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

Indian Wells: Raducanu-Swiatek, Draper-Alcaraz in R4 after big wins for young duo

Emma Raducanu of Great Britain celebrates defeating Beatriz Haddad Maia of Brazil in her third-round match on Day 8 of the 2023 BNP Paribas Open at...

Monday was the day of youth – don’t tell Holger Rune – as Jack Draper followed up Emma Raducanu’s character-building deciding set victory with an unforgettable one of his own against an idol and mentor in former world no. 1 Andy Murray. His reward? A matchup against tournament top seed, Carlos Alcaraz, after he logged his 100th tour-level win over Tallon Griekspoor. Continue reading “Indian Wells: Raducanu-Swiatek, Draper-Alcaraz in R4 after big wins for young duo”

Tennis

Indian Wells: Draper-Murray set, while Raducanu and Norrie earn contrasting victories

Jack Draper of Great Britain celebrates against Dan Evans of great Britain in the second round of BNP Paribas Open on March 11, 2023 in Indian Wells,...

After narrowly losing an exhibition match to the Scot before Christmas, rising British prospect Jack Draper gets a maiden competitive clash against his role model Andy Murray as both won their second-round matches in straight-sets over the weekend. Elsewhere, Emma Raducanu overcame early adversity against Magda Linette and Cameron Norrie did things the hard way overnight. Continue reading “Indian Wells: Draper-Murray set, while Raducanu and Norrie earn contrasting victories”

Tennis

Indian Wells: Draper, Raducanu win in straight-sets before another masterful Murray display

Andy Murray of Great Britain celebrates in his match agains Tomas Martin Etcheverry of Argentina during the BNP Paribas Open on March 09, 2023 in...

Having both not featured since Melbourne, there were successful returns to competitive action for Jack Draper and Emma Raducanu, who made it 2-0 for Brits on Thursday at Indian Wells. Keeping in theme with his heroics of late, Andy Murray expertly fended off danger in another three-hour epic, outlasting Masters 1000 debutant Tomas Martin Etcheverry to cap an eventful day session. Continue reading “Indian Wells: Draper, Raducanu win in straight-sets before another masterful Murray display”

Tennis

AUS OPEN 2023: Kyrgios withdraws, Nadal battles past Draper, Raducanu-Gauff in R2 + more on Day 1

Spain's Rafael Nadal reacts after a point against Britain's Jack Draper during their men's singles match on day one of the Australian Open tennis...

Rafael Nadal and Daniil Medvedev – last year’s champion and runner-up – won in contrasting circumstances. A genuine title contender withdrew through injury and needs surgery, while Iga Swiatek was pushed by a determined Jule Neimeier, an intriguing contest between Emma Raducanu and Coco Gauff is set for R2 and much more besides. Read on, for Day 1’s round-up. Continue reading “AUS OPEN 2023: Kyrgios withdraws, Nadal battles past Draper, Raducanu-Gauff in R2 + more on Day 1”

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

US Open 2022: Big results unfold on Day 4-5; Tomljanovic ends Serena’s surge in three-set battle

S Serena Williams waves to the audience after losing against Australia's Ajla Tomljanovic during their 2022 US Open Tennis tournament women's singles...

Wimbledon quarterfinalist Ajla Tomljanovic held her nerve and a second-set fightback to silence the crowd and outlast 23-time Major champion Serena Williams in a gruelling battle lasting over three hours, ending the legend’s iconic singles career this weekend. Elsewhere, there was contrasting disappointment for Andy Murray and Jack Draper… Read on for more. Continue reading “US Open 2022: Big results unfold on Day 4-5; Tomljanovic ends Serena’s surge in three-set battle”

Tennis

US Open 2022: Serena ousts Kontaveit in three sets, Draper downs Auger-Aliassime and more on Day 3

Serena Williams of the United States celebrates after defeating Anett Kontaveit of Estonia in their Women's Singles Second Round match on Day Three...

After beating Danka Kovinic on Monday night, retiring legend Serena Williams showed she’s still got a little left in the tank after overcoming a stunning set two fightback to outlast world no. 2 Anett Kontaveit 7-6, 2-6, 6-2. Hours later, 20-year-old Brit Jack Draper completed an impressive straight-sets win over last year’s semifinalist Felix Auger-Aliassime [6] on a busy third evening. Continue reading “US Open 2022: Serena ousts Kontaveit in three sets, Draper downs Auger-Aliassime and more on Day 3”

Tennis

US Open 2022: Tsitsipas and Halep among seeds to fall, Serena wins as celebration begins on Day 1

Serena Williams of the United States celebrates after defeating Danka Kovinic of Montenegro during the Women's Singles First Round on Day One of the...

Serena Williams’ last US Open campaign got underway with a hard-fought 6-3, 6-3 win over Danka Kovinic, before a celebratory ceremony for the 23-time Major champion as her illustrious career enters its final days. Casper Ruud and defending titlist Daniil Medvedev eased through in the day session, while Simona Halep and Stefanos Tsitsipas were among the Day 1 casualties… Continue reading “US Open 2022: Tsitsipas and Halep among seeds to fall, Serena wins as celebration begins on Day 1”

Tennis

Winston-Salem: Jack Draper downed in two draining sets against Swiss’ in-form Marc-Andrea Huesler

Jack Draper of Great Britain returns a shot from Marc-Andrea Huesler of Switzerland during their quarterfinals match on day six of the Winston-Salem...

24 hours after adding role model Dominic Thiem to the ever-growing list of players he’s beaten so far this year, Switzerland’s Marc-Andrea Huesler ultimately proved too much for Jack Draper to handle during their competitive Winston-Salem quarter-final clash overnight. Draper has a chance to avenge his Queen’s defeat by Emil Ruusuvuori on Monday, in his US Open debut. Continue reading “Winston-Salem: Jack Draper downed in two draining sets against Swiss’ in-form Marc-Andrea Huesler”

Tennis

Jack Draper: Ruusuvouri defeat will help me learn lessons, with SW19 returning this month

Jack Draper of Great Britain looks dejected against Emil Ruusuvuori of Finland during day three of the cinch Championships at The Queen's Club on...

It’s easy to declare post-match that you’ll learn lessons from a loss, especially a humbling one during the notoriously short grass court season, but 20-year-old Jack Draper’s case feels slightly different than most. Considering Wimbledon’s just around the corner, here’s why… Continue reading “Jack Draper: Ruusuvouri defeat will help me learn lessons, with SW19 returning this month”

Archives

Madrid Open: Murray overcomes Shapovalov late, after Draper and Raducanu crash out

Andy Murray of Great Britain celebrates after winning a point in their second round match against Denis Shapovalov of Canada during day six of Mutua...

Andy Murray picked his moments against an erratic Denis Shapovalov display to set up a first meeting in almost five-and-a-half years with familiar foe Novak Djokovic, securing successive ATP victories for the first time since January. Beforehand, British young duo Jack Draper and Emma Raducanu suffered contrasting three-set defeats as this year’s Madrid Open continues. Continue reading “Madrid Open: Murray overcomes Shapovalov late, after Draper and Raducanu crash out”