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 year’s 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.
COVID case at Australian Open hotel cancels play at tuneups
An Australian Open courtesy car waits outside the Grand Hyatt hotel in central Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Feb. 4, 2021. All competition at six Australian Open tuneup events scheduled for Thursday was called off after a worker at one of the tournaments' Melbourne quarantine hotels tested positive for COVID-19. The Australian Open is scheduled to begin Monday. Williams won her last major title at the 2017 Australian Open, when she was pregnant with her daughter, Olympia. On the bottom half of the draw, defending Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin rallied from a set and a break down to fend off Jessica Pegula 5-7, 7-5, 6-2.
2 more top-10 women -- Svitolina, Bertens -- out of US Open
NEW YORK Two more top-10 women -- Elina Svitolina and Kiki Bertens -- will miss the U.S. Open, joining No. 1-ranked Ash Barty in skipping the Grand Slam tennis tournament during the coronavirus pandemic. The French Open -- where Bertens reached the semifinals in 2016 -- is scheduled to begin Sept. 27. Defending mens champion Rafael Nadal also has said he wont play at the U.S. Open, citing concerns about traveling during the pandemic. The womens circuit returned to action this week in Palermo, Italy; the men are scheduled to begin play later this month.
2 years, 4 operations later, CiCi Bellis back on Slam stage
Bellis told this story with a smile at the Australian Open — and why not? Four surgical procedures and two years have come and gone since she was last healthy enough to participate in a Grand Slam tournament. On Thursday, she was out there on a Grand Slam court, playing in singles and doubles. But he also recalled where it happened to him in 2019 -- at the Australian Open. CLIMBING THE HEIGHTSGarbiñe Muguruza has scaled the heights of tennis -- two Grand Slam titles; the No.