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Feeling pressure: 2020 champ Kenin loses at Australian Open
United States' Sofia Kenin leaves the court following her second round loss to Estonia's Kaia Kanepi during at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Feb. 11, 2021. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)MELBOURNE โ Sofia Kenin knew this would be a tough test at the Australian Open, a potentially early end to her first attempt to defend a Grand Slam title. Upon realizing she probably would be playing big-hitting veteran Kaia Kanepi in the second round, Kenin acknowledged, she โmaybe kind of broke down a little bit.โKenin was right to be worried. Kenin walked off the court crying after a 6-2, 6-2 loss last week in a tuneup event at the site of the Australian Open and explained afterward that her left leg was sore. 21 Alex de Minaur and Mackenzie McDonald, who beat 22nd-seeded Borna Coric 6-4, 6-2, 4-6, 6-4, and 39-year-old Feliciano Lopez.
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Australian Open's hard quarantine 'took a toll' on players
When Tennys Sandgren resumed practicing after his canโt-go-anywhere hard quarantine ended, the American said Tuesday, his hands developed blisters from holding a racket. And, like Azarenka, both Sandgren and Pospisil lost their opening matches. โI wouldnโt say the whole tournament is a joke, but for some players, itโs not feasible. โI needed fresh air or maybe a bigger room or better conditions to play against the best players,โ she said. Players in the โregularโ quarantine were allowed to leave their rooms for five hours per day during the first two weeks after getting to Australia.
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The Latest: Shapovalov edges teenage Sinner in 1st round
The 10th-seeded Frenchman is a two-time Grand Slam semifinalist, but he can't seem to win anywhere at the moment. ___4:55 p.m.U.S. Open champion Dominic Thiem has moved into the second round at the Australian Open, where he was the runner-up to Novak Djokovic a year ago. Thiem had been 0-3 in Grand Slam finals until emerging for the championship at Flushing Meadows in September. The first tournament of this yearโs Grand Slam season began after a three-week delay because of the coronavirus pandemic. Serena Williams begins her latest bid for a 24th Grand Slam singles title in the following match against Laura Siegemund.
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Serena Williams, Osaka drawn in same half at Australian Open
United 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. 3 Naomi Osaka, the U.S. Open champion. Two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka, Johanna Konta and Elina Svitolina are also in Kenin's quarter. Williams already has won seven Australian Open titles and her 23 major titles is a record in the Open era. In the top half, Djokovicโs bid for a third consecutive Australian title โ and ninth overall โ could get tricky.
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Lockdown: Tennis players getting on with life in Australia
Italian tennis player Simone Bolelli, left, and Argentina's Maximo Gonzalez are escorted to their training session in Melbourne, Australia, Monday, Jan. 18, 2021. (Luis Ascui/AAP Image via AP)With no way out, tennis players in lockdown are figuring out ways to keep themselves fit within the confines of their Melbourne hotel rooms as they prepare for the Australian Open. Angelique Kerber, who won the Australian Open in 2016, spent her birthday in quarantine on Monday. But local government, tennis and health authorities have said all players were warned of the risks well in advance. โWeโve got to do whatever we can to make it as fair as possible for those players that are in lockdown.โ___More AP tennis: https://apnews.com/apf-Tennis and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
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The Latest: Kerber loses French opener for 2nd straight year
(AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)PARIS โ The Latest from the French Open (all times local):9 p.m.Three-time Grand Slam champion Angelique Kerber has lost in the first round of the French Open for the second straight year. The 2009 French Open champion was beaten by Russian countrywoman Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-1, 2-6, 6-1. But the 2016 French Open champion held firm to beat Tamara Zidansek 7-5, 4-6, 8-6. He beat Reilly Opelka 6-4, 6-4, 6-3. The new roof over Court Philippe Chatrier is again proving its worth on Day 2 of the French Open.
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The Latest: Jennifer Brady reaches 1st US Open quarterfinal
Jennifer Brady, of the United States, serves to Angelique Kerber, of Germany, during the fourth round of the US Open tennis championships, Sunday, Sept. 6, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)NEW YORK The Latest on the U.S. Open tennis tournament (all times local):12:45 p.m.Jennifer Brady has extended her dominant showing at the U.S. Open and reached the quarterfinals for the first time. The hard-hitting, 25-year-old Brady knocked off Angelique Kerber 6-1, 6-4 in the opening match Sunday. Brady, who is one of four American women still alive in singles, will face either Petra Martic or Yulia Putintseva in her first Grand Slam quarterfinal match. The day begins with Angelique Kerber a three-time Grand Slam champion who won at Flushing Meadows in 2016 trying to extend her strong run through the bracket, facing 28th-seeded Jennifer Brady.
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Osaka tosses racket, overcomes test from teenager at US Open
Naomi Osaka, of Japan, serves to Marta Kostyuk, of the Ukraine, during the third round of the US Open tennis championships, Friday, Sept. 4, 2020, in New York. Another past U.S. Open champion moving into the fourth round Friday was 2016 titlist Angelique Kerber, who defeated 20-year-old American Ann Li 6-3, 6-4. Kerbers next opponent is another American, 28th-seeded Jennifer Brady, a 6-3, 6-3 winner against Caroline Garcia. The key moment: Kostyuk held five break points that could have given her a 3-1 lead in the final set. Each time on court during the tournament, Osaka is wearing a different mask in memory of a victim of racial injustice.
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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.
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'Didn't play good': No. 1 Pliskova won't dissect Open loss
I 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.
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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.
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Talk of 'fake bubble,' 'bubble in bubble' on US Open's Day 1
A member of the USTA crew watches a match during the first round of the US Open tennis championships, Monday, Aug. 31, 2020, in New York. But Monday was significant for introducing terms to the tennis lexicon such as bubble in the bubble and fake bubble." Mladenovic and Mannarino spoke about the situation after wins Monday, saying they were part of a group that played cards with Paire. Baptiste said she was unaware that her opponent was one of the players who had been in contact with Paire. Mannarino said he's been forced to take the stairs to his seventh-floor hotel room to avoid contact with other players.

Defending champion Angelique Kerber crashes out of Wimbledon
Angelique Kerber of Germany plays a forehand in her Ladies' Singles second round match against Lauren Davis of the United States during Day 4 of The Championships - Wimbledon 2019 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 4, 2019,(CNN) - Defending champion Angelique Kerber crashed out of Wimbledon with a shock second-round defeat to American Lauren Davis on Thursday. The three-time grand slam champion lost 6-2 2-6 1-6 to the 95th-ranked Davis. Kerber took the opening set in just 31 minutes and looked set to cruise to victory but the diminutive Davis, standing at just 5 feet 2 inches, stunned the German who took just three games from the last two sets. It will be a very happy Fourth of July for the American, who only made it into the Wimbledon main draw as a lucky loser after suffering defeat in qualifying over the weekend. The 25-year-old Davis will now play Spain's Carla Surez Navarro on Saturday.