Egypt’s Mayar Sherif Rallies to Reach Monterrey Quarters

Egyptian player Mayar Sherif in action against Chinese tennis player Xinyu Wang during a match on the fourth day of the Monterrey Tennis Open in Monterrey, Mexico, 02 March 2023. (EPA)
Egyptian player Mayar Sherif in action against Chinese tennis player Xinyu Wang during a match on the fourth day of the Monterrey Tennis Open in Monterrey, Mexico, 02 March 2023. (EPA)
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Egypt’s Mayar Sherif Rallies to Reach Monterrey Quarters

Egyptian player Mayar Sherif in action against Chinese tennis player Xinyu Wang during a match on the fourth day of the Monterrey Tennis Open in Monterrey, Mexico, 02 March 2023. (EPA)
Egyptian player Mayar Sherif in action against Chinese tennis player Xinyu Wang during a match on the fourth day of the Monterrey Tennis Open in Monterrey, Mexico, 02 March 2023. (EPA)

Seventh-seeded Mayar Sherif of Egypt saved two match points while rallying for a 3-6, 7-6 (6), 6-4 win over China's Xinyu Wang on Thursday in the second round of the Abierto GNP Seguros in Monterrey, Mexico.

Wang served for the match at 6-5 of the second set, but Sherif broke to force a tiebreaker. Wang then jumped ahead 6-4 before Sherif took the final four points of the tiebreaker to extend the match.

A service break in the fifth game of the final set was all Sherif needed, though it took her four match points to close out the win.

Sherif's quarterfinal opponent will be top-seeded Caroline Garcia of France, who cruised past Spain's Nuria Parrizas Diaz 6-3, 6-2.

Fourth-seeded Elise Mertens of Belgium posted a 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 win over Romania's Elena-Gabriela Ruse. She will oppose the winner of the late Thursday match between eighth-seeded Elisabetta Cocciaretto of Italy and Tatjana Maria of Germany in the quarterfinals.

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Germany's Anna-Lena Friedsam prevailed in a marathon third-set tiebreaker, edging Russia's Erika Andreeva 7-5, 6-7 (2), 7-6 (8) in second-round action at Austin, Texas.

Friedsam squandered three match points in the decisive tiebreaker before Andreeva had a match point at 8-7. Friedsam bounced back and finally sealed the win.

Friedsam's upcoming quarterfinal opponent, Marta Kostyuk, also needed three sets to advance. The eighth-seeded Ukrainian defeated the United States' Madison Brengle 6-3, 3-6, 6-0.

Fourth-seeded Danielle Collins won an all-US matchup against Caty McNally 6-1, 6-1, and Russia's Anna Kalinskaya ousted the United States' Coco Vandeweghe 6-3, 6-1.



‘Flooding Rains’ Threaten to Dampen Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony

Paris 2024 Olympics - Opening Ceremony - Paris, France - July 26, 2024. Spectators are seen behind the Eiffel Tower ahead of the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics. (Reuters)
Paris 2024 Olympics - Opening Ceremony - Paris, France - July 26, 2024. Spectators are seen behind the Eiffel Tower ahead of the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics. (Reuters)
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‘Flooding Rains’ Threaten to Dampen Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony

Paris 2024 Olympics - Opening Ceremony - Paris, France - July 26, 2024. Spectators are seen behind the Eiffel Tower ahead of the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics. (Reuters)
Paris 2024 Olympics - Opening Ceremony - Paris, France - July 26, 2024. Spectators are seen behind the Eiffel Tower ahead of the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics. (Reuters)

The Paris Olympics look likely to get off to a soggy start.

Meteo-France, the French weather service, is predicting “flooding rains” Friday evening when the opening ceremony is set to unroll along the Seine River. But the show is set to go on as planned, starting at 1:30 p.m. EDT/7:30 p.m. CEST and should last more than three hours.

Already in the late afternoon, skies were gray with intermittent drizzle. There was a silver lining, though, with temperatures expected to stay relatively warm throughout the evening.

Instead of a traditional march into a stadium, about 6,800 athletes will parade on more than 90 boats on the Seine River for 6 kilometers (3.7 miles). Though 10,700 athletes are expected to compete at these Olympics, hundreds of soccer players are based outside Paris, surfers are in Tahiti and many have yet to arrive for their events in the second week, organizers said Thursday.

Hundreds of thousands of people, including 320,000 paying and invited ticket-holders, are expected to line the Seine’s banks as athletes are paraded along the river on boats.