Teshani's Sports Corner

Naomi Osaka will face Canadian, Bianca Andreescu in the quarter-finals of the China Open this Friday in Beijing’s National Tennis Centre. 

This will be the first meeting of the two rising stars of women’s tennis as they both battle it out to claim the last WTA title of 2019. 

Andreescu is in top form with a 17-match winning streak having beaten top players such as Kiki Bertens and Karolina Pliskova. Her win at the US Open last month saw her beat tennis royalty and 23-time Grand Slam Champion, Serena Williams which saw the 19-year-old gain a career-high ranking of World Number 5.  

Osaka had an incredible start the season with a win in the Australian Open in January which took her ranking to World Number 1. However, the Japanese-born 21-year-old could not maintain her winning ways and was knocked out early in the Indian Wells Open and Miami Open. She then withdrew from the semi-final of the Stuttgart Open with an abdominal injury. 

Now fighting fit, Osaka who has previously spoken out about her doubts as a player stating, “Oh I guess I have to do more, to be better” will be out to prove herself in the match of the young guns of tennis.  

Media outlets and fans are already labelling the two as the next big rivalry in women’s tennis due to their remarkable sporting achievements so early on in their career with Osaka becoming the first player from Japan to claim a Grand Slam singles title, while Andreescu claimed the first major singles title for a Canadian. The match will be all to play for as both players will be vying for a spot in the semi-final to end their season on a high.  

Advancing to the semi-final will see Osaka or Andreescu take on either Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki or Russian-born, Daria Kasatkina.  

Naomi Osaka ended Bianca Andreescu’s 17-match winning streak in Beijing’s National Tennis Centre on Friday during the quarter-finals of the China Open. 

The former World Number 1 was one set down but battled her way back into the deciding set to beat Canada’s, Andreescu’s who gained mass media coverage earlier this year after beating 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams in the US Open. 

Andreescu took an early advantage with a 5-1 lead, with Osaka fighting in vain to equal 5-5, but it was the Canadian who came out on top by taking the first set. The following set saw the 21-year-old, Osaka find momentum as she levelled the match and overcame a 1-3 deficit to come out on top.  

Andreescu has had a fairy-tale season this year having won the US Open title in September and gained a career-high ranking of World Number 5. Osaka has had an equally good season after winning the Australian Open in January and gaining the title of top seed the same month. However, the Japanese-born Florida native struggled after her Australian Open win having lost in the third and fourth rounds of the Indian Wells Open and Miami Open. 

Speaking of the loss, Andreescu expressed her dissatisfaction of the ‘losing feeling’ after an incredible winning streak “I forgot how it felt and honestly it sucks, I didn’t miss it” she said.  

Fans have created somewhat of a rivalry between the next generation of tennis icons, with Osaka and Andreescu being dubbed as contrasting characters due to Osaka’s reserved on-court demeanour, while Andreescu is known to be more extroverted. 

Osaka advances through to the semi-final of the last WTA tournament of 2019 where she l faces Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki.  

Defending champions, Arsenal will battle Chelsea on home turf at King’s Meadow this Sunday after a 3-match winning streak takes Montemurro’s side to the top of the table.  

After a short international break, both sides will be vying for the crucial three points to place them in a comfortable position on the league table. 

Last Time Around 

Arsenal will be hoping to recreate their 5-0 win from last October which saw the Gunners push forward in the title race. Chelsea went on to win the following WSL match in Boreham Wood, with the two last meeting at the FA Cup in February which saw the Blues cruise to victory with a 3-0 win.  

Injury Update  

Arsenal have been plagued with a series of injuries, with Katrine Veje, Leonie Maier and Danielle Carter likely to be out of action due to ongoing ankle and knee injuries. Chelsea’s Fran Kirby is also a doubt following a hamstring injury which saw her withdraw from the England v Brazil game last Saturday. 

Ones to Watch 

Guro Reiten looks to be finding her pace at Chelsea following her signing in May of this year. The Norwegian-born midfielder has already won praise from fans after netting two goals in the first 10 minutes, as the Blues breezed to victory against Bristol City with a 4-0 win. On the other side of town, Jordan Nobbs is set to make a full return to domestic play following a 10-month break due to an ACL injury. The midfielder has already resumed play as a sub for Viktoria Schnaderbeck against West Ham last month, but looks to make a full return on Sunday to aide her side to victory in what looks to be a nail-biting clash. 

The Gaffers 

Outside of the pitch, Gunners manager, Joe Montemurro will face Chelsea manager, Emma Hayes as they both vie for the coveted ‘Manger of the Month’ for September.  

Arsenal sealed a comfortable 2-0 win against old foes Tottenham Hotspur in the FA Women’s Super League (WSL) on Sunday as a record breaking crowd of 38,262 people descended up Tottenham Hotspur’s glossy new stadium to watch the clash.  

Arsenal dominated the first-half, with the North London side creating several chances, but failing to fall through to create goals.  

Spurs quickly stepped up with the backing of a solid home crowd, as Kit Graham’s straight shot which ended up securely into the hands of Manuela Zinsberger saw home fans go wild as Karen Hills and Juan Amoros’ side asserted themselves back into the game. 

Gunners captain, Kim Little broke the deadlock by giving her side the advantage in the 66^th minute after a rocky start from both sides saw a goal-less first-half.  

Netherlands-native, Vivianne Miedema added to the visitor’s lead by firing into the back of the net in the 82^nd minute.  

The biggest talking point of the afternoon was the record attendance which surpassed the previous WSL record attendance of 31,213, as Manchester United battled Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium. The match marks the first WSL tournament at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as post-World Cup efforts to promote women’s football continues. 

Women’s football legend, Jill Ellis was also in attendance to watch the historic match as the former US women’s football coach spoke fondly about how far the game has developed since her time as a player in the 80’s during half-time 

Karen Hills commended the record breaking crowd, but expressed her hopes that sizable attendance for the women’s game would become standard practice in the future: “Hopefully it won’t be an occasion, it will be the norm of women’s football” she said. 

Gunners gaffer, Joe Montemurro was in an elated state after his sides 2-0 win, but when talks turned to Chelsea’s big signing of Sam Kerr earlier in the week, the Aussie-born former midfielder reassured fans that Kerr poses no threat: “Why are you scared?” Montemurro asked a Gunners-supporting journalist. He went onto state “It’s Chelsea, they can choose whoever they want to choose and bring in whoever they want to bring in – that’s fine.  

Don’t be scared of Sam Kerr!” 

The win puts Arsenal in 3^rd position, levelling with Man City with 15 points as Spurs trail behind in 6^th. Arsenal will travel to Hertfordshire on Sunday to face Liverpool at Meadow Park.  

In this podcast, I speak to Lewes F.C. footballer, Katie Rood who talks about her dual heritage, from being born in Middlesbrough, to growing up in New Zealand. She also discusses why she chose football over hockey (another sport she was passionate about) and, how Ballon d’Or recipient, Megan Rapinoe’s candid speeches about equality inspires her both on and off the pitch.

Lewes gained mass media coverage due to the club being dubbed as the only club in the world to pay both men and women equally. Having played for prominent clubs such as Juventus, Katie expresses why Lewes’ ‘Equality FC’ campaign in particular attracted her to the East Sussex-based club. 

An avid spokesperson for climate activism and veganism, Katie talks about how being a vegan has helped strengthen her performance as an athlete, and how her passion for climate change activism has led to her attending protests such as the Extinction Rebellion earlier this year.