GUANGZHOU, China:Rising British star Laura Robson yesterday reached the semifinals of the WTA Guangzhou Open by defeating China’s Peng Shuai 7-5, 5-7, 6-2.
The 18-year-old world No.74, who made it through to the last 16 at the US Open earlier this month with wins over Li Na and Kim Clijsters, needed more than three hours to defeat her Chinese opponent, ranked 27 places above her.
To reach the last eight Robson had defeated the second seed, Zheng Jie of China 6-3, 6-3. She next plays third-seeded Sorana Cirstea, the world No.30 for a place in the final. The Romanian beat Alize Cornet of France 6-4, 6-3.
The second semi-final will be between Ursula Radwanska of Poland and Hsieh Su-wei of Taiwan.
Robson is the first British woman to reach a main tour singles semifinal since Anne Keothavong at the Luxembourg Open in October 2011.
Klizan in quarters
In St. Petersburg, Russia, third-seeded Martin Klizan of Slovakia advanced to the quarterfinals of the St. Petersburg Open, beating Simone Bolelli of Italy 6-3, 6-3 yesterday.
Klizan hit five aces and never faced a break point. He will next play Ricardas Berankis of Lithuania, who advanced when eighth-seeded Jurgen Zopp of Estonia retired with a back injury after losing the first set 6-3.
Fourth-seeded Fabio Fognini also advanced, eliminating 2009 champion Serghiy Stakhovsky of Ukraine 7-6 (4), 6-4, while fellow Italian Flavio Cipolla made the final eight with a 6-2, 6-7 (5), 6-3 win over Grega Zemlja of Slovenia.
In other second-round matches, Gimeno-Traver ousted Lukasz Kubot of Poland, 6-4, 7-6 (5), and fellow Spaniard Roberto Bautista-Agut beat Russia’s Teimuraz Gabashvili 6-3, 6-4.
Laura Robson into semis at Guangzhou
Laura Robson into semis at Guangzhou
Spin-heavy Pakistan hit form, but India boycott risks early T20 exit
- Pakistan face must-win group matches, leaving no margin for error in T20 World Cup progression
- Recent series wins have restored confidence, but batting volatility remains Pakistan’s biggest risk
LAHORE: Pakistan’s spin-heavy squad are in winning form ahead of the T20 World Cup, but a controversial decision to forfeit their marquee clash against India could still trigger another early exit.
Pakistan came close to withdrawing from the tournament in solidarity with Bangladesh, who pulled out after refusing to play in India, citing security concerns.
The Pakistan government eventually cleared the team’s participation but it barred them from facing India in Colombo in a blockbuster clash on February 15.
With two points for a win, a forfeit of the match will leave Pakistan with no margin for error if they are to progress as one of the top two from a five-team Group A.
It means they must win their opening game against the Netherlands in Colombo on Saturday and beat the United States three days later to stay in contention.
Their final group game will be against Namibia on February 18.
Captain Salman Agha said the move to boycott the India game was out of the team’s hands.
“That is not our decision. We have to follow what our government decides,” he said.
The Pakistan government has not said what their stance might be if the team were to end up facing India again in the semifinals or final. Agha was not thinking about that.
“Our job is to win, and we are capable of doing that,” he said.
Pakistan will be keen to avoid a repeat of the last T20 World Cup in 2024, where a shock super over defeat to co-hosts the United States led to them failing to get out of the group.
The side has since faced criticism for failing to adapt to the modern demands of T20 cricket, with the batting, particularly Babar Azam’s low strike rate, under scrutiny.
The criticism was fueled by Pakistan’s record last year, where 21 of their 34 T20 international wins came against lower-ranked opponents.
CONFIDENCE RESTORED
Against elite teams, the results were sobering: three losses to India in the Asia Cup and a 4-1 series defeat to New Zealand.
However, Agha believes recent performances have restored confidence.
Pakistan beat South Africa 2-1, won a home tri-series, and then completed a 3-0 sweep of an under-strength Australia.
“We’ve had good preparation by beating Australia. We have the luxury of quality spinning all-rounders like Mohammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan and Saim Ayub.
“We’re ticking most boxes and believe we can win the World Cup,” Agha said.
The spin department has been strengthened by Abrar Ahmed and Usman Tariq, the latter known for his unusual, slingy action and exaggerated pause at the crease.
The pace attack is led by the experienced Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah.
Faheem Ashraf provides seam-bowling all-round support and newcomer Salman Mirza has been impressive.
Batting remains Pakistan’s most volatile component.
When openers Saim Ayub and Sahibzada Farhan provide strong starts, the side can post competitive totals, but collapses remain a constant threat.
Head coach Mike Hesson has added another layer of risk by leaving out experienced wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan because of poor form, opting instead for makeshift options in Usman Khan, Khawaja Nafay and Farhan.
For Pakistan, the ingredients for a deep run are present, but with points potentially forfeited, there is little room left for error.
