Hurricanes blow through Detroit in season opener

Teuvo Teravainen #86 of the Carolina Hurricanes celebrates with Nino Niederreiter #21 of the Carolina Hurricanes after he scores a goal during an NHL game against the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena on January 14, 2021 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Dave Reginek/NHLI via Getty Images)

The Carolina Hurricanes carried plenty of patience to come into the 2021 season as winners Thursday night. Pushing well ahead on offense, the shots from their side were too much for the Red Wings, who went down with an answer losing 3-0 at Little Caesars Arena. 

Detroit came into a brand new season hoping that despite the situation the world finds themselves in, they can return to the game the team loves. For Larkin, the Red Wings 37th captain in franchise history, he begins the new chapter as leading a different lineup in the past few years. After seeing their 2019-2020 season shortened, they knew that they had to prove the rebuild made significant improvements. While fans couldn’t be in the stands, Detroit got back to business against the Carolina Hurricanes. Both teams expected to shake off the rust for 60 minutes, but couldn’t wait to get back to work on the ice. 

Detroit got moving well with the puck, as Anthony Mantha fired the puck at former Detroit goaltender Petr Mrazek. For four minutes, they had good puck possession until a turnover in the neutral zone spelled trouble. Sebastian Aho moved into the Detroit zone with Nino Niederreiter finding open ice between himself and Thomas Griess. A deke or two soon led to the puck getting into the net for the 28-year-old right-winger. 

Detroit left too much of the ice open on that play but continued to show their push to drive the offense at Carolina. Detroit managed two shots and spent time having the Hurricanes steal the puck away and go after a second on Griess. The German netminder didn’t let the lead increase against the Red Wings stopping six shots. With four minutes left, Detroit made a push with Mathias Brome in his first NHL game, getting a piece of the crossbar. 

Detroit got the defensive coverage working better in front of Griess, which brought an end to the first with the deficit short. Carolina shot a total of 12 to the Red Wing’s four. When the second stanza opened, Detroit was chasing down the Hurricanes who were covering the Detroit end, giving Griess a lot of action. At times, the Detroit defense covered up the firing lines while clearing out second chances for Carolina to fire the puck. 

The Hurricanes had their first man advantage but faced a strong Red Wings PK. Detroit got out of trouble and gave what they could at Mrazek. They caught a break at 13:34 with a penalty to Brady Skjei. It helped Detroit get more pucks to the net, but the former netminder for the home team stopped them. The Red Wings made a statement before the end of the second with Sam Gagner going at it with Carolina’s Dougie Hamilton. The 6’6 defenseman had leverage on the forward, taking him down after a few swings to one another. It didn’t help level the score for Detroit as they were outshot 12-6. 

Detroit quickly opened the third with their second power-play but Mrazek stayed tight in between the pipes, locking them out from scoring. Once back to even strength, Carolina dictated the first seven shots of the period. As they controlled the pace, Detroit chased them down, making very little impact on offensive movements. Detroit notched their first shot on goal halfway through but time worked against them with the team trailing. 

Carolina pressed forward, nearly having the second with an open window but missed their moment. Detroit was stuck in their zone fighting off the Hurricanes, having made just one shot back at the halfway mark of the period. Things got worse, as Carolina earned a power play on Dylan Larkin’s tripping penalty. They spent a lot of time looking for a shooting line but had Detroit’s PK in the way. Just when they were about to kill the penalty, they gave the Hurricanes another one with three minutes left. 

A shot from Martin Necas skipped off of Ryan Dzingel and into the net for a 2-0 stand with two and a half minutes to play. The Red Wings eyed their first loss with no chance to tie it. Andrei Svechnikov made it worse when Detroit went for the extra man and allowed him to slide one across the ice and into the empty net. Carolina had plenty to be happy about as they dictated well against Detroit outshooting them 43-13 in an impressive output.

Veronika Kudermetova stuns Svitolina in three set upsetter

Veronika Kudermetova flopped on the floor after her three set victory over Elina Svitolina in the quarterfinals of the Abu Dhabi Women's Tennis Open Monday. 

Veronika Kudermetova earned a significant win at the Abu Dhabi Women’s Tennis Open Monday night. The Russian gained a second victory over Elina Svitolina, who battled her through another three-setter but came up short 5-7, 6-3, 7-6(3) on center court at the Zayed Sports City International Tennis Centre. 

The two last met in 2019, where the Russian defeated Svitolina in three sets, bringing memories of the second seed’s last match. The Ukrainian had a rough finish to her round of 16 battle with Ekaterina Alexandrova, who she allowed to dig back into the match forcing her into back-to-back tiebreaks. Though she made it through by the skin of her teeth, she knew that repeating the same play against Kudermetova would only spell one result. The 23-year-old had a roller coaster three-setter Sunday but managed to come out of it better than she expected. 

When she opened against Svitolina, Kudermetova had a strong service game that set the bar high for the second seed. The 26-year-old was right behind her, making sure that she didn’t give the Russian more than necessary on the court to counter. Through five games, Kudermetova continued to lead the way with Svitolina answering the call. The Russian pressed the issue in the sixth, forcing deuce but she hit the ball too hard behind the baseline, leading the second seed to level once more. 

The holds of serve made it through eight games until Kudermetova made it nine with a strong finish scoring a crosscourt winner on Svitolina. The Ukrainian was under pressure to match her opponent, responding with a serve to love. With more to play from the set, Svitolina made sure to play every ball that resulted in her breaking the Russian for the lead. The tables switched late for the 23-year-old, who fought back to force deuce on a net bouncer that landed in. After a break, the Russian put too much on the ball, giving Svitolina the win in 46 minutes.

Both fought well against the other with eight combined aces produced. Kudermetova had 18 winners against the second seed, but the same number of errors is what gave her opponent the edge needed. When Svitolina opened service in the second set, she clinched another break for her second straight but suffered one of her own in the following game. The Russian consolidated that, with a hold in the third gaining momentum. 

Svitolina saw her offense come under attack as Kudermetova began returning well. The second seed forced deuce, holding the Russian to a break to hold serve. Kudermetova added more with the drop shots that got her through the fifth and scored a break in the sixth, widening the gap. She was soon up three straight, with her strategy paying off while closing in on the set. Svitolina managed a hold to love in the eighth but it was too little too late as the 23-year-old finished the second with a victory that took 38 minutes. 

The Russian had four aces and 13 winners, all while keeping the errors lower. Her production of points against Svitolina had her in a good place to go for the upset in the decider. She opened the third winning two games in a row showing serious dictation over the second seed. Svitolina put a stop to the run of games won, adding aggression to her groundstrokes that snapped Kudermetova’s streak. 

Four games resulted in service holds for the two, with Kudermetova waiting for her moment to strike back another gap on Svitolina. Though she was forced to deuce, it took the Russian a couple breaks to reach 4-2, sitting two ahead and two away from an upset. Svitolina made good of her service game, holding through the seventh to keep in touch with the 23-year-old. She struck well with depth on her shots that got her to four-all with balls in hand to go for the lead. 

A break to love for the second seed made a big statement on court, earning her a chance at the match with Kudermetova running out of chances. Holding the tenth allowed the Russian to remain positive and force the set deep. Svitolina had her moment to dictate the remainder of the match, instead the Russian made her moment nearly getting a break to love. The Ukrainian tried to fight back for control, but it was too little too late as the 23-year-old moved ahead 6-5 serving for the match. 

She fell behind 0-40 in the 12th, erring on wide returns but saved herself with an ace to start. Saving further breakpoints was out of the question for Svitolina, who got into her third tiebreak of the tournament. She found herself down 3-0 with errors, producing the deficit. She notched one but had a three-point gap kept in front of her. It was 6-2 for Kudermetova, who reached match point but missed on a long ball. Her second attempt had her serving it out, concluding in a second serve return landing just inside the line to end a 2 hour and 34-minute thriller.

Elina Svitolina nearly falls but rushes late to win at Abu Dhabi Women's Tennis Open

Elina Svitolina clenches her fist during a round of 16 match against Ekaterina Alexandrova at the Abu Dhabi Women's Tennis Open Sunday

Elina Svitolina made it through her match by the skin of her teeth at the Abu Dhabi Women’s Tennis Open Sunday night. The second seed had one problem after another against the surge from Ekaterina Alexandrova, who took her to the distance in a 6-2, 6-7(5), 7-6(8) score on center court at the Zayed Sports City International Tennis Centre. 

The two faced off last year at the French Open with Svitolina winning late in two sets. With two victories under her belt in the shortened 2021 season, the second seed eyed a path to the quarterfinals. The 26-year-old had yet to drop a set in the tournament and also improved on her offense to dictate the previous match. While there wasn’t a major on the line for her, the need for more time on the court mattered much to both players. 

Alexandrova was made to serve the opening game and had trouble keeping the ball in control. It produced break point chances, bringing Svitolina to deuce. After a break, the Ukrainian’s third breakpoint capped the early lead. Svitolina’s serve faced adversity, with Alexandrova making some good returns but got in trouble with the errors. They went to deuce where a lucky break for the Russian scored her the break back. 

The second seed made her opponent pay for bringing difficulty to her service with a double break in the third. Svitolina went on to consolidate her service for a 3-1 lead, notching a serve to love against the 17th seed. The Russian had a few wild hits of the ball on serve, giving the Ukrainian a third break of serve and the gap widening. Svitolina reached 5-1 with another hold of serve but gaining the break to end the first was out of the question for Alexandrova. 

The 17th seed held her end well to maintain service for the first time. It didn’t help her extend the set as the world number five hit the afterburners notching her second serve to love, ending the set with a wide return ending 30 minutes of play. Alexandrova’s serve beat her down significantly, where she made 37 percent of her shots count while Svitolina averaged 61 with just four winners. 

Improvements didn’t come to her in the second set as the Ukrainian was on a mission to end her evening quickly. She smashed down Alexandrova’s positive moments and scored her third serve to love of the match. Sitting two games down, the Russian held Svitolina to a single point in the third to avoid a shutout. She added a second win with Svitolina committing her first double fault. Trying not to add more problems, the second seed broke Alexandrova to love to edge out in the fifth. 

The Russian tried pulling off the same feat in the sixth but her opponent climbed back to save three break points with an ace for deuce. Just when it looked as if she’d hold serve, Svitolina recorded her second double fault, handing Alexandrova the break. Confidence was growing in the Russian as she found herself close with Svitolina and suddenly leading the second seed after seven. 

The Ukrainian was losing some focus with the need to change things up on her opponent. The second seed worked hard on deuce, chasing every ball that came back. After a couple of breaks, she scored the win needed to level at four-all. Svitolina scored the key break that returned the lead to her end after nine with the shot to serve for the match. Alexandrova played too good in the tenth, showing tremendous aggression that put Svitolina in danger. The second seed watched as the first breakpoint was saved and a second on her forehand crosscourt. A drop shot from Alexandrova was her moment to end the comeback and push the two further on in the set. 

The Russian took the first step with a hold that gave her the 6-5 lead, eyeing her chance at forcing a deciding set. Svitolina answered with a strong serve that she wished she had earlier but would fight for it on the tiebreak. A double fault from Alexandrova gave the second seed the minibreak and a second point. A drop shot return foiled her plan to keep the Russian from scoring and soon had them tied on an error. 

Svitolina gained another two points until the Russian came back with difficult returns including the drop shot that leveled them at four-all. Her net-front presence set up a smash that brought up set point. Svitolina tried to counter in the rally but it was answered with a net-front slice that ended her hopes for a quick finish. The set lasted 55 minutes with the Russian improving the first serve and notched 20 winners that caused damage to her opponent. 

 Brushing it off in the third, Svitolina held serve to begin the decider with Alexandrova close. She added a break to consolidate putting Svitolina in trouble early. With the momentum swung well for the 17th seed, she added further pressure on the second see to grow out a 3-1 stance for herself. Svitolina found a way to dig deep on serve and etch out a serve to love. Alexandrova opened back her two-game lead but holding off Svitolina wasn’t in the cards during the seventh where her chance for the break fell apart. 

 She earned redemption with a great hold that put her in place to play for the match. Svitolina responded with a serve to love in the ninth, hoping for another to pressure her opponent. Alexandrova felt the nerves while serving for the match as she erred three times to bring the score to five-all. The aggression faded away from the Russian and increased the skills of Svitolina to play for a spot in the quarterfinals. 

Alexandrova had something to say about the situation and did so with a hold of serve that sent them to the brink of a tiebreak. The 17th seed notched the first point but made a mistake on the second. She overcame a short deficit winning the next three points, gaining some positivity. The score was five-all with Svitolina bringing the heat and Alexandrova unable to contain it. She clawed out match point but watched the Ukrainian fire a sixth ace to level back. 

 Every point was critical for the two as they remained deadlocked until an error from Alexandrova set up a second attempt from Svitolina which gave her the win on a wide return from the Russian ending a 2 hour and 25 minute nail biter.

Garbine Muguruza holds together in straight sets against Sasnovich

Garbine Muguruza waits to hit the forehand return in her second-round match against Aliaksandra Sasnovich on Saturday. 

Garbine Muguruza had a great day on court with a strong first serve percentage at the Abu Dhabi Women’s Tennis Open Saturday. The former world number one had things dialed in against Aliaksandra Sasnovich, who produced too many errors in a 6-1, 6-4 loss on centre court.

Both met for the first time having had great results in their opening round match in Abu Dhabi to begin the season. Though Sasnovich took care of a lower-ranked opponent, Muguruza managed to take down Kristina Mladenovic, who is not an easy player to face in a season opener. With another one in her way, the Belorussian and her doubles experience would come in hand to counteract the Spaniard. With the 27-year-old recording many unforced errors, she would have to limit them and dictate against Sasnovich who can be a major problem if let go of. 

The match opened with Sasnovich having issues with the service giving Muguruza the early lead with breakpoints. She took the first as the Belorussian double-faulted on the last point on serve giving Muguruza the break. When it looked as if the Spaniard would take control, she found herself struggling for a moment, giving Sasnovich a break back. There was yet another break of serve in the third giving Muguruza the lead. 

The fifth seed had things under control by the fourth where she put together a hold of serve. Breaking the Belorussian added to her dictation by controlling the point and winning 90 percent of second serve returns. She went up 5-1 on Sasnovich, setting up her chance to play for the set. A chance in the seventh for Muguruza soured on a net-front shot that dropped wide, bringing Sasnovich to deuce. It didn’t take her long to attain set point on the second break, which came on a wide return from the Belorussian ending the first in 33 minutes. 

With the need to improve her offense, Sasnovich came into the second set, making some shots difficult for Muguruza to return. Her final strike came with a low ball return to the Spaniard, who couldn’t get it back over, earning the break. For the fifth time in the match, Sasnovich had trouble containing her serve against the Spaniard, who made sure that she couldn’t in the second game. With two breaks in the set, Muguruza upped the ante with a secure hold of serve in the third.  

On her second try of the set and sixth of the match, the Belorussian had some help from a delay due to a cat on the court that allowed her to finish the service and hold Muguruza back. Sasnovich added a break to consolidate, but holding her own wasn’t in the cards. Muguruza found a weak spot from her opponent to take advantage of the moment and level back at three-all. She regained the lead, forcing errors from the Belorussian that held her serve. 

Muguruza bided her time as Sasnovich had another service hold under her belt but trailed with the fifth leading 5-4. Serving to extend the match, the 26-year-old overcooked some of her shots that brought up match point for the fifth seed. It was a five-shot rally that saw another one from Sasnovich go into the net ending 1 hour and 17 minutes. 

With a better performance on day two of singles play, she’ll see her next opponent in either Maria Sakkari or American Cori Gauff.

Elina Svitolina earns second round win at Abu Dhabi Women's Tennis Open

Elina Svitolina preps to smash the serve during her second round match against Vera Zvonareva at the Abu Dhabi Women's Tennis Open Saturday. 

Elina Svitolina had her work cut out for her the Abu Dhabi Women’s Tennis Open Saturday. The second seed had a surprising finish to her straight-sets result against Vera Zvonareva, winning 6-4, 6-1 on centre court at the Zayed Sports City International Tennis Centre. 

 

A first time meeting for the two gives the second seed a chance to shake more rust off her game since returning to action Wednesday. The world number five had more than two dozen unforced errors but showed her skills to take down Jessica Pegula in straight sets. The 36-year-old Russian had a fine outcome of her opening match Thursdays in a two-set match win. Facing her first top-five opponent, Zvonareva had to come out early and quick if she vied to dictate against Svitolina. Though the task would be heavy, the 36-year-old planned to give it her all in her first opportunity of the season. 

She had a bit of trouble getting the service to work leading Svitolina to capture the early break. She thought that she would easily consolidate but instead committed a double fault that resulted in the break back for the Russian. Things got back to normal for the two as they returned to service holds that lasted six games. 

Svitolina had a better outcome at times that helped her score the break needed in the ninth that set her up for an early lead in the set. A serve to love from the second seed brought the first to a close in 40 minutes. Despite committing two double faults and a serve at 54 percent, the Ukrainian won more from the first and second serves that got her through in the end. 

The second opened with Zvonareva notching a shutout of the second seed, making it seem like she had something good to build upon. That was not the case against Svitolina, who answered back with a second serve to love and added a break for the 2-1 score. She found her footing that led to two more breaks and service holds that resulted in a 5-1 stand over Zvonareva. 

With one last chance to turn things around on serve, the Russian continued having problems with both sides of her service game, placing Svitolina with two set points. The second seed ended her day on court with a victory that took 26 minutes, moving her into the round of 16 in 1 hour and 11 minutes. 

With a dominant finish, the world number five left plenty in the tank for her next match which pit her against Ekaterina Alexandrova.

Elina Svitolina achieves first win of the season over Jessica Pegula

Elina Svitolina plays against American Jessica Pegula at the Abu Dhabi Women's tennis open Thurday

Elina Svitolina had some rust to shake off but came through at the Abu Dhabi Women’s Tennis Open with the win Thursday night. The second seed held back Jessica Pegula in straight sets winning the key breakpoints played to win 6-4, 6-3 on centre court at the Zayed Sports City International Tennis Centre. 

The two met for the first time in a new location for both. With the inability to begin the WTA tour like always in Australia, the ladies began their talents in the U.A.E. where they could warm up for a continuing environment of tennis. The Ukrainian earned the second seed as the ranking fifth player in the world and gained the attention of the American. The 25-year-old last played at the French Open where she suffered an early loss. Svitolina ended her year at Ostrava where a fight against Maria Sakkari ended in defeat. With time in the new country that marked its first hosting of a WTA tournament, both Svitolina and Pegula wanted to get their match off on the right foot. 

The American opened the match with a good hold of serve with one point going to the Ukrainian. Once Svitolina got on the ball, she let Pegula have it with a strong response, followed by a break of serve. The second seed consolidated another service hold for her third game in a row before Pegula got back on track. By the sixth, she was still two games down, but a service to love brought her within reach after seven with a well-placed net shot. 

The eighth was highly contested as Svitolina had game point but watched as Pegula forced deuce. She battled through six breaks while creating breakpoint chances only to lose out on her opportunity to level the score. She kept close with the Ukrainian in the ninth, scoring well to go for broke. Svitolina battled hard in the tenth, finding a way to seal up the set with a groundstroke strategy that took Pegula down in 39 minutes. 

The American knew that she had to pick up the pace to stay with the second seed for as long as possible. When she opened the second set, Pegula pressed the issue and held Svitolina to two points. The Ukrainian answered but faced adversity from the American who didn’t make it easy. They played the next pair of games with both going to deuce as holding serve was difficult to achieve. Svitolina knew that she couldn’t let it be the key to her slipping up too much against Pegula. 

She missed on a couple chances but rallied back to place winners away from the American and reach a game point. Though it came on deuce, Svitolina reached a 4-2 lead with Pegula forcing the error from her end in the sixth. It was the moment that Svitolina awaited as she took the eighth and blasted away for a strong service hold. Having Pegula on the ropes, the American ran out of maneuvering that gave the second seed match point and walk off with the win in 1 hour and 20 minutes. 

While it was a normally timed win for Svitolina, she committed 26 of the 51 errors made on the court. With four double faults and a serve under 60 percent, her second had to be better to show her strengths as the world ranking number five.

Garbine Muguruza defends well in first win of 2021 season

 

Garbine Muguruza in action at the Abu Dhabi Women's Tennis Open against Kristina Mladenovic

Kristina Mladenovic had her opportunities alive but couldn’t lock them into place on the opening day of the WTA tour Thursday. The French star found her moment too late against Garbine Muguruza, who went on to take the match in straight sets 6-2, 6-4 on centre court at the Zayed Sports City International Tennis Centre 

Their fourth meeting marked the first in two years and a strong challenge for both to start the new season. With a strange pandemic filled season in 2020, both European stars look to make the best of what the WTA Tour had in store. With locations playing a factor for everyone, beginning in the middle east was out of their comfort zone but playing the game remained the clear objective. 

The Spaniard won back in Monterrey where she took down the Frenchwoman in straight sets. With plenty of practice during the offseason with coach Conchita Martinez, the 26-year-old had her focus in check. Mladenovic got some action in ITF competition to stay in shape. It would be up to her level on how she would come out swinging against the former world number one. 

Muguruza had trouble coming through her opening service, handing Mladenovic the break. The French star added an easy hold to love in the second in response. The Spaniard got used to the court and the wind that in turn scored her a point in the third. The two went to deuce, where they spanned four breaks with the 26-year-old scoring a service hold. She then added a break to level the score through four games, indicating an improvement to her offense. It led the Spaniard to a four-game winning streak where mistakes from Mladenovic caused her to slide. 

It was soon 5-2 for Muguruza after adding another service hold, putting the French star under pressure. Having lost two previous service games, Mladenovic didn’t want to drop a third and showed her willingness to extend by forcing deuce in the eighth. Despite saving set point from Muguruza, a second soon came up for the fifth seed and locked down the first in 39 minutes. 

The Spaniard led the way in the second set, holding serve with Mladenovic following suit. The Frenchwoman increased her level of difficulty for Muguruza scoring a serve to love that leveled the score after four games. In the fifth, the 26-year-old double-faulted giving Mladenovic an edge for a breakpoint. The fifth seed denied her that chance for deuce where after a few breaks, the hold came to her. Mladenovic answered with another hold in the sixth, shutting out her opponent that put pressure on her service game in the seventh. 

The French star focused on Muguruza’s weakness and while having to play on deuce, it didn’t take more than one break to gain the lead. Muguruza slipped up with some of her ball placements but a fight in the eighth helped her break back on deuce to level the score at four-all. Muguruza fell behind on serve in the ninth giving plenty of breakpoint chances for the lead to Mladenovic. At 40-15, the Spaniard struck back to take control of her serve scoring an ace and placing the ball well against the opposition. On deuce, Muguruza nailed the victory in place to play for the match. 

Mladenovic refused to give anything to Muguruza in the tenth but her 40-0 stand in the game soon soured. A double fault and unforced errors brought the Spaniard to deuce, opening the door for a match point chance. Mladenovic suffered three more double faults in the game with a fourth putting her away and Muguruza through to the second round in 1 hour and 38 minutes. 

While the victory went to the fifth seed, it was not the prettiest of matches to be played by either one in their return to the sport. Both players combined for 59 unforced errors with Muguruza owning 31 of them. The number of breakpoints she won along with 17 winners against Mladenovic helped her move into the second round facing Aliaksandra Sasnovich of Belarus.