No 1 Swiatek upset by Krejcikova in Dubai final
Top-ranked Iga Swiatek was upset by Barbora Krejcikova 6-4, 6-2 in the final of the Dubai Championships on Saturday. Krejcikova closed the tournament by beating the top three players in the WTA rankings: No. 3 Jessica Pegula in the quarterfinals, No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka in the semifinals, then Swiatek. No. 8 Daria Kasaktina was also overcome in the second round.
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.comShiffrin and Swiatek keep learning to win from each other
It all started a couple of years ago when Swiatek said Shiffrin was a role model for her. On Friday, as Swiatek routed qualifier Cristina Bucsa 6-0, 6-1 to reach the fourth round of the Australian Open a few hours before Shiffrin finished fourth in a downhill to leave her tied with Vonn for the women’s World Cup record of 82 wins, the tennis player and the skier renewed their long-distance conversation.
news.yahoo.comAustralian Open 2023: Coco Gauff, a teen in a tennis hurry
Coco Gauff acknowledges she tends to be in a bit of a hurry as she moves through life. The 18-year-old Floridian doesn’t stick around in a city after a tennis tournament ends: “Even if it’s a nice place,” she said with a chuckle, “I like to leave.” Yes, generally, Gauff is ready to move on.
news.yahoo.comPegula, Gauff 1st 2 US women in Top 4 since Serena, Venus
Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff are the first pair of U.S. women both in the top four spots of the WTA rankings since sisters Serena and Venus Williams were up there a dozen years ago. Gauff, who lost in the quarterfinals at that tournament, moved up from No. 7 to No. 4. The last time two Americans were that high in the women’s tennis rankings was the week of Oct. 18, 2010, when Serena Williams was No. 2 and Venus Williams was No. 4.
news.yahoo.comFederer, Serena retire; tennis moves on to Alcaraz, Swiatek
The timing of it all hardly could be more symbolic: All within a span of two weeks, Serena Williams plays what is believed to be her last match at age 40, Roger Federer announces he’ll be retiring at 41, Iga Swiatek wins her third Grand Slam title at 21, and Carlos Alcaraz gets his first at 19.
American Tiafoe upsets No. 2 Nadal | US Open updates
Frances Tiafoe pulled off the biggest win of his career when the 22nd-ranked American beat second-seeded Rafael Nadal 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 to reach the U.S. Open quarterfinals. Tiafoe buried his head in his hands and cried on the court after he shook hands with Nadal. Nadal, a four-time U.S. Open champion, was the highest-seeded player left after No. 1 Daniil Medvedev lost Sunday.
news.yahoo.comSerena's gone, Open must go on: Kvitova, Pegula set rematch
Much like for so many other folks, Serena Williams’ last match at the U.S. Open was must-see TV for players still in the tournament, so Jessica Pegula and Petra Kvitova tuned in from their hotel rooms the night before their victories led off Saturday’s schedule and set up a fourth-round showdown.
At US Open, complaints about the ball before 1st one struck
Days before the first one is struck in the tournament, the U.S. Open's balls were a topic of discussion Friday. It's the only Grand Slam event where women use a slightly altered version of the ball, and top-ranked Iga Swiatek is among those frustrated that their lighter one doesn't perform as well. The tournament media guide notes that the only distinction is that the men use an “extra duty” felt ball, while the women use a “regular duty” felt ball.
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.comSerena Williams puts 'Out of office' on for Wimbledon return
Serena Williams joked — or was it a joke? — that she activated the “Out of office” message on her email account so anyone trying to reach her about her many non-tennis activities while she’s at Wimbledon would know why no response arrived immediately. Great as Williams is with a racket in her hand, successful as she’s been, her sport has never been the only activity that interested her or occupied her time.
news.yahoo.comSerena Williams practices on Centre Court; 1st foe No. 113
Serena Williams walked out on Centre Court under a closed retractable roof on Friday afternoon, taking advantage of Wimbledon's new policy of allowing players to practice there and at No. 1 Court before the tournament begins next week. Accompanied by coach Eric Hechtman — who has worked with her older sister, Venus, and replaces longtime coach Patrick Moratoglou, now with Simona Halep — and hitting partner Jarmere Jenkins, Williams returned to the site of her last official singles match anywhere, nearly a full year ago at the All England Club.
news.yahoo.comAt French Open, Swiatek loses set, extends match win streak
The loss of one set by a player is normally not the stuff of headlines at a Grand Slam tournament. The way it came about was noteworthy, too: She led the first set of her fourth-round match against 74th-ranked Zheng Qinwen of China 3-0, then 5-2, and was a point from claiming it on five occasions but could not seal the deal. Swiatek entered the day having won 20 sets in a row, and 48 of her preceding 49.
news.yahoo.comFrench Open updates | Cilic eliminates No. 2 seed Medvedev
It took until the fourth round, but now it's the high-seeded men who are exiting the French Open. No. 2 Daniil Medvedev bowed out with a 6-2, 6-3, 6-2 loss to No. 20 Marin Cilic in a matchup between two past U.S. Open champions at Court Philippe Chatrier on Monday night. Medvedev joins No. 4 Stefanos Tsitsipas, last year's runner-up, on the way out of the bracket.
news.yahoo.comFrench Open updates | Rune, 19, rare Danish man in 4th Rd
Teenager Holger Rune has given a Denmark a man in the fourth round at Roland Garros for the first time in 63 years. The 19-year-old Rune, who won the French Open junior title three years ago, closed out the third round of the main draw by beating Hugo Gaston of France 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 at Court Philippe Chatrier on Saturday night. Rune will take on 2021 French Open runner-up Stefanos Tsitsipas in the fourth round.
news.yahoo.comDjokovic shows he’s back in top form with Italian Open title
Novak Djokovic raised his first trophy of the year at the Italian Open on Sunday and showed that he’s back in top form exactly a week before the French Open starts. After missing a large portion of the season because he wasn’t vaccinated against the coronavirus, the top-ranked Djokovic beat Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-0, 7-6 (5) for his sixth Rome title. “I’ve been building my form the last few weeks,” Djokovic said.
news.yahoo.comAnalysis: Iga Swiatek’s rapid rise to No. 1 not mind-blowing
When new No. 1 Iga Swiatek’s latest match ended with another victory, her 17th in a row, she jogged over to greet her team in a corner of the Miami Open stadium. Yes, this run has been impressive: Swiatek is 26-3 overall in 2022 and the first woman to win the first three WTA 1000 events of a season. Also impressive: The 2020 French Open champion's rapid ascension to the top of the rankings, officially replacing the recently retired Ash Barty there on Monday.
news.yahoo.comSwiatek clinches No. 1 ranking, moves on at Miami Open
Iga Swiatek started her week by deciding that she wanted to set her sights on becoming the No. 1 player in the world, without knowing how long that quest would take. Women’s tennis has a new name atop its rankings, a 20-year-old who — now that Ashleigh Barty has retired and asked to vacate her No. 1 spot on the world list — becomes the first Polish player to hold that distinction. Swiatek’s ascension was clinched Friday night with a 6-2, 6-0 win over Viktorija Golubic of Switzerland in the second round of the Miami Open.
news.yahoo.comAiling Nadal's 20-match win streak ends in loss to Fritz
American Taylor Fritz upset an ailing Rafael Nadel 6-3, 7-6 (5) Sunday to win the BNP Paribas Open and snap the 21-time major champion’s 20-match winning streak this year. “It’s an honor to even be on the same court as this guy,” Fritz told the crowd. Nadal's usual fighting spirit was on full display, but he came into the match bothered by painful breathing that he first experienced in a three-set semifinal win Saturday.
news.yahoo.comBarty and Djokovic keep No.1 ranking; Collins into top 10
Newly crowned Australian Open women's singles champion Ash Barty has maintained her more than two-year grip on the number one ranking after winning her third major title with a straight sets victory over Danielle Collins on Saturday. Barty, winner of the French Open in 2019 and Wimbledon the following year, has extended her ranking points lead over incumbent No.2 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus, with French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova rising one spot into third after making the quarterfinals in Australia for the first time.
news.yahoo.comUS Open runner-up Fernandez out in 1st round in Australia
Four months later and on the other side of the world, Leylah Fernandez lost to a 133rd-ranked wild-card entry in her first Grand Slam match since her runner-up finish at the U.S. Open. The 19-year-old Canadian had an upset 6-2, 6-4 loss to Maddison Inglis in the first round of the Australian Open on Tuesday, the third straight year she’s failed to progress to the second round at the first tennis major of the year. Fernandez made 30 unforced errors, dropped her serve three times and hit only eight winners on 1573 Arena against Inglis, who converted her third match point to complete her very first win in the main draw of a major.
news.yahoo.comRafael Nadal wins opening match; Naomi Osaka also advances
Rafael Nadal began fine-tuning his quest for a 21st Grand Slam singles title with a 6-2, 7-5 win over Ricardas Berankis on Thursday in a warm-up tournament ahead of the Australian Open. Nadal, recovering from the coronavirus, showed no signs of sluggishness on Rod Laver Arena, although he was broken early in the second set and again when he served for the match. Honestly, I have been going through some difficult, challenging moments the past year-and-a-half,” Nadal said, “but in general terms I am super happy to be back in competition.
news.yahoo.comFernandez beats 9th seed to reach 3rd round at Indian Wells
Leylah Fernandez outlasted ninth-seeded Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 to reach the third round of the BNP Paribas Open on Sunday night. Fernandez, the U.S. Open runner-up, fought off a break point in the eighth game of the third set for a 5-3 lead. Pavlyuchenkova held to trail 5-4 before Fernandez served out the match in which she trailed a set and a break.
news.yahoo.comUS Open champ Raducanu upset at Indian Wells; Murray wins
Emma Raducanu came down to earth in her first tournament since her surprising U.S. Open victory, losing in straight sets to Aliaksandra Sasnovich at the BNP Paribas Open on Friday night. Raducanu lost 6-2, 6-4 in the second round, ending her 10-match winning streak that began in New York. Former world No. 1 Andy Murray beat Adrian Mannarino 6-3, 6-2 in his first match as a wild-card.
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