Page 13 - Tennis

Coco Gauff beat Iga Swiatek in straight sets to secure United Cup for USA

Coco Gauff overcame second-ranked Iga Swiatek 6-4, 6-4 in the opening singles of the United Cup mixed teams tennis event and the United States went on to win the final by beating Poland 2-0 on Sunday. Taylor Fritz beat Hubert Hurkacz 6-4, 5-7, 7-6 (4) at the Ken Rosewall Arena as the Americans secured their second United Cup title in three years. It's great to win a team event, the only team event I've ever won, so I'm super excited, the third-ranked Gauff said. The 20-year-old American won all five of her singles matches at the United Cup in straight sets, in an ideal build-up for the Australian Open starting Jan. 12. It was also the second straight win for Gauff over Swiatek after victory on her way to winning the WTA Finals event in Riyadh in November. I have the belief that I'm one of the best players in the world and when I play good tennis I'm hard to beat, Gauff said after her latest triumph. Poland was runner-up for the second straight year after losing the previous editi

Novak Djokovic's achievements overshadowed in debate over tennis' GOAT

The unanswerable question, of course, is whether Djokovic is the GOAT. That's a complex issue over which fans will forever bicker

Djokovic, Kyrgios dazzle fans with flashy play in doubles triumph

Exchanging smiles, laughs and flashy shots, Novak Djokovic and Nick Kyrgios teamed up in doubles on Monday as they both returned to the court in preparation for the Australian Open. The two former Wimbledon final opponents reached the second round of the Brisbane International with a 6-4, 6-7 (4), 10-8 win against Alexander Erler and Andreas Mies. It was Kyrgios' first match in 18 months due to wrist and knee injuries, while Djokovic missed the season-ending ATP Finals last month with an unspecified injury. They had the crowd on their feet several times at Pat Rafter Arena, including when Djokovic flicked an around-the-net backhand winner during the first set. Djokovic then turned to point at a grinning Kyrgios, who slapped Djokovic's outstretched hand in celebration. That's just an iconic Novak moment. The way the guy moves around the court, I've never moved like that in my life. I was just loving it, said Krygios, who treated the crowd to some shot-making of his own. When Kygrio

Max Purcell, US Open doubles champion, suspended for doping violation

Two-time Grand Slam winning doubles player Max Purcell has entered a voluntary provisional suspension under tennis' anti-doping rules. The International Tennis Integrity Agency announced the sanction in a statement on Monday after the 26-year-old Australian admitted to violating Article 2.2 of the Tennis Anti-Doping Program relating to the use of a Prohibited Method. The ITIA said the suspension came into effect on 12 Dec., and time served under provisional suspension will be credited against any future sanction. The length of time of the voluntary suspension was not specified by the ITIA. During the provisional suspension, Purcell is prohibited from playing in, coaching at, or attending any tennis event authorized or sanctioned by the members of the ITIA (ATP, ITF, WTA, Tennis Australia, Fdration Franaise de Tennis, Wimbledon and USTA) or any national association," the ITIA statement read. Purcell, with compatriot Jordan Thompson, won the U.S. Open in September and won Wimbledon w

Russian tennis star Daniil Savelev suspended for 2 years for doping

Russian tennis player Daniil Savelev has accepted a two-year suspension for doping, the International Tennis Integrity Agency said Friday. The ITIA said that Savelev tested positive for the prohibited substance meldonium in July 2024. He has been provisionally suspended since August of this year. That means his suspension will end in August 2026. Savelev had reached a career-high world doubles ranking of 1,486 in August 2022. The ITIA said that it believed that Savelev had not intentionally taken the banned substance, saying that Savelev admitted to ingesting meldonium tablets, confusing family medication for supplements of a similar appearance. The doping watchdog said that Savelev agreed to accept the suspension since he did not take any steps to mitigate the rules violation.

ATP Guarantees $1.3M in Income to 26 Players in 2024 Tennis Tour

The ATP men's tennis tour paid out $1.3 million to a total of 26 players in 2024 under a new financial program called Baseline that guarantees minimum annual incomes for players ranked in the top 250. Players received money in each of three categories, the tour said Wednesday, without naming most of the individuals: 17 got paid as part of minimum guarantees that make up the difference if players do not reach certain thresholds in singles prize money, three through injury protection that helps those whose tournament participation is limited by health issues, and seven via newcomer investment that provides funds to new members of the top 125. One player received money from both the minimum guarantee and income protection parts of the plan, which was announced in August 2023. This season was the first of a three-year trial. As a professional tennis player, you're focused on results. Relying on your performance to succeed can be difficult, especially when dealing with setbacks like ...

Sumit Nagal to play fifth Grand Slam after earning Australian Open spot

Indian tennis star Sumit Nagal is set for his fifth appearance in a Grand Slam after earning a direct entry for the main draw of next year's Australian Open. The 98th-ranked Nagal, who features in the entry list released by Tennis Australia on Friday, had to go through the qualifying rounds in the competition's previous edition. In the first round, Nagal had stunned the 31st seed Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan in straight sets to record a win by 6-4, 6-2, 7-6 (5), becoming the first Indian player to beat a seeded player in the main draw in singles at Grand Slam in 34 years. However, Nagal's journey ended in the following round with a defeat to wild-card Shang Juncheng of China. Nagal's career maintained an upward spike when he became the 10th player from India to break into top 100 in ATP rankings. Meanwhile, reigning world No 1 and defending champion Jannik Sinner is top seeded for the Australian Open, followed by Alexander Zverev and Carlos Alcaraz. Novak Djokovic is seeded ...

Rafa retires! Full list of Rafael Nadal's Grand Slam titles in Tennis

Now 38, Nadal bid farewell to the sport he ruled for nearly two decades. His exit comes after Spain's defeat to the Netherlands in the Davis Cup quarterfinals on Tuesday night

Swiatek helps Poland oust host Spain from Billie Jean King Cup Finals

Poland's Iga Swiatek beat home favorite Paula Badosa of Spain to knock out the host of the Billie Jean King Cup Finals in the opening round on Friday, while Britain eliminated Germany. The world No. 2 Swiatek sealed Poland's spot in the quarterfinals against the Czech Republic after she beat No. 12 Badosa 6-3, 6-7 (7), 6-1 on the indoor hard-court. Badosa scrapped to get back in the match by winning the second-set tiebreaker. But Swiatek roared back with a dominant third set and a break advantage of 8-3. The match was delayed late in the third set for what organizers called a medical incident apparently among the spectators inside Malaga's Palacio de Deportes. She pushed me," Swiatek said after the tie was won 2-0. "There was a lot of pressure in the tiebreaker and it went her way, but I knew I could get back in it in the third set. She underscored the importance of Magda Linette's opening win in the tie. We both did it, and also the whole Polish team, the five-time Grand Slam wi

Sinner and Alcaraz headline the ATP Finals with Novak Djokovic out

Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are poised to add another entry into their rapidly developing rivalry when the ATP Finals open Sunday without any members of the Big Three for the first time in nearly a quarter century. The top-ranked Sinner and No. 3 Alcaraz evenly split the year's Grand Slam titles between them with two apiece and it would be fitting if the pair meet again in Turin. And since Alcaraz was overtaken by Alexander Zverev in the rankings this week, the Spaniard could be placed in the same round-robin group as Sinner. The draw for the eight-man event is scheduled for later Thursday. After the round-robin stage, the top two finishers in each group advance to the semifinals. The other qualifiers are: Zverev, Daniil Medvedev, Taylor Fritz, Casper Ruud, Alex de Minaur and Andrey Rublev. The big name missing is that of defending champion Novak Djokovic, who withdrew on Tuesday due to an unspecified injury. 23 years since Djokovic, Federer and Nadal missed the finalsNot s

Aryna Sabalenka clinches WTA year-end No. 1 ranking for the first time

Aryna Sabalenka clinched the year-end No. 1 spot in the women's rankings for the first time when Iga Swiatek lost at the WTA Finals. Sabalenka, a 26-year-old from Belarus, was assured of finishing 2024 atop the WTA without swinging her racket on Tuesday, thanks to Swiatek's 6-3, 6-4 setback against Coco Gauff at the season-ending tournament in Saudi Arabia. A year ago, Sabalenka briefly overtook Swiatek in the rankings in September to get to No. 1 for the first time, but relinquished the top spot when Swiatek won the WTA Finals. This time, Sabalenka moved past Swiatek who took a break from competition after the U.S. Open and hired new coach Wim Fissette in October. Sabalenka is 2-0 in round-robin play in Riyadh so far. She is 56-12 this season with four titles, including Grand Slam trophies that she earned at the Australian Open and U.S. Open to raise her major championship total to three. Her first came at the 2023 Australian Open. Sabalenka has long been equipped with a powerf

Sofia Kenin advances to WTA Tokyo final, continues impressive comeback

Former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin has advanced to the final of the Pan Pacific Open with a 6-4, 6-4 win over ninth-seeded Katie Boulter on Saturday. Kenin, who won the Australian Open in 2020 and was a French Open finalist the same year, broke the British player's serve in the seventh game of the second set and the American served out to win the match for her best tournament performance of the season. Kenin will play No. 1 seed and Paris Olympic gold medalist Zheng Qinwen. who beat Diana Shnaider 7-6 (5), 6-3 in the other semifinal. The 25-year-old Kenin was ranked as high as No. 4 early in 2020, but a series of injuries, including ankle and quadricep ailments, has seen her WTA ranking drop to its current 155. Boulter, ranked 33rd, had not lost a set during the Tokyo hard-court tournament. Kenin beat Boulter in the only other time they have played but it was when Boulter retired with an injury in the second set while trailing 4-1 to Kenin after losing the first set in ..

Dominic Thiem ends Lawn Tennis career with first-round loss in Vienna

Dominic Thiem played his last professional match on Tuesday, losing 7-6 (6), 6-2 to Luciano Darderi in the first round at the Erste Bank Open. The 2020 U.S. Open champion had earlier announced he would retire after struggling to return to his top form following a wrist injury. The 31-year-old Austrian played in front of a home crowd but the former world No. 3 lost steam after having built a 4-2 lead. He received a huge applause as he left center court. Thiem also was runner-up at three Grand Slams: the 2018 and 2019 French Opens and the 2020 Australian Open. Darderi will next play either Jack Draper or Kei Nishikori. Marcos Giron beat Alex Michelsen 7-6 (4), 6-3 to set up a round-of-16 match against top-seeded Alex Zverev. Frances Tiafoe, Lorenzo Musetti, Gael Monfils and second-seeded Alex de Minaur were among the other winners Tuesday.

Aryna Sabalenka overtakes Iga Swiatek to reclaim WTA No. 1 ranking

U.S. Open champion Aryna Sabalenka is officially No. 1 in the WTA rankings again after ending Iga Swiatek's 11-month reign. Sabalenka led Swiatek by 41 points in the latest rankings published Monday, overturning a 69-point deficit from the week before, even though neither of the two played last week. Instead, the Belarusian took back the No. 1 spot following continuing year-end adjustments for falling short of certain tournament quotas, the WTA said. Sabalenka, who was previously top of the rankings from September through November last year, laid the groundwork for regaining the No. 1 spot when she won the Wuhan Open on Oct. 13. Swiatek has taken time out for a coaching change since she last played at the U.S. Open. Swiatek reached the quarterfinals before losing to Jessica Pegula, who was in turn beaten by Sabalenka in the final. Sabalenka also defended her Australian Open title in January. The next chance for Swiatek to regain the top spot is at the WTA Finals next month in Riy

Sinner beat Alcaraz for Six Kings title after Djokovic edges out Nadal

Jannik Sinner beat Carlos Alcaraz 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-3 for the championship in the Six Kings Slam exhibition Saturday after Novak Djokovic topped Rafael Nadal 6-2, 7-6 (5) in the third-place match. While Sinner and Alcaraz probably have plenty of future matchups in store, Djokovic and Nadal may have been playing for the final time in one of tennis' great rivalries. Djokovic won the match between rivals who have combined for 46 Grand Slam singles titles. Nadal, who won 22 Slam titles, is planning to retire after playing for Spain next month in the Davis Cup. They shared a warm embrace at the net after Djokovic's victory. He also beat Nadal in the Olympics and had a 31-29 lead in their head-to-head. The last dance was an epic one, Djokovic wrote on social media. And of course emotional. I'll cherish our rivalry forever, (at)rafaelnadal. Tennis will miss you. Sinner then emerged with a victory over Alcaraz in a matchup between the winners of all four major titles this season. The top-ra

Serena Williams has a benign cyst removed from her neck, says 'all is OK'

Serena Williams says she had a benign branchial cyst the size of a small grapefruit removed from her neck and all is OK. The retired tennis star, who turned 43 last month, posted Wednesday on social media that she found a lump on her neck in May, had an MRI exam, and was told she didn't need to get it removed if she didn't want to. So she didn't then, but it kept growing, Williams said. After more tests, including a biopsy that was negative for cancer, Williams said, her doctors said she should have a procedure. She showed video of herself in a hospital bed and wrote: So this is me removing it. I am feeling so grateful, and fortunate everything worked out, and most of all I'm healthy. In a separate social media post, she said she is still recovering, but getting better. Health always comes first. Williams announced her retirement famously eschewing that term and saying instead she was evolving away from professional tennis shortly before playing in the 2022 U.S. Open, her last .

Shanghai Masters 2024: Novak Djokovic to face Jannik Sinner in the finals

Novak Djokovic overcame physical discomfort to beat Taylor Fritz 6-4 7-6 (6) and move closer to a 100th career title and a record-extending fifth at the Shanghai Masters. By also reaching the final on Saturday night, top-ranked Jannik Sinner ensured he will be the ATP year-end No. 1 and the first Italian to achieve that feat. "(I've won) many titles, had great battles and great performances," the 37-year-old Djokovic said. "I did come here definitely with a vision and a desire to get to the final and fight for a 100th title. I get that chance against the best player in the world, and let's see what happens." Fellow great Roger Federer has 103 titles and Jimmy Connors leads men with 109 in the Open era. Top-ranked Jannik Sinner will chase his seventh ATP title of the year after beating Tomas Machac 6-4 7-5. Djokovic improved to 10-0 in career matches against Fritz, who blew a 5-3 lead in the second-set tiebreaker and a set point at 6-5 up. Djokovic was clearly struggling for mobi

Rafael Nadal announces retirement from professional tennis at end of season

The winner of a staggering 22 Grand Slams will be making his final appearance at the Davis Cup in Malaga next month

Veteran French tennis player Richard Gasquet to retire after French Open

Once known as the little Mozart of French tennis, Richard Gasquet is set to end his career without a major to his name. At 38, the French player renowned for his exceptional one-handed backhand told L'Equipe newspaper Thursday that he will end his career after the French Open in front of his home fans. "I'll be stopping at Roland Garros next year," Gasquet said. I think this is the best time for me to do it. It's the best tournament to do it. It's wonderful, and we're lucky as Frenchmen to be able to retire in such unbelievable places. The end is always complicated, as all the former great players have often told me. You never know when, how, where. As far as I'm concerned, it was obvious. Gasquet, who reached a career-best ranking of No. 7 back in 2007, was once regarded as a potential Grand Slam winner but could never get past the semifinals at any major. Gasquet reached the Wimbledon semifinals twice and was also a semifinalist at the U.S Open. He claimed 16 Tour titles, most ..

'King of Clay' Rafael Nadal bids farewell after illustrious tennis career

Nadal's decision to retire comes full circle, as he made his Davis Cup debut for Spain back in 2004, in the early stages of a career that would later become one of the greatest in tennis history.