China's Zhu Lin ends run in Australian Open singles

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China's Zhu Lin ends run in Australian Open singles

2021-02-15 12:21 Last Updated At：12:21

China's Zhu Lin ended her run in the Australian Open singles draw on Thursday, losing to Belgium's Elise Mertens in the second round, 6-7 (8-10), 1-6, despite putting up a hard fight against the No. 18 seed.

Not much separated Zhu and Mertens in a close first set lasting over an hour. The Belgian player was coming off the back of winning the warm-up event, the Gippsland trophy, however in their last match in Dubai in 2019, the Chinese player was victorious.

"It's obviously a tough match and she just won the last tournament. I remember the last time we played it was also a tough match, three sets, and today I got to set point in the first set but I think I need to be more patient and make more winners," Zhu told Xinhua in a post-match interview.

Zhu saved several set points, playing well under pressure and claiming important games to force a first-set tiebreak.

The players could not be separated going point for point until two backhand errors gave the Belgian the win.

"I say to myself to focus on the point and have a picture of where I want to hit, have a plan on every point, especially in the big moments. But I think I need to get better at this and just try not to think about the score," Zhu said.

In the second set, Mertens accelerated her advantage, winning five straight games taking the score to 5-0. The game was closer than the score would indicate, with closely fought games slipping through the Chinese fingers.

"I think I lost my focus after the first set and it's been a while since I played a match at this level so I need to play more matches like this to get used to the intense level again," Zhu said.

Meanwhile, in the doubles format, China's Wang Yafan and Czech player Renata Voracova lost a three-hour battle with local pair Maddison Inglis and Lizette Cabrera, 6-7 (3-7), 6-4, 6-7 (10-12).

Wembanyama's return lifts Spurs to NBA Cup final, handing Thunder just 2nd loss

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Victor Wembanyama returned from a 12-game absence with 22 points and nine rebounds, giving San Antonio a surge and the Oklahoma City Thunder just its second loss with the 111-109 victory Saturday night putting the Spurs in the NBA Cup final.

The Spurs play the New York Knicks in Tuesday night's final.

Oklahoma City's last defeat was Nov. 5 at Portland, and the Thunder carried a 16-game winning streak into this game. They now are 24-2, the second-best start behind only the 25-1 record by Golden State in 2015-16.

This is the Thunder's second loss in a row in Las Vegas. They also lost last year’s final to Milwaukee 97-81.

Wembanyama, who received “M-V-P” chants from the pro-Spurs crowd, had a plus-21 rating in 21 minutes. Teammate Devin Vassell scored 23 points and De’Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle each scored 22.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 29 points, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams each totaled 17.

Wembanyama had been out because of a strained left calf, though the Spurs went 9-3 in his absence. He was placed on a minutes restriction against the Thunder, but that didn't limit his impact.

Wembanyama, who entered the game averaging 26.2 points and 12.9 rebounds, gave the Spurs an immediate boost and sent a surge into the crowd. Fans began to roar when he removed his sweatpants before the second quarter, and Wembanyama had a plus-20 rating in just seven minutes even with his team trailing by three points at halftime.

But San Antonio ended the first half with a 13-point run to make it a contest. The Spurs used a 10-point run in the third quarter to go up 62-56 and set the stage for a tense fourth period.

Spurs: Play the Knicks on Tuesday night in the NBA Cup final.

Thunder: Host the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA