Event of the Day: Day 3 of the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open
Our event of the day is Day 3 of the WTA Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open at the Optics Valley International Tennis Center in Wuhan, China. There is exciting second round action today, with the top seeds playing in their first matches of the tournament. Defending champion Caroline Garcia faces Kateřina Siniaková. Number 1 seed, and 2018 French Open champion, Simona Halep plays the quick and aggressive Dominika Cibulková. However, there will be some notable absences. Number 7 seed, and 2018 US Open champion, Naomi Osaka withdrew from the competition due to illness. Meanwhile, Number 9 seed Sloane Stephens lost in the first round, marking the second consecutive tournament where this has been the case for the American. Day 2 saw plenty of exciting tennis. Number 14 seed Garbiñe Muguruza defeated Belgian Alison Van Uytvanck. With the win, Muguruza exacted revenge for the shock exit from Wimbledon she was given by Van Utyvanck earlier this year. In her post-match interview, Muguruza said their Wimbledon game had been on her mind and had driven her to win.
Elsewhere, Australian Daria Gavrilova upset number 10 seed Jeļena Ostapenko. Gavrilova returned solidly through the game and exploited an unreliable serve from Ostapenko. British number one Johanna Konta continued an underwhelming season as she lost in straight sets to Ashleigh Barty. There was another shock as Camila Giorgi lost to the athletic Aleksandra Krunić in three sets. The game was closely fought, with neither player dominating the match. However, Krunić was able to outlast her Italian opponent to set up a second round match-up against the number 5 seed, Petra Kvitová. Furthermore, a poor season continued for the American CoCo Vanderweghe, who had to retire from her match with Donna Vekić due to an ankle injury midway through the third set. Vekić will go on to face Estonian, Anett Kontaveit, who was responsible for knocking Sloane Stephens out of the competition on Sunday. Overall, Day 3 is sure to be a hard-fought day of can't miss tennis.
Honourable mentions around the globe go to the Carabao Cup where Manchester United host Derby County at Old Trafford. United manager José Mourinho has declared this a must win game for the team after a lacklustre draw with Wolves over the weekend. Meanwhile Derby, with new manager Frank Lampard, seek to challenge their top-flight opponents. The 6th place Championship side come into this cup match following a 3-1 win against Brentford. They also boast some impressive talent, such as Harry Wilson, who is on loan from Liverpool. With Manchester United under-performing and Derby looking hot, this is set to be an exciting match. Elsewhere, in MLB, the Milwaukee Brewers play the second game of an important series against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. The 3-game series has major implications for the National League Wild Card race. Additionally, The Judo World Championships continue in Baku.
Whatever you're watching, enjoy!
Photos by WTA Tennis