Ostapenko captures first match win over Madison Keys to move on at Qatar Total Energies Open.

Jelena Ostapenko in action against Madison Keys at the Qatar Total Energies Open. 

Jelena Ostapenko delivered an outstanding beating to Madison Keys at the Qatar Total Energies Open Tuesday. The Latvian had everything going right with her offense which gave her a much-needed win over the American, winning 7-5, 6-2 on center court at the Khalifa International Tennis Complex. Second-serve returns were a struggle for Keys, who didn’t have her dominant form in place, ending a winning streak in the middle east.

The American held a 3-1 lead over the Latvian, winning their last meeting in Cincinnati in straight sets. Keys carried a grip over Ostapenko, despite her retirement in Eastbourne that same year, retiring due to injury. This season, the American put together a long streak of wins through the United Cup but didn’t fare well in Melbourne. Ostapenko made it to a major quarterfinal since Wimbledon 2018, making it a push for her this time. Despite the dominance of her opponent, the 25-year-old had her ways of pushing through in a match, due to her semifinal finish last year in Doha.

Keys led the way at the opening of the match, holding serve and attaching a break of Ostapenko to it. Consolidating for a 3-0 lead was no picnic despite the 40-0 jump. Ostapenko rallied from the deficit to force deuce, but the AD point was difficult to attain. She moved into the fourth, holding serve, and broke back in the fifth in the shape of an AD point on deuce. She evened the score, despite her first double fault.

Keys denied the Latvian another step ahead on the scoreboard, becoming a competitive competition for control. Ostapenko put together a break chance but erred setting up deuce. The two went five breaks until Keys held it to lead 4-3. Ostapenko committed her second double fault, but that was small potatoes due to her focus to level the score back.

The set continued to see-saw in the business end, with Ostapenko leveling the score at five-all tallying a third double-fault from her end. She gained an important break on the count of Keys suffering a bad service game in the 11th, opening the door to take the set. The 25-year-old dictated the service, setting up three set points and putting the first away with a winner. It took 50 minutes for Ostapenko to get an edge on the American, winning 64 percent of points over the 53 from Keys. Though her winners to unforced errors were close, the winners were the high point that helped her edge late in the set.

The second got underway, with each player swiftly completing their service games. Ostapenko had the 2-1 lead when she pulled off a break to love in the third, consolidating it with a hold. In the fifth, she questioned one of the linesmen for a call but didn’t pursue it further. Keys went on to capture the hold of service, keeping within reach of leveling the set. The 25-year-old had other plans, holding Keys to love while serving, jumping to a two-game gap.

Ostapenko broke the American in a key moment, scoring the break on a crosscourt return that put her on serve for the match. Feeling a lot of comfort in her game, the 25-year-old handled the pressures of closing out the first round with a crosscourt shot ending 1 hour and 17 minutes on the court. “Today was a really tough match, and she’s such a great player,” said Ostapenko during her on-court interview. “She was serving pretty well at the beginning of the match, but I was fighting, and I think I found my game at the game and played a little better.” “I was trying not to give her any free points because I knew she is a great player and hits the ball really hard.” She won't be the last American who gives her a challenge on center court, as she faces Jessica Pegula in the second round Wednesday.

Azarenka returns to Doha in strong performance at Qatar Totalenergies Open

Victoria Azarenka clenches her first to celebrate a point won during her round one match with Ipek Oz at the Qatat Totalenergies Open.

Victoria Azarenka shined bright to take down the competition at the Qatar Total energies Open Monday night. The former world number one handled Ipek Oz on center court winning 6-1, 6-1 at the Khalifa International Tennis Complex

The two-time champion from a decade back returned to Doha after a six-year absence from the venue. Though she hasn’t had much consistent success early this season, Azarenka’s run in Adelaide and making the Australian Open semifinals was a great start to January. Oz made another stamp to her WTA career by facing a former world number one and entering her fifth main draw appearance with a wildcard. In her second run in the Qatari capital, the Turkish player faced a challenge against the 33-year-old as well as thoughts of her country still in peril.

Azarenka was first to serve and managed a shutout over the 23-year-old. Oz got on the board with a hold in the second, but the control went back into the hands of the tennis veteran. The 33-year-old scored her second blank on the Turkish player, and earn the first break of serve in the fourth. She added two more for a commanding 5-1 stand, serving to try and close out the first set. Oz couldn’t handle the pace Azarenka brought to the score and took the match lead after 30 minutes. The former number one landed 12 winners that silenced the return game of the Turkish star.

Azarenka handled the opening serve of Oz in the second set, allowing her a point in the game before gaining the break. The 33-year-old consolidated and scored the double break swiftly. Just when it looked as if it would continue one way, Oz stabbed out a win for the break back, getting ahead on the scoreboard in the fourth. Azarenka brushed off the short defeat and delivered a third shutout for the 4-1 lead.

She continued her march, sealing another victory from the service, giving Oz one last chance to change the strong tide. The 23-year-old made some early mistakes that allowed Azarenka to take control of the game and put herself in place for match point. A return fell wide of the tramlines and then the 11-shot rally for the next point gave Oz another shot at holding serve. It was the first game to go to deuce, but after three match points lost, Azarenka got it done and dusted. She denied Oz an AD point and clinched the round-one victory in one hour and seven minutes.

Belinda Bencic wins first WTA title of '23 in straight sets at Adelaide International

Belinda Bencic celebrates an easy win of the Adelaide International

Belinda Bencic made winning a championship look easy at the Adelaide International Saturday. The world number 13 clinched herself a spot in the top ten, defeating Daria Kasatkina 6-0, 6-2 on center court at the Memorial Drive Tennis Club. The fifth seed had too many unforced errors, which allowed Bencic to have a smooth run to victory.

Both players received walkovers in lieu of the final, which was a rare occurrence in the sport. Spain’s Paula Badosa suffered a thigh injury not only took her out of the Adelaide 2 tournament, but also the Australian Open. Veronika Kudermetova pulled out with a left hip injury suffered in her quarterfinal that led her to withdraw against Belinda Bencic.

With the free rides into the final, it set up the two for a sixth meeting and the first in a final. Kasatkina carried a 6-5 record, having won five of her last seven finals played. Bencic lost nine of 15 career finals but shows 4-5 on the hard courts that included winning the gold medal in Tokyo.  

The Swiss had a golden start to the match, breaking Kasatkina to love on redirects. The wind picked up on the court, making it difficult for the fifth seed to find comfort in her game. Bencic took the win in stride, making the adjustments to stand strong against Kasatkina. It led to a 3-0 run for the Swiss, who quickly consolidated the double break, painting a winner to close out the fourth.

Kasatkina’s game was not going to plan, suffering a third break to Bencic, unable to get her return game into gear. On the verge of being bageled in the sixth, she tried to fight Bencic, but the eighth seed gained a set point, painting the line away from her opponent, taking the first in 25 minutes. Bencic’s offense was completely on point, scoring 93 percent from the first serve, while her opponent won only six shots from her game. With that and a bad return, a major shift had to occur.

Bencic opened the second set with a fourth break of Kasatkina, followed by a hold to back it up. Carrying an eight-game streak, the eighth seed watched Kasatkina pull things together and lock up a hold of serve, sending cheers from the fans. Despite a snap of her winning streak, Bencic regained her momentum in a competitive fourth game that went to deuce, taking the victory on serve. Bencic made it 4-1 with her second double break of Kasatkina, sitting two games from the championship.

The Swiss continued her impressive service, hitting the returns that rounded out her success against the struggling fifth seed. In her last attempt to extend the match, Kasatkina erred twice but fired a winner and an ace to level the score. Kasatkina was first to reach game point, but Bencic rallied to force deuce and bring up match point on a good read of Kasatkina’s drop shot attempt. She blew what was to be an easy match-point win, opening the door for the fifth seed to fight and capture another hold of serve.

It was all in the hands of the Swiss star to get it done in the ninth on her second match point. A backhand down the line beat Kasatkina to hand her the title in one hour and seven minutes.

Belinda Bencic takes down Caroline Garcia in three sets at Adelaide International

Belinda Bencic celebrates a point during her quarterfinal with Caroline Garcia at the Adeliade Interational. 

Belinda Bencic played a tight battle in three sets to come through at the Adelaide International Thursday night. The Swiss star went the distance against Caroline Garcia, who she targeted at the start and finish, to win 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 on Centre Court at the Memorial Drive Tennis Club.

Bencic’s win over Anna Kalinskaya wasn’t as swift as she wanted, coming from a break down to make it to the last eight. The Swiss star’s serve went sour more than in her three-set win over Garbine Muguruza in the opening round. The opposition didn’t get better against Garcia, who maintained her aggressive style of tennis that took down Katerina Siniakova in three sets.

Despite having 39 errors, the 42 winners and 14 aces made up for the struggle against the Czech. In their second match with one another, Bencic looked to gain another win over the Frenchwoman, and post her fourth career semifinal in Australia.

Garcia opened with a stronger service than Bencic, but the Swiss scored the first break in the third for the lead. She went on to consolidate for a 3-1 lead over Garcia, who struggled with her service, finding herself trailing in the fifth. Bencic held her ground for the double break and kept Garcia to a single point while serving in the sixth. With a 5-1 stand for Bencic, the fourth seed had one chance to begin the recovery.

Overcoming a short deficit on serve, Garcia force deuce, etching a second win to extend the set. Bencic put the cork in Garcia’s plans, taking the eighth game with ease closing out the first in 32 minutes. Despite having eight winners to Bencic’s five, the second serve dragged the French star’s performance.

Garcia turned things around in the second set, holding serve through five games, with two of them coming by way of a shutout. Bencic continued to pursue the fourth seed until the fifth, when Garcia forced deuce and pulled off the break. Holding the score at 4-2, the fourth seed blanked Bencic on serve in the seventh, inching closer to forcing a decider.

Bencic served to keep the set moving, allowing Garcia a single point in the eighth. Once the fourth seed returned to service, she blasted shots across the court and set up two set points before putting Bencic away with a straight winner down the side ending 35 minutes. Garcia was flawless from the first serve, which hiked up her success from the second. Bencic’s second serve fell to 38 percent despite having just three errors.

It was anyone’s match going in the third, but Garcia had the service in place, following Bencic’s lead. The fourth was key for the eighth seed to a break after overcoming a 15-40 deficit. She forced deuce and held the AD point to lead 3-1, but consolidating proved difficult. Garcia refused to fall three games down and pushed Bencic around to sit a game behind with the break back.

The fourth seed leveled the score, staying with Bencic through eight games as they closed in on the business end of the match. Bencic won the ninth in a shutout, putting Garcia in a spot to hold or find her tournament hopes dashed. The Frenchwoman found herself in a battle for control as Bencic forced deuce in the tenth, making the AD point critical for both players. After two breaks, Bencic took her first AD point attempt and rallied with Garcia until a slice from the fourth seed sealed the Swiss a spot in the semifinals after 1 hour and 53 minutes.

“The key to win was to hold the serve for sure,” said Bencic.  “We both serve great, and it's tough to return against Caroline, so it was a battle of who could do it better, but I think in the end it was really about the serve.” Bencic will meet against Veronika Kudermetova, who she has a long history dating back to juniors in Friday’s semifinal.

Anna Kalinskaya finds easy win at Adelaide International

Jelena Ostapenko delivered another roller-coaster performance that took her down for the second time at the Adelaide International Tuesday. The Latvian suffered service issues that gave Anna Kalinskaya room for comfort and a 6-3, 6-4 score on Court Two at the Memorial Drive Tennis Club.

The Latvian thought she had the 2023 season going in the right direction after beating Karolina Pliskova. Unfortunately, her stunning defeat to Irina Camelia Begu last week led to her being broken six times in the round of 16 matches. She dropped 13 in the early round last season, hoping to put that behind her and get on the best foot. Kalinskaya worked her way into the main draw, winning both her qualifying matches to make it in the draw. Though she’s never met Ostapenko before, she managed to beat some tough opponents in Sasnovich and Riske to get there.

The 24-year-old opened the scoring with a shutout of Ostapenko, who nearly blanked in return but watched Kalinskaya score a point on serve. The Latvian overcame her start to the match by holding serve, getting in front of the action in the fourth. It slipped out of her control, allowing the qualifier to get the lead back, play to deuce and hold serve. Points were going against the 25-year-old, who was at the mercy of the umpire to judge close points.

It continued to be a see-saw competition through six games until a break by Kalinskaya upped her advantage and held serve in the eighth. Ostapenko struggled to overcome her issues on serve and dropped another game, handing the set to the 25-year-old in 32 minutes. The qualifier did much better than the Latvian on first-serve success, winning 13 of 19 on returns and 10 of 15 serving. Ostapenko tallied 20 points of the 52 that were played through nine games.

Kalinskaya continued along her pace, taking a quick 2-0 lead over her experienced opponent, who wasn’t improving. Despite her efforts in the third, the 24-year-old marched to a 3-0 rout of Ostapenko. On her second attempt to serve with strength, the Latvian overcame a late breakpoint chance by her opponent, forcing deuce and holding on to the break.

A big statement in the fifth notched her second win, but it was a long road to a comeback for the former Grand Slam champion. She pulled off the comeback, leveling the score, but the seventh game became frustrating for Ostapenko. Blowing two breakpoints and being gifted one on a double fault from Kalinskaya, the Latvian failed to convert the score. Despite the lost chance to sit a break-up, the 25-year-old held serve in the eighth, hoping to continue with her aggressive tennis in the business end of the set.

Kalinskaya stayed on point, serving Ostapenko to love in the ninth. With a shot to serve for the match, the 24-year-old watched as the Latvian put the balls away from her. A double fault reeled its ugly head for Ostapenko, who handed the match with a second double ending 1 hour and 19 minutes on the court.  

Phillip Danault scores OT for Kings over Red Wings 5-4

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The Los Angeles Kings had the last laugh in a tight race to victory at Little Caesars Arena Monday evening. Phillip Danault scored on a bouncer in overtime that beat the Detroit Red Wings 5-4. Captain Dylan Larkin was responsible for getting his team a point on the night, saving the game by throwing himself in the way of a game-winner in regulation. Jonathan Quick made 29 saves for Los Angeles, putting them at 2-2 for the season.

The Red Wings performed beautifully to start the 2022-23 season, winning their home opener before going on the road to defeat the New Jersey Devils 5-1 on Saturday. In their short return home to host the Kings, Detroit hadn’t gone 2-0 since 2019 and was ready to go 3-0 against a struggling group from L.A. The Kings suffered a bad opening week, losing at home to the Golden Knights and the Kraken. Edging Minnesota 7-6 was fortunate but a sign of troubles on the road. Though Detroit hadn’t faced anyone tough recently, the Kings would be another stepping stone to figuring out where their strengths lie.

The Red Wings were the first to get on the board 4:26 into regulation, with Adam Erne going in on Quick’s stick side, top shelving the puck. Gabe Vilardi leveled the score 19 seconds later, watching his shot deflect off Mortiz Seider, flying to the right of Ville Husso and into the net. Through ten minutes, the Kings had a 5-4 lead on shots to the net, and a minute later, got on the power play on a Lucas Raymond penalty. Erne almost had a second goal, going shorthanded, but Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick blocked his path.

Detroit returned to full strength, keeping the play inside the offensive zone. Los Angeles found a way to turn things around and march into action, pressing the Detroit defense. It was at 14:40 when Adrian Kempe slid to the faceoff dot and wristed a shot with ease, scoring his fourth of the season. The Kings kept the skates fast, getting the best of them, and nearly made it 3-1 on a slippery puck that Husso managed to stop.

Despite the surge, Detroit stayed with their opponent on shots to the net, getting a man advantage in the final seconds of the period. Both teams had 11 shots, but the Kings did well on the faceoffs, but seven blocked shots and nine hits from the Red Wings kept them close at hand. With 1:50 left on the power play, the Red Wings opened the second stanza with just one scoring chance. The Kings' PK executed well, nearly seeing them go shorthanded but Brendan Lemieux tripped coming out of the penalty box.

At 4:54 a play occurred with LA’s Sean Durzi and Detroit’s Elmer Soderblom going after the puck. Durzi hooked the six-foot-eight-inch forward before having the 268-pound left winger smash into the boards on top of him. Nothing came of Detroit’s second chance with the man advantage, but midway into the game, a way to tie the game came to fruition. Most of the Red Wings were on one side of the ice and with a chance to score, David Perron fired a one-timer to the open part of the net, notching his second.

The Kings got their second power play, getting the puck close to the net but failed to get to the loose puck in front of Husso. The Red Wings prevented any further action, but right when they got to even strength, Trevor Moore passed the puck across to Danault, making it 3-2. Things got worse for Detroit, who suffered another tripping penalty at the hands of Raymond.

Los Angeles had the remainder of the period to try and increase the score, but a penalty to Kevin Fiala made it 4 on 4 to finish things off. Both teams had 23 shots on goal, but the lead for the Kings made it a mission for Detroit to handle things right with 20 minutes left to play. The Kings did well on the PK for the third time in the game, going on the move with the puck at even strength. 

Los Angeles had a lot of time with the puck, adding pressure on the Red Wings near their net, hunting for a two-goal margin. The Kings went on their four power play, but a shorthanded attempt from Dylan Larkin almost turned into a penalty shot, only to turn into a short 4 on 4. Detroit then went on their fourth try with the extra man and with 44 seconds left, David Perron shot the puck in front of Kings defenseman Matt Roy, scoring his second of the night to tie the game.

In a shocking turn of events, the Kings took a shot believing Husso had control of the puck. Behind his skates, the puck sat still, when everyone suddenly saw it loose. Kings captain Anze Kopitar got a stick in between two Red Wings players to make it 4-3 at 13:16. Time flew off the clock, and the Red Wings skated all over to find different ways at tying the game again. Head coach Derek Lalonde pulled Husso from the net for the extra man.

It was nearly over when Viktor Arvidsson almost got away with a chance for the empty net. It was Larkin, who managed to save the day, throwing himself in the way and putting a stick in his way to cut off the net. In the final minute of play, the Red Wings scored one in traffic at the crease by Oskar Sundqvist. They defended through the final seconds to force overtime and look for a chance at keeping the game alive.

Both teams played 3 on 3, and the Red Wings went straight to Quick, who made the stop. Los Angeles got their chance and had one man ahead of Detroit. Danault eyed Trevor Moore across from him but took the shot which crossed as Husso slid to the right, opening the door for the puck to go in to end the game 71 seconds into overtime. It was a tough one for Husso to accept, taking the loss after making 31 saves on the night. The Red Wings took three days off before moving into Chicago to face the Blackhawks Friday night.

 

Red Wings pull together 3-0 shut against Canadiens on opening night

Elmer Soderblom watched his shot go into the net, marking his first NHL goal in his debut with the Detroit Red Wings. (Photo by Dave Reginek/NHLI via Getty Images)

What was a very close game most of the night exploded into a major victory for the Detroit Red Wings Friday night. A late goal in the third period with Elmer Soderblom in his NHL debut led Detroit to a 3-0 win over the Montreal Canadiens at Little Caesars Arena. Back-to-back empty net goals capped the night for Hockeytown, who waited for life to come back in full for their squad. Goaltender Ville Husso in his first career game recorded a shutout stopping 29 shots on the night.

The Red Wings took their opportunity to impress on opening night in a matchup against an Original Six rival. With some time to test out new faces on the squad, Detroit hopes to increase the PK, minimize goals against, and most importantly, return to the postseason in 2023. Under the new leadership of head coach Darek Lalonde, who GM Steve Yzerman has great faith in after his time in Tampa Bay, can bring together a positive season.

The Canadiens already have a victory under their belt, defeating the Maple Leafs in a 4-3 win Wednesday. Like Detroit, their moment on home ice was short, as will Detroit’s in what they hope will be victory before heading out.

The Canadiens took charge in the first two minutes, taking a great scoring chance to Husso. They notched four shots at the net, while Detroit had two against Jake Allen across the ice. Detroit took control, keeping the puck well inside the Montreal zone, and putting some close shots near the net. At 14:32, the Red Wings got their chance to test out the power play unit. Their attempts to go down low were all but stopped due to heavy traffic by the Canadiens in front of their netminder.

Despite lost chances, the Red Wings kept the possession in the Montreal end, putting together 12 more shots on goal through the midsection of the period. Montreal tallied two in that amount of time, but neither team found the back of the net. With 5:36 left, Montreal earned a shot to take the lead on an interference call to the Red Wings. Dylan Larkin took a chance at the puck and nearly had a short-hander for Detroit before being shut out at the hands of Allen.

The Canadiens didn’t make much of their man advantage, seeing the puck loosened up by the Red Wings. In the final minute of play, Detroit went back to the man advantage, inching closer to scoring the game’s first goal. A centering drive from Jakub Vrana sent the puck behind Allen and within inches of the line. The Montreal PK brushed it out of the way, but an open net just seconds later was taken, only to be stopped as well.

Getting out of trouble was huge for the Habs, who finished off the penalty and were happy to hear the horn sound ending 20 minutes of play. Detroit had shot 25 at the net, which bested any game they played last season. It was a major improvement for the team as a whole, who won 68 percent from the face-off delivering a dozen hits, and generating a positive outlook for the remaining 40 minutes.

The Canadiens went on their second power play 2:36 into the period, only to see the Detroit special teams work them out of any offensive position. When they returned to full strength, neither Montreal nor Detroit had a high offensive level. Through ten minutes, both teams had five shots on goal, but as they went on, a play for the Red Wings started with Larkin leading to chances at the net. The Habs netminder made the all-important stop, as time continued to tick down.

Detroit looked for the game’s first goal on their third power play, but not much was produced from the two-minute opportunity. They suddenly found themselves even as the second period closed, shooting nine against Montreal’s seven. The Habs won more pucks from the faceoff, earning their time with the puck in the period while limiting Detroit from heating up.

In the third, the Red Wings took matters into their own hands to dictate the pace right off the faceoff. At 2:33, Soderblom scored his first career goal on a wraparound move from Michael Rasmussen that got to the Swede for the centering shot. Though they had the all-important lead against Montreal, they watched their opponent rack up the shots on the net to Husso.

When they got into their third-man advantage, the Detroit goaltender made a big stop against Josh Anderson, who scored the game-winner against Toronto. The Red Wings went on to stop the Canadiens with eight minutes left in regulation. Detroit played on, preventing the Canadiens from gaining a boost in offense and an attempt at tying the score. With two minutes left, Montreal coach Martin St. Louis chose to pull Allen for the extra man on the ice.

Detroit got serious with 1:23 left, awaiting to see what Montreal put together after their timeout. The face-off took place in the Detroit zone, and the Red Wings cleared it out. Detroit won the puck and before the minute mark came, they got a jump on the Habs, with Andrew Copp getting the puck moving. He got it to Rasmussen, who took it into the empty net. Just 14 seconds later, it was 3-0 for the Red Wings, with Olli Maatta getting in on the action.

With two empty net goals on record, Montreal put Allen back in to finish the game and suffer a shutout at the hands of the home team. Maatta recorded the team’s 40th shot of the night, keeping Montreal back with 29. Breaking apart Montreal’s plan to level and force overtime was a huge success to bring a terrific start to the season.