Svitolina gains second win in Singapore

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A tough match ended with Elina Svitolina getting a second victory under her belt at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals early Wednesday morning. The world number seven nearly secured her place in the final four but gave in just enough against Karolina Pliskova to beat her in three sets 6-3, 2-6, 6-3 on centre court at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. While she gained a fourth straight win and second straight in the event, the 24-year-old would have to save some for the next bout.

In Svitolina’s second run of the finals, she started things with a win against Petra Kvitova who struggled in the first set to give the Ukrainian time to control. With the start that she wanted to come in as the sixth seed, she’ll try to add a third straight over the Czech and second this year as they meet for the first time in nine months. The seventh seed managed to get a hold over Wozniacki to stand 1-0 in the group stage. A win for either of them would surely clinch their spot from the group to advance forward.

Both opened with strong service games that soon led them to a fight for control in the third. Svitolina forced deuce on serve where she continued to fight Pliskova who had three chances for the break. The Ukrainian killed off each one of them but double-faulted at the wrong time. She dug in to save six break points but couldn’t lock down the AD points. The game spanned 13 minutes, eight breaks and 26 points before the 24-year-old secured the hold.

The Ukrainian went for a break chance but watched the Czech force deuce. After saving a second break point, the 26-year-old laid down an ace to secure the hold and keep even with Svitolina. The sixth seed continued to step out ahead before she changed things up for herself in the shape of a scoring streak. Svitolina took the sixth with a complete break to love of Pliskova. She made it nine straight before the Czech answered on a great volley in the seventh. It was all she would accomplish in the game as the world number seven captured another hold to stand at 5-2.

Pliskova served to stay in the set and held with a serve to love showing her willingness to stay in it. Svitolina didn’t feel the same way as she wanted the set to be done. Having to overcome a 0-30 start, the sixth seed forced deuce but was again fighting off Pliskova’s break point opportunities. She took care of the opposition getting set point where she shut it down after 46 minutes sending Pliskova back to her bench slamming her racket down. On a coaching call, Renae Stubbs came down to tell the Czech to forget about the set and be aggressive and give herself space between the forehand and the racket.

She started the second with a good dictation of serving the ball well against the 24-year-old. Svitolina still had the better of the two controlling the ball while moving smoothly to make the returns in the rallies. Both were playing comfortably coming up with big answers through the next two games that kept them even through four. The first break came in the sixth with Pliskova consolidating the previous hold with a break to love of Svitolina who executed some returns the wrong way.

She sat two games down and suffered another as she couldn’t get into position to break Pliskova who played for a decider to come into play. Svitolina called out coach Andrew Bettles to come out and keep her encouraged that there was a lot of tennis left to play in the set. Pliskova didn’t give her that time to do it as she fired a great winner in the corner before an error secured the set to her name after half an hour. The winners came through as well as holding break points albeit just two in the set. As Pliskova outscored her 28-14 it clearly set up a thrilling third set where it left the competition wide open.

Svitolina knew she had to win the set no matter the case and began the decider with a break of the Czech before adding a serve to love in the second. The 26-year-old got into trouble again on serve as she erred giving Svitolina two break points. Back to back aces forced deuce but the effort fell apart giving the Ukrainian a 3-0 run. Stubbs was called down by Pliskova who told her to use the forehand while encouraging her to fight on.

It would be an uphill battle for the Czech as it soon four straight wins for the Ukrainian. She almost had a hold in the fifth but a challenge was shown to land wide giving Svitolina a second try but lost it on a return into the net. A break for Pliskova cut into the 24-year-old’s margin with the hope of a comeback possible. Svitolina fired back a statement to gain three break points holding two of them against the Czech to serve for the match. Bettles came back out to keep his player encouraged to finish it herself as the ball was in her court to start the eighth.

Pliskova was the one to dictate in the game as she was all over her ball placement returns that made it a nightmare for Svitolina. The Ukrainian rallied back to save two break points but double-faulted to lose out on another chance to end the Czech. It gave Pliskova more time to rally all the way back but errors handed Svitolina two match points. Svitolina swung and missed on Pliskova’s shots that forced deuce again. A long ball gave the 24-year-old a third charm where she won on a volley return to end the match in 1 hour and 54 minutes.  

“It was a very tricky match today,” Svitolina said to Andrew Krasny after the match. “I was just trying to stay really focused and I think playing one point at a time was the key and Karolina is the kind of player that can hit many aces and you have to be ready.” Pliskova had six that helped her force the third set and still leave herself a chance to make it through the group stage.

With one match to go for the both of them, it would make things clear on which two of the four makes the final to go for the last championship of the season.

Wozniacki knocks out Kvitova in three setter at WTA Finals

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Petra Kvitova couldn’t remain consistent to save herself from elimination at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Tuesday night. Defending champion Caroline Wozniacki overcame losing control in the second set to defeat the fourth seed 7-5, 3-6, 6-2 on centre court at Singapore Indoor Stadium. It allowed the Dane to stay in contention in the white group with one more to play.

A 15^th meeting between the two euro stars has them returning for a second faceoff this season and the third in Singapore. Wozniacki won their recent matchup four years ago to evenly split the series on the court. While it was her fifth win against the Czech and last since, the world number two would try to build on her current victory. The 28 year old went down at the hands Karolina Pliskova in straight sets needing a win to keep her hopes of defending last year’s title alive. Kvitova would also hunt down a tenth win against the Dane after losing to Elina Svitolina on Sunday. The fourth seed had eight double faults with seven coming in the first set hoping to not have that happen again.

She opened with a service game that Kvitova attacked right away forcing deuce but unable to achieve the break. The Czech made sure to hold in the following competition which saw Wozniacki put down a stronger game in the third. Kvitova got under pressure on serve in the fourth that she managed to hold on the first break but the leverage was in the hands of Wozniacki who held in the fifth.

After taking a chat with her coach the fourth seed laid out an offensive strategy that kept the score level. She went after a chance for the break but Wozniacki was having none of it unwilling to be the first to give up a break of serve. She called her father and coach out for points on how to set up the counterattack going into the eighth. She put together great returns to fight for a chance which came on a wide response during a 30 all tie. The break chance for Wozniacki arrived with her taking time to set up the shot which came in the shape of a well placed crosscourt.

The opportunity to serve for the set arrived for the Dane as she made it a tough time for Kvitova. On set point, the Czech answered with a winner far out of reach of her opponent to force deuce. She had the tables turned just enough to stay alive in the set and put together a shot at pushing the set forward. She did indeed get it backing up the break to send Wozniacki an herself into extra frames.

Wozniacki got out front again holding an important serve in the 11^th that took her a couple breaks to do so. With the fourth seed under pressure, Wozniacki went after the break gaining two set points. She clinched it on the second answering a great return to stand ahead after 54 minutes. While she had just seven winners in the set, keeping the unforced errors low was huge for her as Kvitova racked up double digits on both sides of the spectrum.

The fourth seed knew that she needed a different approach to how the second set began and did so with a break of Wozniacki. The Dane broke back with a shutout of Kvitova but it wasn’t enough to take anything away from her. The fourth seed gained the double break and consolidated it with a hold in the fourth for a 3-1 lead. Wozniacki showed signs of pain in her left knee which she had treated during the changeover.

After being treated by the physiotherapist, the 28 year old served to reel in the score holding two game points where a challenge showed that her shot caught the line. While adding more tape to her knee, she listened to what her father had to say during the coaching call. Wozniacki showed her strengths were still at a high level that allowed her to break in the sixth. The moment came in the seventh where Wozniacki looked to down Kvitova while the Czech herself wanted to end the Dane’s winning streak.

With a rally back, the fourth seed fired great shots to pressure the 28 year old and win on the second break of deuce. A hold in the eighth gave her a shot at sending the match to a decider as her level of skills were working to get her back in contention. She locked down that opportunity with a supreme break of the Dane to even the match after 44 minutes. While neither of them had a significant edge over the other, it was quite even going into the third with one of them coming out victorious.

Wozniacki started her push to get it holding Kvitova on serve before consolidating it with a hold in the second. Kvitova down two games rallied to get herself on the board before she and Wozniacki called their coaches during the break to get some ideas on the next step. When it looked as if Kvitova would level the score, the Dane had the ultimate answer to take a 3-1 stance. The Czech went to her bench to get a new racket with new balls in play in the fifth. The situation didn’t help her as the first serve struggled with the second unable to get to speed handing Wozniacki a break to widen the gap.

The world number two continued to dictate the set as she had Kvitova beaten for her third straight game winner. Kvitova was on the edge of defeat serving to extend the set and avoid elimination. A good hold in the seventh for the fourth seed came with great body serves putting the Dane away from placed winners. She was still not out of trouble as the 28 year old served for the match. Keeping Kvitova down in the eighth, Wozniacki had two match points winning it on a return error by the fourth seed ending her run in 2 hour and 19 minutes.

“I played much better today,” Wozniacki said to Andrew Krasny after the match. “I think I returned well, served well and moved really well against Petra who is so powerful. You just have to stay on your game and you never know what’s going to happen.” With a win in hand, she’ll await her final group match to come against Elina Svitolina on Thursday that would determine if she could return to repeat as champion.

Hurricanes surge to beat Red Wings 3-1

Micheal Ferland #79 of the Carolina Hurricanes celebrates his second period goal with teammates Sebastian Aho #20, Justin Williams #14 and Valentin Zykov #73 during an NHL game against the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena on October 22, 2018 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Dave Reginek/NHLI via Getty Images)

The Carolina Hurricanes refused to drop another game Monday night. What began as a massive surge in scoring chances and shots on goal ended with them overwhelming the Detroit Red Wings in a 3-1 win at Little Caesars Arena. They took 39 shots and silenced their opponents to 21 snapping a three-game losing streak while putting the Red Wings back on one.

A first victory for the Red Wings changed the way the team looked at going forward coming back home. With three games on home ice, it gave Detroit a shot to create a winning streak facing a familiar face with the Hurricanes who are on a three-game slide of their own. Mrazek comes back carrying a 1-2-1 record to start against his former team and try to turn his new one around.  A home loss to the Colorado Avalanche sent them north for a brief trip before returning back where they would either put Detroit back on the losing side or keep theirs going.

They spent time getting pucks on Detroit netminder Jimmy Howard but he and his defense did work to clear the puck away from the crease and create opportunities. Those didn’t come right away as Carolina gained a hold of the puck in the neutral zone. After six minutes, the Red Wings had yet to get a shot on Mrazek while Carolina recorded five shots. They raised it to nine after eight and a half minutes where they received a chance to score on the power play.

The Hurricanes notched two on Howard but he and the Detroit PK unit covered their shooting lines to kill their eighth straight. Detroit still hadn’t recorded a shot giving Carolina way too much puck possession. Dennis Cholowski finally got Detroit on the board with 6:30 to go as he took a centering shot that Mrazek made the stop on the right leg pad. Two more followed to get them into action before a shot from Justin Abdelkader who was well ahead of the play went up to Mrazek only to miss on the scoring chance.

The Red Wings were getting into the groove with four minutes to play but the leverage laid heavily with the Hurricanes. They gained another power play that went their way on an attempt to clear the puck. As Trevor Daley cleared it from behind the net to the far end, Justin Faulk got on it, made a pass before getting it back where he rifled one in for his first ending the Red Wings long killing streak. When 20 minutes completed, Carolina had successfully outshot the Red Wings 21-6 and had the goal to prove their recent achievement.

They picked up right where they left off putting together some terrific scoring chances. One of them came from Sebastian Aho who pulled off a fake pass before firing it at Howard who barely made the save. Howard was keeping his team in it as they again struggled to get pucks to the net. By the time seven minutes had elapsed, the Hurricanes were up 8-2 on shots to the net showing their need to win.

They tested the Red Wings PK for a third time scoring another goal on the man advantage where a shot from Michael Ferland in the slot notched his sixth. Aho got the assist giving him 14 points on a nine-game streak. With the confidence higher than ever for Carolina, they had Detroit right where they wanted them halfway through the second. Detroit never found a way to jumpstart their offense as they were outdueled through the remainder of the period blowing two power plays, but didn’t give up any further goals.

With the third still to play, it left the Red Wings with one last chance to overcome the deficit and bring together a victory. Detroit struggled to get started in the period as Carolina defended their lead. They also struggled to get pucks back at Howard but they weren’t being produced. Time was falling off the clock leaving Detroit will little option to get on the scoreboard and prevent a shutout. After 52 minutes of being blanked, the Red Wings made it happen with Andreas Athanasiou scoring his third of the year on one-timer from Tomas Vanek where he shot the puck at point blank range.

They got a third chance on the man advantage to try and level the score but Carolina’s defense on special teams came up big to keep their lead alive. Right before Howard was about to be pulled to give Detroit six men, the Hurricanes suffered a penalty for delay of game putting them down a man for the rest of regulation. The Red Wings took a timeout to try and force overtime with a 6 on 4 situation. It didn’t work out for them as Carolina had the push to speed ahead of Detroit and get to the empty net.

Scoring their third was Jordan Martinook for his third that brought an end to the game with the Hurricanes being the complete dominant. They showed great skills on special teams while being very competitive on the faceoff dot that stood out as one of their main traits on the night. With the loss being one big step backwards, the Red Wings would accept it and move into the week prepare for a Friday night match against the Winnipeg Jets.