Analysis, features, news plus more – on European football and sports galore!
Monday was busy as the R1 ties in this year’s French Open continued. There were predictably a few surprising results – including early exits for Felix Auger-Aliassime, Olympic champion Belinda Bencic and two-time semifinalist Petra Kvitova. As for the Brits, Jack Draper’s injury woes sadly continued before Cameron Norrie was composed to fend off a motivated Benoit Paire in five sets. Continue reading “French Open 2023: Auger-Aliassime axed, Bencic bounced, Norrie edges it on Day 2”
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”
Reigning Australian Open champion Rafael Nadal was soundly beaten by 27-year-old American Mackenzie McDonald, a straight-sets defeat compounded after straining his left hip flexor deep in set two and severely struggled with subsequent movement. Iga Swiatek and Maria Sakkari had contrasting wins, Felix Auger-Aliassime recovered from two sets down to beat Alex Molcan while Auckland titlist Coco Gauff won a rocky battle against Emma Raducanu elsewhere. Continue reading “AUS OPEN 2023: McDonald beats hobbled reigning champ Nadal, Gauff outworks Raducanu on Day 3”
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”
20 months after announcing her return from an eight-year second retirement, four-time Major champion Kim Clijsters has definitively pulled the curtain on a professional career lasting almost 25 years at the age of 38 as the Belgian Hall of Famer revealed this week she cannot effectively commit to the sport’s demands with her schedule as a mother with three children. Continue reading “Decision felt inevitable: Clijsters confirms third retirement, 20 months after comeback”
There were comfortable straight-set wins for multiple Grand Slam champions, including two title contenders in WTA Finals winner Garbine Muguruza and Iga Swiatek, while more seeds fell on Day 2 of this year’s Australian Open. Andy Murray made history after gritting through another five-set battle, while Nick Kyrgios and Emma Raducanu shone in the night session.
Continue reading “Australian Open 2022: Muguruza and Swiatek through, Ruud injured and more on Day 2”
After her split from Andrew Richardson, critics aplenty have expressed their own opinions on who this year’s US Open champion Emma Raducanu should team up with next. Ahead of her Indian Wells debut this week, Tim Henman feels there’s no need to make any hasty decisions.
Continue reading “Emma Raducanu should heed Tim Henman’s warning ahead of coaching decision”
Frances Tiafoe earned his first top-5 win at the 12th attempt to end French Open finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas’ tournament just hours into an eventful Day 1 packed with action, while there were big wins for Sloane Stephens and two-time Wimbledon champion Andy Murray among others elsewhere on a memorable return to the grass in south London after a two-year absence. Continue reading “Wimbledon 2021: Tiafoe and Murray win big as Tsitsipas, Kvitova fall on memorable Day 1”
Day 3 was eventful: defending champion Novak Djokovic was pushed in a memorable first encounter against Frances Tiafoe, while world no. 2 Simona Halep and hometown favourite Nick Kyrgios produced gutsy comebacks to cap an action-packed night session after more seeded players fell, including Slam champions Bianca Andreescu (#8) and Petra Kvitova (#9). Continue reading “Australian Open 2021: Halep’s heroic fightback, gritty wins for Djokovic and Kyrgios”
Polish teenager Iga Swiatek dropped just three games against Nadia Podoroska to book her first Grand Slam Final, where she’ll play this year’s Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin on Saturday after the 21-year-old edged a competitive straight-sets win over Petra Kvitova. Continue reading “French Open 2020: Swiatek and Kenin book their places in Saturday’s final”
Ten days after losing to him in their Hamburg final on the eve of this year’s rescheduled Roland Garros tournament, world number six Stefanos Tsitsipas made relative light work of Andrey Rublev to reach the second Grand Slam semi-final of his career. He’ll play world no. 1 Novak Djokovic on Friday, who recovered from a set down to beat Pablo Carreno Busta on Wednesday. Continue reading “French Open 2020: Tsitsipas will play Djokovic in Friday’s semis as both progress”
Naomi Osaka exacted some long-awaited revenge against Shelby Rogers with an impressive straight-sets victory during their quarter-final on Arthur Ashe. The two-time Grand Slam champion needed just 80 minutes to secure passage into her third career Slam semi-final, where she’ll play against Jennifer Brady on Thursday evening. Continue reading “US Open 2020: Naomi Osaka eases past Shelby Rogers to reach semi-finals”
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