In Sports News this week: Siniaková knocked out of French Open; Vít Přindiš takes gold at European Canoe Slalom Championships; Mladá Boleslav secure a spot in the Europa League preliminary round; and Sparta Prague gets a new coach.
Siniaková knocks out World number one in Roland Garros
Kateřina Siniaková, photo: ČTK/AP/Michel Euler
Kateřina Siniaková caused a sensation in the third round of the French Open on Saturday when she knocked out world number one and two time grand slam winner Naomi Osaka. The 23-year-old Czech, who has so-far only achieved Grand Slam glory in the doubles discipline beat the Ms. Osaka in two sets 6-4 6-2. Unfortunately, Siniaková’s dream run in Paris was ended by Alison Keys of the US, who knocked her out from the fourth round on Monday with a 6-2, 6-4 win. The last Czech to remain in the French Open is Markéta Vondroušová. The 19-year-old player reached the fourth round of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time, after sweeping aside Anastasija Sevastova in the third round on Sunday, beating the Latvian player 6-2 6-0 in under an hour. Vondroušová is due to face Petra Martic of Croatia on Tuesday for a spot in the semi-finals.
Vít Přindiš takes gold at European Canoe Slalom Championships
Vít Přindiš won gold in the water canoe slalom category at the European Championships in Pau, France on Sunday. He beat second placed Dariusz Popiela by 0.77 seconds, earning him the first ever victory in an individual category. His colleague Jiří Prskavec, who secured bronze last year, finished in eighth position. Meanwhile, in the female category, Tereza Fišerová ended in fourth place, just short of the podium.
Mladá Boleslav secures spot in Europa League preliminary round
Baník Ostrava - Mladá Boleslav, photo: ČTK/Petr Sznapka
Mladá Boleslav managed to secure a place in the second round of the Europa League qualifiers after a 1:0 away victory against Baník Ostrava on Saturday. The Czech league’s top scorer Nikolay Komlichenko scored the only goal in the 12th minute. Boleslav is the last team to earn a spot in the qualifiers for next season’s pan-European football competitions, with Slavia Prague, Plzeň, Sparta Prague and Jablonec already securing their spot.
Sparta Prague gets new coach
Václav Jílek, photo: ČTK/Michal Kamaryt
While Slavia have had one of their best seasons, its long-term rival and historically the most successful Czech football team Sparta Prague have had a lacklustre year. On Thursday, the team announced it has signed a three-year contract with former Olomouc coach Václav Jílek. Mr. Jilek told journalists that he intends to get Sparta on the same level as the current top two clubs - Slavia and Plzeň. His focus, he said, will be mainly on creating a strong team and a solid organisational structure.
