Page 16 - Tennis

US Open 2024: Coco Gauff beats Elina Svitolina to enter pre-quarterfinals

Coco Gauff was not aware that she'd lost five consecutive matches against opponents ranked in the top 50. She was not sure exactly how many points in a row she'd dropped 11, it turns out to give away the first set against Elina Svitolina in the U.S. Open's third round on Friday. Here, then, is what was entirely clear to Gauff at that moment: I needed a reset. So before the second set, the 20-year-old from Florida went to the bathroom, changed part of her outfit and splashed water on her face. Then Gauff went back on court and extended the defense of her first Grand Slam title by turning things around to beat the 27th-seeded Svitolina 3-6, 6-3, 6-3. Felt like a new person coming out, the third-seeded Gauff said. I just didn't want to leave the court with any regrets. Novak Djokovic, the other defending champion, was shocked in the third round with a 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 loss to 28th-seeded Alexei Popyrin. Popyrin will face No. 20 seed France Tiafoe, who outlasted 13th-seeded Ben ...

US Open 2024: Who is Alexei Popyrin, the man who beat Novak Djokovic?

Popyrin defeated Djokovic in a four-set marathon on Saturday

US Open: Carlos Alcaraz knocked out in round 2, grand slam streak ends

Carlos Alcaraz's 15-match Grand Slam unbeaten run ended at the U.S. Open with a sloppy 6-1, 7-5, 6-4 loss to 74th-ranked Botic van de Zandschulp in the second round. Alcaraz won the French Open in June and Wimbledon in July to raise his career total to four major championships, including taking the title at Flushing Meadows in 2022, and was the pre-tournament favorite to leave with the trophy again. But he never found his footing against van de Zandschulp, a 28-year-old from the Netherlands. Alcaraz was way off, repeatedly missing the sorts of shots he usually makes routinely. After double-faulting to fall behind two sets to none a deficit he's never overcome the No. 3-seeded Alcaraz slung his equipment bag over this shoulder and trudged toward the locker room. Glancing in the direction of his coach, 2003 French Open champion Juan Carlos Ferrero, Alcaraz pointed his right index finger at his temple, then wagged that finger, as if to say, I'm not thinking straight. He might have b

US Open 2024: Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden advances to round three

) India's Rohan Bopanna and his Australian partner Matthew Ebden moved into the second round of the US Open men's doubles competition with a win over Netherland's Sander Arends and Robin Haase. Bopanna and Ebden sailed past their Dutch opponents 6-3, 7-5 in a 64-minute opening round contest on Thursday night. Last edition's runner up, the Indo-Australian pair has arrived to the final Grand Slam of the season on the back of three consecutive losses but the duo backed itself and got the job done. Bopanna and Ebden initially struggled, losing their serve in the third game. However, they quickly regained their composure, breaking their opponents' serve twice to win the next four games. In the second set, they faced a similar challenge, falling behind but managing to equalise the set at 5-5. They then broke their opponents' serve once more to clinch the match. The second seeds, who are the current Australian Open champions, will face the unseeded pair of Spain's Roberto Carballes Baena

US Open: Defending champion Coco Gauff admits cyberbullying still a problem

Caroline Garcia, a U.S. Open semifinalist two years ago, drew attention Wednesday to the ever-present problem of cyberbullying in tennis, particularly by people who bet on matches, after her first-round loss at the Grand Slam tournament. Other players echoed Garcia's lament, including defending champion Coco Gauff, who said: You could be having a good day, and then somebody will literally tell you, Oh, go kill yourself.' You're, like, OK, thanks.' Garcia, a 30-year-old from France who has been ranked as high as No. 4, was seeded 28th at Flushing Meadows but was eliminated by Renata Zaraza 6-1, 6-4 on Tuesday. Zaraza is ranked 92nd and is making her U.S. Open debut. Maybe you can think that it doesn't hurt us. But it does. We are humans, Garcia wrote on social media. And sometimes, when we receive (these) messages, we are already emotionally destroyed after a tough loss. And they can be damaging. Many before me have raised the subject. And still, no progress has been made." Garcia .

Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova knocked out of US Open in 2nd round

Frances Tiafoe is getting the rematch he wants, a second shot at Ben Shelton at the U.S. Open. But there won't be a second straight Grand Slam title for Barbora Krejcikova. The Wimbledon champion was knocked out of the U.S. Open in the second round on Wednesday, defeated by Elena-Gabriela Ruse 6-4, 7-5. The No. 8-seeded Krejcikova won her second Grand Slam singles title this summer, but then she didn't play any matches after the Paris Olympics. She acknowledged last week not knowing where her level of play was. Turns out, it wasn't good enough. I mean, winning Wimbledon is amazing. It's a great, great, great result, I'm very proud about it and how I was able to handle everything there, said Krejcikova, who hadn't played a tournament on hard courts since February. I think I was playing quite well, definitely better than in the first match. I think my game was improving, but it just wasn't enough. No woman has won Wimbledon and the U.S. Open in the same year since Serena Williams

Carlos Alcaraz wins opening match at US Open, extends winning streak to 15

Carlos Alcaraz extended his winning streak to 15 straight Grand Slam matches with a 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 victory over Li Tu on Tuesday night in the first round of the U.S. Open. The No. 3 seed from Spain won the French Open and Wimbledon titles earlier this year, giving him four major championships. If he can add another U.S. Open title to the one he captured in 2022, Alcaraz would join Rod Laver (1969) and Rafael Nadal (2010) as the only men to capture those three Grand Slam titles in the same year during the Open era. Alcaraz played just one match since losing to Novak Djokovic in the final of the Paris Olympics, then cut short a practice session before the U.S. Open as a precaution after twisting his right ankle. But he seemed to move fine over the final two sets against the qualifier from Australia and moved on to a second-round matchup Thursday against Botic van de Zandschulp.

US Open men's and women's singles winners list, Check the full list

There have been a lot of different faces who have lifted the elusive title for themselves in the past.

Ons Jabeur withdraws from US Open 2024 because of shoulder injury

Ons Jabeur, the 2022 U.S. Open women's runner-up, withdrew from this year's tournament Thursday because of a shoulder injury. Jabeur was to be the No. 17 seed in the tournament that begins Monday. The U.S. Tennis Association said Elise Mertens, the next-highest player eligible to be seeded, will become the No. 33 seed. Jabeur has struggled with injuries recently, pulling out of the hard-court tournament in Washington before losing to Naomi Osaka in her lone match in Montreal. She wrote in an Instagram post Thursday that her shoulder had not recovered in time to allow her to play at Flushing Meadows. The Tunisian also reached the finals of Wimbledon in 2022 and 2023.

Jannik Sinner doping controversy explained: Why was Sinner's ban revoked?

The Italian tennis star said that his fitness trainer had purchased an over-the-counter spray that contained Clostebol. The spray was used to heal a cut on his finger

Jannik Sinner will not be suspended despite failing drug test twice

Top-ranked tennis player Jannik Sinner tested positive twice for a banned anabolic steroid in March and was stripped of prize money and points earned at a tournament in Indian Wells, California, but will not be suspended because an independent tribunal said it was not intentional. The International Tennis Integrity Agency announced the case on Tuesday. Sinner won the Cincinnati Open on Monday and will be among the favourites at the US Open, which starts in New York next week. Sinner made his debut at No. 1 in the ATP rankings in June and is considered among the top stars of the new generation in men's tennis, along with Carlos Alcaraz. Sinner, an Italian who turned 23 on Friday, won the Australian Open in January for his first Grand Slam title. He reached the semi-finals at the French Open in June and the quarter-finals at Wimbledon in July, before sitting out the Paris Olympics, saying he had tonsilitis. During the Indian Wells hard-court event in March, Sinner tested positive f

Sumit Nagal, Gaston to feature in 6th Tennis Premier League in Mumbai

Ace Indian player Sumit Nagal and France's Hugo Gaston will be the main attractions in the men's category of the sixth Tennis Premier League to be held here from December 3-8. Poland's Magda Linette, who is ranked 41st in the world, and Armenia's world No 52 Elina Avanesyan, will headline the women's category in the tournament which will be held at the Cricket Club of India. The tournament will be played in a 25-point format in which each franchise will play a total of five matches to make the semifinals. The matches between two franchises will include men's singles, women's singles, mixed doubles and men's doubles as there will be a total of 100 points at stake with each category carrying 25 points. Each team will play a total of 500 points (100 points x 5 matches) at the league stage and the top four teams in the points table to qualify for the semi-finals, the organisers said in a release on Tuesday. A total of seven franchises, PBG Pune Jaguars, Bengal Wizards, Punjab Patriots

Top-ranked Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka lift titles at Cincinnati Open

Top-ranked Jannik Sinner and women's No. 2 Ayrna Sabalenka earned straight-set victories in the finals of the Cincinnati Open, the first titles at the tournament for both players. Sabalenka on Monday defeated Jessica Pegula 6-3 7-5 for her first title since the Australian Open in January. Sinner, who turned 23 on Friday, beat American Frances Tiafoe 7-6(4) 6-2 to become the youngest Cincinnati champion since 21-year-old Andy Murray won in 2008. "I'm very happy to be in the position where I am," Sinner said. "I'm just trying to keep going this way mentally. It's important to recover to be ready for New York. That's the most important thing." The US Open begins on August 26 in New York. Sinner and Tiafoe were both playing in their first Cincinnati finals with their previous best results being the third round. Tiafoe forced a tiebreak in the first set, but three straight errors led to a 7-6 defeat. Sinner had a 5-1 lead in the second before Tiafoe saved three match points to make

Top-ranked Sinner reaches final in Cincinnati, Swiatek falls to Sabalenka

Top-ranked Jannik Sinner outlasted Alexander Zverev in a third-set tiebreaker to reach the final of the Cincinnati Open, while No. 1 Iga Swiatek was defeated in the women's semifinals by No. 3 Aryna Sabalenka. Sabalenka will face American Jessica Pegula in Monday's final, while Sinner will play either American Frances Tiafoe or No. 15 seed Holger Rune. Sinner on Sunday emerged with a 7-6(9) 5-7 7-6(4) victory after 3 hours, 7 minutes, tying Casper Ruud for the ATP Tour lead by reaching his fifth final of the season. Sinner leads the tour with four titles this season. The first set lasted more than an hour and the match also was suspended for 30 minutes by rain. Zverev, the No. 4 seed, had won four straight meetings against Sinner. Sinner finished with a 124-121 edge in total points. "I think we both raised our level when it counted," Sinner said. "The tiebreaker can go both ways. I just tried to stay there mentally. Obviously, I'm happy to be in the final." Sinner, who's been de

Carlos Alcaraz apologizes on social media for destroying tennis racket

Carlos Alcaraz has apologized for his behavior during Friday afternoon's loss to Gael Monfils at the Cincinnati Open. During the third set, Alcaraz destroyed his racket by repeatedly smashing it on the court in a rare show of frustration for the four-time Grand Slam winner. The No. 3 player in the ATP rankings lost 4-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4 to the 37-year-old Monfils. Posting in Spanish on X on Saturday, Alcaraz said his attitude was not correct, and his actions should not have been done on the court. The 21-year-old added that it's difficult to control yourself when your heart rate is high, and he will work to ensure it doesn't happen again. Alcaraz was playing his first match since earning a silver medal at the Paris Olympics after losing to Novak Djokovic, who also beat him last year in the Cincinnati final. I felt like it was the worst match that I've ever played on my career, Alcaraz said Friday. I've been practicing really well. I was feeling great. But I couldn't play. I want to .

Cincinnati Open: Carlos Alcaraz smashes racket in 3-set loss to Monfils

Carlos Alcaraz repeatedly smashed his racket on the court in a rare show of frustration, and the four-time Grand Slam winner fell to Gael Monfils 4-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4 at the Cincinnati Open. In a match that was suspended by rain on Thursday night with the players in a second-set tiebreaker, the 37-year-old Monfils advanced by taking the last two sets from the second-seeded Alcaraz, who called the loss his worst match. I felt like it was the worst match that I've ever played on my career, Alcaraz said. I've been practicing really well. I was feeling great. But I couldn't play. I want to forget it and try to move on to New York. The U.S. Open begins there on Aug. 26. Trailing 3-1 in the tiebreaker when the match was halted, Alcaraz was hoping for a reset when play resumed Friday. But, the No. 3 player in the ATP rankings wasn't able to control his emotions. It never happened before, because I could control those feelings, Alcaraz said. Today I couldn't. I was feeling that I was not .

Cincinnati Open: Top seed Iga Swiatek, Jannik Sinner advance to round 3

Top-ranked Iga Swiatek survived in her return to hard courts in the Cincinnati Open, outlasting Varvara Gracheva 6-0, 6-7 (8), 6-2. Playing for the first time since finishing third for Poland in the Paris Olympics, Swiatek set up a third-round match against Marta Kostyuk a 6-3, 7-5 winner over Lulu Sun. Swiatek won her third straight French Open title in May and has six WTA Tour victories this season. On the men's side in the U.S. Open tuneup event, top-ranked Jannik Sinner got past American Alex Michelsen 6-4, 7-5 in his first match. In the late match, Jiri Lehecka upset fourth-seeded Daniil Medvedev 7-6 (2), 6-4. Earlier in women's play, 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva beat 11th seeded Emma Navarro 6-2, 6-2. Andreeva was playing her first match since taking a silver medal in doubles in Paris. I just went out there, tried to show my best level, and tried to win a match, and I think I did it, Andreeva said. Andreeva will face 2016 Cincinnati champion Karolina Pliskova. Toronto ...

Nadal withdraws from US Open, to miss 3rd Grand Slam of the season

Rafael Nadal pulled out of the US Open on Wednesday, making it the third Grand Slam tournament he's missed this season and raising more questions about his future in tennis at age 38. Nadal's announcement on social media was not much of a surprise. Yes, he was on the official entry list released last month for New York, but that was more of a formality than anything and did not preclude the 22-time major champion from withdrawing at any point before competition begins Aug. 26. Plus, Nadal telegraphed this news a week ago after his participation in the 2024 Olympics for Spain ended with a quarterfinal loss in doubles alongside Carlos Alcaraz. That followed a second-round loss in singles to rival Novak Djokovic, who left Paris with the men's gold medal. When he was asked then about playing at the U.S. Open, Nadal paused for a while before responding. Looks like not. But I'm going to let you know soon, he said. For me, now, I can't give you a clear answer. I need some time, but for me

Olympics 2024: Djokovic wins gold, beats Alcaraz in men's singles Tennis

Novak Djokovic won his first Olympic gold medal by beating Carlos Alcaraz 7-6 (3), 7-6 (2) in an enthralling men's tennis singles final Sunday, giving the 37-year-old from Serbia the last significant accomplishment missing from his glittering resume. Djokovic's impressive career already featured a men's-record 24 Grand Slam titles and the most weeks spent at No. 1 in the rankings by any man or woman. It also already contained a Summer Olympics medal, from 2008, but it was a bronze and he has made clear that simply was not sufficient. Until he got past bronze medalist Lorenzo Musetti of Italy in the semifinals Friday, Djokovic was 0-3 in that round at the Games. He lost to the eventual gold winner each time: Rafael Nadal at Beijing in 2008, Andy Murray at London in 2012, and Alexander Zverev in Tokyo three years ago. In Paris, wearing a gray sleeve over the right knee that required surgery for a torn meniscus two months ago, Djokovic faced Nadal in the second round and eliminated hi

Djokovic wins Gold medal: Full list of players with career Golden Slam

Novak Djokovic became only the fifth player in the history of Tennis to complete a Golden career slam after he defeated Carlos Alcaraz in the men's singles final at Paris Olympics 2024 on August 4.