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☆ China's Wang claims maiden WTA title in Guangzhou
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The 22-year-old Wang's victory marked the fourth time that a Chinese player has been crowned champion in Guangzhou, following Wang Qiang (2018), Zhang Shuai (2013, 2017) and Li Na (2004). "It was very exciting and it's a very emotional moment because in this tournament, every player is really tough," Wang said. "I wanted a title from the first day, even when I started tennis. China last hosted a WTA tournament in 2019, before the COVID crisis wreaked havoc on the global sports schedule. The WTA was widely praised for suspending tournaments in China but reversed its decision in April.

Persons: Wang Xiyu, Russia's Mirra Andreeva, Toby Melville, Magda Linette, Wang Qiang, Zhang Shuai, Li Na, Wang, I'm, Zhu Lin, Hua Hin, Zheng Qinwen, Peng Shuai, Peng, Shrivathsa Sridhar Organizations: Lawn Tennis, Croquet Club, WTA, Guangzhou, women's, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Guangzhou, Palermo, China, Bengaluru

☆ WTA roundup: Greet Minnen, Yulia Putintseva advance in China
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The unseeded Putintseva eliminated third seed Tatjana Maria of Germany 6-4, 6-7 (6), 6-0. Putintseva converted six of 12 break points and saved nine of 11, overcoming Maria's 6-1 edge in aces. Minnen, the seventh seed, ousted fourth seed Lucia Bronzetti of Italy 6-7 (8), 6-4, 6-1. Top seed Magda Linette of Poland avoided the upset in defeating fifth seed Rebeka Masarova of Spain 7-5, 7-6 (6). In the semifinals, Dolehide will face countrywoman Sofia Kenin, who was a 6-4, 6-7 (6), 6-1 winner over Canada's Leylah Fernandez on Thursday.

Persons: Belgium's, Minnen, Venus Williams, Shannon Stapleton, Kazakhstan's Yulia Putintseva, Putintseva, Tatjana Maria, Lucia Bronzetti, Magda Linette, Rebeka, China's Xiyu Wang, Wang, Linette, Caroline Dolehide, Martina Trevisan, Dolehide, Trevisan, countrywoman Sofia Kenin, Canada's Leylah Fernandez, Maria Sakkari, Colombia's Emiliana Arango, Caroline Garcia of Organizations: Tennis, U.S, REUTERS, Guangzhou, Slovakian Viktoria Hruncakova, Guadalajara Open Akron, Caroline Garcia of France, Victoria Azarenka, Thomson Locations: Flushing Meadows , New York, United States, China, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, Putintseva, Guadalajara, Mexico

☆ WTA roundup: Russian teen wins opener at Guangzhou
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Shnaider won six straight games in the first set and came back from a 2-0 hole in the second set to win in 75 minutes. Denmark's Clara Tauson eliminated Fruhvirtova 6-2, 7-6 (6). In other second-round matches, Martina Trevisan upset 15th-seeded Jasmine Paolini 7-5, 6-2 in an all-Italian matchup, and seventh-seeded Veronika Kudermetova of Russia downed Canada's Eugenie Bouchard 6-2, 6-7 (4), 6-4. Colombia's Emiliana Arango knocked out 11th-seeded Russian Anastasia Potapova 6-4, 6-3, and Italy's Camila Giorgi defeated Egypt's Mayar Sherif, the No. 14 seed, 7-5, 6-3.

Persons: Maria Sakkari, Russia's Diana Shnaider, Carl Recine, Diana Shnaider, Claire Liu, Shnaider, Liu's, Linda Fruhvirtova, Denmark's Clara Tauson, Magda Linette, Jodie Burrage, Minnen, Harriet Dart of, Akron Hailey, Karolina Pliskova, Baptiste, Pliskova, Martina Trevisan, Jasmine Paolini, Veronika Kudermetova, Canada's Eugenie Bouchard, Victoria, Caroline Dolehide, Emma Navarro, Sofia Kenin, Sachia Vickery, Colombia's Emiliana Arango, Anastasia Potapova, Italy's Camila Giorgi, Egypt's Mayar Sherif Organizations: Melbourne, Guangzhou, Harriet Dart of Great Britain, Guadalajara, Akron, D.C, WTA, Victoria Azarenka, Thomson Locations: Melbourne, Australia, China, Czech Republic, Poland, Britain, Spain, Belgium, Harriet Dart of Great, Akron Hailey Baptiste, Washington, Guadalajara, Mexico, Russia, Belarus, United States

☆ Azarenka and Pliskova slog way into second round of rainy Canadian Open
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Aug 7, 2023; Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Victoria Azarenka serves against Magda Linette (POL) (not pictured) in first round play at IGA Stadium. Azarenka was unfazed by the rain, charging ahead 5-2 in the opening set before closing it out with a break just before play was stopped a second time. She romped through the second set, winning 24 of 31 points and breaking Poland's Linette three times. When play restarted, Zhu pounced, winning two points to clinch the tie-break 10-8. But the 31-year-old Czech quickly refocused in the decider, applying pressure and breaking Zhu three times to move onto the second round and a meeting with Polish world number one and reigning US Open champion Iga Swiatek.

Persons: Victoria Azarenka, Magda Linette, Eric Bolte, Karolina Pliskova, Azarenka, Sloane Stephens, Ukraine's, Pliskova, Zhu Lin, Sascha Bajin, Zhu, Zhu pounced, Iga Swiatek, Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka, Steve Keating, Jamie Freed Organizations: Victoria, IGA, Canadian, Warsaw, Thomson Locations: Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Stuttgart, Pliskova, Czech, Toronto

☆ Kontaveit to retire after Wimbledon due to back injury
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Kontaveit cut her 2022 season short in October and took another two-month break in February to focus on the issue. "I am ready for new challenges after my last effort as a professional tennis player - to enjoy the game and compete as hard as I can at Wimbledon." Kontaveit, now ranked 79th in the world, exited the Australian Open in the second round and has not played since a first-round defeat at the French Open in May. A quarter-final run at Melbourne Park in 2020 is her best Grand Slam result to date. Kontaveit won four titles and reached the WTA Finals in a breakthrough 2021 season and was ranked world number two last September at the U.S. Open, where she lost to Serena Williams in the second round.

Persons: Kontaveit, Poland's Magda Linette REUTERS, Hannah Mckay, Serena Williams, Hritika Sharma, Peter Rutherford Organizations: Melbourne, Wimbledon, Melbourne Park, WTA, U.S ., Thomson Locations: Melbourne, Australia, Instagram, Hyderabad

☆ Mirra Andreeva, 16, continues meteoric rise by advancing to French Open third round
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Amy Woodyatt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva has continued her meteoric rise by reaching the third round of the French Open with an emphatic 6-1 6-2 win over France’s Diane Parry. The 16-year-old, who celebrated her birthday in April, is now the youngest player to reach the third round at Roland Garros since 2005, according to the WTA. Andreeva, the youngest player in this year’s main draw, took only 77 minutes to defeat wild card Parry and secure her sixth top 100 win of the season. Andreeva had already become the seventh youngest player this century to beat a top 20 player, according to the WTA, when she beat world No. Andreeva, who was unranked 14 months ago, entered her first Grand Slam at Roland Garros this year.

Persons: Mirra Andreeva, France’s Diane Parry, Roland Garros, Parry, Andreeva, Beatriz Haddad Maia, Ian MacNicol, Leylah Fernandez, Magda Linette, Alison Riske, Coco Gauff, Julia Grabher Organizations: CNN, WTA, Madrid, ITF Locations: Madrid

☆ Mirra Andreeva celebrates her 16th birthday and another astonishing victory at the Madrid Open
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Aimee Lewis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —It has been quite the weekend for Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva. On Saturday she celebrated her 16th birthday and also continued her remarkable progress at the Madrid Open. Andreeva, ranked world No. The Russian was runner-up at this year’s junior Australian Open and now has 16 professional wins to her name. “I didn’t expect to be here and playing Sabalenka in the round of 16,” Andreeva told the Tennis Channel, according to the WTA.

☆ U.S. finishes Billie Jean King Cup qualifying unbeaten
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Each best-of-five series consists of two singles matches on the first day, then the reverse singles matches followed by a doubles match on the second day. The doubles match pitting Juvan and Zidansek against Irina Bara and Monica Niculescu was suspended at 3-3 in the first set. Jule Niemeier posted a three-set win over Beatriz Haddad Maia, and then Anna-Lena Friedsam lost only one game in defeating Laura Pigossi. Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina handed Poland's Magda Linette her second loss in two days to clinch the 3-1 series win in Astana, Kazakhstan. After Fernandez's three-set win over Ysaline Bonaventure, Belgium's Greet Minnen again knotted the match with a three-set win over Katherine Sebov.

☆ Kazakhstan through to Billie Jean King Cup finals, France ease past Britain
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Tennis - Billie Jean King Cup Qualifiers - Kazakhstan v Poland - National Tennis Centre - Beeline Arena, Astana, Kazakhstan - April 15, 2023 Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina celebrates with teammates after winning her singles match against Poland's Magda Linette REUTERS/Pavel MikheyevApril 15 (Reuters) - Kazakhstan advanced to the Billie Jean King Cup finals for the second time after defeating Poland 3-1 in their qualifier on Saturday while France brushed aside last year's semi-finalists Britain. Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina had helped Kazakhstan build a 2-0 lead on Friday and the world number seven had no trouble dispatching Magda Linette 6-4 6-2 to give her side an unassailable lead in Astana. The best-of-five qualifiers featured two singles matches on Friday and two reverse singles plus a doubles rubber on Saturday. Poland, without injured world number one Iga Swiatek, finally got on the board as Weronika Falkowska and Alicja Rosolska won 6-4 6-4 in what was essentially a dead rubber. Garcia got the double break and the world number five served out the set to secure France's place in the Finals.

☆ Potapova upsets Gauff in third-round Miami thriller
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-25 | by ( Amy Tennery | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

March 25 (Reuters) - Russian Anastasia Potapova produced some of her best tennis to upset American Coco Gauff 6-7(8) 7-5 6-2 in a third-round thriller at the Miami Open on Saturday. "I had this belief in me that I can do this, that I just wanted to fight through and just to show my best tennis and not focus on the score," she told the Tennis Channel. Up 5-2 in the first set, it looked as though it might be an easy day for Potapova. But world number six Gauff turned the tables when she converted break point chances in the ninth and 11th games and closed the tiebreak with a lethal backhand. She failed to earn a single break point as Potapova dropped only one first-serve point and won the final five games.

☆ WTA roundup: Coco Gauff reaches Dubai semis
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Tennis - WTA 1000 - Dubai Tennis Championships - Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium, Dubai, United Arab Emirates - February 23, 2023 Coco Gauff of the U.S. celebrates winning her quarter final match against Madison Keys of the U.S. REUTERS/Satish KumarFebruary 24 - Fifth-seeded Coco Gauff won an all-American quarterfinal on Thursday at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, beating Madison Keys 6-2, 7-5 in the United Arab Emirates. Gauff saved the only break point she faced in the 81-minute match, and she converted four of her five break opportunities. The result moves Gauff into a semifinal matchup with top-seeded Iga Swiatek of Poland, the reigning French Open champion. The other semifinal will feature third-seeded Jessica Pegula of the United States and Barbora Krejcikova of the Czech Republic. In the last match of the night, fourth-seeded Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic downed Belgium's Ysaline Bonaventure 6-0, 7-5.

☆ WTA roundup: Top seeds roll in Dubai
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

February 22 - The top two seeds in the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships lost a combined three games while cruising to second-round wins on Tuesday in the United Arab Emirates. 1 Iga Swiatek of Poland, the reigning French Open and U.S. Open champion, routed Canada's Leylah Fernandez 6-1, 6-1, and No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus, the reigning Australian Open champion, demolished the United States' Lauren Davis 6-0, 6-1. Third-seeded Jessica Pegula of the United States, who lost to Swiatek in the Doha final, got past Bulgaria's Viktoriya Tomova 6-2, 5-7, 6-1 in the second round at Dubai. Stephens, the 2017 U.S. Open champion, had lost her first-round matches at Auckland, New Zealand; Hobart, Australia; and the Australian Open to begin the year.

☆ Rybakina meets Sabalenka in clash of big hitters for Australian Open crown
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Shrivathsa Sridhar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

While that victory brought prestige and financial reward, it did not boost her up the rankings. Rybakina would have climbed into the top 10 had the ranking points been available but she has proved she belongs in the spotlight at Melbourne Park, knocking out three Grand Slam champions en route to this year's title clash. "I think it was a great challenge for me because for sure, they have experience of winning Grand Slams, so it was nothing new for them," Rybakina, who beat Azarenka 7-6(4) 6-3 in the semi-finals, said. With Russian and Belarusian players only allowed to compete as individual athletes without national affiliation at Melbourne Park, Sabalenka could become the first neutral athlete to win a Grand Slam. Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Melbourne; Editing by Peter RutherfordOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Rybakina takes down Azarenka to reach first Australian Open final
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Ian Ransom | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The 22nd-seeded Rybakina was broken as she served for the set but Azarenka double-faulted to concede three match points in the next game, allowing the Kazakh to close out an emphatic win. Rybakina shrugged it off then broke Azarenka twice, repeatedly outrallying the powerful Belarusian. Running full tilt, she saved a set point with a forehand passing shot and put the pressure back on Rybakina. Though failing to land a first serve 11 times in succession, Rybakina saved three break points at 5-5 before momentum shifted again when Azarenka tightened up in the tiebreak. Rybakina wobbled when serving out the match, a double-fault coughing up three break points and opening the door for Azarenka.

☆ Linette stuns Pliskova to reach first Grand Slam semi
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/5] Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 25, 2023 Poland's Magda Linette celebrates after winning her quarter final match against Czech Republic's Karolina Pliskova REUTERS/Carl RecineMELBOURNE, Jan 25 (Reuters) - Unheralded Pole Magda Linette continued her dream run into the semi-finals of the Australian Open on Wednesday, stunning former world number one Karolina Pliskova in a deserved 6-3 7-5 victory on Rod Laver Arena. The world number 45 played wonderfully controlled tennis in the opening set as twice Grand Slam finalist Pliskova racked up 14 unforced errors under the blazing sun on the main showcourt. Pliskova had to raise her game in the second set but Linette had the answer to everything the Czech threw at her and broke for 6-5 before serving out nervelessly for the win. Linette will battle for a place in the final against fifth seed Aryna Sabalenka or Donna Vekic, who face off in Wednesday's second women's quarter-final. Reporting by Nick Mulvenney in Sydney; Editing byOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Pliskova rues misfiring serve after Australian Open exit
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The former world number one slipped into the second week of the tournament with little fanfare and reached her second straight Grand Slam quarter-final after her run at last year's U.S. Open. "Super disappointed about today, because I just thought this was a match which I should win and I could win," Pliskova, who missed last year's tournament due to an arm fracture, told reporters. "Obviously the serve was not great today at all. I have been serving really well for like all my matches, and pretty much like for the last two, three weeks." "I think she really made it like difficult for me, not missing many balls, not giving anything for free, any mistakes.

☆ Belarusian and Russian charge in Melbourne throws spotlight on Wimbledon ban
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Martyn Herman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

On Friday, Russia's Karen Khachanov faces Stefanos Tsitsipas as he bids to reach his first Grand Slam final. With the conflict in Ukraine showing no sign of ending, a decision about Russian and Belarussian players competing at the All England Club is pressing. Australian Open organisers even banned Russian and Belarusian flags from Melbourne Park last week after a complaint from Ukraine's ambassador to the country. 'SITUATION NO-ONE WANTS'Nine-times Australian Open champion Djokovic has urged Wimbledon to allow Russian and Belarus players to enter the 2023 tournament, a view also backed by American great John McEnroe. "I disagreed with it last year that Wimbledon didn't allow the Russians or Belarusian players to play.

☆ Determined Linette reaping rewards after overcoming 'painful' injury layoff
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Linette withdrew from the 2021 Australian Open one day before her flight to Melbourne because of a knee injury that took 11 weeks to diagnose and kept her sidelined for five months. "It was honestly the most painful experience of my life," Linette told reporters on Wednesday. "I had meniscus surgery, but because it was kind of tricky where the injury was, nobody could really see what was happening. I changed a lot in my life and made some tough decisions, and I think I'm getting rewarded for it now." Linette will meet the fifth seed, Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka, for a place in the final.

☆ Azarenka up for the challenge as Sabalenka seeks calm
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Although Sabalenka and Magda Linette of Poland will be playing in their first semi-finals at Melbourne Park, Azarenka returns to final-four action after a decade away when she takes on Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina. Now a self-confessed "obnoxious" soccer mom, the 33-year-old Azarenka looked every inch the player who won back-to-back Australian Open titles in 2012 and 2013 when she took apart in-form third seed Jessica Pegula in the quarter-finals. "It will be a great matchup," said Belarusian Azarenka, who lost their only meeting in straight sets at Indian Wells last year. Sabalenka, who has played three previous Grand Slam semi-finals and lost them all, knows that her biggest battle on Thursday will most likely be with her own emotions. "I think it's going to be a great test for me, if I can actually keep myself calm in key moments," Sabalenka said.

☆ Djokovic romps on towards 10th Australian title, Linette stuns Pliskova
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Shrivathsa Sridhar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Djokovic is making a mockery of the theory that the second week of Grand Slam tournaments get tougher. Fifth seed Rublev has now lost all seven Grand Slam quarter-finals which he contested. "I'm really excited, man. So I'm really grateful." Linette had no problems serving out her quarter-final against twice Grand Slam finalist Pliskova, whose 36 unforced errors sabotaged yet another bid to win a first major.

☆ Anyone but Djokovic: Rublev targets first Grand Slam semi-final
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Hritika Sharma | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

In a moment of disarming honesty after his five-set win over Holger Rune, Rublev conceded he was not relishing the opportunity to face 21-times Grand Slam champion Djokovic on his favourite court. "No one wants to face Novak," Rublev blurted out with a laugh on Rod Laver Arena, albeit prematurely as Djokovic had yet to play his own fourth-round match. "He's an established top-five, top-10 player already for a few years," Djokovic said of Rublev, who has now reached a Grand Slam quarter-final seven times but never cracked the final four. The other men's match on Wednesday features unseeded Americans Ben Shelton and Tommy Paul, with both reaching their first Grand Slam quarter-final to continue the success of the U.S. men this year. Fifth seed Aryna Sabalenka has yet to drop a set in 2023 and will aim to reach her first Australian Open semi-final when she faces unseeded Croatian Donna Vekic.

☆ Pliskova back in the Melbourne quarter-finals and feeling good
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"I've been feeling quite good since I came to Australia," she told reporters. Only two top 10 seeds, Jessica Pegula and Aryna Sabalenka, remain in the quarter-finals, leaving Pliskova as one of the more experienced Grand Slam campaigners. "I feel like these days there is not just top 20 tough opponents, there is like 150 tough opponents," the world number 31 added. "Then the rest, Pegula, I think she's playing great tennis. "If I play like I played today, I think it's tough for anybody to compete with that.

☆ United States blank Poland to reach United Cup final
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

I had no doubt that if I were to lose that the rest of the team would have come through," Fritz said. I think it's a huge advantage this time having the girls on our team because it just makes the whole team so much stronger. "I'm super excited going into the final and I think we've been the favourites all week." Italy lead their semi-final against Greece 2-0 after Martina Trevisan and Lorenzo Musetti won their matches on Friday. Matteo Berrettini can book their place in the final with a victory over Stefanos Tsitsipas in the evening session.

☆ Berrettini inspires Italy to big victory in United Cup
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

In a rematch of their U.S. Open quarter-final and Gstaad final, where world number three Ruud prevailed last year, it was Berrettini who took control of the match on the back of his powerful serve to seal a 6-4 6-4 Group E win. I knew I had to serve my best," Berrettini, who fired 10 aces and won 88% of points on his first-serve, said. The fourth semi-finalist will be a runner-up with the best record from their three matches in the $15 million event. World number 10 Hubert Hurkacz earlier beat Swiss veteran Stan Wawrinka 7-6(5) 6-4 to send Poland on their way. Maria Sakkari earned Greece a spot in the Perth final from Group A with a 6-1 7-5 win over Belgium's Elise Mertens.

☆ Australia, Britain reach Billie Jean King Cup semis, Canada thump Italy
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Storm Sanders dispatched Alison van Uytvanck 6-2 6-2 and Ajla Tomljanovic rallied from a set and a break down before Elise Mertens retired injured trailing 4-6 6-4 3-0 to earn Australia their second Group B win. Britain also booked a semi-final spot from Group C after Alicia Barnett and Olivia Nicholls sealed a surprise 3-0 win over Spain and they face Australia on Saturday. Heather Watson defeated Nuria Parrizas Diaz 6-0 6-2 and Harriet Dart earned a surprise victory over Paula Badosa 6-3 6-4. Canada crushed Italy 3-0 after Bianca Andreescu and Leylah Fernandez claimed impressive singles victories to get their campaign off to a perfect start. Katerina Siniakova and Marketa Vondrousova outclassed Polish duo Katarzyna Kawa and Magda Linette 6-2 6-3.

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