Sports world daily: Wolfsburg pip Arsenal in Champions League; Sabalenka ends Andreeva’s Madrid run

Two-time winners Wolfsburg beat Arsenal in a thrilling match in front of a record audience at the Emirates Stadium on Monday to set up a Champions League final vs Barcelona. The German club beat Arsenal 3-2 on the night and 5-4 on aggregate.

World No 2 Aryna Sabalenka ended 16-year-old Mirra Andreeva dream run in Madrid to move into the quarter-finals of the Madrid Open. Iga Swiatek, Daniil Medvedev, Jessica Pegula and Stefanos Tsistipas also move ahead in Madrid.

Everton fought back to hold Leicester City to a 2-2 draw but it was the latter who climbed out of the relegation zone on goal difference.

Here’s a look at the key stories from international sporting events through the day for 2 May, 2023:

Wolfsburg reach Women’s Champions League final

Wolfsburg will play Barcelona in the Women’s Champions League final after Pauline Bremer’s last-gasp winner sealed a dramatic victory against Arsenal on Monday.

The Germans won 3-2 in the semi-final second leg at the Emirates Stadium as Bremer’s goal in the closing seconds of extra time sealed a 5-4 aggregate success.

Stina Blackstenius put Arsenal ahead, with Jill Roord and Alexandra Popp netting for Wolfsburg before Jennifer Beattie levelled for the Gunners, setting the stage for Bremer’s decisive goal.

Barcelona, who beat Chelsea in the other semi-final, lie in wait for Wolfsburg in the final at Eindhoven’s PSV Stadium on June 3.

Wolfsburg, who beat Arsenal in last season’s quarter-finals, are back in the final for the first time since losing the showpiece to Lyon in 2020.

Arsenal are the only Women’s Super League club to have won the Women’s Champions League, lifting the trophy in 2007.

But their hopes of another crack at the trophy were dashed in the most painful fashion.

The Gunners had battled back to draw the first leg 2-2 in Germany despite trailing by two goals after just 24 minutes.

Yet Jonas Eidevall’s side were ravaged by injuries to Beth Mead, Vivianne Miedema, Leah Williamson, Caitlin Foord and Kim Little and the attrition eventually took its toll.

Sabalenka, Swiatek, Medvedev advance

World number two Aryna Sabalenka made light work of 16-year-old Mirra Andreeva on Monday with a 6-3, 6-1 win to reach the Madrid Open quarter-finals.

Iga Swiatek, top of the world rankings, followed her into the last eight with a hard-fought three set win over Ekaterina Alexandrova, 6-4, 6-7 (3/7), 6-3.

In the men’s tournament world number three Daniil Medvedev beat his friend and Russian compatriot Alexander Shevchenko, while Frances Tiafoe and Cameron Norrie crashed out against underdogs.

Russian youngster Andreeva, a wildcard, became only the third 15-year-old to win a WTA 1000 main draw match when she beat 2021 US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez last week.

She went on to beat two top 20 players in Beatriz Haddad Maia and, on her 16th birthday, Magda Linette, but overcoming 2021 Madrid winner Sabalenka was a bridge too far.

The Australian Open champion will face Egyptian Mayar Sherif in the next round after she beat Elise Mertens 6-4, 0-6, 6-4 earlier Monday.

Two-time French Open winner Swiatek recovered from an early break by world number 17 Alexandrova to take the first set in what proved a trickier clash than it seemed on paper.

Swiatek will face Croatian Petra Martic, who upset Czech player Barbora Krejcikova 6-3, 7-6 (7/1).

Third seed Jessica Pegula beat Italy’s Martina Trevisan 6-3, 2-6, 6-3 and will face Veronika Kudermetova, who beat Daria Kasatkina in a tight all-Russian battle 7-5, 1-6, 7-2 (7/2).

Maria Sakkari beat home favourite Paula Badosa 6-4, 6-4 to set up a quarter-final clash with Romanian Irina-Camelia Begu.

In the men’s competition second seed Medvedev, 27, edged out his friend Shevchenko 4-6, 6-1, 7-5 to reach the fourth round.

He will face Aslan Karatsev, who beat Alex de Minaur 6-3, 4-6, 6-4.

Argentine player Pedro Cachin, ranked 67th, took out world number 11 Tiafoe with a 6-1, 7-6 (7/2) victory and will face lucky loser Jan-Lennard Struff in the next round.

Stefanos Tsitsipas beat Sebastian Baez 7-5, 3-6, 6-3 to progress, after needing three sets against Dominic Thiem in the previous round too.

Tsitsipas faces Bernabe Zapata Miralles in the last 16 after the Spaniard defeated Roman Safiullin 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.

Tiafoe’s countryman, US baseliner Taylor Fritz, saw off Cristian Garin and will meet Zhang Zhizhen, who surprisingly ousted Briton Norrie.

The world number 13 fell in three sets, with Zhang winning two tie-breaks to triumph 2-6, 7-6 (7/2), 7-6 (7/2).

Results in the Madrid ATP/WTA 1000 tournament on Monday (x denotes seeding; players representing Russia and Belarus are banned from competing under the name or flag of their countries):

Men

3rd rd

Zhang Zhizhen (CHN) bt Cameron Norrie (GBR x11) 2-6, 7-6 (7/2), 7-6 (7/2)

Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE x4) bt Sebastian Baez (ARG x25) 7-5, 3-6, 6-3

Taylor Fritz (USA x8) bt Cristian Garin (CHI) 6-1, 7-6 (7/4)

Pedro Cachin (ARG) bt Frances Tiafoe (USA x9) 6-1, 7-6 (7/2)

Bernabe Zapata Miralles (ESP) bt Roman Safiullin 6-3, 3-6, 6-3

Jan-Lennard Struff (GER) bt Dusan Lajovic (SRB) 6-7 (2/7), 6-3, 6-3

Aslan Karatsev bt Alex de Minaur (AUS x16) 6-3, 4-6, 6-4

Daniil Medvedev (x2) bt Alexander Shevchenko 4-6, 6-1, 7-5

Women

4th rd

Iga Swiatek (POL x1) bt Ekaterina Alexandrova (x16) 6-4, 6-7 (3/7), 6-3

Petra Martic (CRO x27) bt Barbora Krejcikova (CZE x11) 6-3, 7-6 (7/1)

Jessica Pegula (USA x3) bt Martina Trevisan (ITA x18) 6-3, 2-6, 6-3

Veronika Kudermetova (x12) bt Daria Kasatkina (x8) 7-5, 1-6, 7-6 (7/2)

Maria Sakkari (GRE/x9) bt Paula Badosa (ESP/x26) 6-4, 6-4

Irina-Camelia Begu (ROM x31) bt Liudmila Samsonova (x14) 6-4, 6-4

Mayar Sherif (EGY) bt Elise Mertens (BEL x24) 6-4, 0-6, 6-4

Aryna Sabalenka (x2) bt Mirra Andreeva 6-3, 6-1

Everton rescue draw at Leicester

Everton’s Alex Iwobi rescued a 2-2 draw against relegation rivals Leicester, but it was the Foxes who climbed out of the Premier League’s bottom three after Monday’s pivotal showdown.

Iwobi scored a second-half equaliser at the King Power Stadium after James Maddison wasted a chance to put Leicester 3-1 up when his penalty was saved by Jordan Pickford.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin put Everton in front with an early penalty, before Leicester hit back with goals from Caglar Soyuncu and Jamie Vardy.

Leicester, who have won one of their last 12 league games, moved out of the relegation zone on goal difference.

The Foxes, Premier League champions in 2016, are fighting to avoid playing in the Championship for the first time in nine years.

Everton, who last played in the second tier in 1954, remain in 19th place.

Sean Dyche’s side are one point from safety with four games left for each of the bottom five clubs.

Everton narrowly escaped relegation last season under Frank Lampard, but their struggles again this term led to Dyche’s appointment in January.

The Toffees beat Arsenal and Leeds in two of Dyche’s first three games, but have won just one of the 11 games since then, sparking furious fan protests against the club hierarchy.

With text inputs from AFP

Updated through the day