Czech Linda Noskova, the Wimbledon champion, survived an uprising in the middle of her match against 11th seed Marta Kostyuk, winning 7-5, 5-7, 6-4 to set up a match with world number one Aryna Sabalenka in the quarter-finals of the US Open Tennis Championship, on Sunday.
The Czech player defeated Kostyuk in two straight sets on her way to winning the Grand Championship title on grass courts this year, but she played a more difficult match at Louis Armstrong Stadium, finally clinching her victory on the sixth point to win the match with a serve that her opponent was unable to return.
Noskova, who collapsed on the field the moment she won, said: “I feel very relieved.” It was a very difficult match. I mean more emotionally than physically. “I feel as if a heavy stone fell off my chest at the end.”
The sixth seed used her powerful, rock-hard backhand to neutralize her opponent's serve in the first set, and launched several successful forehand shots on her way to the decisive break in the 11th game.
Kostyuk's problems worsened in the second set, when she committed two double faults on serve and an unforced error to give Noskova a break in the seventh game.
The Ukrainian player collapsed and covered her face with her hands after sending a shot outside the court in the eighth game, but the fans supported her and cheered for her, so she regained her strength and saved two points to win the match and fired a shot that went past Noskova to tie the game 5-5.
Kostyuk then broke her opponent's serve without losing a single point in the 12th game, extending the match to a deciding set, but she was unable to maintain her momentum. Noskova took the lead 4-3 with a successful backhand kick, angering Kostyuk.
“The match was very close,” Noskova said. "It could have ended with either of us winning."
Mohamed Salah scored a goal and provided an assist in a huge 5-0 win for Trabzonspor over Gencerberligi in the Turkish Premier League on Sunday.
Striker Paul Onuachu gave Trabzon the lead after five minutes of play, then Egypt's captain Salah added the second goal from a penalty kick earned by Chibuike Nwayo in the 14th minute.
The goal was the fourth goal for Salah (34 years old) in his fourth match with the team in the Turkish League, becoming the first foreign player to score 4 goals in the first 3 matches he played as a starter in 26 years.
Onuachu added the third goal for his team and the second for him with a direct shot from inside the penalty area in the 22nd minute.
Salah turned to the role of playmaker, and prepared the ball for his teammate Ernest Mucci, who scored the fourth goal near the hour of play with a low shot from inside the penalty area that landed in the far corner.
Newcomer Diego Francolino concluded Trabzon's goals after taking advantage of chaos inside the penalty area in the 78th minute.
Trabzon raised its score to seven points from four matches in fourth place, ahead of sixth Genclerbirligi on goal difference, and three points behind leaders Galatasaray.
Xabi Alonso, the coach of Chelsea, revealed his feeling of pain after his team’s loss, which he described as “painful,” to its host and arch-neighbor Arsenal, in the London derby between them.
Arsenal continued its perfect start in the English Premier League football championship this season after overturning a 0-1 deficit against Chelsea, to a valuable and deserved victory with a score of 2-1, on Sunday, in the summit of the third stage matches of the prestigious competition.
Morgan Rogers scored early for Chelsea in the second minute, but Havertz quickly scored the equalizer for Arsenal in the 25th minute, while his Norwegian teammate Martin Odegaard added the second goal for the team nicknamed “The Gunners” in the 50th minute.
With this result, Arsenal's score rose to 9 points, achieving the full mark so far, in second place, on goal difference behind Manchester City (the leader), who is equal with them on the same score, while Chelsea's score, which suffered its first loss in the tournament this season, stopped at 6 points in fourth place.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the match, Alonso said: “The loss is painful. It hurts because defeat has to be so. It was a very exciting match, full of ups and downs. We had chances to score, especially in the first half. “No one accepts losing.”
The Spanish coach added: “After we scored the goal, we had to defend excessively for 15-20 minutes, and we struggled a little to regain control. Then things got a little better.”
He continued: “In general, it was a match full of club and enthusiasm. We could have dealt better with the second goal we conceded early. The players did everything they could, and tried in every way. “Losing must be painful.”
Alonso, who is spending his first season with Chelsea, noted: “It is about preparing in the best way possible to compete in the best way possible. The numerical superiority on the right flank must be controlled. This is the nature of the game. We will continue the journey. “This is the third match, and it will be a long and arduous journey.”
Regarding Chelsea’s approach to dealing with corners, Alonso said: “We make decisions and initiate the attack. We want to be effective on set pieces, and sometimes we press too high or too low. I think this is what we need to compete at all stages. Today we came here to compete in the best possible way, and now we have to continue.”
Regarding what he learned today, the Chelsea coach revealed: “I learned a lot about the game, about ourselves, about our performance, and about our beginnings. The players have this spirit, this desire to perform better game after game to create something we believe in. So far I'm happy. “We want to win matches, this is our ultimate goal.”
Regarding whether he felt a deficiency in the midfield today, Alonso stated at the conclusion of his speech: “Injuries must be dealt with. The team is missing the injured player. The players who were with us did their best. Today they gave everything they could.”
It is noteworthy that Chelsea began its campaign in the competition during the current season with a 3-2 victory over its host Fulham, before defeating its guest Brighton 4-3 in the second stage.
