Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Simona Halep is a two-time National Bank Open champion, last winning the Canadian title in 2018. But the 30-year-old says she's an entirely different person now.
The Romanian moved on to the tournament's semifinal after beating Coco Gauff of the United States 6-4, 7-6 on Friday afternoon. Halep said she has evolved on and off the court since she last won what was then called the Rogers Cup four years ago.
"I've changed a lot, as a person as well," said Halep, who also won the event in 2016. "As a player, I don't know what exactly I did but I feel like I improved in many aspects. Then the pandemic came, so I think it was a little bit of a struggle for everybody.
"But I'm a better person. I'm a better player. So this helps me and gives me confidence to work hard."
The top six seeds in the tournament were eliminated by the Round of 16, making the seventh-seeded Jessica Pegula the top-rated player at the WTA event. She downed Kazakhstan's Yulia Putintseva 6-3, 6-3 in their quarterfinal match and will play Halep on Saturday.
Pegula said that despite being the highest seed left in the tournament, it doesn't mean she has a clear path to the second title of her career.
"I feel like these days anybody can do well," Pegula said. "And, of course, I play Halep who is a great champion.
"So no, never easy. It's nice to see I'm the highest seed but I don't really think it means anything at this point."
Halep and Pegula have never played each other before. During her post-match news conference, Halep glanced at a nearby television where Pegula was playing for match point against Putintseva.
"It's going to be a big challenge to face a new opponent, but it's always like that," said Halep. "But it's going to be a semifinal so for sure she's going to play good tennis.
"She's solid. She's at the top already."
Later, Ottawa's Gabriela Dabrowski and partner Giuliana Olmos of Mexico defeated Andreja Klepac of Slovenia and Chile's Alexa Guarachi 2-6, 6-2 (10) to advance to the doubles semifinal.
Dabrowski and Olmos will play American Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Australia's Ellen Perez in the semifinal.
Gauff and Pegula then teamed up in their doubles quarterfinal, earning a 6-3, 2-6 (10) win over Demi Schuurs of the Netherlands and American Desirae Krawczyk to advance to the semis.
The American pairing will face Madison Keys of the U.S. and India's Sania Mirza, who defeated American Sofia Kenin and Putintseva 7-5, 3-6 (10) in last of the quarterfinal doubles matches Friday.
Halep and Gauff's quarterfinal was the only singles match at the National Bank Open on Friday with two seeded players. Gauff was the tournament's 10th seed and Halep is 15th.
Halep is now 4-0 in singles matches against Gauff on the WTA Tour. She said that the 18-year-old American is becoming increasingly dangerous as an opponent.
"She's a bit stronger. She hits stronger and the serve was much stronger today. Her backhand is always hard," said Halep, who last played Gauff in Madrid earlier this season. "I think she improved a lot since we played last time."
In later quarterfinals, 12th seed Belinda Bencic of Switzerland was set to face Beatriz Haddad Maia of Brazil and 14th seed Karolina Pliskova was scheduled to take on China's Zheng Qinwen.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 12, 2022.
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
King Charles III’s doctors are 'sufficiently pleased' with his cancer treatment and he is expected to return to public-facing duties, Buckingham Palace announced on Friday.
After the Assembly of First Nations' national chief complained to Air Canada about how staffers treated her and her ceremonial headdress on a flight this week, she says the airline responded by offering a 15 per cent discount on her next flight.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
The current overall public health risk posed by the H5N1 bird flu virus is low, the World Health Organization said on Friday, but urged countries to stay alert for cases of animal-to-human transmission.
Philadelphia 76ers All-Star centre Joel Embiid has been diagnosed with Bell’s palsy, a form of facial paralysis he says has affected him since before the play-in tournament.
An idyllic 453-acre private island is up for sale off the west coast of Scotland and it comes with sandy beaches, puffins galore, seven houses, a pub, a helipad and a flock of black-faced sheep.
An investigation is underway after a Regina police officer was accidentally shot by a fellow officer’s gun during the search of a house early Friday morning.
A pair of Montreal designers' work has now been viewed over 41 million times. Taylor Swift dons a Victorian throwback black gown in her latest music video, 'Fortnight', designed by UNTTLD due Simon Belanger and Jose Manuel Saint-Jacques.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
A property tax bill is perplexing a small townhouse community in Fergus, Ont.
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
A local Oilers fan is hoping to see his team cut through the postseason, so he can cut his hair.
A family from Laval, Que. is looking for answers... and their father's body. He died on vacation in Cuba and authorities sent someone else's body back to Canada.
A former educational assistant is calling attention to the rising violence in Alberta's classrooms.
The federal government says its plan to increase taxes on capital gains is aimed at wealthy Canadians to achieve “tax fairness.”
At 6'8" and 350 pounds, there is nothing typical about UBC offensive lineman Giovanni Manu, who was born in Tonga and went to high school in Pitt Meadows.