BERLIN // China's Li Na recovered from a terrible start to pull off a credible 0-6 6-1 6-4 victory over the world number one Serena Williams in the second round of the Stuttgart Grand Prix yesterday.
Williams, playing her first match at the indoor tournament after receiving a first-round bye, took advantage of a series of errors from her unseeded opponent to take the first set in just 21 minutes.
It looked a complete mismatch at that stage but in the second set Li suddenly found her range, hitting the lines more and more often and putting Williams under increasing pressure.
Williams, who won her ninth grand slam title at the US Open last month, made 11 unforced errors in the second, dropping her serve twice along the way, and despite improving in the third she was unable to re-establish herself.
Li broke for 4-3 in the decider and while Williams saved three match-points in her next service game she was unable to stop her opponent serving out for the match, which she clinched with an ace down the middle.
Li was joined in the quarter-finals by Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, who upset the eighth-seeded Pole Agnieszka Radwanska 6-1 7-5.
Patty Schnyder of Switzerland earlier overcame the Russian fifth seed Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-4 4-6 7-5 in an entertaining first round match.
Serving strongly throughout, the 29-year-old Schnyder set up match-point when Kuznetsova marginally overhit a return and clinched it when the Russian's attempted backhand winner drifted wide.
*Reuters
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Developer: Nintendo EPD
Publisher: Nintendo
Console: Nintendo Switch
Rating: 4/5
A QUIET PLACE
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Director: Michael Sarnoski
Rating: 4/5
THE BIO:
Favourite holiday destination: Thailand. I go every year and I’m obsessed with the fitness camps there.
Favourite book: Born to Run by Christopher McDougall. It’s an amazing story about barefoot running.
Favourite film: A League of their Own. I used to love watching it in my granny’s house when I was seven.
Personal motto: Believe it and you can achieve it.
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Starring: Benedict Wong, Jess Hong, Jovan Adepo, Eiza Gonzalez, John Bradley, Alex Sharp
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Date started: January 2022
Founders: Premlal Pullisserry and Lijo Antony
Based: Dubai
Number of staff: 30
Investment stage: Seed
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Xpanceo
Started: 2018
Founders: Roman Axelrod, Valentyn Volkov
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Smart contact lenses, augmented/virtual reality
Funding: $40 million
Investor: Opportunity Venture (Asia)
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Director: Chris Winterbauer
Stars: Lana Condor and Cole Sprouse
Rating: 3/5
Match info
Premier League
Manchester United 2 (Martial 30', Lingard 69')
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Transmission: seven-speed DSG automatic
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What is dialysis?
Dialysis is a way of cleaning your blood when your kidneys fail and can no longer do the job.
It gets rid of your body's wastes, extra salt and water, and helps to control your blood pressure. The main cause of kidney failure is diabetes and hypertension.
There are two kinds of dialysis — haemodialysis and peritoneal.
In haemodialysis, blood is pumped out of your body to an artificial kidney machine that filter your blood and returns it to your body by tubes.
In peritoneal dialysis, the inside lining of your own belly acts as a natural filter. Wastes are taken out by means of a cleansing fluid which is washed in and out of your belly in cycles.
It isn’t an option for everyone but if eligible, can be done at home by the patient or caregiver. This, as opposed to home haemodialysis, is covered by insurance in the UAE.