Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina will contest her second Major final in seven months when she battles first-time finalist Aryna Sabalenka on Saturday. Regardless of who wins, there will be a first-time Australian Open titlist – after they both upped their level in first set tiebreaks before ousting two-time champ Victoria Azarenka and Magda Linette respectively on Day 11. Continue reading
Tag: Victoria Azarenka
AUS OPEN 2023: Azarenka-Rybakina, Khachanov-Tsitsipas set in semifinals on eventful Day 9
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: Swiatek, Gauff beaten in straight-sets, Tsitsipas survives Sinner fightback on Day 7
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: Korda outplays Medvedev, Lehecka downs Norrie, Zhu stuns Sakkari and more on Day 5
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
USA and Italy lead in United Cup semis, Noskova-Jabeur and Djokovic-Medvedev confirmed
Jessica Pegula ended a four-match losing streak against the world no. 1, while Martina Trevisan played spoiler to sting Greece as the United Cup semi-finals got underway. Elsewhere, there were big wins for Sebastian Korda and Linda Noskova, while two first-time finalists will play each other in Pune. It’s always fun to get a Djokovic-Medvedev matchup too, right? Continue reading
Tennis: Djokovic, Gauff edge their way to tight victories while Raducanu retires with ankle injury
Novak Djokovic recovered from 5-2 down in set one and emerged without enduring a three-set battle against another determined Frenchman, setting up another intriguing clash with Denis Shapovalov. Coco Gauff avenged a defeat three years in the making, before Emma Raducanu tearfully withdrew after sustaining a freak ankle injury midway through her R2 match… Continue reading
Round-up: Alcaraz, Ruud stunned in straight-sets, Kasatkina outwits Raducanu in Ostrava and more
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
Cincinnati Open: Pegula outwits Raducanu in competitive contest, Garcia awaits in quarter-finals
Emma Raducanu’s memorable week at this year’s Cincinnati Open was ended in the early hours, as American no. 1 Jessica Pegula showcased her aggressive ball-striking, variety and defensive abilities to leave the US Open champion tactically unstuck – winning 7-5, 6-4. She’ll play an in-form Caroline Garcia on Friday, looking to make successive WTA 1000 semi-finals. Continue reading
Cincinnati Open: Pegula next in R3 for Raducanu, after cruising past error-strewn Azarenka
Less than 24 hours after putting a comfortable victory over departing legend Serena Williams on her ever-growing CV, US Open champion Emma Raducanu added another legend to her resume with a 6-0, 6-2 Cincinnati win over two-time Grand Slam champion Victoria Azarenka. Continue reading
Cincinnati Open: Raducanu dismisses patchy Serena showing in straight-sets on Cincy debut
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
ATP describes Wimbledon’s impending ban of Russian, Belarusian players as discrimination
After announcing their controversial decision earlier today, Wimbledon chiefs have been accused of discrimination after banning Russian and Belarusian players from this year’s Championships – direct sanctions due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. This would mean players such as Daniil Medvedev, Aryna Sabalenka and Andrey Rublev wouldn’t be allowed to compete.
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Australian Open 2022: Badosa, Krejcikova win three-set battles to kick off action-packed Day 5
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