Former Australian Open Champion Sofia Kenin Advances to WTA Tournament Final in Tokyo

USA's Sofia Kenin hits a return to Britain's Katie Boulter during their women's singles semifinal match on day six of the Pan Pacific Open tennis tournament in Tokyo on October 26, 2024. (Photo by Richard A. Brooks / AFP)

Asharq Al Awsat

09:13-26 October 2024 AD ـ 23 Rabi’ Al-Thani 1446 AH

Asharq Al Awsat

09:13-26 October 2024 AD ـ 23 Rabi’ Al-Thani 1446 AH

Former Australian Open Champion Sofia Kenin Advances to WTA Tournament Final in Tokyo

Former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin has advanced to the final of the Pan Pacific Open with a 6-4, 6-4 win over ninth-seeded Katie Boulter on Saturday.
Kenin, who won the Australian Open in 2020 and was a French Open finalist the same year, broke the British player's serve in the seventh game of the second set and the American served out to win the match for her best tournament performance of the season, The Associated Press reported.
Kenin will play No. 1 seed and Paris Olympic gold medalist Zheng Qinwen. who beat Diana Shnaider 7-6 (5), 6-3 in the other semifinal.
The 25-year-old Kenin was ranked as high as No. 4 early in 2020, but a series of injuries, including ankle and quadricep ailments, has seen her WTA ranking drop to its current 155.
Boulter, ranked 33rd, had not lost a set during the Tokyo hard-court tournament.
Kenin beat Boulter in the only other time they have played but it was when Boulter retired with an injury in the second set while trailing 4-1 to Kenin after losing the first set in Acapulco in 2019.
Boulter beat 2019 US Open champion Bianca Andreescu on Friday in the quarterfinals.

Is Antonio Conte’s Napoli for Real? The Next 4 Games Are a Real Test

Napoli's head coach Antonio Conte gestures during the Serie A soccer match between Napoli and Lecce at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium in Naples, Italy, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. (Alessandro Garofalo/LaPresse via AP)

09:47-28 October 2024 AD ـ 25 Rabi’ Al-Thani 1446 AH

Is Antonio Conte’s Napoli for Real? The Next 4 Games Are a Real Test

Antonio Conte's Napoli has been unbeatable since mid-August.

Now comes the real test.

The Serie A leader will travel to the San Siro twice for games at AC Milan and Inter Milan in a space of less than two weeks and also play Atalanta and Roma over its next four matches. The rough stretch starts on Tuesday at Milan.

If Napoli can keep the lead or stay near the top after these four games, the Partenopei will be a serious contender for their second Italian title in three years — an achievement that would improve upon the two "scudetti" in four years that the club won with Diego Maradona in 1987 and 1990.

Having won eight of its last nine matches — interrupted only by a 0-0 draw at Juventus in September — Napoli hasn't lost since getting beaten by Hellas Verona in its Serie A opener on Aug. 18.

"We have amassed the points we needed to," Conte said, "and now it's never a walk in the park to play at the San Siro — whether it's against Inter or Milan."

Since the loss to Verona, Napoli has scored 16 goals and conceded two.

But Conte's side could be challenged by a Milan team that is rested after its match on Saturday was postponed due to flooding in Bologna.

Two key Milan players are suspended, though: Theo Hernandez and Tijjani Reijnders.

"Milan is certainly a strong team, who let us not forget was 22 points clear of Napoli last season and invested heavily on the transfer market," Conte said.

Napoli went through 3 different coaches last season

After winning Serie A under Luciano Spalletti in 2023, Napoli went through three different coaches last season when it finished 10th to miss out on Europe.

Conte signed a three-year contract in June and has made an almost immediate impact.

"Antonio is able to get inside the players' heads," said Ciro Ferrara, a former teammate of Conte's at Juventus turned analyst at DAZN. "He's able to extract the best out of his players."

Conte has also been a serial winner as a manager, amassing three Serie A titles at Juventus, Premier League and FA Cup trophies at Chelsea and another Serie A title at Inter Milan. He even guided Bari to the Serie B title before he moved to Juventus.

Lukaku, McTominay and Neres are making an impact

Conte convinced Romelu Lukaku to rejoin him at Napoli after the pair won at Inter and the Belgian striker has filled in well for the departed Victor Osimhen. Another player who has made an immediate impact is midfielder Scott McTominay, who joined in August after playing for Manchester United his entire career.

It was McTominay's header that led to a goal for Giovanni Di Lorenzo in a scrappy 1-0 win over Lecce on Saturday.

Newly signed David Neres has also been a force, giving Napoli more options beyond Khvicha Kvaratskhelia on the wings.

Napoli has won its opening five home games at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona for only the third time; having also achieved the feat with Maradona himself in 1989 and under Spalletti in 2021.

It's two tough away tests at the San Siro, though, that could give more credence to Napoli's potential.

Former Australian Open Champion Sofia Kenin Advances to WTA Tournament Final in Tokyo

Former Australian Open Champion Sofia Kenin Advances to WTA Tournament Final in Tokyo

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Is Antonio Conte’s Napoli for Real? The Next 4 Games Are a Real Test

Is Antonio Conte’s Napoli for Real? The Next 4 Games Are a Real Test

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