On Facebook
On Flipboard
On Twitter
Leylah Fernandez rallied for a 6-7 (7), 6-3, 6-3 victory Monday over 12th-seeded Russian Diana Shnaider on the opening day of the Wuhan Open in China.
The unseeded Canadian rebounded after missing three set points in the opening set. She also survived 10 double faults by converting seven of 13 break chances during the 2-hour, 40-minute match.
Fernandez will meet either Czech Karolina Muchova or Japanese qualifier Moyuka Uchijima in the second round.
The Wuhan Open returns to the WTA calendar for the first time since 2019. No. 1 seed Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus is the two-time defending champion, winning in 2018 and 2019.
World No. 1 Iga Swiatek of Poland withdrew from the WTA 1000 tournament last week after announcing her split with coach Tomasz Wiktorowski.
The other seeded players in action Monday safely advanced. No. 9 Beatriz Haddad Maia of Brazil defeated Madison Keys 7-6 (7), 6-2. No. 10 Anna Kalinskaya of Russia ousted Anna Bondar of Hungary 6-1, 6-3 in 74 minutes. No. 15 Donna Vekic of Croatia rallied for a 3-6, 6-1, 6-3 defeat of Belgium's Elise Mertens.
Poland's Magdalena Frech defeated Japan's Mai Hontama 6-0, 6-4 and will face sixth-seeded Emma Navarro next.
Yue Yuan of China overcame an early stumble for a 1-6, 6-4, 6-2 defeat of France's Clara Burel, setting up a meeting with No. 3 seed Jasmine Paolini of Italy.
Russia's Erika Andreeva knocked out Ukraine's Dayana Yastremska 7-5, 6-4.
China's Xinyu Wang saved all four break points in a 6-4, 6-0 defeat of Caroline Dolehide. Two of Dolehide's fellow Americans had better luck, with Bernarda Pera outlasting Romania's Irina-Camelia Begu 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 and Hailey Baptiste moving past France's Diane Parry 6-4, 7-5.
American Katie Volynets was not as fortunate, falling to Russia's Anastasia Potapova 5-7, 6-3, 7-5 in 2 hours and 45 minutes. Potapova will take on second-seeded Jessica Pegula in the second round.
More must-reads:
- U.S. Open once again raises the bar with record prize money
- How can Coco Gauff improve her subpar service game?
- The 'NBA minutes leaders by season' quiz
Breaking News
Trending News
TODAY'S BEST
How can Coco Gauff improve her subpar service game?
World No. 2 Coco Gauff is a two-time major champion at the tender age of 21, accomplishing all that success despite a flawed service game. In 2024, the American committed 430 double faults in 71 matches, 60 more than the second-placed Marta Kostyuk. A similar trend has persisted in 2025, with Gauff leading the WTA Tour with 250 double faults in 41 outings, 57 more than second-placed Linda Noskova. Those flaws reared their ugly head again at the recent Canadian Open, where she committed a staggering 42 double faults in three matches, including 23 in a first-round win over Danielle Collins — the fifth most in any WTA match in history. As a result, she now holds the unique distinction of serving the fifth-and sixth-most double faults ever. Remarkably, Gauff keeps racking up wins despite her Achilles heel, raising the question: how good could she be if she fixes her serve? Many have tried to dissect the issues in Gauff's serve. Last year, after she committed 19 double faults in a fourth-round loss to Emma Navarro at the U.S. Open, former player Rennae Stubbs publicly criticized Gauff's serving technique during an ESPN broadcast while in the presence of Gauff's former coach, Brad Gilbert. The awkward moment was quickly followed by Gauff firing Gilbert, putting the onus on her new coaches, Matt Daly and Jean-Christophe Faurel, to fix her serve. Predictably, Gauff's new coaching staff has been unable to fix her service game, prompting others to chime in with their opinions. The latest being the legendary Rick Macci, who coached Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Andy Roddick, Maria Sharapova and Jennifer Capriati, among other slam winners, during his active years on the Tour. In a chat with Tennis365, Macci assured that he can fix Gauff's service game within one offseason, citing her second serve — and the muscle memory tied to the stance — as the main issues. "I would have her go to a platform stance, right now she does a pinpoint," he said. "And I'm not saying it's wrong. I mean, [there are] world class servers [who use] pinpoint. But the corrective technique has to jolt the muscle memory, and I gotta re-program the reflexes from the beginning. So, in a platform stance, it'd be like fresh out of the oven. And then from there, the whole timing would be very different, her vertical component would be easier to correct – that means her upward movement." Macci added he can modify Gauff's stance from pinpoint to platform "in one hour," but would still need an offseason to iron out other flaws. Gauff enters the upcoming U.S. Open with little expectation to repeat her heroics from 2023, when she captured her first major title at Flushing Meadows. Following her 2025 French Open victory, she lost in the first round at Berlin and Wimbledon, before being knocked out in the third round by teenager Victoria Mboko in Montreal.
Rory McIlroy's controversial decision leaves PGA Tour 'very concerned'
Seventy players qualified for the first round of the playoffs at the FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis, but only 69 will tee it up at TPC Southwind this week. That's because Rory McIlroy, who ranks second in the FedEx Cup standings behind only Scottie Scheffler, is skipping the first playoff event to prepare for the BMW Championship and Tour Championship. The PGA Tour isn't thrilled with his contentious decision. Peter Malnati, a PGA Tour pro and player director on the PGA Tour Policy Board, told Golfweek he's "very concerned" the new playoff format allows top players in the standings to skip playoff events. "I think there is stuff in the works, and I'll leave it at that," he said. The PGA Tour must make changes because McIlroy won't face any repercussions for skipping the FedEx St. Jude Championship. As the No. 2 player in the FedEx Cup standings entering the postseason, McIlroy is guaranteed to qualify for the Tour Championship. Before this year, he would've been incentivized to improve his spot in the standings because of the advantage the starting strokes format gave the No. 1 player. That's no longer the case. This year, the Tour Championship will operate like every other tournament on the PGA Tour schedule. There will be no starting strokes advantage for the top players, so every player from No. 1 to No. 30 will have an equal chance to win the $10 million prize. It doesn't matter where McIlroy resides in the standings. It just matters that he makes it to East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, and he's already locked up his spot in the season finale. Why spend a week in scorching-hot Memphis when you could stay home and prepare for the tournament that actually matters, right? The new playoff format will make the Tour Championship more entertaining for fans, but it renders the other two playoff events irrelevant for the PGA Tour's top players. The Tour must make playoff events mandatory to prevent other stars from following McIlroy's lead.
Jalen Milroe Surges Past Former NFL Starter on First Seattle Seahawks Depth Chart
Despite being viewed as a potential first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, former Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe ended up sliding into the third round. The 22-year-old who was the starter for Alabama for two seasons was selected with the No. 92 pick by the Seattle Seahawks. Although every player's dream is to go in the first round, Milroe likely couldn't have gone to a better situation. There is virtually no pressure on him as the Seahawks signed former Minnesota Vikings quarterback, Sam Darnold, to a three-year, $100.5 million contract this offseason, and also have Drew Lock, who has started 28 career games on the roster as well. However, based on ESPN's initial depth chart, Milroe may be climbing the depth chart sooner than most expected. Seattle Seahawks Depth Chart As reported by ESPN, the Seahawks depth chart goes as follows: QB1: Sam Darnold QB2 Jalen Milroe QB3 Drew Lock If this truly ends up being the case, Milroe has taken major strides following his final season at Alabama. During his final year in Tuscaloosa, Milroe was criticized heavily for forcing passes into windows that weren't there after being late on reads. In his final season at Alabama, Milroe threw a career-high 11 interceptions to just 16 touchdowns, an increase of five more interceptions than he threw in 2023. Although training camp is still ongoing and the preseason games have yet to be played, clearly, Milroe is finding some success in the pacific northwest.
NFL Hall of Famer reveals why he chose to join Deion Sanders' Colorado coaching staff
Green Bay Packers: Slo-Mo Video of Jordan Love’s Insane 55-Yard TD Bomb to Romeo Doubs Goes Viral
Much has been said about the Green Bay Packers’ wide receiver room in the offseason, but there is also still a lot to discover about the group. For one, rookie wide receiver Matthew Golden, for all the hype he’s been getting, has yet to show what he can do downfield in an official NFL game. He will get his chances soon, though, with the NFL preseason coming up for the Packers and the 2025 NFL regular season just around the corner. Meanwhile, other wide receivers like Romeo Doubs are a known factor for the Packers, as he enters his fourth season in the NFL. Still, he must be motivated to have a big season ahead, considering that he has no contract beyond the 2025 campaign. Selected in the fourth round (132nd overall) of the 2022 NFL draft by the Packers, the former Nevada football star is hard at work in the offseason, improving his chemistry with his teammates, most importantly with star quarterback Jordan Love. Jordan Love, Romeo Doubs connect for spectacular touchdown at Green Bay Packers training camp During a recent training camp session, Doubs beat defensive backs Javon Bullard and Evan Williams downfield and caught a pass from Love for a huge 55-yard touchdown. A slo-mo video of that play was posted by the Packers on social media, particularly on X, leaving Green Bay and football fans buzzing. Last season, Doubs finished fourth on the team with 601 receiving yards to go along with four touchdowns on 46 receptions and 72 targets. He only played in 13 games, as he missed four games due to a concussion he suffered in a Week 12 matchup against the San Francisco 49ers.
Customize Your Newsletter
+
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!
PRIVACY POLICY EDITORIAL POLICY CONTACT US
ABOUT YARDBARKER TERMS OF SERVICE
Use of this website (including any and all parts and
components) constitutes your acceptance of these
Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
This site is for entertainment purposes only.
There is no gambling offered on this site.
Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-Gambler.
