Osaka out of Wimbledon as Pavlyuchenkova battles back
Osaka was in a strong position after taking the first set, but her bid to finally make the last 16 imploded as Pavlyuchenkova battled back to clinch a 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 victory.
The 27-year-old is a four-time Grand Slam champion, but she has not won a major since 2021.
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Japan Times
18 hours ago
- Japan Times
Heatstroke alert issued for 19 prefectures as Japan enters 'once-in-a-decade' heat wave
The mercury is expected to hit dangerously high levels in Japan on Sunday, with weather authorities issuing heatstroke alerts in 19 prefectures nationwide, including this year's first for central Tokyo and Kanagawa. With climate change driving up temperatures across the globe, Japan will experience a heat wave between Sunday and July 14 on a 'level only seen once in a decade,' the Meteorological Agency said last week. The highest temperatures are expected to reach the mid to high 30s in wide areas of the country, including 37 degrees Celsius in Nagoya, 36 C in Fukuoka, Osaka and Kochi and 35 C in Hiroshima and Tokyo, according to Weathernews. The Japan Association of Athletics Federations, which is holding its three-day national championship in Kunitachi, western Tokyo, shifted schedules for events on Sunday after doing the same on Friday and Saturday. It has delayed some events scheduled during the day to the evening hours. The Japan Sport Association advises all sports events to be canceled when the heat index — which takes temperatures, humidity and solar radiation into consideration — reaches 31. Tokyo is forecast to see its heat index rise to 32 at 3 p.m. on Sunday. The summer heat has arrived ahead of schedule this year due to an early end of the rainy season in many parts of the country, particularly in western Japan. In the Chugoku, Shikoku and Kinki regions, as well as northern Kyushu, the rainy season was declared over in late June, which was nearly 20 days earlier than usual and the earliest on record, according to agency data. Global warming has pushed up atmospheric air temperatures across the globe, the agency says, noting that the Pacific high-pressure system extending more strongly toward Japan and prevailing westerly winds meandering further north have contributed to the early end of the rainy season, which normally lasts through mid-July. Japan experienced its hottest June ever, with the average monthly temperature being 2.34 C higher than the standard value, according to the agency.
Japan Times
20 hours ago
- Japan Times
Tearful defending champion Krejcikova knocked out of Wimbledon
Barbora Krejcikova's reign as Wimbledon champion came to a tearful end on Saturday as the Czech slumped to a 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 defeat against American 10th seed Emma Navarro. Krejcikova appeared to be struggling with injury in the closing stages and wept at No. 1 Court as Navarro took advantage to cause the latest upset in the women's tournament following the exits of five of the top six seeds. The 29-year-old had to fight back from a set down to beat rising star Alexandra Eala in the first round before another tense three-set win over Caroline Dolehide in the second round. There would be no dramatic escape for Krejcikova this time, with the 17th seed's fitness problems finally catching up with her. "I was definitely enjoying myself and I was feeling quite well. Suddenly out of nowhere I just lost all my energy and I couldn't really gain it back," Krejcikova said. "First of all, I thought that it was the food, that I ate too early. That's why I started with all the bananas and all the sugars and stuff inside. "But I wasn't really feeling better, I was actually feeling worse and worse with time. It's very sad for me and very unfortunate." Navarro added: "It was really tough out here today. Probably neither of us played our best tennis. I know she was dealing with some injuries at times." Krejcikova arrived at Wimbledon with just six matches under her belt in an injury-ravaged 2025. The two-time Grand Slam champion has endured a difficult time since defeating Italy's Jasmine Paolini in the Wimbledon final last year. She was out of action until May after suffering a back injury and lost in the second round of the French Open. Emma Navarro plays a backhand return to Barbora Krejcikova during their third-round match at Wimbledon on Saturday. | AFP-JIJI Krejcikova also pulled out of the recent Eastbourne Open before the quarterfinals with a thigh problem. The world No. 16 had relished being back on the hallowed turf of the All England Club, describing her first-round match on Centre Court as like "playing in the temple of tennis." Initially it seemed she would be equally inspired on No. 1 Court as Krejcikova strolled through the first set. But the Czech lost her rhythm in the second set and Navarro pounced to level the match. Krejcikova took a lengthy spell off-court to compose herself before the decider, but she quickly squandered five break points and then dropped her own serve in the third game. Leaning on her racquet with a concerned grimace after another unforced error, Krejcikova looked less than fully fit. She managed to break in the next game but Navarro immediately regained the lead with another break, prompting Krejcikova to call for a medical timeout that included having her blood pressure checked. Constantly bending over in obvious discomfort, Krejcikova's Wimbledon reign was coming to a painful end. Even a break back for the Czech couldn't lift her and Navarro delivered the knockout blow, before serving out the victory as Krejcikova left the court struggling to hold back tears.
The Mainichi
21 hours ago
- The Mainichi
Emma Navarro beats defending Wimbledon champ Barbora Krejcikova. There will be a first-time winner
LONDON (AP) -- Emma Navarro describes herself as "stubborn" and her tennis as "scrappy." The American's attitude and game both were in just the right places at Wimbledon on Saturday, when she pulled off another Grand Slam victory over a defending champion by eliminating Barbora Krejcikova 2-6, 6-3, 6-4. Sending an ill and dizzy Krejcikova home in the third round, the 10th-seeded Navarro extended a recent run of one-and-done winners at the All England Club and assured the grass-court major of yet another first-time women's champion. "Something I take a lot of pride in is being tough and fighting till the last point, no matter what the circumstances are. It's something I always try to do," said Navarro, who was born in New York, grew up in South Carolina and won the 2021 NCAA championship for the University of Virginia. "I could never live with myself if I ever gave up. It's just not in my nature. I don't think it's in any of my family members' nature to ever give up on anything. I guess we're a stubborn bunch." Krejcikova faded in the third set, getting her blood pressure checked at the changeover after Navarro broke her to lead 3-2 at No. 1 Court. Krejcikova ate a banana and drank liquids during the medical timeout, while Navarro walked to her guest box and spoke to her coach during the break in action. When play resumed, Krejcikova showed clear signs of being in distress, often leaning over and placing her hands on her knees between points. "I was actually feeling worse and worse," said Krejcikova, who was seeded 17th but now will tumble out of the top 70 in the WTA rankings. "It's very sad for me and very unfortunate." This is hardly Navarro's first big win on a big stage. Last year, she eliminated Coco Gauff at Wimbledon to reach her first major quarterfinal. Then, in a rematch a couple of months later, Navarro won again at the U.S. Open -- where Gauff was the 2023 champion -- en route to her debut in a Slam semifinal. Whoever ends up winning the Wimbledon women's title on July 12 will be the ninth champion in the past nine editions of the grass-court Grand Slam tournament. Serena Williams was the last repeat champ in 2016. The trophy-takers since then have been Garbine Muguruza in 2017, Angelique Kerber in 2018, Simona Halep in 2019, Ash Barty in 2021 -- all of whom are now retired -- Elena Rybakina in 2022, Marketa Vondrousova in 2023 and then Krejcikova (the tournament was canceled in 2020 because of COVID-19). Rybakina lost Saturday; Vondrousova exited in the second round. Against Krejcikova, Navarro was down a set and a break at 2-1 in the second before turning things around. "I kind of regrouped a little, tried to slow things down a bit from my side and make her look at some different shots," said Navarro, 24, who will meet No. 7 Mirra Andreeva, an 18-year-old Russian, on Monday for a quarterfinal berth. "Kind of just try to make her as uncomfortable as I could." Most points were decided by what Krejcikova did. That's how she ended up with 34 winners -- 21 more than Navarro -- and 53 unforced errors. Remarkably, Navarro finished with just 11 unforced errors. Last year's triumph was the second at a major tournament for Krejcikova, who also won the 2021 French Open. It has been a fortnight filled with surprises, and Navarro is one of four top-10 seeds left in the women's bracket. The others are No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, who won her third-round match Friday against Emma Raducanu, Andreeva and No. 8 Iga Swiatek, a 6-2, 6-3 winner against Danielle Collins on Saturday. "My slice is coming along pretty nicely. I'm able to use that to my advantage," Navarro said. "Played scrappy at times. Played tough. Hit some good groundstrokes, as well. I feel pretty good about where I'm at."
