Stakusic Fights off 4 Match Points to Upset Top-Seeded Ostapenko at the Guadalajara Open 

Marina Stakusic of Canada celebrates her victory over Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia during a match at the Guadalajara Open WTA 500 tournament in Guadalajara, Mexico, 12 September 2024. (EPA)
Marina Stakusic of Canada celebrates her victory over Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia during a match at the Guadalajara Open WTA 500 tournament in Guadalajara, Mexico, 12 September 2024. (EPA)
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Stakusic Fights off 4 Match Points to Upset Top-Seeded Ostapenko at the Guadalajara Open 

Marina Stakusic of Canada celebrates her victory over Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia during a match at the Guadalajara Open WTA 500 tournament in Guadalajara, Mexico, 12 September 2024. (EPA)
Marina Stakusic of Canada celebrates her victory over Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia during a match at the Guadalajara Open WTA 500 tournament in Guadalajara, Mexico, 12 September 2024. (EPA)

Teenager Marina Stakusic fought off four match points to claim the biggest win in her career after defeating top-seeded Jelena Ostapenko 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (0) on Thursday to advance to the Guadalajara Open quarterfinals.

The 19-year-old Canadian trailed 4-0 in the third set and fought off the four match points when she was down 5-3.

“I’m happy to pull through, it was a rollercoaster, I got a chance to close it in the second and I didn't, but I’m happy with the win and excited with the quarters,” said Stakusic, who got into the main draw on a wild card.

Stakusic defeated Olympic semifinalist Anna Karolina Schmiedlova 6-2, 6-4 in the opening round and then Ostapenko for her first-career win over a top-20 player. Last year she lost to Barbora Krejcikova in the Billie Jean King Cup Finals.

The Canadian, ranked 155th, is the first wild-card entry to reach the quarterfinals in Guadalajara. Stakusic will next play fifth-seeded Magdalena Frech, who beat Ashley Krueger 3-6, 6-3, 6-1 in the last match of the night.

Ostapenko, who is ranked 12th and won the 2017 French Open, had 17 double faults in the match.

Earlier, fourth-seeded Caroline Garcia held off Ena Shibajara 7-6 (3), 7-6 (5) and also progressed to the quarterfinals where she will meet Marie Bouzkova, who in the first match of the day breezed past qualifier Lucrezia Stefanini 6-2, 6-1.

The 30-year-old Garcia will be playing in her first quarterfinal since she advanced to the Rouen semifinals last April.

“We played very different styles, she is a player that does not suit me, I need to play solid, and I will see what I can do differently to beat her,” said Garcia, who is 0-4 against Bouzkova.

The tournament is being played on hard courts at the Complejo Panamericano de Tenis, in Guadalajara.



US Beats Czechia 4-1 to Set up World Junior Hockey Final against Finland

Gabe Perreault #34 of Team USA scores on goaltender Michael Hrabel #30 of Team Czechia in the first period of the semifinal match during the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship at Canadian Tire Center on January 4, 2025 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. (Getty Images North America/Getty Images via AFP)
Gabe Perreault #34 of Team USA scores on goaltender Michael Hrabel #30 of Team Czechia in the first period of the semifinal match during the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship at Canadian Tire Center on January 4, 2025 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. (Getty Images North America/Getty Images via AFP)
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US Beats Czechia 4-1 to Set up World Junior Hockey Final against Finland

Gabe Perreault #34 of Team USA scores on goaltender Michael Hrabel #30 of Team Czechia in the first period of the semifinal match during the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship at Canadian Tire Center on January 4, 2025 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. (Getty Images North America/Getty Images via AFP)
Gabe Perreault #34 of Team USA scores on goaltender Michael Hrabel #30 of Team Czechia in the first period of the semifinal match during the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship at Canadian Tire Center on January 4, 2025 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. (Getty Images North America/Getty Images via AFP)

Boston University's Cole Eiserman broke a second-period tie and the defending champion United States beat Czechia 4-1 on Saturday night to advance to the world junior hockey championship game.

The Americans will face Finland — a 4-3 overtime winner over Sweden in the first semifinal — for the title Sunday night. Finland beat the United States 4-3 in overtime in group play.

Eiserman made it 2-1 with 6:19 left in the second with a one-timer off a cross-ice feed.

“I’m proud of our guys,” said coach David Darle of Denver. “We played an excellent Czech team and it was a very difficult game. We continue to grow as a group and we’ll get set to face another great team in Finland tomorrow."

Boston College teammates Ryan Leonard and Gabe Perreault each had a goal and an assist for the Americans. Minnesota's Oliver Moore also scored, and Michigan State's Trey Augustine made 26 saves.

The Americans are seeking their seventh title and first back-to-back championships.

“It would mean everything,” said Perreault, who also played last season. “We definitely have the team to do it. We’ll be ready to go.”

Jakub Stancl scored for the Czechs. Michael Hrabal stopped 21 shots.

In the first semifinal, Benjamin Rautiainen scored on a power play at 9:22 of overtime to lift Finland past Sweden.

Rautiainen beat goalie Melker Thelin from a sharp angle to the right of the net on a 4-on-3-man advantage with Tom Willander in the penalty box for holding.

“Very skillful guy at doing things like that,” Finnish coach Lauri Mikkola said about Rautiainen. “Nobody expected when he shoots.”

Petteri Rimpinen made 43 saves for Finland. Emil Hemming had a goal and an assist and Jesse Kiiskinen and Arttu Alasiurua also scored.

Otto Stenberg scored twice for Sweden. Wilhelm Hallquisth also scored and Thelin stopped 31 shots.