Collins defeats Kasatkina to capture Mubadala Silicon Valley Championship in a three set victory

8-8-21-SAN JOSE-DANIELLE COLLINS POSES WITH HER CHAMPIONSHIP TROPHY TALKING TO THE MEDIA AFTER HER THREE SETS VICTORY OVER DARIA KASATKINA TO WIN THE MUBADALA SILICON VALLEY CLASSIC FINALS. Courtesy of Sports Radio Service.

by Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE—Danielle Collins is living up on cloud nine.

The American came into San Jose on fire, winning the Palermo Open, and left town scorching as she defeated Russia’s Daria Kasatkina in an emotional three-sets victory 6-3 6-7 (11-9) 6-1 to conclude the 50th anniversary of the Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic on Sunday afternoon at the San Jose State Tennis Complex.

It is the second straight tournament championship for Collins as well as the second of her career.

It has not been all beds of roses for Collins in 2021. The 27-year old budding tennis star had surgery back in April for endometriosis. The condition is where cells like the ones in the lining of the womb grow elsewhere in the body. It caused her too much physical agony.

“Before my surgery, I was having to pull out of so many tournaments because of what I was dealing with my endometriosis,”, said Collins. “Now that I’m feeling better, it’s hard for me to think back to all of the weeks and days and months of having to deal with that. Always having to work around my training, always having to take stuff for (the pain) and not have it get any better. So I’m just trying to embrace every moment of feeling good.”

Collins broke serve in the first set when she was up 4-3 and used that momentum to close out the set.

In the second set Kasatkina was down 5-3 and ended up breaking serve at 4-4. However Collins rallied to tie it up at 6-6, sending the second set in an epic tiebreaker.

The tiebreaker went back and forth with neither player budging. A couple times during the tiebreaker Collins became frustrated with fans cheering before the point was over. Kasatkina seized the moment and ended up winning the tiebreaker 11-9 to force the deciding third set.

In the third set, Collins regained her form and was able to control the final seven games as Kasatkina looked to be running on fumes the rest of the way.

“I did get the sense that (with) my tactics I was doing the right thing,” said Collins. I did feel I was wearing her down a little bit. I was really persistent, (saying to myself) I got this. “

Collins had Kasatkina running up and down the court throughout the entire match and it proved to be too much for Kasatkina.

“She started up 2-0 in the beginning (of the third set),” said Kasatkina. “When (your) opponent is winning game by game in the third set and you already pretty tired, then yes it seems like the life is leaving your body.”

When asked after all she has been through with her physical well being, if she thought she would be a two-time winner this year, Collins would have never envisioned her recent success.

“It wasn’t even a thought in my brain. Honestly, one of my goals was to win a tournament this year. To now win two, it’s been…incredible. It’s still hard to comprehend that I’ve won two (tournaments) back to back. Like I said yesterday, that wouldn’t have been possible months ago, years ago. To be able to just know I can physically go out on the court and play with this type of stamina, this endurance, it means so much to me,” Collins said.

For her effort, Collins takes home the grand prize of $67,570 out of the total prize money of $565,530.

The team of Croatia’s Daria Jurak and Slovenia’s Andreja Klepac defeated the Brazilian-Canadian team of Luisa Stefani and Gabriela Dubrowski in straight sets 6-1 7-5 to capture the doubles championship earlier in the afternoon.

The Balkan duo dominated the first sets only losing one game to Stefani and Dubrowski. They had a first serve percentage of 73.3% and 10 out of 11 first serve points to cruise to the open set win.

“We were really hungry to win this tournament,” said Klepac. “Hungry to win the finals. I am happy with our performance.”

In the second set, Stefani and Dubrowski went up 5-4 and were on the verge of forcing the deciding tiebreaker third set. However, Jurak and Klepac broke serve and were able to finish off their opponents winning the last three games of the match and collect their trophies.

“Andeja (Klepac) was saying keep on going,” said Jurak. “Believe it can turn around. We can break them (on serve) again and that’s exactly what happened. We believed we could win even when we have some of the hiccups. I mean you’re human beings, it can happen.”

Jurak and Klepac compared their on court relationship to a husband and wife, when explaining how well their chemistry works.

“Well we’ve spent a lot of time together. “And I’m very demanding person. I want it too badly sometimes. She (Klepac) knows how to deal with it. That’s a huge deal for me. It’s like a marriage. When the woman says to the man, ‘ok shut up now I now understand!’. You know, she’s doing this to me. That’s how it goes (when you’re playing) in doubles,” Jurak said.

The team takes home $25,230 for winning the championship.

The Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic returns next year to the San Jose State University Tennis Complex in 2022 from August 1st-7th.

Collins storms her way into the MSVC finals in straight sets to highlight semifinals action

8-7-21—SAN JOSE DANIELLE COLLINS RETURNS A BALL FOR A POINT DURING HER SEMIFINALS MATHUP SHE WON IN STRAIGHT SETS TO ADVANCE TO THE FINALS AT THE MUBADALA SILICON VALLEY CLASSIC ON SATURDAY EVENING. Courtesy of Sports Radio Service.

by Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE—Danielle Collins is on a mission.

The number seventh only needed 52 minutes to dispose of Croatia’s Ana Konjuh in a straight sets victory 6-0 6-2 on Saturday evening at the Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic at the San Jose State University Tennis Complex.

This will be Collins’ second final this season as she won the Palermo Open last month. Collins will be seeking her second straight championship and second of her career when she takes to the court on Sunday afternoon.

Collins, who won the first nine games and the last four of the match, had her serve working well for her with a 70% first serve percentage. What was even more impressive was her winning 16 out of 17 second return points.

“I think that’s one of the strengths in my game, said the 27-year native of St. Petersburg, Florida. “I usually have a pretty descent percentage of points won on their second serve because of how aggressive I play. So I try to use that as one of my weapons. I try to be relentless about it.”

On the opposite end, nothing went well for Konjuh who struggled with her first serve and return game, having six double faults and only winning 30% of her total points.

The 25-year old Croatian had an impressive run at the tournament. Konjuh came in as a wild card having to earn her way through the qualifying round. She won five of the six matches, the most played by any player this week, she participated in and said she will take away the positives she earn during her time in San Jose.

“For sure it was a good week for me,” said Konjuh. “I came here as a qualifier and didn’t expect much. I secured my place in the top 100 at the end of year, so I did what I came here to do. It’s a boost of confidence for me to do well even though I haven’t been playing that well “

In the other semifinal, number four seeded Daria Kasatkina cruised her way into the final after a straight sets victory over top seed Elise Mertens 6-3 6-2.

Kasatkina played with poise and patience throughout the match. She had timely returns that had Mertens guessing wrong on a few occasions. She broke serve twice in the second set and finished off the match winning the final three games in a row.

“During the game I’m studying the play,” said Kasatkina. “Whether I have to go for the big shot or to put more pressure that is what I will do. If I see my opponent is tense, I will play it accordingly. Every thing depends on a certain moment, also what the score is as well. And that is how I’ve played since I was a kid.”

Kasatkina utilized her serve during the match. She finished with four aces, a first serve percentage of 76.9% and won 82.5% of her first serve points.

Mertens struggle with her serve during both sets. She finished with seven double faults and only had a first serve percentage of 52.8%. Frustration grew for the 25-year native of Leuven, Belgium as her return game suffered, having only won seven out of 40 (17.5%) first return points.

“I felt like my legs were a little bit heavier (today),” said Mertens. “The energy was a little bit lower, I had a tough one (match) yesterday. She (Kasatkina) was hitting her spots. Her serve was doing well. I really wanted to win this one too but I couldn’t change it around.”

The Balkan team of Daria Jurak and Andreja Klepac defeated the American duo of Cathy McNally and Coco Vandeweghe in the first semifinal in straight sets 7-6 (7-2) 7-6 (8-6) as both sets went to a tiebreaker.

Klepac and Durak jumped ahead in each set only to have McNally and Vandeweghe rally back each time to force the tiebreaker. In the first tiebreaker the Croatian-Slovenian team of Klepac and Durak easily handed the Americans winning the first tiebreaker 7-2. Then in the second tiebreaker the teams went back and forth, each scoring four unanswered points. Klepac-Durak finished the match winning the final two point to punch their ticket to the final on Sunday.

Gabriela Dabrowski and Luisa Stefani defeated Ellen Perez and Kveta Pesche in a three-sets victory 6-3 4-6 10-8 to secure the final spot in the doubles finals.

Singles Finals matchup:

Daria Kasatkina vs Danielle Collins at 4:00pm.

Collins outlasts Rybankina highlighting quarterfinal play at the Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic

SAN JOSE-8-6-21 CROATIA’S ANA KONJUH WINS A POINT AGAINST CHINA’S ZHANG SHUAI IN HER QUARTERFINALS MATCH SHE WON IN THREE SETS TO ADVANCE TO THE SEMIFINALS OF THE MUBADALA SILICON VALLEY CLASSIC ON SATURDAY. Courtesy of Sports Radio Service

by Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE–Danielle Collins keep on rolling along.

Collins defeated Russian Elena Rybakina in straight sets 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (7-4) in an intense quarterfinal matchup on Day 5 at the Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic at the San Jose State University Tennis Complex.

Collins over came blistering serves by Rybakina (her highest was 119mph) and played her game to eventually outlast Rybakina in both tiebreakers.

The match featured multiple long rallies in both sets that worked to Collin’s advantage.

“I had to be patient and at certain times I had to tell myself to be more aggressive here, don’t be as passive. Don’t be afraid to go for it. So yeah trying to work each point very tacitly and keep her guessing,” Collins said.

For Rybakina, she takes away a learning experience from her first MSVC tournament.

“I think it was good preparation for (me playing) in the next tournament,” said Rybakina. “It was the first time (I had to deal with a) time difference of 16 hours (coming from Tokyo). For now I need more matches, more experience.”

Wild card sensation Ana Konjuh of Croatia kept her magical run going with her three-sets defeat 3-6 6-2 6-0 over China’s Zhang Shuai in her quarterfinal match earlier in the afternoon.

Zhang jumped out early in the first set as she won 67% of her first serve points won and four out of five break points saved.

“I tried to play aggressive,” said Zhang. “But it did not work out. I made a lot of mistakes. She (Konjuh) had a very good serve and it was tough to return. Tough to win points out there.”

Konjuh opened the second set with two straights win. Zhang closed the gap to 2-3 before the 23-year old native of Dubrovnik finished the match winning the last nine games in a row to punch her ticket to the semifinals on Saturday.

“I had this match under control in a sense,” said Konjuh. “I knew I had to keep my serves that was the big key. I didn’t let her win any games that she didn’t really deserve.”

Konjuh’s used her powerful serve as her main weapon against Zhang. Konjuh finished with eight aces and a first serve percentage of 64.4%.

“I knew she (Zhang) couldn’t be aggressive if I actually put more of my first serve in (play). Just making sure I was in charge of the points in the beginning.”

It helped to have family in the stands for Konjuh, who has cousin living in the South Bay area, in having a bit of a home court advantage.

“It feels awesome. Just to have the fans back in the stands for the atmosphere again. Putting on a show for them, it’s really nice, especially with my family there as well. They’ve been kind of a good luck charm (for me) this week,” Konjuh said.

Russia’s Daria Kasatkina defeated Poland’s Magda Linette in a fierce three-set victory 6-4 3-6 6-4 to clinch her way into the semifinals on Saturday.

Kasatkina had her serve working well in the first set. Linette evened it up in the second set using her speed and a strong return game. Down 1-3 in the third set, the 24-year old native of Russia, rallied back to go up 5-4 and was able to close out the match.

“It was a tough match,” said Kasatkina. “Every set was a different story. It was a very tense moments at the end of the third set and I was happy I was better at the end in that moment.”

Linette admits her downfall in the match was too many mistakes in the third set.

“I just made too many mistakes there and let her (Kasatkina) come back,” said Linette. “She (Kasatkina) was changing the rhythm a lot, but I dont think the balls were, in many cases, as difficult for me to not set up my legs. I think I was too lazy with my left shoulder, too slow. My balls didn’t have as much quality (on them) as my previous matches.”

Kasatkina felt more confident after tying the score at 3-3 in the third set.

“When the score changed from 1-3 to 3-3, from that point I started to feel much better (about my game). As we say in Russian, ‘my plate’. I felt I was back and if I made another step forward I would have my chances to close out the match,” Kasatkina said.

Elise Mertens had to battle hard for every point she earned against Yulia Putintseva in a straight sets victory 6-3 7-6 (10-8).

Mertens was in total control only losing three games in the first set. In the second set, Putintseva came on strong and forced Mertens into numerous mishits during the set.

It looked like Putintseva was going to force a third set when she broke serve to even the set at 5-5 and then went up 6-5. However, Mertens never say die attitude forced the 6-6 tiebreaker.

In the tiebreaker, Putintseva had three set point chances to put away Mertens but each time the 25-year old Belgian came back to even the tiebreaker before eventually winning the last two points to win the tiebreaker 10-8 and the match.

“I think it was a little bit of change at the end,” said Mertens. “She (Putintseva) had some set points. I think keeping my serve in. The first serve was very important. I wanted to win so badly, I wanted to win in two sets. So I really had to go for it.”

Putintseva credited Mertens with having a really good serve during the match.

“She had a good serve. So every time she serves she has an advantage. I think (playing) the baseline is more of my game. Her game is to build it up, three of four shots, (play) aggressive) and my game is to stay there for every point and get into long rallies as long as I can,” Putintseva said.

Mertens is now 2-1 against Putintseva as the two squared off twice against each other in 2020. Mertens will face off against Kastkina in the first semifinal on Saturday.

In doubles actions the Croatian/Slovenian team of Andreja Kelpac and Daria Jurak defeated the Great Britain/American team of Tara Moore and Emna Bektas in straight sets 6-2 6-3 to advanced to the semifinals on Saturday.

The Canadian/Brazilian team of Gabriela Dabrowski and Luisa Stefani beat the young American duo of Ashlyn Krueger and Robin Montgomery in straight sets 6-4 6-2 to have their place in the semifinals.

Saturday’s singles semifinals matchup:

Elise Mertens vs Daria Kasatkina at 3:00pm

Ana Konjuh vs Danielle Collins at 6:00pm

Collins takes down Stephens in three set classic to highlight Day 4 of the Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic

8-5-21—DANIELLE COLLINS RETURNS A SERVE DURING HER THREE SETS VICTORY OVER SLOANE STEPHENS ON MONDAY EVENING AT THE MUBADALA SILICON VALLEY CLASSIC. Courtesy of Sports Radio Service

by Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE–Danielle Collins is not afraid to be emotional on a tennis court.

She rode a wave of emotion in coming back from a one set deficit to defeat Sloane Stephens in a three set victory 3-6 6-4 6-3 that was the crescendo of Day 4 at the Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic at the San Jose State University Tennis Complex.

Stephens seized the momentum early when she won five straight games, three to finish off the first set and the first two of set two. Collins then turned the tables and won the next three to gain the momentum on her side.

“It was a really hard fight,” said Collins after the match. “I just really had to lock in to what I was doing. Take it point by point because it was hard at times, mentally and physically.”

Collins became emotional during the second set being upset at herself when she hit the net or hit a ball out of bounds. She then used that same emotion to win three straight games after the third set was tied at 2-2. Screaming at the crowd after each point she won, firing herself up as she closed out the match.

“Sometimes I get really locked in and I’m not doing that. And then I realized in the third set I’m like oh ok, I’m getting really fired up now. Where was this in the second set or even some of the points in the first set. I guess when it really matter I was able to get myself fired up” Collins said.

Number one seed Elise Mertens of Belgium defeated France’s Kristina Mladenovic in a difficult three set battle 6-2 4-6 6-4 to advance to the quarterfinals on Friday.

After cruising through the first set only losing two games, Mertens faced a challenging test from Mladenovic who battled to even the match after going ahead 4-3 in the second set.

Mertens relied on her ability of having a strong return game. Mertens was able to outlast her opponent as she finished off the match winning the last two games.

“I think in the second set she (Mladenovic) started to fill the ball a little bit better. I just tried to struggle through. I think it was important to win the last ball and just keep fighting like I did today and hopefully my level (of play) will be a bit higher tomorrow.”

Second seeded Elena Rybakina of Russia need one set to get going before dispatching American Claire Liu in a three-set victory 2-6 6-0 6-2 victory finishing off the afternoon portion of the schedule.

Rybakina powered her way past Lui in the last two sets with huge serves that were to hot too handle for Lui. Rybakina fastest serve hit 116mph on the radar gun and she averaged over 100mph throughout the match.

“The serve was much better in the second set and third (set),” said Rybakina. “In the second set I focused a bit more on my serve. Overall it was a good match, a good win for me. I’m looking forward to the next one.”

Rybakina takes on Collins in the featured evening quarterfinal match on Friday at 7:00pm.

In the opening match of the day Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva won a hard fought three-sets battle over Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic 3-6-7-4 6-3.

Putintseva played with lots of emotion during the match. After losing the first set in which saw Tomljanovic take control early in the set, Putintseva used a combination of her patent drop shot and strong backhand to keep Tomljanovic running up and down the court.

No one broke serve in the second set until Putintseva did it at 5-5. The next two games featured good rallies with both games going back and forth before Putintseva was able to even the match.

“It was so close,” said Tomljanovic regarding the tightly battle second set. “I had so many chances to break in that second (set). It was a 40-love game at four all. She played well, but (the) little things made the difference.”

In the third set Putintseva was relentless with her backhand and never looked back after going up 5-2. Despite being frustrated with herself and with the crowd at times (she paused her serve during the third set to yell at the crowd “Shut up!”), she kept the pressure on Tomljanovic, which proved to be too much for the Aussie.

“It seems like a bad week but I played some good tennis and I can definitely take a lot of positives out of today. It’s the first tournament in the US Open swing so I’m not going to dwell too long (over the loss) and I don’t have time to anyway. So I want to get back out there next week (in Montreal) and take what I did and turn it into a positive,” Tomljanovic said.

In doubles action, the American duo of Coco Vandeweghe and Cathy McNally defeated the Russian/Ukrainian team of Valeria Savinykh and Dayana Yastremska as Yastemska retired due to a medical condition. McNally and Vandeweghe were leading 6-4 6-5 at the time. They earned a spot in the doubles semifinals.

Friday’s Singles Quarterfinals Lineup: Matches begin at 11:00am

Daria Kasatkina vs Magda Linette

Elise Mertens vs Yulia Putintseva

Ana Konjuh vs Shuai Zhang at 4:30pm

Daniel Collins/Sloane Stephens vs Elena Rybakina at 7:00pm

Zhang outlasts Keys in wild finish at Day 3 of the Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic

8-4-21–ZHANG SHUAI OF CHINA REACTS TO A POINT SHE WON IN HER STRAIGHT SETS VICTORY 7-5 7-6 OVER AMERICAN MADISON KEYS ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT AT THE MUBADALA SILICON VALLEY CLASSIC AT THE SAN JOSE STATE UNIVERSITY TENNIS COMPLEX. Courtesy of Sports Radio Service.

by Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE–It’s not every day a match ends on a challenge call.

That’s how Zhang Shuai was able to claim a straight sets victory 7-5 7-6 (7-5) over third seeded Madison Keys in the featured evening match on Day 3 at the Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic at the San Jose State University Tennis Complex.

With the second set tied at 6-6 and in a tiebreaker, Zhang was up 6-4 when Keys returned a shot down the left sideline that was called in. Zhang challenged and the replay showed the shot was indeed out and the call was overturned giving Zhang the tough fought victory.

Zhang’s return game was her key weapon against Keys, whose powerful serve (the highest was clocked at 112 mph) kept her in the match.

Zhang’s challenges also affected the outcome of the first set. Keys won two games in a row to tie it up at 5-5 and seize the momentum. However back-to-back errant calls by the same linesmen resulted in overturn calls that Zhang challenged and won. Her challenges allowed her to regain the momentum and finish off the first set.

“I think I was really really lucky,” said Zhang, who had won five of her six challenges during the match. “I felt those calls were in and maybe if I don’t challenge, then I lose the set 7-5 or 7-6.”

Keys was plagued by numerous unforced errors in the second set. The native of Rock Island, Illinois, who opened up the second set winning four of the first five games, thought she didn’t not play her best tennis on this evening.

“To lose kind of on a really close call sucks,” said Keyes after the match. “But like I said, I gave it everything (I had) and kept fighting till the end. That’s all you really can do when your tennis (game) isn’t a 100 percent there.”

Zhang is now 5-2 in her career against Keys.

Ana Konjuh continued her climb up through the tournament. She entered the tournament as a wild card and now has played her well in the quarterfinals on Friday after her straight sets 6-1 6-4 victory over ninth seeded American Alison Riske.

“I really love it here (in San Jose),” said Konjuh. “I have family here, my cousins (who live here), so it’s not really all about tennis. I get to have dinners with them, (I’m able) to get my mind off of things. So it’s really nice to be back here.”

The 23-year native of Dubrovnik, Croatia, used a powerful serve and a strong backhand to control of the first set as she only lost one game. The second set featured more a battle as Riske didn’t go down quietly as she held serve at 5-4.

In the end, Konjuh was too much to handle for Riske who played well at this year’s tournament.

“I think the key was to play on her forehand, her high balls today. So I had to include my forehand as well. She made some mistakes in the first set but overall I played the match pretty well,” Konjuh said.

In other singles action, Poland’s Magda Linette defeated sixth seeded Petra Martic of Croatia in straight sets 7-5 7-6 (7-5) in an entertaining opening match the started the day off.

Fourth seeded Daria Kasatkina of Russia defeated France’s Caroline Garcia in three sets 3-6 7-5 6-3. Kasatkina and Linette advanced to the quarterfinals on Friday.

Youth ruled in doubles action on Day 3. The American duo of Ashlyn Krueger and Robin Montgomery made history in their straight sets victory 6-3 6-2 over the Netherlands team of Pattinama Kerkhove and Rosalie Van Der Hoek. The teenage sensations became the youngest duo to ever play at the tournament. Their combined age of 34 years, 192 days (Krueger is 17 years old and Robinson is 16 years old) set the new mark that used to belong to the American duo of Mary Joe Fernandez and Marianne Werdel-Witmeyer that had a combined age of 34 years, 301 days. They are the youngest to compete at a tour event since 2020.

In other doubles action, the American Duo of Cathy McNally and Coco Vandeweghe defeated the team of Erin Routliffe of New Zealand and Aldila Sutjiadi of Indonesia in three sets 6-4 1-6 10-5.

Gabriela Dabrowski of Canada and Luisa Stefani of Brazil defeated American Kaitlyn Christian and Australian Arina Rodionova in three sets 7-5 3-6 12-10. Ellen Perez of Australia and Czech Republic’s Kveta Peschke defeated the team of Elixane Lechemia of France and American Ingrid Neel in straight sets 6-3 6-2.

All-American evening session highlights Day 2 at the Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic

8-3-21—SLOANE STEPHENS WINS A POINT DURING HER STRAIGHT SETS VICTORY OVER CATHY MCNALLY DURING THE EVENING MATCH AT THE MUBADALA SILICON VALLEY CLASSIC ON TUESDAY EVENING. Courtesy of Sports Radio Service

by Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE–Sloane Stephens was down in an early hole in the first set and then won the next eight games in a row as she cruised to victory over Catherine McNally in the featured evening match on Day 2 of the Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic at the San Jose State Tennis Complex.

Stephens beat McNally in straight sets 6-4 6-2 in an all American showdown that was the crescendo of an eventful day two in the South Bay.

Stephens looked sluggish getting down 0-4 early to McNally to begin the match. However she rebounded well and got her game going by winning the next eight games in a row, six to win the first set and then the first two games of the second set before McNally regrouped and won the next two.

Stephens looked sharp in the final four games to wrap up the match and head into the second round on Thursday.

“Obviously at the beginning it wasn’t what I wanted to do,” Stephens said regarding her slow start. “Once I got going and the rallies started going my way, I was able to execute my plan. Things got easier. I found a way to counter.”

Stephens was familiar with the Bay Area, even though it had been nine years since set stepped foot on a Bay Area tennis court. Originally from Fresno, Sloane’s stepfather, who’s from the area, would bring Sloane up to the area to play in tournaments when she was younger.

“We used to come up here a lot to play. I have really great memories of playing here. My favorite barbecue restaurant is here. I have a lot of family here and obviously the fans I haven’t seen in a long time. I’m just happy to be back,” Sloane said.

Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic came from behind to defeat American Amanda Anisimova in a three set-thriller 1-6 7-5 7-5. Down 5-4 in the second set, Tomljanovic broke serve to tie even the score. She went on to win the next two games to even the match at one set a piece.

Once again the 28 year old Croatian-Australian was down in the deciding 5-3 and managed to storm back winning the final four games to take the match and move on to the second round on Thursday.

“(Being down) in the hole 5-3 (in the third set) was big for me,” said Tomljanovic. “It was a tough game. She had some chances (to close out the match) and I knew that she was going to have serve it up there. And I have broken her a few times (during the match). I actually played a good return game. I definitely had the momentum after that.”

Earlier in the day Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva defeated Croatia’s Donna Vekic in straight sets 7-5 6-3. Putintseva played a strong game using her drop shot as a deadly weapon against Vekic, who could do nothing but admire the play from the 26-year born in Moscow, Russia.

Vekic had many unforced errors, including three double faults, and could not find a rhythm throughout the two sets.

“It was a tough match, she played well,” said the 25 year old Croatian. “I don’t think I played too bad. It’s just in the important points, I didn’t play too well and she took advantage of that.”

Vekic did not use fatigue as a possible factor for her loss as an excuse. She had just finished playing in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics for her home country and flew in from a long flight to San Jose shortly after her time at the Olympics was over.

“I would say I was ready to play today. I didn’t feel tired before the match, I was good to go. It’s just that’s how the schedule goes,” Vekic said.

In other singles action, Kristina Mladenovic of France defeated Korea’s Na-Lee Han in straight sets 6-4 6-4. American Claire Liu beat Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska in three sets 6-3 4-6 6-4 .

Danielle Collins defeated fellow American Shelby Rogers in straight sets 6-4 6-3 to close out the final match of the evening.

In doubles action, the team of Eri Hozumi (JPN) and Zhang Shuai (CHN) defeated the American team of Makena Jones and Elizabeth Scotty in three sets 6-1 3-6 (10-3). The team of American Emina Bektas and Great Britian’s Tara Moore defeated the other American duo of Peyton Stearns and Maribella Zamarripa in three sets 6-4 1-6 (12-10).

Zhang dominates Raducanu in feature match on Day 1 at the Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic

8-2-21—ZHANG SHUAI WINS A POINT DURING HIS MATCH AGAINST EMMA RADUCANU AT THE MUBADALA SILICON VALLEY CLASSIC ON MONDAY EVENING AT THE SAN JOSE STATE UNIVERISTY TENNIS COMPLEX. Courtesy of Sports Radio Service.

by Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE–The Mumbadala Silicon Valley Classic returned to the San Jose State University Tennis Complex for 2021 on Monday after a year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The feature match during the evening was one that crossed the generations. Zhang Shuai of China ,who is 32 years of age, went up against 18-year old sensation Emma Raducanu of the United Kingdom.

Zhang dominated the match winning in straight sets 6-3 6-2 as she proved to be too much for the future face of women’s tennis in Raducanu.

“I still think I’m at the very beginning of my journey,” said Raducanu after the match. “Every opportunity I get, I’m very grateful for because I feel like I’m constantly learning. I just wanted to to enjoy the moment while I was out there and to keep enjoying what I’m doing.”

Raducanu took the world by storm last month at Wimbledon as she advanced to the fourth only to have withdraw from her match with Ajla Tomljanovic due to a medical condition that forced her to retire. She had trouble keeping up with the strong volleys from Zhang throughout the match.

“Emma she played really well,” Zhang said after the match. “For me, I just played my game. I tried to open the court (up). If I had a chance come to the net (and be aggressive). I was very lucky, everything went right (for me) today.”

Raducanu, who came into the tournament as one of the two wild cards in the main draw, says she is just at the start of what looks to be a promising career as this was just her second WTA tournament. She loved being the fan favorite during the match.

“It’s an amazing experience to be honest. The fans were so supportive, I was loving it, all of their support. Especially here in the (United) States where it’s not the home (crowd) support, I was really appreciative.”

In a battle of two Americans, Alison Riske defeated Coco Vandeweghe in straight sets 6-3 6-4 in the final match of day play. Riske won nine games in a row after losing the first three games to start the match.

Vandeweghe, despite her strong serve, wasn’t able to overcome her unforced errors that had her talking to herself at times. Riske took advantage and was able to keep momentum on her side.

“I played a sloppy first service game ,” said Riske. “I thought ‘oh no here we go’. I was really happy how I rebounded and stayed true to the game plan. It kind of unfolded really quickly for me and honestly I’m just grateful to have gotten the win.”

Riske used her double-backhand as her main weapon throughout the match. She held serve to finish off her victory in just under an hour and a half.

“Yeah my backhand (shot) has been my ride or die for my career. I’m definitely comfortable hitting it,” Riske said.

In earlier singles matches during the day time 33rd ranked Petra Martic of Croatia defeated Lativa’s Anastasija Sevastova in straight sets 6-3 6-3 to advance to the round of 16.

Poland’s Magda Linette beat Lesley Pattinama Kerkhove of the Netherlands in straight sets 6-3 6-3 and Croatia’s Ana Konjuh won a spirited three-set battle with Czech Republic’s Marie Bouzkova 7-5 3-6 7-5.

The last match of the evening had Caroline Garcia of France end the Cinderella run of American Emina Bektas in straight sets 6-3 6-4. Betkas earned her way to the main draw after winning two matches in the qualifying tournament. The former University of Michigan standout until early in the morning this past Saturday after a illness to Catherine McNally freed up a spot for her to participate in the qualifying tournament.

In doubles play, the team of Darija Jurak (CRO) and Andreja Klepac (SLO) defeated the team of American Amanda Anisimova and Russian Anastasia Potapova 6-3 5-7 (10-8).

Headline Sports podcast with Jessica Kwong: All eyes on LeBron to take the Lakers to the promise land; Broncos has no intention to sign Kaepernick; plus more

LeBron James leads the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals against the Miami Heat which started on Wednesday night in the bubble at Disney World in Bradenton Fl. Here he exchanges words with game officials during the NBA Western Conference Finals against the Denver Nuggets Sep 26, 2020 (AP News photo)

On Headline Sports podcast with Jessica:

#1 Jessica taking a look at the NBA Finals game 1 was on Wednesday night in the bubble at Bradenton Fl at the Disney World bubble the odds makers have the Los Angeles Lakers favored in the series as they defeated the Miami Heat 116-98.

#2 Despite there’s no fans for the Finals is there any kind of advantage for the Miami Heat playing in Florida for the Finals.

#3 A sonic boom shook up the French Open on Monday, the boom startled fans, players and those working the Open thinking it was an explosion or fireworks nearby.

#4 The Denver Broncos have no intention of bringing former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick on board with the team according to Broncos head coach Vic Fangio Kaepernick’s name hasn’t come up in discussions and Fangio and team general manager John Elway look for someone else “who will be a the best fit.” Does this look like collusion is still in effect against Kaepernick?

#5 No one expected the San Francisco Giants to amount to anything close to a post season team and while the Giants just missed making the last and final eighth spot in the National League Wild Card race by one game they weren’t expected to compete for a playoff position during the 60 game regular season and so the Giants manager Gabe Kapler’s name has been floated for National League manager of the Year how do you see his chances to get the award?

Join Jessica every other Thursday for Headline Sports at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Headline Sports with Barbara Mason: 49ers-Chiefs expected to be a toss up; Osaka favored to win Australian Open; plus more

mercurynews.com photo: Terry Bradshaw, left, concludes the NFC Championship trophy presentation as San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo (10), George Kittle (85), Raheem Mostert (31), Richard Sherman (25) an head coach Kyle Shanahan along with their family members celebrate their NFC Championship after defeating the Green Bay Packers 37-20 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Sunday, Jan. 19, 2020.

On Headline Sports with Barbara:

#1 The San Francisco 49ers dominated the Green Bay Packers in November and they did it again on Sunday with a 37-20 win

#2 The Kansas City Chiefs can be tough customers and with quarterback Pat Mahomes you can’t underestimate him on any given Sunday

#3 The Super Bowl draw millions and this one will be no different and this game is expected to be a toss up between the 49ers and Chiefs

#4 In the Australian Open on Sunday and won again on Tuesday, defending champion Naomi Osaka went 6-2, 6-4, to go onto defeat Marie Bouzkova on day one. Osaka faced Saisai Zheng in the second round.

#5 The Cal Bears and the Stanford Cardinal men’s teams tip off on Sunday at Haas Pavilion for Pac 12 basketball. The Bears are coming off two tough loses to USC and UCLA meanwhile the Cardinal lost to USC and beat UCLA

Barbara Mason hosts Headline Sports each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Zheng takes down Sabalenka in straight sets to win first title at Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic

By Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE, Calif. — A Cinderella story had a fairy tale ending in the final of the Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic for Saisai Zheng. Playing in her first Premiere-level final, the Chinese native captured her first single’s title beating Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets 6-3 7-6 (7-3) on Sunday afternoon at the San Jose State Tennis Center.

Like she had been doing all week in the tournament to her opponents, Zheng forced Sabalenka to play her style of game and not let Sabalenka be able to use her power and get into a rhythm on the court. Her strategy in playing the no pace, high backhand volleys kept Sabalenka from utilizing her strong forehand volleys against her. Zheng cruised to a 6-3 opening set win.

In the second set, Zheng jumped out to a 2-0 lead and looked to be in control. However, a frustrated Sabalenka (at one point let out a primal scream during the fourth game after one of her many unforced errors) harnessed her emotions in winning the next three games for her only lead of the set.

While Sabalenka was losing her cool (throwing and back kicking her racket on separate occasions), Zheng kept calm throughout the match. She was able to thwart anything Sabalenka threw at her regaining the lead 4-3 the next two games. The set would go back and forth to the tie-breaker where Sabalenka’s unforced errors were too much for her to overcome. A double fault on match point sealed the deal for Zheng and she was able to celebrate her first championship in front of a small but enthusiastic crowd after an hour and 46 minutes.

“Obviously you don’t want to play fast fast fast with her,” said Zheng. “She is the best at that. The tactic for me was to put the ball deep, whenever I see some space let her run and if I can, change the slice or high ball. If I give her the same ball, she will hit a winner from any corner.”

The combination of the many unforced errors and eight double faults put Sabalenka in too deep of a hole she couldn’t climb out of.

“I couldn’t control my emotions,” said the 21 year old Belarusian. “I was screaming some (expletive). I was throwing the rackets.  I knew her game, but I wasn’t ready for that (style of play) much. That was my mistake.”

Zheng not only excelled at being able to counter drop shots and shots from up at the net from Sabalenka, but also had a high first-serve percentage finishing 21/29 for a 72% clip.

Zheng credits having a conversation she had with her best friend in China after coming back from Wimbledon where she hadn’t been winning on the tour. It allowed her to refocus her mind and keep things simple and not have high expectations going into tournaments.

“She said to me, ‘You know when you’re not so emotional, you can use your brain and play your best tennis.’ Then I realized I gave myself too much pressure and too much high expectation. This week, I just enjoyed myself, didn’t think too much and played each point. So I really want to thank her for that,” said Zheng.

Zheng, who takes home $151,070 with her win, also thanked her mother for always being there for her throughout her career and her puppy and is excited to see both as she heads to Toronto to play in the Coupe Rogers tournament.

In the doubles final, the Czech-American combo of Kveta Peschke and Nicole Melichar defeated the Japanese duo of Ena Shibahara Shuko Aoyama in straight sets 6-4 6-4.

For Pesche, this was her second consecutive doubles title at the Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic (she won it with Latisha Chan last year). Both her and Melichar were excited to win the tournament this time around.

“It’s an awesome feeling,” said Peschke. “I told Nicki (Melichar) about this tournament already last year. I told her I really loved it and she should come and play in it.”

For the duo, this is already an impressive fourth title together after only playing together over a year and a half ago.

“I am very thrilled,”  said Melichar. “I have the biggest smile on my face. Especially standing next to this lovely lady. To win (with her), it’s just awesome!”

The Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic drew a total of 15,454 fans in attendance for the entire week of matches this year.