Coco Gauff loses lead, match against Potapova at Miami Open
Coco Gauff let a big lead slip away and wound up dropping the last five games of a mistake-filled 6-7 (8), 7-5, 6-2 loss to Anastasia Potapova in the third round of the Miami Open on Saturday. The No. 6-seeded Gauff, a 19-year-old from Florida, was critical of herself afterward, saying that her footwork wasn't great, that her mindset was off and that she played too defensively after serving for the victory at 5-3 in the second set.
news.yahoo.comRybakina tops Azarenka to make Australian Open women's final
Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina reached her second final in the past three Grand Slam tournaments by beating Victoria Azarenka 7-6 (4), 6-3 at the Australian Open on Thursday. Rybakina added to what already was an impressive run through a string of top opponents. Azarenka, the champion at Melbourne Park in 2012 and 2013, joined a list of players eliminated by Rybakina over the past two weeks that includes No. 1 Iga Swiatek and No. 17 Jelena Ostapenko — both owners of major titles — and 2022 Australian Open runner-up Danielle Collins.
news.yahoo.comRybakina beats Swiatek, Ostapenko tops Gauff in Australia
There will not be a showdown between Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff at the Australian Open. Instead, it will be the players who beat them Sunday — reigning Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina and 2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko — who face off for a semifinal berth. Rybakina eliminated No. 1-seeded Iga Swiatek 6-4, 6-4 in Rod Laver Arena, while Ostapenko got past No. 7 Gauff 7-5, 6-3 next door in Margaret Court Arena.
news.yahoo.comKeys knocks out No. 1 Swiatek at Western & Southern Open
American Madison Keys upset No. 1 Iga Swiatek 6-3, 6-4 on Thursday to reach the Western & Southern Open quarterfinals. After dropping the first set and losing the first five games of the second, Swiatek rallied to win four straight, fighting off one match point before Keys clinched with a forehand winner to the ad court off a shot that clipped the net. Swiatek won her first two matches against Keys, including 6-1, 6-0 this year at Indian Wells.
news.yahoo.comFederer unranked for 1st time in 25 years; Djokovic to No. 7
Federer had appeared in the singles rankings every week since he made his debut at age 16 in September 1997, tied for 803rd, and held the record for most time at No. 1 until Djokovic broke it. Federer was 97th before play began at the All England Club but now has zero points because the rankings are based on a player's results over the previous 52 weeks — and he has not competed at all since reaching the Wimbledon quarterfinals a year ago.
news.yahoo.comKenin beats Putintseva to reach Abu Dhabi quarterfinals
Kenin is the top-seeded woman in Abu Dhabi, where the first womens tour-level tennis event of 2021 begins main-draw play on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021. (AP Photo/Michel Euler, File)ABU DHABI – Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin of the United States came back from match point down to beat Yulia Putintseva and reach the quarterfinals of the Abu Dhabi Open on Saturday. Kenin posted 57 unforced errors to Putintseva's 43 but still prevailed 3-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4 over the 13th-seeded Putintseva. Kenin dropped the opening set for the second consecutive match in Abu Dhabi. Also, Aryna Sabalenka recorded her 12th consecutive win in tour matches with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Ons Jabeur.
World TeamTennis plans to have fans at West Virginia matches
If World TeamTennis gets its way, Grand Slam champions Sofia Kenin and Sloane Stephens could be among the first tennis players to compete in front of fans after the coronavirus pandemic prompted lockdowns around the globe. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili, File)If World TeamTennis gets its way, Grand Slam champions Sofia Kenin and Sloane Stephens could be among the first tennis players to compete in front of fans after the coronavirus pandemic prompted lockdowns around the globe. WTT said Tuesday it is planning to allow up to 500 spectators at each of its outdoor matches during a three-week season from July 12 to Aug. 2 at a resort in West Virginia. Because of the pandemic, World TeamTennis is bringing all nine of its teams to one site The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia instead of having matches played around the United States. And unlike smaller exhibition tennis events around the world that have been staged without any fans present, WTT intends to sell tickets for one-fifth of a 2,500-seat outdoor stadium.