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Marketa Vondrousova is the first defending women's Wimbledon champ out in the first round since 1994
Read full article: Marketa Vondrousova is the first defending women's Wimbledon champ out in the first round since 1994Marketa Vondrousova has become the first defending women’s champion at Wimbledon to lose in the first round the next year since it happened to Steffi Graf in 1994.
Osaka's Grand Slam comeback ends in 1st-round loss to Garcia, Gauff advances at Australian Open
Read full article: Osaka's Grand Slam comeback ends in 1st-round loss to Garcia, Gauff advances at Australian OpenNaomi Osaka’s comeback to Grand Slam tennis after a 15-month break has ended in a 6-4, 7-6 (2) loss to 16th-seeded Caroline Garcia in the first round at the Australian Open.
Czech Republic wins doubles to beat United States 2-1 and reach Billie Jean King Cup semifinals
Read full article: Czech Republic wins doubles to beat United States 2-1 and reach Billie Jean King Cup semifinalsBarbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova have sent the Czech Republic into the semifinals of the Billie Jean King Cup by beating American duo Danielle Collins and Taylor Townsend 6-3, 7-5 in their decisive doubles match.
The WTA Finals semis are Coco Gauff vs. Jessica Pegula, and Aryna Sabalenka vs. Iga Swiatek
Read full article: The WTA Finals semis are Coco Gauff vs. Jessica Pegula, and Aryna Sabalenka vs. Iga SwiatekCoco Gauff has overcome 17 double-faults and come back after being a game away from elimination at the WTA Finals to pull out a 5-7, 7-6 (4), 6-3 victory over Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova in a round-robin match.
Aryna Sabalenka is about to be No. 1 in the WTA rankings. She could be the new US Open champ, too
Read full article: Aryna Sabalenka is about to be No. 1 in the WTA rankings. She could be the new US Open champ, tooAryna Sabalenka is going to be the No. 1 player in the WTA rankings next week, replacing Iga Swiatek there.
Kate, the Princess of Wales, back in the Royal Box at Wimbledon for the women's final
Read full article: Kate, the Princess of Wales, back in the Royal Box at Wimbledon for the women's finalPrincess Kate was back in the Royal Box at Wimbledon for the women’s final along with several former champions and some stars of the entertainment world.
Ons Jabeur is in a second consecutive Wimbledon final. She plays Marketa Vondrousova for the title
Read full article: Ons Jabeur is in a second consecutive Wimbledon final. She plays Marketa Vondrousova for the titleOns Jabeur has defeated Aryna Sabalenka 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-3 to reach the Wimbledon final for the second consecutive year.
Iga Swiatek finally reaches the Wimbledon quarterfinals. Novak Djokovic's match was suspended
Read full article: Iga Swiatek finally reaches the Wimbledon quarterfinals. Novak Djokovic's match was suspendedTop-seeded Iga Swiatek saved two match points and came back to beat Belinda Bencic 6-7 (4), 7-6 (2), 6-3 to reach the Wimbledon quarterfinals for the first time.
'I can die': Medvedev survives extreme heat at Tokyo Games
Read full article: 'I can die': Medvedev survives extreme heat at Tokyo GamesDaniil Medvedev was struggling so much with the suffocating heat and humidity in the Olympic tennis tournament that at one point the chair umpire asked him if he could continue playing.
Barty goes distance, tops Azarenka to reach Miami quarters
Read full article: Barty goes distance, tops Azarenka to reach Miami quartersAshleigh Barty of Australia, returns to Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, during the Miami Open tennis tournament, Monday, March 29, 2021, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)MIAMI – Ash Barty is tough to beat under any circumstances, especially when she’s on the ropes. The world’s top-ranked player has reached the Miami Open quarterfinals, getting there by holding off 14th-seeded Victoria Azarenka of Belarus 6-1, 1-6, 6-2. This, too, was cool: The match lived up to its showdown potential, with the reigning Miami Open champion and current world No. 1 in Barty facing someone who has won the Miami title three times and a previous world No. Svitolina will play unseeded Anastasija Sevastova of Latvia in the quarters; Sevastova was a 6-1, 7-5 winner over wild-card Ana Konjuh of Croatia.
Down but not out, Serena Williams into Australian Open QFs
Read full article: Down but not out, Serena Williams into Australian Open QFsUnited States' Serena Williams falls during her fourth round match against Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Feb. 14, 2021. (AP Photo/Hamish Blair)MELBOURNE – Serena Williams tumbled to the ground, her heavily taped right ankle turning, her body contorting, her racket flying. Grabbing the last two games, Williams pulled out 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 victory over No. Oh, my goodness.”Sabalenka — a 22-year-old from Belarus playing in only her second fourth-round Slam match — was visibly and audibly frustrated. Dominic Thiem — the Australian Open runner-up and U.S. Open champion in 2020 — looked physically compromised in a 6-4, 6-4, 6-0 loss to three-time major semifinalist Grigor Dimitrov.
The Latest: Djokovic beats Raonic, reaches QFs in Australia
Read full article: The Latest: Djokovic beats Raonic, reaches QFs in AustraliaAdHe said: “If it’s any other tournament than a Grand Slam, then I’d withdraw from that event, that’s for sure. Defending champion Novak Djokovic has started his fourth-round match against Milos Raonic at the Australian Open. He'll play either U.S. Open champion Dominic Thiem or Grigor Dimitrov next and he says he doesn't have a preference. Their match is to be followed by eight-time Australian Open champion Djokovic against 2016 Wimbledon finalist Milos Raonic — assuming Djokovic decides he can play. Other men in action include reigning U.S. Open champion Dominic Thiem and the man he beat in that final, Alexander Zverev.
Australian Open: No-look shot in Serena's win; COVID fan ban
Read full article: Australian Open: No-look shot in Serena's win; COVID fan banCompetition at the year's first Grand Slam tournament will be allowed to continue, but no fans can attend as of Saturday. Hopefully it will be all right.”A year ago, Williams dropped just three games against Potapova in the first round. But the 2016 Wimbledon junior champion double-faulted five times in that game, including twice on set point. 8 Diego Schwartzman became the highest-seeded man to lose so far, eliminated 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 by Aslan Karatsev, a qualifier from Russia ranked 114th and making his Grand Slam debut at age 27. AdIn other action, 2020 U.S. Open runner-up Alexander Zverev won in straight sets and now takes on No.
Williams withdraws from semifinals in Australian Open tuneup
Read full article: Williams withdraws from semifinals in Australian Open tuneupUnited States' Serena Williams makes a forehand return to compatriot Danielle Collins during a tuneup event ahead of the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Friday, Feb. 5, 2021. (AP Photo/Andy Brownbill)MELBOURNE – Serena Williams withdrew from an Australian Open tuneup tournament citing a right shoulder injury on Friday within hours of setting up a semifinal match against top-ranked Ash Barty. Garbine Muguruza beat defending Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin 6-2, 6-2 to advance to the semifinals, reversing their result of their 2020 final at Melbourne Park. On either side of a delay on outside courts because of rain, former Wimbledon, U.S. Open and Australian champion Angelique Kerber beat No. 4 Borna Coric out in the quarterfinals after wins over Australian players earlier in the day.
Just 19, ranked 54th, Swiatek wins French Open for 1st Slam
Read full article: Just 19, ranked 54th, Swiatek wins French Open for 1st Slam(AP Photo/Christophe Ena)PARIS – Minutes after suddenly becoming a Grand Slam champion at age 19, while ranked just 54th, Iga Swiatek held a microphone during the French Open trophy presentation and was hesitant for pretty much the only time over the past two weeks. “Two years ago, I won a junior Grand Slam, and right now I’m here. This was, after all, only her seventh major tournament; she'd never been past the fourth round. So it made sense that Swiatek would handle the fourth-seeded Kenin, even if the 21-year-old from Florida won the Australian Open in February and entered Saturday 16-1 in Grand Slam play this year. “Everybody is stressed when they’re playing Grand Slam finals.
Kenin, 21, will face unseeded Swiatek, 19, in French final
Read full article: Kenin, 21, will face unseeded Swiatek, 19, in French finalShe never had made the quarterfinals at any clay-court tournament until this trip to Roland Garros — and lost her only tuneup match on the surface 6-0, 6-0 last month. “My mentality has obviously changed,” said Kenin, who said she derived a boost of confidence from upsetting Serena Williams at Roland Garros a year ago. On the other hand, consider how dominant she has been along the way to becoming the lowest-ranked women’s finalist at Roland Garros since the WTA computer rankings began in 1975. Swiatek vs. Podoroska was the first women’s semifinal at Roland Garros between unseeded opponents since 1983 — and only one, Swiatek, truly seemed ready for the stage. I’m, like, not letting my opponents play their best tennis,” Swiatek said.
The Latest: Wawrinka out, marathon tiebreak at French Open
Read full article: The Latest: Wawrinka out, marathon tiebreak at French Open(AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)PARIS – The Latest from the French Open (all times local):___7:00 pm. Wawrinka won the French Open in 2015. ___2:50 p.m.Simona Halep had no trouble reversing the result of her loss to Amanda Anisimova at last year’s French Open. She opened her campaign with a first-round upset of 2019 French Open finalist Marketa Vondrousova. The two-time French Open quarterfinalist defeated Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-4, 7-5.
The Latest: Americans Li, Rogers pull off upsets at US Open
Read full article: The Latest: Americans Li, Rogers pull off upsets at US Open(AP Photo/Seth Wenig)NEW YORK The Latest on the U.S. Open tennis tournament (all times local):6:40 p.m.Unseeded Americans Ann Li and Shelby Rogers have pulled off upset victories in the second round of the U.S. Open. ___6:05 p.m.Top-seeded Karolina Pliskova has been upset in the second round of the U.S. Open by Caroline Garcia of France. It was the first time since 2008 that the top-seeded woman lost in the second round at the Open. Pliskova was a finalist at the Open in 2016 for the best Grand Slam result of her career. Seeking his fourth U.S. Open title, Djokovic lost a physical first set that took more than an hour.
'Didn't play good': No. 1 Pliskova won't dissect Open loss
Read full article: 'Didn't play good': No. 1 Pliskova won't dissect Open lossI didnt play good, Pliksova said, so thats it.When another member of the media said this back-and-forth must be boring to Pliskova, she said, Yeah, a little bit. Three Americans turned in upsets of seeded women. Other seeded women who were eliminated: No. Pliskova had chances to take the second set against Garcia, who had been 0-8 against top-five opponents at Grand Slam tournaments. On the second, Garcia smacked a quick-strike forehand to a corner and Pliskova's running reply found the net.
The Latest: 2018 champ Osaka edges Doi in 3 sets at US Open
Read full article: The Latest: 2018 champ Osaka edges Doi in 3 sets at US Open___11:25 p.m.Two-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka is headed to a third set against Misaki Doi in the first round of the U.S. Open. ___9:55 p.m.Naomi Osaka wore a black mask with the name of Breonna Taylor emblazoned across the front before the start of her U.S. Open match. ___9:30 p.m.Top-seeded Novak Djokovic breezed past Damir Dzumhur 6-1, 6-4, 6-1 at the U.S. Open. ___12:50 p.m.Three-time Grand Slam champion Angelique Kerber is sticking around longer at Flushing Meadows than she did a year ago. Kerber eliminated Ajla Tomljanovic 6-4, 6-4 in a nearly empty Louis Armstrong Stadium.
Top-ranked Barty pulls out of US Open, citing travel risks
Read full article: Top-ranked Barty pulls out of US Open, citing travel risksTop-ranked Ash Barty has withdrawn from the U.S. Open because she is not comfortable with traveling during the coronavirus pandemic. 1-ranked Ash Barty is skipping the first tennis major since January after deciding it's too risky to travel for the U.S. Open during the coronavirus pandemic. The 24-year-old Australian is the highest-profile player so far to opt out of the Aug. 31-Sept. 13 Grand Slam tournament in New York because of the global health crisis. The clay-court Grand Slam event was postponed earlier in the year and rescheduled to start Sept. 27, after the U.S. Open. Barty reached the semifinals of the Australian Open in January, the only major tennis tournament completed this year.