Tennis

Indian Wells: Swiatek stifles Raducanu, Draper’s injury woes return and Norrie’s double-header

Carlos Alcaraz of Spain consoles Jack Draper of Great Britain after he retired injured during BNP Paribas Open on March 14, 2023 in Indian Wells,...

World no. 1 Iga Swiatek endured some stressful moments but won in straight-sets over Emma Raducanu, who faded physically despite an encouraging display in places. That came after Jack Draper was forced to retire with an abdominal injury against Carlos Alcaraz, who now plays comeback king Felix Auger-Aliassime in the last-eight – who he has never beaten (0-3 H2H) before… Continue reading “Indian Wells: Swiatek stifles Raducanu, Draper’s injury woes return and Norrie’s double-header”

Tennis

Krejcikova ends Sabalenka streak, Murray wins again and Medvedev vs. Auger-Aliassime 2

Barbora Krejcikova of the Czech Republic in action against Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus in her quarter-final match on Day 5 of the Dubai Duty Free...

Barbora Krejcikova rallied from a bagel set down to end Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka’s 13-match unbeaten run with a spirited comeback win on another busy day of tennis worldwide. Andy Murray again prevailed in three sets and now faces Andrey Rublev’s conqueror Jiri Lehecka, while Felix Auger-Aliassime hopes for a different outcome at Daniil Medvedev’s expense later today – a repeat of last week’s Rotterdam quarter-final matchup beckons.

Continue reading “Krejcikova ends Sabalenka streak, Murray wins again and Medvedev vs. Auger-Aliassime 2”

Tennis

AUS OPEN 2023: Linette-Sabalenka, Paul-Djokovic semis sealed on straightforward Day 10

Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus in action against Donna Vekic of Croatia in her quarter-final match on Day 10 of the 2023 Australian Open at Melbourne...

Magda Linette’s Major run continues after she downed an errant Karolina Pliskova, with Aryna Sabalenka to come in the second of Thursday’s semi-finals as the fifth seed was a convincing winner against Donna Vekic. Afterwards, experience proved key for Tommy Paul as he ousted young compatriot Ben Shelton in a battle of two first-time quarterfinalists, setting up a Friday fight against nine-time champion Novak Djokovic after making quick work of Andrey Rublev. Continue reading “AUS OPEN 2023: Linette-Sabalenka, Paul-Djokovic semis sealed on straightforward Day 10”

Tennis

AUS OPEN 2023: Rublev saves match points vs. Rune, Djokovic dismantles de Minaur and more on Day 8

Andrey Rublev of Russia celebrates after winning his match during Round 4 of the 2023 Australian Open on January 23 2023, at Melbourne Park in...

Andrey Rublev twice recovered from the brink to avenge his Paris Masters defeat by Holger Rune in a deciding set tiebreak, earning another Major quarter-final berth in the process. He’ll face the tournament’s nine-time champion Novak Djokovic on Wednesday, after the Serb was supreme as he purred to victory against Australia’s remaining hope Alex de Minaur. Elsewhere, Aryna Sabalenka and Magda Linette were big winners and more on an early-ending Day 8. Continue reading “AUS OPEN 2023: Rublev saves match points vs. Rune, Djokovic dismantles de Minaur and more on Day 8”

Tennis

AUS OPEN 2023: Straightforward victories for most on Day 6, as Fruhvirtova and Shelton big winners

Ben Shelton of the United States reacts during the third round singles match against Alexei Popyrin of Australia during day six of the 2023...

Today’s results mean there could be as many as five more first-time quarterfinalists in this year’s Australian Open, including teenage duo Holger Rune and Linda Fruhvirtova. Rune will face Andrey Rublev after the Russian was on form vs. Dan Evans, while the 17-year-old ousted compatriot Marketa Vondrousova with Donna Vekic next. Elsewhere, Grigor Dimitrov made Novak Djokovic sweat before Roberto Bautista Agut ended Andy Murray’s memorable run. Continue reading “AUS OPEN 2023: Straightforward victories for most on Day 6, as Fruhvirtova and Shelton big winners”

Tennis

AUS OPEN 2023: Murray saves match point against Berrettini, Zverev and Jabeur survive on Day 2

Andy Murray of Great Britain celebrates winning a point in their round one singles match against Matteo Berrettini of Italy during day two of the...

Andy Murray ended a near five-year long wait to down a top-20 player in a Major, saving a match point en route to outlasting last year’s semifinalist Matteo Berrettini. Elsewhere, Alexander Zverev and Ons Jabeur both survived some uncomfortable situations while volatile weather – from extreme heat to heavy rain – limited play elsewhere during a disrupted Day 2. Continue reading “AUS OPEN 2023: Murray saves match point against Berrettini, Zverev and Jabeur survive on Day 2”

Tennis

AUS OPEN 2023: Nadal, Swiatek and more in round-up, draw analysis as year’s first Major starts Monday

Rafael Nadal of Spain plays a backhand shot during a practice session ahead of the 2023 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 13, 2023 in...

2023 brings a new year packed with resolutions, time-specific targets and compelling storylines too. With the year’s first Major tournament set to begin on Monday in Melbourne, here’s a news round-up before the big occasion finally gets underway – from player withdrawals, injury scares, progress reports from recent tournaments and my draw analysis for both tours.
Continue reading “AUS OPEN 2023: Nadal, Swiatek and more in round-up, draw analysis as year’s first Major starts Monday”

Tennis

Australian Open 2023: Zverev, Norrie eager to ramp up their preparations in Saudi Arabia event

Zverev Alexander tennis player during the 2022/2023 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season Round 10 match between AS Monaco and FC Bayern Munich...

Olympic champion Alexander Zverev’s long-awaited comeback from ankle surgery, after an unexpected setback, is less than a fortnight away now. He’s looking forward to returning against a competitive field for Saudi Arabia’s Diriyah Tennis Cup, which includes 2021 US Open champion Daniil Medvedev and Cameron Norrie, hoping the three-day event serves him well as the British no. 1 looks to banish his historical Australian Open struggles come early 2023. Continue reading “Australian Open 2023: Zverev, Norrie eager to ramp up their preparations in Saudi Arabia event”

Tennis

ATP Finals: Djokovic outlasts Ruud to seal record-equalling sixth title, ending a memorable 2022

Novak Djokovic of Serbia celebrates after winning the match between Novak Djokovic of Serbia and Casper Ruud of Norway during day eight of the Nitto...

2022 started with the now-former world no. 1 being embarrassed in Australia, deported as he prepared to defend his Grand Slam title – an easy target for vilification worldwide given his vaccination stance. It ends with Novak Djokovic clinching a record-equalling sixth ATP Finals title despite Casper Ruud’s best efforts, another result during an eventful week in Turin setting up the new season perfectly with plenty of compelling questions now bubbling to the surface. Continue reading “ATP Finals: Djokovic outlasts Ruud to seal record-equalling sixth title, ending a memorable 2022”

Tennis

Dominic Thiem ends his 2022 season exhausted, but happy with progress – as he should be

Austria's Dominic Thiem reacts during the men's singles round of 16 tennis match against Daniil Medvedev at the ATP Vienna Open tennis tournament in...

He finished just shy of his goal – a return to the world’s top 100 – but 2020 US Open champion Dominic Thiem is exhausted after a busy few months on tour and spoke to Austrian news this week about the progress he’s made after a troublesome time with injuries in recent seasons. All things considered, 2023 has all the ingredients of a renaissance year for the 29-year-old – with fans and critics alike purring about performances against high-ranked competition of late.
Continue reading “Dominic Thiem ends his 2022 season exhausted, but happy with progress – as he should be”

Tennis

Day 10 – US Open 2022: Sabalenka-Swiatek, Tiafoe-Alcaraz in semifinals after Sinner-Alcaraz epic

Iga Swiatek of Poland celebrates her victory over Jessica Pegula of the United States in the quarter finals of the women's singles at the US Open at...

Aryna Sabalenka will play Iga Swiatek, keen to erase her 0-3 H2H record this season in Thursday’s US Open semi-final after the pair earned contrasting straight-set wins over Karolina Pliskova and Jessica Pegula. Meanwhile, Frances Tiafoe will look to make more history after taking down Rafael Nadal and Andrey Rublev: he plays Jannik Sinner’s conqueror Carlos Alcaraz on Friday, having watched a 5-hour epic unfold into the early hours between the pair.
Continue reading “Day 10 – US Open 2022: Sabalenka-Swiatek, Tiafoe-Alcaraz in semifinals after Sinner-Alcaraz epic”

Tennis

US Open 2022: Muguruza, Bencic among big losers as Rublev-Shapovalov taken to brink on Day 6

Garbine Muguruza of Spain looks on against Petra Kvitova of Czech Republic during their Women's Singles Third Round match on Day Six of the 2022 US...

Jannik Sinner recovered from a set down to ice a home hopeful in the night session, after Petra Kvitova was pushed into a deciding set ten-point tiebreak as she edged past two-time Major champion Garbine Muguruza. Elsewhere, Cameron Norrie and Frances Tiafoe prevailed before Naomi Osaka’s conqueror Danielle Collins added another tricky opponent onto her resume.
Continue reading “US Open 2022: Muguruza, Bencic among big losers as Rublev-Shapovalov taken to brink on Day 6”