Analysis, features, news plus more – on European football and sports galore!
2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina racked up a third WTA title of the season, less than 24 hours after outlasting world no. 1 Iga Swiatek to extend her impressive deciding set record, swatting aside a wasteful Marta Kostyuk display to seal the Stuttgart spoils as the race to Roland Garros continues. Continue reading “WTA Stuttgart: Swiatek slayer Rybakina reels off third title of 2024, beats Kostyuk”
She started slowly, leaked 13 total double-faults and could’ve easily faltered after losing set one to 21-year-old Ukrainian talent Marta Kostyuk but Britain’s Katie Boulter recovered from a set down for the second time this week to clinch a maiden WTA 500 title, cracking into the world’s top 30 for the first time too.
Continue reading “WTA San Diego: Boulter recovers against Kostyuk to win her maiden WTA 500 title”
Britain’s no. 1 Cameron Norrie was bested in four sets, Casper Ruud’s conqueror Liam Broady led early but suffered the same fate while Andy Murray was left to rue what might’ve been as Stefanos Tsitsipas recovered from an overnight deficit to beat him in a decider. Katie Boulter is now the country’s last remaining singles hope, Aryna Sabalenka survived a scare and more seeds fell.
Continue reading “Wimbledon 2023: Tsitsipas topples Murray, while Eubanks earns big win over Norrie”
2021 US Open champion Daniil Medvedev got his Wimbledon campaign up-and-running with a straight-sets win over a spirited effort from British wildcard Arthur Fery, who finds himself with a decision to make over his college status this autumn. Elsewhere, Daria Kasatkina made quick work of Jodie Burrage, while Jannik Sinner is into R3 after overwhelming Diego Schwartzman.
Continue reading “Wimbledon 2023: Kasatkina downs Burrage, Medvedev and Sinner both excel”
French Open finalist Casper Ruud has withdrawn from next week’s ATP500 event in Halle, Nick Kyrgios and Matteo Berrettini – Wimbledon runner-ups over the previous two seasons – suffered frustrating defeats on their respective returns to grass, and more besides as the season’s cycle continues to turn… Continue reading “Casper Ruud’s Halle withdrawal, Kyrgios and Berrettini’s losing returns and more”
Belinda Bencic made her return to tennis action a triumphant one this past week – having lost to eventual winner Aryna Sabalenka at last month’s Australian Open. The Olympic champion won a trio of matches in straight-sets, but needed to save three match points and recover from a set down to overwhelm Russia’s Liudmila Samsonova in yesterday’s Abu Dhabi Open. Continue reading “Bencic gutsy, saves three match points in Samsonova scalp to clinch Abu Dhabi title”
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”
Maria Sakkari called this one of the best weeks in her career. Jessica Pegula spoke for team USA, stressing their excitement for what’s to come. Poland are deadly in unison and we’re only halfway through: the United Cup’s final four nations were sealed after a manic day’s action – with a few surprising results as expected across tour-level tournaments elsewhere today. Continue reading “Tennis: United Cup’s final four teams confirmed, Rybakina and Andreescu lose in Adelaide and more”
US Open champion Emma Raducanu started fast and drew errors aplenty (19-1) from a sluggish Serena Williams display on her Cincinnati debut tonight, as the 19-year-old kept composed, as the 19-year-old kept composed in their first and only competitive meeting. Next she’ll play another legend she grew up watching: two-time Major champion Victoria Azarenka. Continue reading “Cincinnati Open: Raducanu dismisses patchy Serena showing in straight-sets on Cincy debut”
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”
In a duel between two promising teenagers, the tournament’s third seed Coco Gauff was pushed to the brink but battled to win in a competitive three-set clash vs. Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk – winning 6-3, 5-7, 6-3. She’ll play Croatia’s Ana Konjuh in the Adelaide 2 quarter-finals tomorrow (2.30am BST), after the Croatian’s gutsy comeback win over Marketa Vondrousova. Continue reading “Adelaide International 2: Gauff ousts Kostyuk in three-set battle of attrition”
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