whether she won or lost. No player has gone 3-0 since 2016 giving the 24-year-old a chance to add her name to a short list.  With their season on the line to continue playing, both players would give it their all to determine who things would go down.

A strange moment occurred during the warmup as Wozniacki called for another racket to stall Svitolina for a moment. She was left with no choice to play on as Svitolina won the chance to serve and begin her revenge for how last season ended. She gave up points on errors handing Wozniacki a break a chance but rallied back to force the Dane to err herself. Landing an ace on the AD point gave the sixth seed a much-needed hold to stay ahead of the world number two.

She fought to defend her lead but the actions of Wozniacki were alive and well as she battled through a 23 shot rally before securing the hold of serve. Svitolina still couldn’t bring the serve together right away as she dealt out three unforced errors falling behind on the score. On an opportunity to begin a comeback, the 24-year-old messed up on an easy smash that handed Wozniacki the all-important break.

The sixth seed tried to stay in the fourth playing every possible point she could to keep the Dane within reach. An error brought it to a close giving Wozniacki a 3-1 lead with Svitolina needing a solid hold. Errors from the 28-year-old were all that helped Svitolina as the rhythm stayed with the second seed. A call for coach Andrew Bettles arrived for the Ukrainian who told her to work the point and step up on her own shots to dictate the rallies.

Wozniacki securing the sixth was key to prevent Svitolina who still tried to battle to level the score. She made sure to keep the margin at one game with a lot of movements to answer the second seed and hold serve in the seventh. She went all-in in the eighth where a hold was absolutely necessary. Fighting back from a short deficit and Wozniacki upset about the timing of her opponent’s grunts helped the Ukrainian take control and level the set at four apiece.

An important hold for Svitolina came to give her the lead for the first time with the chance to clinch her spot in the semifinals, but breaking Wozniacki would need to go her way. The Dane denied her as the first serve stayed tight to hold and force Svitolina back again. Every point counted as they went to extra frames with Wozniacki taking the lead in the 11^th breaking her opponent’s serve needing one more to get an edge on the Ukrainian. Her aggression put pressure on Svitolina who fell to an ace by the Dane ending they set in 57 minutes. They both had the same percentage on the first serve but Wozniacki was just a little better on winning points from it and committing fewer errors.

A hold for Svitolina came at a critical moment where she had to hold off Wozniacki at every point in order to secure her way into Saturday’s semifinal. The second seed held and consolidated her victory with a break to lead 2-1. Svitolina was again under pressure as her game continued to struggle for consistency. She managed to break Wozniacki back in the fourth leveling the score. The breaks continued with Svitolina getting the lead again in the fifth. During the break, the second seed called down her coach and father to express her frustrations and try to keep her in check while telling her how to adjust.

She did indeed do that adding more aggression and focus to end the breaks of serve and rattle Svitolina in the sixth. The Ukrainian continued to find ways of holding Wozniacki back and did it before calling Bettles down to get encouragement. Getting the break was still difficult as she experienced with Wozniacki gaining back momentum to level back at four all. With opportunities to keep her hopes alive, Svitolina played every point in the ninth like they were her last. With the hold, it gave the 24-year-old a chance to have serious pressure on the Dane to hold or find her title defense finished.

She got to 40-0 as Svitolina hit balls back into the net but erred during her comeback to send the set to the brink. The Ukrainian’s final chance to hold on serve arrived in the 11^th as she showed a little struggle but held off the world number two to sit with the lead. Wozniacki forced Svitolina to make an error to start the 12^th but committed two straight herself. The Dane’s return put her in trouble but saved one set point to stay alive. With one to go, Svitolina got into a great rally but lost focus putting too much on the ball that landed long forcing deuce for the second seed.

A second straight ball going long gave Wozniacki the AD but returned wide giving Svitolina another chance. She gained a third set point after scoring a great crosscourt winner but another error into the net erased that recent success. The nerves were higher than ever for the two as everything rode on the game. As Wozniacki struggled on the first serve, she pulled out a trick during the rally that won her another opportunity. On the fifth break point and fourth set point, Svitolina got it locked up in 58 minutes with a ball landing long on her side that clinched her place in the semifinal.

While there was still a set to play, it left both players with the decision on how to play things out with one going home and the other continuing her quest for a title. The third began with Svitolina holding serve followed by Wozniacki trying to finish strong. They went to seven straight before the 24-year-old gained a break in the eighth to play for the set. She couldn’t do it on serve in the ninth giving the Dane three break points. Svitolina saved one following it up with a winner and a forehand error from the second seed that got her to deuce. It took her three breaks to get the job done in 2 hours and 35 minutes.

“It was an amazing match and a tough fight,” Svitolina said to Andrew Krasny after the match. “She always brings the best out of you and you really have to push yourself.” She became the leader of her group to stand as the favorite going into Saturday’s semifinal. While she’ll await who she faces next, the 24-year-old who looked for a great conclusion to the 2018 season would prepare for the biggest moment of her career.