Belinda Bencic shines bright win women's tennis final at Tokyo 2020

Belinda Bencic of Switzerland as 2020 Tokyo Olympic gold medalist in women's tennis 

Belinda Bencic of Switzerland fought through every point to become a gold medalist at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics Saturday night. The ninth seed had to go three sets with Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic, who ran out of gas in a 7-5, 2-6, 6-3 result on center court at the Ariake Tennis Park. The 22-year old left home with the silver and Elina Svitolina of Ukraine won bronze in her three-set fight over Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan.  

The Olympic gold medal was on the line in their third career meeting neither one will ever forget. Both hold a win over the other, with the Czech winning their last meeting on the hardcourt. With that being a major factor due to Bencic’s win over Vondrousova coming on clay, the 22-year-old knew how to fight the Swiss star and possibly be a gold medalist in the match. The ninth seed was not to be counted out, as she dealt with three full matches coming to this point. With that experience against the Czech, she had just as good a chance to be golden herself. 

Bencic made a statement early, earning a hold of serve, and followed it up with a break of Vondrousova. The unseeded Czech broke back and successfully held the fourth on serve. The two got into a heavy fight for control in the fifth, where Vondrousova forced deuce with the score level. They played over eight minutes and five breaks until the 22-year-old scored the double break. 

Bencic followed suit with one of her own, taking back the lead with hard work from her service game. The score remained close as Vondrousova held in the eighth, making sure she stayed close on the scoreboard with the ninth seed. When they reached the business end of the set, Bencic set the pressure in place for Vondrousova, who had to hold serve or be a set down. She forced the Swiss star to fight for deuce, but an error leveled the score at five-all when the Czech reached the first AD point.  

Every hold was critical for the two as Bencic proved the point in the 11^th. Her attempts to avoid a set tiebreak were successful as she held Vondrousova to a point before taking two set points and closing out the first in 59 minutes. The drop shot forehand worked out for the Swiss star, who despite having 16 unforced errors, kept the double faults minimal and the winners high. 

The strong finish she put together, didn’t pan out on her opening serve with Vondrousova going after her opponent’s second serve. Bencic forced deuce but remained under pressure with the Czech fighting through the next three breaks. It was at the end that she gained an AD point to secure the break of serve. She consolidated it with a hold in the second but watched Bencic get into the set. 

She struggled to produce more than that as Vondrousova aimed at the Swiss star’s weakness on second serve and soon have a 4-1 grip of the set. With another double break in hand, Vondrousova made it 5-1, viewing the third set on the horizon. Bencic extended the set one more game with an important service, but as three games stood between herself and leveling, stopping the Czech was another key moment to achieve. The 22-year-old denied her a break and secured the eighth game to force a decider after 40 minutes where the color of the medal would be determined. 

Vondrousova opened the decider with a break of Bencic, increasing the confidence that she had the Swiss falling further out of contention in the match. The 24-year-old responded with a break back and consolidated in the third with a hold. She went on to take a 3-1 lead on the Czech, who made the transition to her game but couldn’t complete the conversion. Once she did, it led to a cut into Bencic’s lead and served the sixth to level the score. 

Bencic pressed Vondrousova in the seventh that helped her break the 22-year-old and held after getting her big toe taped up for a blister. With the 5-3 lead and serving for the gold medal, Bencic fell behind with Vondrousova gaining break point chances. The Swiss saved one and forced deuce on a net-front winner. A forced error from the Czech brought up a gold medal point, but a solid return from Vondrousova brought the score back to deuce. 

Belinda Bencic celebrates during the gold medal match with Marketa Vondrosova. 

On the second break, the Czech gained an AD point but knocked one into the net on the return. The ninth seed ran after every ball that left an error for Vondrousova to commit bringing up a second point. Vondrousova delivered a shot long of the baseline that clinched the win for Bencic, who fell back and let the emotions run after a 2 hour and 28-minute battle. 

“It’s amazing,” said Bencic during her on-court interview after the match. “I really cannot believe it right now. I just don’t get it yet. I don’t know whether to laugh or cry and I didn’t think it would be possible. I was fighting for my life and it worked out and can’t believe it worked out.” 

“Marketa made me work so hard and she knew I played so much tennis this last week so she was trying everything to keep the rallies long and make me work really hard for it. She’s a really good defensive player so I tried to push and it was a balance of risk and pushing her enough so she didn’t come back.” 

The Swiss star had the chance to win two medals in Tokyo and win a second gold in women’s doubles with teammate Viktorija Golubic on Sunday. 

Kiwis win gold in men's eights. Team USA 4th.

New Zealand men's crew standing on the podium after winning the gold in the men's eights final at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. 

The New Zealand men ended a long drought for men’s eight rowing at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics Friday. For the first time since the 72’ games in Munich, the kiwis came out on top in a thrilling finish for gold. Germany narrowly took the silver from Great Britain, who finished 13 hundredths behind, taking the bronze. The United States men finished a second back in fourth. 

The US men found their way into the final despite having to compete in the repechage. In their fight against Germany during the heat, they hoped that they could come through it with the same energy that could produce them an upset of the world champions at the Olympics. 

The Germans got out front with Australian and Great Britain and the US men in fifth. At the 500 mark, the world champions and the defending Olympic champions came to the line nearly even. The United States moved into fourth with the Netherlands behind them. New Zealand began to threaten both Team GB and Germany by coming to the halfway line first. 

They jumped well ahead of Germany and Great Britain and the US was close in contention for the bronze. When they crossed 1500 meters, it was a three-way for silver and bronze with the Americans, Germans, and British. New Zealand continued to stay well ahead of the three that trailed and came over the line in first. 

The United States fell back just enough to take them out, but when it came to silver and bronze, the German eight somehow edged the defending champs to take away the silver and leave them with the bronze medal. 

Canada returns as gold medal winners at Tokyo 2020. Team USA 5th

Canada's women's eight crew celebrates after winning the gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. 

It was a victory for Canada who found its pace to be golden at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. The crew from the true north had every stroke heavy enough to pull them well ahead and win the gold medal in the women’s eights at the Tokyo Seaforest Waterway. New Zealand and China finished for silver and bronze respectively. It was Canada’s first gold medal since the 1992 games in Barcelona. The United States fell short after a good start but struggled to keep up with the leaders. 

Team USA’s women’s eight crews competed in the final, hoping to repeat with two rowers from Rio on the team. The women came into the final as the heavy favorite and would take on Australia, Romania, and New Zealand as their major competitors. 

The women’s final took place first with Team USA getting a short jump out of the blocks. They suddenly found themselves trailing with the Canadians taking the lead. at the 500 meter mark, it was Canada and Australia with New Zealand behind them and the US in fifth. By the halfway mark, the Canadians had a bigger lead with the run the same for everyone else. The US was trying to get level with New Zealand but the task was heavy on them. 

Canada had nearly five seats at the 1500 meter mark with New Zealand in second and China and the US tied for third. All the crews gave it everything they had left in the final 500 and when they came to the line, it was Canada with two seats on New Zealand and China with three seats to keep the United States off the podium.  

Sunisa Lee wins gold in gymnastics all-around final.

Sunisa Lee of the United States waves to her support after winning the gold medal in the women's gymnastics all-around final at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. 

Sunisa Lee took the helm for the Team USA, coming out with the gold medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics Thursday. The 18-year-old performed her best to keep both Rebecca Andrade of Brazil, who won silver and ROC athlete Angelina Melnikova holding on for the bronze at the Ariake Gymnastics Center. 

With Simone Biles withdrawing from another final due to mental health issues, it was Lee, who got the nod and a third highest score in qualifications to take Team USA into action. Following alongside her was Jade Carey, who had the next closest score that brought her into the competition. She and Lee joined the other high scorers together as a group to open the rotation on vault. 

Coming through best was Andrade, with a 15.300 beating Carey by a tenth on the apparatus. Both put down the same one and a half twist vault with a 16 point difficulty rating. Lee started first, putting together a Yurchenko double twist but only came through it for 14.600. The group on vault remained as leaders through the first rotation, with Andrade, Cary, and Melnikova edging out lee for third. 

They moved to uneven bars with Lee being at her best with a 15.300, where she opened the routine with a huge combination, earning her such a high score. Following close behind was veteran Nina Derwael of Belgium, who scored a 15.266 with an incredible routine that had intense connections and tremendous difficulty. Vladislava Urazova had a solid routing, earning her a 14.866 that was third best in the rotation. 

Carey had a light bar routine and was flat for a moment missing a connection along the way. The American was given a 13.500 for her run but knew she would trail the leaders halfway through. Eight tenths of a point separated the top five, with most of them moving onto the balance beam which had not been forgiving on the day. The best score of the apparatus went to Urazova, who scored 14.200 with the next being from Lee with 13.833. Carey fell further down with a fall off the beam, coming through with an 11.533.

With Lee fighting for a place on the podium as the American all by herself, she and the remaining leaders moved to the floor exercise to close out the final. Derwael started the action on floor scoring a 13.433 before the ROC took their shot. Urazova earned a 13.4 but her teammate captured the second highest score overall with 13.966. 

Lee was fourth and earned a 13.700, but knew she kept the margin big enough to outduel Melnikova. Andrade came very close to overtaking Lee but came one and a half tenths short of the 18-year-old gold medalist. She kept the silver with less than a tenth between herself and Melnikova, who had the bronze over her teammate Urazova by two tenths. 

Belinda Bencic makes gold medal match with three set win over Elena Rybakina at Tokyo 2020

Belinda Bencic of Switzerland reacts after the final point sent her into the gold medal final after her semifinal match with Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan

Belinda Bencic of Switzerland fought tooth and nail to earn a place in the gold medal final at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics Thursday. The 24-year-old had it out with Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan, who pressed the issue with her key winners through three sets only to go down 7-6(2), 4-6, 6-3 on center court at the Ariake Tennis Park.  

The Kazak and Swiss met for the first time at a point wherein their first time playing at the Olympics, a medal of color was close at hand. Bencic took down both the winner and the finalist of this year’s French Open to face a new opponent. Though it took three sets to win each time, the 24-year-old had her game well in control to fight under any condition. Rybakina’s biggest win came against Garbine Muguruza of Spain, who went down in flame in the second set. It was the biggest moment of her career for the 22-year-old, who had yet to make a slam semifinal. With both standing in uncharted territory, the players would find out how one another worked and play to beat them. 

Rybakina opened service holding Bencic to a point to set her performance level high for the competition. Bencic followed suit but allowed the Kazak to get two points in the second. A break for the Swiss gave her a 2-1 lead, but as it looked as if she would have the early leverage, Rybakina came back to strike. The 15^th seed broke back to level the score and held in the fifth for the lead. She scored the double break and made it 5-2 against the ninth seed. 

When it looked like she would be a set down, Bencic fought back to win the next three and level the score. Rybakina won the 11^th on serve, but her vulnerability let Bencic dictate well and force a tiebreak after a hard-fought game in the 12^th. The two played four breaks and 13 points where Bencic saved three set points in the process. 

With a high level of experience playing under pressure, the Swiss star handled the tiebreak with an early 3-0 run. Rybakina got on the board for the next point but watched the 24-year-old reach a set point. She herself saved two, but not a third that brought the set to a close in 1 hour and 13 minutes. Both had 20 errors that made their impacts when Rybakina’s 22 winners produced them for Bencic, and the ninth seed when she found a way to dig in and saved six set points in total. 

Going into the second was a better outlook for the Swiss star as she opened the set with a hold and notched a break with it. She hoped to get a third on serve, but issues with the forehand and a code violation for coaching took her off her game. Despite the slip-up, Bencic recovered and broke back Rybakina to regain the lead. The recovery was short for the ninth seed, who flopped on serve to level the Kazak. 

Rybakina took over control of the set, taking the next two games with one left to send them to a decider. The Swiss star refused to give her another game one from her service and put herself a game from leveling. Breaking Rybakina was not in the cards for the ninth seed as she managed to hold the important tenth game and send the two into a key third set after 41 minutes with her fifth ace. They both kept the unforced errors low in the second, but Rybakina’s winners (12) and Bencic’s three double faults made the biggest impact. 

The Swiss star continued to be frustrated with her service, suffering another double fault that caused her to be broken. The Kazak went up 2-0 with a comfortable service right before Bencic recovered nicely. A solid hold in the third rewarded her with a break of the 15^th seed, only to be broken right back in the fifth. Bencic managed to get a double break for her troubles and took the lead after the seventh. 

A final break put her in position to serve for the match and in the ninth, she gave Rybakina one point before her match point attempt clinched her to come through the tournament with nothing short of a silver medal. It was a 2 hour and 46-minute fight for Bencic, who had plenty of expressive moments on court but came through to make the final against Marketa Vondrousova for the gold medal.  

Rybakina had a lot of to be proud of during one of the best points of her career and found herself still in the running to go home with a bronze medal, but standing in her way was her good friend Elina Svitolina, who got the best of her each time. 

Elina Svitolina punches ticket into semifinals of Olympic Tennis at Tokyo 2020

Elina Svitolina of Ukraine clenches her fist during the quarterfinal match with Camila Giorgi of Italy at the Tokyo Olympics. 

Elina Svitolina of Ukraine had her best performance come at a point where she became a semifinalist at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics Wednesday. The fourth seed had a tough time against Camila Giorgi of Italy but came through in straight sets 6-4, 6-4 on Court Two at the Ariake Tennis Park. It was the first time that Svitolina made the final four and a chance to fight for a medal. 

The two faced for the third time and first in four years when the Italian tied the series. While she didn’t have the advantage of being on grass, the Italian played well through three matches to be in a terrific spot at the Olympics. In her first run, Giorgi beat hard-hitter Jennifer Brady, gold medalist Elena Vesnina and Karolina Pliskova without dropping a set. Svitolina had a harder task to get back to the quarterfinals going three sets in each of her wins. With some experience against the Italian, the fourth seed hoped to get into the last four and make her way closer to a medal. 

She opened the match, breaking the Italian with two breakpoints. The Ukrainian backed it up in the second, edging Giorgi before holding serve and scoring the double break in the third. Svitolina continued to cruise over the Italian, who suffered troubles with defending her offense when it was necessary. To put an end to a lengthy slide, Giorgi dug in during the fifth to hang in against the fourth seed and hold serve. 

After giving up one, Svitolina responded on serve with another hold that made it 5-1 and Giorgi back in the hot seat. The Italian erred a shot wide to bring up set point for the Ukrainian, but a winner on the next point forced deuce instead. The fourth seed pressed her opponent to a difficult side of the court for her to return a shot for a second attempt. Giorgi denied her again with a big forehand that she swung and missed. On the third break, it was the Italian who found her way to secure the AD point and extend the action in the first. 

The Italian added two more to the scoreboard, earning a break and saving a third set point on serve in the ninth that put her a game from tying. The fourth seed experienced a change of pace herself and in the tenth while on serve, she found a way to make her fourth set point count and close out the first in 51 minutes. Both players had 19 unforced errors, but with their moments coming at different points of the set and Svitolina ahead, the Ukrainian knew that gripping on to some consistency would keep Giorgi off her back. 

A break for Svitolina was a good start as the Italian double-faulted on the final point of the first. The 26-year-old consolidated with a hold in the second, but couldn’t pull off the double break in the third. It was there that Giorgi scored a serve to love with help from the Ukrainian, who committed a pair of errors. She struck back well on serve in the fourth and made another notch with breakpoint attempts in the fifth before her last gave her a 4-1 hold. 

Giorgi refused to let her get another one on the board and in the sixth, broke her serve. She held serve with new balls to cut the lead down to a single game on Svitolina. The fourth seed knew how important it was to hold at the business end of the set and scored a serve to love against the Italian to earn her chance at winning the match. Giorgi had a tough time closing out her service game in the ninth, but after blowing a pair of game points, it was an error from the Ukrainian that made it 5-4. 

Final four bound 🇺🇦

No.4 seed @ElinaSvitolina pushes past Camila Giorgi 6-4 6-4 to move into the medal rounds at #Tokyo2020#Tennis | #Olympics #Olympics pic.twitter.com/E0pISYZt7T

— Tokyo Olympics 2020 (@phlemzy_king) July 28, 2021

Svitolina had the opportunity to put herself into the semifinal and on the first point of her serve, she moved the Italian around until she forced an error. A long ball made it 30-0 for the fourth seed, whose forehand then committed a double fault. Another long ball return brought up a match point for Svitolina, who sealed her way into the last four with an ace to win it in 1 hour and 32 minutes.  With just one more match to play before going for a medal, the 26-year-old had to take on Paula Badosa of Spain or Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic. 

ROC wins gold in Gymnastics team final. USA finishes second.

The Russian Olympic Committee women's gymnastics team celebrate after winning the gold medal in the team final. 

For the first time since 1988, the Russian Olympic Committee took home the gold medal in the women’s gymnastics team final at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Mistakes late in the competition from Team USA and a sudden withdraw from Simone Biles snapped their hold of a gold medal-winning streak and finished with the silver medal at the Ariake Gymnastics Center. Taking home the bronze was Great Britain, who last won a team medal back in 1928.

After a short from perfect qualification on day one, the United States found themselves battling with the ROC on every apparatus together. Biles and Lee both had high scores that put them well ahead of any gymnasts on the leading team and hoped that they could beat them as a team of four. The pressure was truly on the lone defending champion of the US as she had the potential of winning as many as six gold medals. 

She and Team USA started the team final on the vault, with Grace McCallum leading off. She had a step out of bounds on her double Yurchenko twist, earning a 14.300. Biles was second up and blasted high into the air, but looked unsure on the landing. She took a huge bounce back, holding herself in between the lines and 13.766 to her name. UCLA alum Jordan Chiles went last, besting her team leader with a 14.666. The US totaled 42.732 and the ROC in the lead with 43.799. France finished in third (41.399), with China trailing them by three tenths.

The second rotation moved Team USA and the ROC on uneven bars with McCallum going first. She did a really nice job with a small foot hitting the lower bar in her routine. The judges went heavy on the deduction, giving McCallum a 13.700. A huge shock came when Biles pulled out of the competition for an undisclosed reason. Vladislava Urazova bested the American, with a 14.866. She set the bar high for her team, who all were strong on the apparatus. 

With half the competition complete, the ROC was ahead of the United States by two and a half points despite Lee scoring a 15.400 which was the competition's highest score. Italy took over third position (83.031) and China behind by .366. 

Simone Biles gets a hug from her coach after withdrawing from the competition at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics

The news came out that Biles was suffering from a mental health situation and remained on the floor cheering for her team. They moved into the third rotation on the balance beam with the ROC leading off. Urazova went into her first tumbling pass and had a fall at the end of it. Though she finished it with a minor balance check, it was a major break for her team, who opened the door for the Americans. 

McCallum had a solid routine, prevented any mistakes, and came through with a 13.666. Angelina Melnikova also fell for the ROC that allowed the US to cut the gap further. Doing so was Lee, who had a balance check but came through it with a 14.133 that put them in the lead by a tenth. Listunova saved her team with a clean bar routine that put the pressure on Chiles to finish it for the US. With a 14.333 mark to beat, the American fell just short with a 13.433 that finished them in second by eight tenths with the floor routine left to compete. Italy was in third with Japan two points behind them.

McCallum needed to be virtually perfect, but a step out of bounds made a difference in scoring. She earned a 13.5 while Urazova finished lower with a 13.366. Chiles had a chance to cut further but had a step out of bounds during her first pass and a slip later on. It was the moment that nearly sealed the deal for the ROC to take the gold as Chiles got an 11.7. While Lee had a good floor routine, the Russians remained firm on the floor and clinched the win with Melnikova's score of 13.966. 

They finished with a final score of 169.528 and the United States with 166.096. Finishing with the bronze medal was Great Britain, who narrowly edged Italy and Japan with a score of 164.096. 

Bencic, Muguruza coast to victory in second round at Tokyo 2020

Garbine Muguruza of Spain clenches her fist during her second-round match with Qiang Wang of China at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics

Garbine Muguruza of Spain and Belinda Bencic from Switzerland both made good in the second round matches at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics Monday. The Spaniard overcame a dismal moment in the first round to dominate Qiang Wang of China 6-3, 6-0. Bencic took down Japanese star Misaki Doi in straight sets 6-2, 6-4 making her way into the round of 16 without a set dropped at the Ariake Tennis Park. 

Muguruza knew that in her third meeting with Wang, she couldn’t put herself in a similar situation that she faced Sunday. The seventh seed opened a 5-0 run on ROC tennis star Veronika Kudermetova, who dictated her way into the match and nearly brought up a third set. Though she faced the heat once more, the 27-year old had time to regroup and focus on the experience she had against Wang. 

The first set went smoothly, with both players holding serve and not standing out as a threat to the other. It wasn’t until the sixth game that Muguruza caught a break and tied it for a double before taking the opening set. With Wang down, she put her offense into a new gear, allowing her four points while serving. She finished the second set in 26 minutes and the match in one hour and two minutes. The former world number one awaited a bout with either 2016 bronze medalist Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic or Belgian Alison Van Uytvanck. 

Swiss star Belinda Bencic celebrates a big point during her second-round match with Misaki Doi of Japan

Bencic and Doi played at a slower pace with Doi trying to be defensive early against the Swiss. She found only one opportunity to break the 24-year-old but had other struggles to deal with. With a double break in hand after the seventh game, Bencic closed out the first set with a serve to love. 

The second set didn’t go as smoothly as Bencic hoped, witnessing the opposition from Doi rise. The Japanese star held off a late surge from the Swiss and responded by breaking her for a short lead. Bencic broke back in the third before consolidating to level the score. Doi gained back the lead before making it a nightmare sixth game for the 24-year-old. After forcing deuce, Doi produced breakpoint chances and had three more along the way. After a total of six breaks and 17 total points played, Bencic held. 

She made Doi pay for that stressful moment in the seventh with a break and made it 5-3 back on serve. The 30-year-old notched another game on service, but once the ninth seed had balls in hand in the tenth it was all over. Bencic laid out three match points with ease to finish her day in just under 90 minutes, continuing her maiden run at the Olympics. She hoped for another step in the right direction but standing in her way was Barbora Krejcikova of the Czech Republic, who has had all the right things happening from her end. 

US Women finish second in Gymnastics qualifications at Tokyo 2020

Simone Biles of Team USA Gymnastics steps out of bounds during her floor exercise routine at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. 

For the first time in 11 years, the US Women’s Gymnastics team did not look as golden as they used to at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The Russian Olympic Committee managed to finish in first place ahead of the Americans during qualifications at the Ariake Gymnastics Center.  Mistakes from all but one of the athletes put them in second place behind the Russian Olympic Committee, which led by more than a point. It was the first time that the United States women finished second behind any other country since the world championships of 2010. 

Simone Biles managed to still top the all-around list with a 57.731, with her vault routine paying off huge despite her first attempt landing out of bounds. However, during her floor exercise, her feet nearly slipped out from under. Teammate Grace McCallum bounced out of bounds of her first tumbling pass on the same apparatus. 

Suni Lee didn’t put a clean routine on it either and had a low angled vault that scored her a 14.333. UCLA alum Jordan Chiles, who hadn’t made any mistakes in the last four meets, allowed her feet to drag during her moment on the uneven bars and fell off the balance beam. Jade Carey managed to stay clear from any problems, but not being a full team member didn’t give her a chance to make the all-around. 

The 🇺🇸 will be well-represented at Event Finals! ✨

Simone Biles: Vault (8/1), Uneven Bars (8/1), Floor (8/2) & Balance Beam (8/3)
Sunisa Lee: Uneven Bars (8/1) & Balance Beam (8/3)
Jade Carey: Vault (8/1) & Floor (8/2)

Can’t wait to cheer on @TeamUSA! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/CdgmKwyLm8

— USA Gymnastics (@USAGym) July 25, 2021

Only two athletes from each country may qualify for the All-Around that is scheduled for July 29^th. Biles and Lee (who finished third) would represent Team USA. Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade finished between them as she scored a 15.400, besting Biles by nearly half a point on the apparatus.

With the ROC making a statement on day one of the competition, the United States would need to pull out all the stops and prevent further mistakes as they defend their team gold from the past two Olympics. 

Elina Svitolina edges Laura Siegemund in three sets at Tokyo 2020

Elina Svitolina from Ukraine serves during her opening round match with Laura Siegemund of Germany at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. 

Elina Svitolina of Ukraine had a lot to deal with in her opening round match at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics Sunday. The fourth seed went the distance with Germany’s Laura Siegemund, who forced three sets to be played, losing a close one 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 on Court 1 at the Ariake Tennis Park. 

The two met once back in 2016 with the Ukrainian handling the German in straight sets. This marked Svitolina’s second Olympic appearance in tennis and Siegemund’s first. With experience getting deep into the tournament, the 26-year-old eyed capturing a second win over the German while ending a slump in her game. The world number six struggled in two grand slams and two warm-ups before Wimbledon. With the need to shine on the world stage, Svitolina needed her best to come out against the opposition. 

She and Siegemund tested the waters with one another by forcing deuce with the Ukrainian. They played two breaks where a failed attempt from the German allowed Svitolina to hold serve. She scored a break in the second jumping ahead on the fifth point, but blew her chance for a 3-0 lead. Siegemund hoped to change the tide and consolidate the break with a hold. The Ukrainian notched the double break, but saw herself giving one up as well. 

Despite the loss, she added another for the triple and managed a hold in the seventh to lead 5-2. Siegemund scored a shutout in the eighth, but the damage had been done by the fourth seed, who opened the ninth with three set points. She let two get away, but held onto the one that counted and gave her the first set in 46 minutes. 

The second set saw Siegemund rush through her service game before putting the brakes on Svitolina. It was in the second that the two got into a fight for control with the game going to deuce. Six breaks were played, with Svitolina saving four breakpoint attempts from the German. After much hard work, she got out of a jam and got the notion that the set was going to be a competitive one. 

Siegemund stayed in the lead through seven games with the Ukrainian following closely behind. It was in the eighth that the German made a serious push that gave her a 5-3 lead and a break. Svitolina responded by breaking her back and consolidating it with a hold in the tenth. The German remained strong and took the 11^th after overcoming a 0-40 position and winning it on the first break. With plenty of fight still left, she went on to rack in a break of the Ukrainian to force a third set after 1 hour and 18 minutes. 

Svitolina knew that she couldn’t let Siegemund continue to dictate the match on her terms. After a short break, she turned things up by taking the German for a ride that she had no control over. After three games, it was the 26-year-old well out front right before Siegemund called for the trainer about her lower back. After being taken care of, play resumed with Svitolina serving in the fourth. 

Siegemund came out with a much needed break that got her on the board. Consolidating was an accomplishment the fourth seed didn’t want her to possess. With the break back, Svitolina went for a hold in the sixth and kept Siegemund to a point on her way to a 5-1 stand. The German served to stay alive in the match with a serve to love, but the balls were in the hand of Svitolina, who had a shot to end it. A miscue at the net, a double fault and two good returns from Siegemund only extended the match for the 33-year-old. 

She gained another win on serve, hoping that she could achieve a double break while her opponent struggled. On serve in the tenth, it was Svitolina fighting for control of her serve which came through for her in the late stages of the game that watched her win a place in the second round on Siegemund’s error into the net. It was the 48^th made by the German while Svitolina came close behind with 41. It was a battle that saw both of them struggle to dig in against one another. With the German behind her, Svitolina would try to work out the kinks before her next battle on Tuesday. 

Elena Vesnina outlasts Jelena Ostapenko in three setter at Tokyo 2020

Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia gave it her best shot in her Olympic debut but came up short at the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics Sunday. Elena Vesnina of the Russian Olympic Committee delivered the blow to the former French Open champion in a three-set win 6-4, 6-7(2), 6-4 on Court 6 at the Ariake Tennis Park. It was the third win for the Russian against Ostapenko and one that moves her forward in singles action. 

The two met twice three years ago with the Russian winning both of their meetings. This was Vesnina’s fourth Olympic appearance and the Latvian’s first. With nerves bound to be a factor for Ostapenko, she’ll hope that her aggressive style of play can work in her first match on the Tokyo courts. Vesnina never made it past the Round of 16 in the WTA tournament but looked to take care of business first having played at the venue in the past. 

Vesnina opened the match with a hold but watched as Ostapenko topped her with a serve to love in the second. They remained locked on each other’s service games, but in the fifth, the Latvian captured a break to take the lead. Consolidating the break in the sixth allowed her a 4-2 hold on the Russian, who knew that another game from her end couldn’t be allowed. She nearly had a serve to love, but the 24-year-old answered with a big crosscourt return. She saved another point, but getting to deuce was foiled on a forced error that brought Vesnina back to a game down. 

She managed to improve her push to fight every ball in the eighth that scored her a break to even the score at four-all. Vesnina achieved a three-game winning streak with a strong service game that put her in a position to try and take the set. Ostapenko tried to fend off the 34-year-old on serve in the tenth, but a second double fault allowed Vesnina to close out the first in 35 minutes. The Russian had a terrific second serve that saw her score on 11 of 12 and only five unforced errors compared to her opponent’s 16. 

With serious leverage going forward, Vesnina opened the second stanza with a hold over Ostapenko. The Latvian struggled on serve, committing another pair of double faults, but getting to deuce to fight for the key point. The two fought through six breaks until it was Vesnina continuing to stay out ahead of Ostapenko. The Latvian wouldn’t let her get a jump and made sure to hold the fourth. 

Vesnina answered with a shutout in the fifth but the Latvian responded with a win that leveled the score at three-all. The Russian kept her best foot forward, scoring another serve to love that gained her back the lead. Ostapenko returned the favor and kept the score even as they reached the business end of the set. Vesnina continued to press forward to set the bar for the Latvian to either clear or trip over with elimination on the line. 

Ostapenko refused to go down on serve and clinched a win in the tenth to press the match onward. Though she kept going, Vesnina was still on a mission and made it 6-5. The Latvian continued to have the right answers against the Russian and held to love to press into action a tiebreak. It was the moment that Ostapenko had her opponent beat when errors began to show more than points won. 

The Latvian had her opponent under pressure with breaks achieved in the tiebreak that led her to four set points and a decider on the horizon after 57 minutes. 

After both players left the court to beat the heat for a short time, they returned with Vesnina earning a quick break from the Latvian. She made it 2-0 fast before Ostapenko reached deep and served the Russian to love. The 24-year-old added a break before winning her third straight on serve with another shutout. Vesnina fought back to keep things level before Ostapenko added another serve to love that gave her the lead. 

Just when it looked like the Latvian would have the moxie to get the win, she fumbled a chance for a breakpoint in the eighth that kept the Russian even once more. Her efforts allowed her to break the 24-year-old and conduct a strong finish in the tenth. Vesnina built up three match points only to watch two of them slip away. Three was the charm for the tennis gold medalist, who clinched it on a ball that ended a 2 hour and 20-minute fight that put her into the second round.  

Garbine Muguruza survives first round onslaught by Veronika Kudermetova at Tokyo 2020

Garbine Muguruza of Spain clenches her first during a first round match against Veronika Kudermetova of the Russian Olympic Committee at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. 

Spain's Garbine Muguruza somehow found a way to continue at the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics Sunday. The Spaniard came out swinging early but ran into a long-lasting fight with Russian Olympic Committee athlete Veronika Kudermetova, who pressed the issue in straight sets but went down 7-5, 7-5 on Court 2 at the Ariake Tennis Park. 

The two met once this year where the Spaniard captured her second win over the Russian and remained hot during the Doha tournament. In her second run at the Olympics, Muguruza eyed doing better on the hard courts of Tokyo, where she had experience playing. Despite her success being years ago, the former world number one looked to have no trouble getting warmed up. 

Muguruza jumped out to a 2-0 lead on the Russian who had struggles with her serve. With her opponent feeling and looking vulnerable, the seventh seed attacked on serve and broke the Russian for the double and a 4-0 grip of the set. Kudermetova did not want to give up another game and in the fifth, gave Muguruza a tremendous challenge. After forcing deuce, the Russian fought with all her might producing two breakpoints in a row. 

The seventh seed fought them off but struggled on the next pair of AD points to close it out. Kudermetova gained a third, but Muguruza fought it off continuing her search. After a total of seven breaks and four break point attempts, the Russian achieved victory with her tenacity paying off and ending the shutout. Kudermetova had a lot to be happy with that led to her consolidating the hard effort with a hold of serve. 

Getting a third from the seventh seed was not in the cards as Muguruza made a statement on serve to make it 5-2. The Russian tried to extend the set further in the eighth and succeeded with big forehand shots that put her two games down. A massive break of the Spaniard gave Kudermetova a lot of force, getting within reach of leveling the seventh seed, who hadn’t given it her best in the last four games. 

The 24-year-old completed the comeback that made it five-all with her running the show against the Spaniard. After five straight losses, Muguruza managed to etch out a win in the 11^th to take the lead and hope to close out the set for her benefit. She had to fight well in the 12^th and on the final point, the Russian made a forehand error that finished a tough first set that lasted 65 minutes. Both players committed 20 unforced errors, but the late push from Muguruza ended a tough outing and a chance to turn her game around for the better. 

Kudermetova didn’t give her anything close to that satisfaction, keeping the heat on to former world number one that earning a place in the second round would prove difficult. The Russian held well in the second and after Muguruza took the step ahead in the third, she pulled off a serve to love in response. By the seventh game, she had taken the edge off Muguruza, who looked to even up in the eighth. 

She gained three break points before two of them got away from her. It was a key error from Kudermetova that clinched another tie between the two. Muguruza had her moment to strike on serve and gain the penultimate 5-4 stand. Gaining a 40-0 run, the Spaniard let a point go before Kudermetova erred to make the score go in favor of the seventh seed. Muguruza had a match point attempt in the tenth but a rally the two ended with the Russian firing a backhand out of the reach of Muguruza to force deuce. After two breaks, it was Kudermetova denying Muguruza another match point opening the door for her to press a third set into play. 

The Spaniard found a way to get out front once more in hopes that she could keep the Russian back and finish her day on the court. An opportunity came to her in the 11^th when the 24-year-old suffered an unforced error that brought up a second match point for Muguruza. She didn’t let it go to waste as the Spaniard clinched the win that was hard-fought, taking two hours and three minutes to accomplish.