Analysis, features, news plus more – on European football and sports galore!
After both had their Miami tournaments end prematurely last month, they returned to clay this week. It was the 2017 French Open champion who wasted no time and produced 26 winners as her aggressive style of tennis proved too hot for the 20-year-old Brit to handle during a one-sided battle of Major titlists. Continue reading “WTA Stuttgart: Ostapenko awesome as she swats Raducanu aside within an hour”
Victoria Azarenka started well and didn’t let up, as she ended Jessica Pegula’s eight-match winning streak – to punch her ticket into a ninth Major semi-final. She’ll face reigning Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina on Thursday, who dropped just one more game against Jelena Ostapenko. Elsewhere, Karen Khachanov will target a first competitive H2H win over Stefanos Tsitsipas after their contrasting wins over Sebastian Korda and Jiri Lehecka on Day 9. Continue reading “AUS OPEN 2023: Azarenka-Rybakina, Khachanov-Tsitsipas set in semifinals on eventful Day 9”
Neither played badly, but both were second best on the biggest points as world no. 1 Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff suffered straight-sets defeats against a pair of Grand Slam champions in Elena Rybakina and Jelena Ostapenko on a busy Day 7 at this year’s Major. Elsewhere, Jiri Lehecka’s giantkilling run continued and he’ll face an in-form Stefanos Tsitsipas on Tuesday. Continue reading “AUS OPEN 2023: Swiatek, Gauff beaten in straight-sets, Tsitsipas survives Sinner fightback on Day 7”
Adelaide 1 finalist and 29th seed Sebastian Korda produced some brilliant ball-striking as he stunned two-time finalist Daniil Medvedev in straight-sets to steal the show on an eventful Day 5 at this year’s Australian Open, with Jiri Lehecka a big winner after some tasty fourth-round ties on the women’s side were confirmed, including Swiatek-Rybakina and Pegula-Krejcikova. Continue reading “AUS OPEN 2023: Korda outplays Medvedev, Lehecka downs Norrie, Zhu stuns Sakkari and more on Day 5”
On a day where two of the world’s top male players both crashed out in the first-round of their respective tournaments, Emma Raducanu acquitted herself well but costly errors late in both sets saw her ultimately lose a competitive clash to Daria Kasatkina. Daniil Medvedev dropped just four games, while Wimbledon runner-up Nick Kyrgios excelled on his return to action too. Continue reading “Round-up: Alcaraz, Ruud stunned in straight-sets, Kasatkina outwits Raducanu in Ostrava and more”
As Jelena Ostapenko prepares to play her third WTA singles final of the season against Russia’s Ekaterina Alexandrova in South Korea this morning (start time from 7am BST), there will be an overwhelming sense of what could’ve been for another Grand Slam champion whose injury struggles cruelly returned at precisely the worst moment in Saturday’s semi-final encounter. Continue reading “Leading 6-4, 2-1 against Ostapenko in Saturday’s semi-final, what happened to Raducanu in Seoul?”
Paula Badosa and Barbora Krejcikova’s contrasting three-set wins continued their career-best Australian Open runs, on a day full of surprises. Elsewhere, defending champion Naomi Osaka had two match points on her racquet but tightened up and lost against Amanda Anisimova after Matteo Berrettini [7] was pushed to a deciding set tiebreak by rising star Carlos Alcaraz. Continue reading “Australian Open 2022: Badosa, Krejcikova win three-set battles to kick off action-packed Day 5”
After an easy R1 match, Wimbledon titlist Ashleigh Barty also breezed past Italian qualifier Lucia Bronzetti. Elsewhere in the women’s draw, some intriguing R3 matches are set after comfortable victories for Paula Badosa (#8) and Victoria Azarenka (#24). Meanwhile 20-time Major champion Rafael Nadal had to work hard but still emerged as the challenges intensify.
Continue reading “Australian Open 2022: Barty and Badosa ease into R3, Nadal tested on lowkey Day 3”
World number four Alexander Zverev fufilled a personal milestone as he finally added Andy Murray to his Big Four collection, beating the former world no. 1 in their fourth and most compelling H2H meeting. Beforehand, America’s Shelby Rogers recovered from a set down to outsmart US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez, on a day with surprises at this year’s Indian Wells. Continue reading “Indian Wells: Zverev outguns gutsy Murray, after Rogers recovers to beat Fernandez”
On an opening day marred by several injury-enforced withdrawals, 2012 US Open champion Andy Murray and world number three Stefanos Tsitsipas were engaged in a five-set epic battle, lasting four hours 50 minutes, to start the year’s final Grand Slam tournament with aplomb. Continue reading “US Open 2021: Murray-Tsitsipas lives up to the billing on eventful Day 1”
The crowd on Centre Court is sure to be divided on Saturday, when eight-time champion Roger Federer faces Britain’s Cameron Norrie in an intriguing R3 clash after the pair recorded straight-sets wins. Ashleigh Barty and Cori Gauff had routine wins, Angelique Kerber was involved in an unforgettable thriller before teenage wildcard Emma Raducanu made her mark on Court 12. Continue reading “Wimbledon 2021: Federer sets up Norrie clash, but Raducanu steals the show on Day 4”
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