World number one Aryna Sabalenka battled past home hope Amanda Anisimova to retain her US Open title and finally secure her first Grand Slam trophy of the year.
Sabalenka maintained a steadier level to win 6-3 7-6 (7-3) in a battle between two of the biggest ball-strikers in the women’s game.
The Belarusian dropped to her knees, overcome with emotion, after securing victory in a year where she had suffered defeat in two Grand Slam finals.
Victory did not come without some tension, however.
Defending champion Sabalenka was unable to serve out the match at 5-4, but recovered to dominate the tie-break and seal victory on her third championship point.
The 27-year-old has again been the WTA Tour’s most dominant player this season, but questions had been raised about her emotional composure in the latter stages of the majors.
Sabalenka answered her critics in the final major of the season with a largely assured performance to claim her fourth Grand Slam singles title.
Instead, it was American eighth seed Anisimova who paid the price for not being able to maintain a consistent level.
The 24-year-old produced a better performance than her first major final – when she was thrashed 6-0 6-0 by Poland’s Iga Swiatek at Wimbledon in July – but was left in tears after again coming up short.
The relief shown by Sabalenka after securing victory was the product of falling short earlier this year.
At the Australian Open, the two-time defending champion could not cope with Madison Keys’ destructive power, then she lost to Coco Gauff in the French Open showpiece after clubbing 70 unforced errors.
Sabalenka fell a stage earlier at Wimbledon, unable to match Anisimova’s bravery in their semi-final.
This time, after a few histrionics early on, Sabalenka locked in and was smart tactically to avenge her defeat at the All England Club eight weeks ago.
“After two finals where I completely lost control of my emotions, I didn’t want to let that to happen again,” Sabalenka told ESPN.
“There were some moments where I was close to letting it go, but I kept calm.”
Sabalenka’s game plan was to absorb Anisimova’s pace and force her opponent into mistakes.
Anisimova’s experience against Swiatek was a chastening one, overcome by nerves and too frozen to change tack in the biggest beating in over a century.
Coming through that experience has made her stronger, but there were still visible signs of tension throughout an absorbing final in New York.
“It’s been a great summer. Losing two finals in a row is great but also super hard,” said Anisimova.
It has been reported that Attorney at Law Rakitha Rajapakshe, the son of former Minister of Justice Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe, has been arrested by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) over alleged links with the underworld.
Soufiane Rahimi of Morocco celebrates after his side's third goal (Aljazeera)
Morocco twice overcame the shock of conceding to Haiti to win a World Cup thriller 4-2 in Atlanta, but missed out on the top spot in Group C to Brazil.
Haiti bowed out with their first World Cup goals in 52 years, as a Yassine Bounou own goal and Wilson Isidor’s stunning strike twice gave them the lead on Wednesday.
Achraf Hakimi and Ismael Saibari, with his third goal in as many games at the World Cup, levelled before half-time.
Soufiane Rahimi was nearly brought to tears when the 30-year-old’s deflected effort found the top corner to give Morocco the lead, before Gessime Yassine rounded off the scoring.
Soufiane Rahimi of Morocco celebrates scoring his team’s third goal [Aljazeera]
But Morocco missed out on the top spot in the group to Brazil on goal difference, meaning they will head to Monterrey for a likely meeting against the Netherlands or Japan on Monday.
Despite bowing out without a point, Haiti’s performances at their first World Cup since 1974 have done a nation gripped by poverty proud.
Les Grenadiers were already eliminated after losing to Scotland and Brazil , but the thousands of Haitian expats in the stands in Atlanta were undeterred as every attack was met with deafening cheers.
Morocco boss Mohamed Ouahbi made four changes to the side that had impressed in holding Brazil and beating Scotland in their opening two games, and the Atlas Lions started sloppily.
Haiti’s long wait for a goal on the global stage was ended after just 10 minutes, when Jean-Kevin Duverne got to the byline, and Lenny Joseph flicked the resulting cross into the net via a deflection off Bounou.
Hakimi has continued to captain Morocco despite learning mid-tournament that he is to face a trial on rape charges in France.
The reigning African footballer of the year stormed forward from right-back at every opportunity and was in the right place to equalise on 39 minutes.
In his final game for Haiti, 38-year-old goalkeeper Johny Placide could only parry Bilal El Khannouss’s strike, and Hakimi had a simple task to force the ball over the line.
Within four minutes, though, Haiti had restored their lead in far more spectacular fashion.
Sunderland striker Isidor pounced on a loose ball and let fly from outside the area with a shot that arrowed into the top corner.
Hakimi and Ouahbi were visibly angered by conceding for a second time, but the 2022 World Cup semifinalists responded before half-time.
Saibari stroked home his third goal of the tournament with a cool finish from Hakimi’s low cross.
Brahim Diaz nearly gave Morocco a half-time lead when his curling effort shaved the post to end a thrilling first half.
With Brazil cruising to victory over Scotland in Miami, Morocco knew that only a comprehensive victory would secure them the top spot in Group C.
Ouahbi began turning his attention to the last 32, as Bayern Munich-bound Saibari and Real Madrid’s Diaz were replaced with more than 20 minutes remaining.
But two of his substitutes came on to win the game for Morocco.
Rahimi’s powerful strike from a corner flew into the top corner via a deflection off a desperate Haiti defender.
He then turned provider by robbing possession on the Haiti byline and crossing for Yassine to roll into an empty net.
A strong earthquake struck northern Japan at around 7:30 a.m. on Thursday. The Japan Meteorological Agency says there is no risk of tsunami.
The Japan Meteorological Agency says the magnitude 7.2 quake occurred off the coast of Iwate Prefecture, revised up from an original 6.9. It also revised the estimated depth of the quake from 50 to 44 kilometers. The hardest-hit areas were on the Pacific side of Aomori Prefecture. Hashikami Town observed an intensity of upper 6 on the Japanese scale of 0 to 7. The agency says there is a possibility of changes to tidal levels along the coast, but there is unlikely to be any damage.
The agency reports Class 2 “long-period ground motion” was observed in Aomori, Hokkaido, Iwate, Miyagi and Akita prefectures. The JMA labels tremors lasting more than 2 seconds that shake high-rise buildings as “long-period ground motion” and grades them on a 4-class level. They can make it difficult to walk without support and can knock over items on shelves.
If you are in these areas, try to remain in a safe location. More tremors are possible, so please stay alert.
Fallen items are scattered at a convenience store in Hashikami Town, Aomori Prefecture (NHK)
