NEW YORK (AP) — Zheng Qinwen beat Donna Vekic in a rematch of their Olympic final, advancing to the U.S. Open quarterfinals with a 7-6 (2), 4-6, 6-2 victory early Monday morning in the latest finish of a women's match in tournament history.
It was 2:15 a.m. when the No. 7-seeded Zheng finished off the match that lasted 2 hours, 50 minutes, a far tougher and longer test than she got from Vekic last month in Paris.
Zheng won China's first singles gold in tennis with that 6-2, 6-3 victory that day. She wasn't quite as dominant on the U.S. Open's hard courts, where Vekic feels much more comfortable than the clay at Roland Garros.
But Zheng is plenty tough to beat herself on hard courts, having reached her first Grand Slam final this year at the Australian Open, where she lost to Aryna Sabalenka.
She will play again against Sabalenka, the No. 2 seed who also beat Zheng last year in the quarters at Flushing Meadows on her way to the final, on Tuesday.
AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
Donna Veki, of Croatia returns a shot to Zheng Qinwen, of China, during the fourth round of the U.S. Open tennis tournament Monday, Sept. 2, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
Zheng Qinwen, of China, returns a shot to Donna Veki, of Croatia, during the fourth round of the U.S. Open tennis tournament Monday, Sept. 2, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
Donna Veki, of Croatia, reacts against Zheng Qinwen, of China, during the fourth round of the U.S. Open tennis tournament Monday, Sept. 2, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
Zheng Qinwen, of China, reacts after defeating Donna Veki, of Croatia, during the fourth round of the U.S. Open tennis tournament Monday, Sept. 2, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
MANCHESTER, England (AP) — England and English soccer teams could be removed from UEFA competitions if a new regulator is considered to be “Government interference” in the sport.
In a letter sent by UEFA to the U.K.'s new culture secretary, Lisa Nandy, European soccer's governing body raised concerns about a proposed independent football regulator (IFR) in English soccer. The regulatory will ensure the financial sustainability of clubs and stop teams from joining breakaway competitions like the European Super League.
UEFA regulations state there should be no government interference in the running of soccer.
“We have specific rules that guard against this in order to guarantee the autonomy of sport and fairness of sporting competition; the ultimate sanction for which would be excluding the federation from UEFA and teams from competition,” UEFA general secretary Theodore Theodoridis wrote in his letter, which has been seen by The Associated Press.
England, which has been runner-up in the last two European Championships, is co-hosting the 2028 edition of the tournament.
If UEFA imposed its ultimate sanction of excluding the English Football Association, the England team would be barred from competing in the Euros. It could also mean Premier League clubs being barred from the Champions League and other competitions.
The U.K. government’s Football Governance Bill would give an independent regulator powersto safeguard the future of clubs. It includes strengthened tests over who can run or own clubs.
In its letter, UEFA said “normally football regulation should be managed by the national federation.”
It said it was concerned by what it described as “scope creep” by a regulator into areas beyond “the long-term financial sustainability of clubs and heritage assets.”
UEFA said if all countries established regulators with wide-reaching powers it would hinder its ability to maintain effective governance across Europe. It wants England's regulator to be “strictly limited” to the long-term financial sustainability of clubs and heritage assets.
James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
FILE - The UEFA Euro trophy is pictured after Britain and Ireland were elected to host the Euro 2028 football tournament during the the UEFA EURO 2028 and 2032 hosts announcement ceremony after the UEFA Executive Committee, at UEFA Headquarters, in Nyon, Switzerland, Oct. 10, 2023. (Jean-Christophe Bott/Keystone via AP, File)
