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☆ Ruthless Djokovic makes winning return to US Open
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( Steve Keating | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"I was excited to go out on the court, it has been a couple of years so to come in front of you guys is always a pleasure," Djokovic told the New York crowd. Djokovic broke Muller for a fourth time to open the second set and went 2-0 up before his opponent held serve for the first time, raising both hands in triumph as the crowd roared. But the cheers would be few and far between as Djokovic closed out the second with a wicked forehand. Alcaraz, who beat Djokovic in an epic Wimbledon final in July, opens his account on Tuesday against Germany's Dominik Koepfer. Next up for number two seed Djokovic is Spain's Bernabe Zapata Miralles, who was a straight sets winner over American Ethan Quinn.

Persons: Serbia's Novak Djokovic, France’s Alexandre Muller, Mike Segar, Novak Djokovic, Frenchman Alexandre Muller, Margaret Court's, Djokovic, Daniil Medvedev, Arthur Ashe, Barack Obama, Michelle, Carlos Alcaraz, Muller, Frenchman, Alcaraz, Germany's Dominik Koepfer, Holger Rune, Roberto Carballes Baena, Spain's Bernabe Zapata Miralles, Ethan Quinn, Steve Keating, Peter Rutherford Organizations: France’s Alexandre Muller REUTERS, U.S, COVID, New, Cincinnati, U.S ., Djokovic's, Thomson Locations: Flushing Meadows , New York, United States, Flushing, New York, U.S, Danish

☆ ATP roundup: Yosuke Watanuki records upset in Washington
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] Aug 2, 2023; Washington, D.C., USA; Yosuke Watanuki (JPN) hits a backhand against Felix Auger-Aliassime (CAN) (not pictured) on day five of the Mubadala Citi DC Open at Fitzgerald Tennis Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY SportsAugust 3 - Japan's Yosuke Watanuki prevailed in a wild first-set tiebreaker en route to a 7-6 (10), 7-6 (3) upset of No. 3 seed Felix Auger-Aliassime on Wednesday in a second-round match at the Mubadala Citi DC Open in Washington. Watanuki jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the opening set's tiebreaker, but Auger-Aliassime stormed back and eventually held leads of 5-4 and 9-8. But Watanuki held firm, and on his fifth set point, he was finally able to get past the Canadian.

Persons: Yosuke, Felix Auger, Geoff Burke, Watanuki, Aliassime, Jordan Thompson, Adrian Mannarino, Frenchman Gregoire Barrere, Daniel Evans of, Tallon Griekspoor, Christopher Eubanks, Ugo Humbert, Gael Monfils, Great, Andy Murray, Taylor Fritz, Zachary Svajda, Alex Molcan, Sebastian Ofner, Molcan, Argentina's Sebastian Baez, Roberto Carballes Baena, France's Arthur Rinderknech, Colombia's Daniel Elahi Galan, Dominic Thiem, Djere, Argentina's Tomas Martin Etcheverry, Pedro Cachin Organizations: D.C, Citi DC, Fitzgerald Tennis, USA, ., Austrian, Thomson Locations: Washington, USA, France, Daniel Evans of Great Britain, Slovakia, Kitzbuhel, Austria, Spain, Serbia

☆ Rune sails through after rain-delayed win
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Christian Radnedge | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, July 5 (Reuters) - Holger Rune sailed through to the second round of Wimbledon for the first time with a 7-6(4) 6-3 6-2 victory over British wildcard George Loffhagen in a rain-delayed match on Wednesday. However, Rune's precision and accuracy secured him the first set on a tiebreak before the match was suspended. The Briton did get on the scoreboard and clawed some games back with the help of five aces, but Rune was too good, bringing up three set points with a backhand volley and converting straight away. As the evening drew in, Loffhagen was broken once more and sent a backhand into the net to hand the match to Rune who will face Italy's Matteo Arnaldi or Spaniard Roberto Carballes Baena in the second round. Reporting by Christian Radnedge, editing by Ed OsmondOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Holger Rune, George Loffhagen, Dane, Kenneth Carlsen, Loffhagen, Rune, Italy's Matteo Arnaldi, Roberto Carballes Baena, Christian Radnedge, Ed Osmond Organizations: Wimbledon, British, All England Club, 981st, Briton, Thomson Locations: London

☆ Fifth seed Tsitsipas powers past Carballes Baena into third round
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Karolos Grohmann | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, May 31 (Reuters) - World number five Stefanos Tsitsipas found little resistance as he disposed of claycourt specialist Roberto Carballes Baena in straight sets 6-3 7-6(4) 6-2 on Wednesday to advance to the French Open third round. The fifth seed, who is chasing his first ever Grand Slam, had struggled somewhat in his tournament opener against Jiri Vesely but was in complete control against the 30-year-old Spaniard, cruising to an easy win. He quickly grabbed the initiative, breaking his opponent early, while holding his own serve, to bag the first set. The pair then traded two breaks each in a rollercoaster second set with Carballes Baena trying to lock Tsitsipas in long baseline rallies. Reporting by Karolos Grohmann Editing by Christian RadnedgeOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Tsitsipas, Roberto Carballes Baena, Jiri Vesely, Carballes Baena, Karolos, Christian Radnedge Organizations: PARIS, French, Thomson

☆ Tsitsipas, Alcaraz soar at French Open, Djokovic row simmers
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Shrivathsa Sridhar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Unlike after his opening match on Monday, however, there was no message on the camera lens the Serbian signed and the 22-times Grand Slam champion looked to draw a line under the issue. Djokovic missed last year's Australian Open and was deported from the country due to being unvaccinated for COVID. He won the Melbourne title this year despite a row that erupted after his father posed with some fans holding Russian flags. "A drama-free Grand Slam, I don't think it can happen for me," Djokovic added. Anna Blinkova dashed French hopes with a stunning 4-6 6-3 7-5 victory over fifth seed Caroline Garcia, wrapping up victory on her ninth match point.

Persons: Roland Garros, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Spain's Roberto Carballes Baena, Benoit Tessier, Alcaraz, Djokovic, Garcia, Tsitsipas, Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, Jiri Vesely, Roberto Carballes Baena, Japan's Taro Daniel, Denis Shapovalov, Ismet Krasniqi, Amelie Oudea, Castera, Elina Svitolina, Australian Storm Hunter, Svitolina, Sabalenka, Iryna Shymanovich, Marta Kostyuk, I've, Jelena Ostapenko, Peyton Stearns, Barbora, Lesia Tsurenko, Swiatek, Suzanne Lenglen, Jessica Pegula, Camila Giorgi, Anna Blinkova, Caroline Garcia, Kokkinakis, Stan Wawrinka, Andrey Rublev, Corentin, Shrivathsa Sridhar, Toby Davis, Ed Osmond Organizations: Spain's Roberto Carballes Baena REUTERS, Tennis Federation, Serbian, Marton, COVID, Melbourne, Kosovo Olympic, International Olympic Committee, Kosovo's Olympic, International Tennis Federation, Australian Storm, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, Kosovo, PARIS, Serbia, Marton Fucsovics, Serbian, Ukrainian, Ukraine

☆ 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.

☆ ATP roundup: Daniel Evans falls in Doha
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

February 22 - Finland's Emil Ruusuvuori took down sixth seed Daniel Evans of Great Britain 7-5, 6-4 in their first-round match at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open on Tuesday in Doha. Ruusuvuori fired seven aces and won 29 of 38 first-service points (76.3 percent), holding on for the victory even as Evans saved six of 10 break points and converted both his opportunities to break Ruusuvuori. 7 seed Richard Gasquet of France battled past countryman Laurent Lokoli 7-6 (5), 2-6, 7-6 (5). 556 Alves, who had five aces and saved five of nine break points in his tour-level debut before the suspension. Daniel Elahi Galan of Colombia and Juan Pablo Varillas of Peru were also winners Tuesday before the rain arrived.

☆ Nadal's exit opens up Grand Slam window of opportunity for Djokovic
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Hritika Sharma | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Nadal's injury-plagued defeat in the second round will be another boost for Djokovic, who can grab a record-extending 10th crown as well as the world number one ranking with a title run in Melbourne. "They're just numbers at the end of the day," Djokovic said when asked about the targets in his sights. The 35-year-old's tournament preparation was limited due to a left hamstring injury sustained during his title run in Adelaide, and he conceded he had some concerns before his opening round win. "The great sign was that the longer the match went, the better I felt, the better I moved. "She did great in the slams in the past, and she's very young player, very talented lefty," Garcia said.

☆ Djokovic feels the love during dominant opening victory
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Shrivathsa Sridhar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MELBOURNE, Jan 17 (Reuters) - Novak Djokovic soaked up thunderous applause in his first match back at the Australian Open after last year's deportation drama, as the nine-times champion outclassed Roberto Carballes Baena 6-3 6-4 6-0 on Tuesday in a flawless start to his title bid. Returning to Melbourne Park where the prolific Serbian was denied a title defence in 2022 after being sent home amid public fury for not having a COVID-19 vaccination, Djokovic saved three early break points to win the first set as fans sang his name. A heavily strapped left thigh due to a hamstring strain he suffered en route to the Adelaide title proved little hindrance for the 35-year-old who was enjoying his time in front of the Rod Laver Arena crowd as he took the second to double his lead. Striking the ball superbly throughout, Djokovic underlined his credentials as favourite to win the title, which would take him level with holder Rafa Nadal on 22 majors, by wrestling Carballes Baena into submission in a one-sided third set. Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Melbourne; Editing by Ken FerrisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Rublev tames Thiem, Sabalenka and Garcia stroll as Melbourne sizzles
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Thiem, a finalist at Melbourne Park and U.S. Open champion in 2020, is on the comeback trail after a wrist injury and was able to compete only to a certain extent against the power of the rangy Russian. Thiem was simply unable to get a foothold in the contest and the 25-year-old Rublev, a quarter-finalist at the Australian Open in 2021, served out for the match after little more than two hours on court. Tennis Australia on Tuesday morning banned fans from bringing flags of either nation into the Melbourne Park precinct after a Russian tricolour was hung on a bush next to a court where Ukrainian Kateryna Baindl was playing on Monday. "It wasn't that easy a match and I'm super happy to start with a win," said the Belarusian. Novak Djokovic will begin his bid for a record-extending 10th title at Melbourne Park against Spaniard Roberto Carballes Baena in the final match of the day on Rod Laver Arena.

☆ 'Let's move on': Melbourne fans ready to make Djokovic feel welcome
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MELBOURNE, Jan 16 (Reuters) - Novak Djokovic made his way to Melbourne for the Australian Open unsure about the reception he would receive after being deported before last year's Grand Slam over his unvaccinated status, but forgiving fans said the nine-times champion was welcome again. But 12 months on, fans at Melbourne Park said that they were willing follow the lead of their Adelaide counterparts, who gave Djokovic a rousing reception throughout his title run in a warm-up tournament. "Well I hope everyone makes him feel welcome," Jane Powell, an Adelaide resident attending the year's first Grand Slam, told Reuters TV. Australian Open organisers have said any fans targeting Djokovic, who begins his quest for a 22nd Grand Slam to match Nadal against Roberto Carballes Baena on Tuesday, would be slapped with potential tournament bans. Another Melbourne resident, Leigh Harrison, echoed those views saying Adelaide had shown Melbourne the way forward.

☆ Djokovic resumes quest for perfect 10 at Australian Open
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( Rohith Nair | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Jan 17 (Reuters) - Novak Djokovic was denied the opportunity to win a record-extending 10th Australian Open title last year after his deportation but he returns to Rod Laver Arena holding no grudges when he begins his campaign in Melbourne on Tuesday. Winning the title in Melbourne will also make Djokovic the second player to win one Grand Slam at least 10 times after Nadal's 14 titles at Roland Garros. As Djokovic aims to equal defending champion Rafa Nadal's tally of 22 Grand Slam titles, Ons Jabeur renews her quest for a first when the Tunisian takes on Slovenia's Tamara Zidansek. The pair played two engrossing matches last year at the Stuttgart final and at the U.S. Open where Berrettini triumphed on both occasions. Men's second seed Casper Ruud, runner-up at last year's French Open and U.S. Open, wraps up the night session on Margaret Court Arena against the Czech Republic's Tomas Machac.

☆ Djokovic says deportation drama paved way to success
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-14 | by ( Ian Ransom | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

MELBOURNE, Jan 14 (Reuters) - Novak Djokovic said his controversial deportation ahead of last year's Australian Open proved an unlikely catalyst for success in 2022, allowing him to regroup on the practice court before bouncing back with key titles. Back at Melbourne Park after his visa ban was lifted by the Australian government, Djokovic said missing events due to his vaccination stance had renewed his determination on the training court. I mean, you normally, as a professional tennis player on the highest level, don't have much time to really have a longer training block," Djokovic told reporters on Saturday. Djokovic told local broadcaster Nine Network that he felt like "the villain of the world" last year in Melbourne where he was detained at a hotel with asylum-seekers before being deported. Djokovic, who will bid for a record-extending 10th Australian Open crown, said he had no choice but to move on from the events of last year.

☆ Djokovic faces Carballes Baena, Swiatek meets Niemeier at Australian Open
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Shrivathsa Sridhar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Second seed Casper Ruud - twice a runner-up on the Grand Slam stage last year - plays Tomas Machac. A pre-tournament practice match between Nick Kyrgios and Djokovic saw tickets sold out in 58 minutes and the pair could potentially meet in a blockbuster quarter-final. Five-times runner-up Andy Murray plays Matteo Berrettini while fifth seed Andrey Rublev meets wildcard Dominic Thiem in other first-round matches. The Polish player could face seventh seed Coco Gauff in the quarter-finals and third seed Jessica Pegula in the semi-finals. Women's world number two Ons Jabeur will begin her latest attempt to become the first Arab player to claim a Grand Slam singles title when she plays Tamara Zidansek.

☆ ATP roundup: Frances Tiafoe battles back in Stockholm
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

3 seed Frances Tiafoe won two tiebreakers to complete a 3-6, 7-6 (4), 7-6 (2) comeback win over Swedish wild card Elias Ymer in the second round of the Stockholm Open on Thursday in Sweden. Despite Ymer winning 47 of his 59 first-service points (80 percent) and holding a 20-11 advantage in aces, Tiafoe controlled both tiebreakers. Second seed Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada was spared, as he bested Frenchman Manuel Guinard 6-3, 6-3. 4 Lorenzo Musetti defeated Serbia's Laslo Djere 7-5, 6-3 to ensure two Italians reached the quarterfinals in Naples, Italy. McDonald beat Italian qualifier Francesco Passaro 6-3, 7-5 before surprising No.

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