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☆ French Open preview: With Rafael Nadal absent and Iga Światek's dominance under threat, tournament is hard to call
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-27 | by ( George Ramsay | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —It felt like the beginning of the end of an era at the French Open when Rafael Nadal announced his absence from the tournament earlier this month. How to watchIn the United States, the French Open is available to watch on NBC, streaming service Peacock, Tennis Channel, and Bally Sports. A list of international broadcasters and the full draw are available on the French Open website. “A new generation is here already,” Djokovic said after his quarterfinal defeat at the Italian Open. Questions about scheduling may persist in the coming weeks given the way night sessions were scrutinized at last year’s French Open.

☆ Alcaraz powers to victory over Ramos-Vinolas on Rome debut
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Barcelona and Madrid champion Alcaraz, who is chasing his fifth title of 2023 and fourth on clay ahead of Roland Garros, overcame an early loss of serve amid heavy conditions at the Foro Italico to level up the opening set at 2-2. Alcaraz continued to build momentum and raced ahead 3-0 in the second set against a fading Ramos-Vinolas, wrapping up the match on serve to make it 12 wins in a row. "It wasn't easy," said Alcaraz, who will now leapfrog Novak Djokovic into top spot in the rankings on May 22. "The first round of every tournament is really tough and, of course, Ramos-Vinolas is a specialist on clay. Monte Carlo champion Andrey Rublev earlier overcame Alex Molcan 6-3 6-4 in a twice-interrupted match to book his place in the third round.

☆ 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.

☆ Defending champions Fritz, Swiatek headline Indian Wells main draw
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Facing a depleted men's field, Fritz could run into Denmark's Holger Rune in the quarter-final. Seventh-seed Rune also won his first masters title last year when he outlasted 22-times major winner Novak Djokovic in Paris. On the women's side, Swiatek looks as though she could have little trouble collecting a second straight title in the southern California desert after cruising to victory a year ago amid a blockbuster unbeaten streak. She has the chance to exact a little bit of revenge against potential fourth-round foe Barbora Krejcikova, after the 2021 French Open winner ended her 13-match winning streak in Dubai last month. Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York; Editing by Muralikumar AnantharamanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Vekic back to winning ways in Monterrey after injury woes
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

March 6 (Reuters) - Donna Vekic nearly quit tennis amid doubts over her fitness after undergoing knee surgery two years ago, but the Croatian has made a remarkable comeback and captured her first title since 2021 by winning in Monterrey on Sunday. Having beaten several top seeds in that tournament, she lost to world number one Iga Swiatek in the final. I've been playing good tennis and I need to keep working hard and hopefully stay healthy," the 26-year-old Vekic said. Victory over world number five Garcia marked the first time Vekic had beaten a top-10 player this year and she rose eight places to number 23 in the world rankings. "It was a crazy match until the end, (Garcia) was playing so well, playing so deep," Vekic said.

☆ 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.

☆ WTA roundup: Alycia Parks, Lin Zhu win first singles titles
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

February 5 - Alycia Parks won her first WTA singles title, defeating No. She won points on 85 percent of her first serves and saved all four break points she faced. She converted 80 percent of her first serves into points and staved off two break points until championship point, when she double faulted on the final break point of the match. Thailand OpenLin Zhu of China was another first-time WTA tour winner, defeating Lesia Tsurenko 6-4, 6-4 in Hua Hin. And in a match that saw 23 break point opportunities, Zhu cashed in on eight of nine attempts but saved only eight of 14 break points on her serve.

☆ 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.

☆ 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.

☆ Sabalenka powers past Bencic into last eight
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] Jan 23, 2023; Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Aryna Sabalenka (R) from Belarus during her round four match against Belinda Bencic from Switzerland on day eight of the 2023 Australian Open tennis tournament at Melbourne Park. Sabalenka looks to have as good a chance as anyone of claiming a first Grand Slam title if she can conquer the demons that sometimes take hold when her power game is not working as well as she would like. "I'm super happy with the win today, she's an unbelievable player and she played so good," she said. "I'm super happy with the level today." "Just super happy with the mindset today.

☆ Hamstrung Djokovic, exhausted Murray look to soldier on at Australian Open
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Rohith Nair | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The injury has clearly taken its toll on the 35-year-old Serbian, who dropped a set in the second round. "My situation with my injury is not ideal," said Djokovic, who took a medical timeout during his four-set win over French qualifier Enzo Couacaud. So I'm going to keep going. I'm going to try to play and compete with, of course, a great player Dimitrov." But one player who has defied belief in advancing to the third round is three-times Grand Slam champion Andy Murray.

☆ 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.

☆ 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.

☆ Novak Djokovic, Iga Swiatek open Australian Open as big favorites
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

January 15 - Novak Djokovic and Iga Swiatek are massive favorites to win their respective draws ahead of the start of the Australian Open on Sunday night. Djokovic makes his return to Melbourne after being deported ahead of last year's tournament because he was not vaccinated against COVID-19. He is seeking a 10th Australian Open title, which would also pull him into a tie with Rafael Nadal for the most major titles of all time with 22. Fritz, 25, is seeking his first major title and faces a potential semifinal match against Djokovic if he can get that far. Ons Jabeur was turned back in the finals at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open last year.

☆ Swiatek the favourite as Melbourne Park set for new champion
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

MELBOURNE, Jan 13 (Reuters) - Iga Swiatek is the strong favourite to land her fourth Grand Slam title at the Australian Open, but the picture is considerably less clear if the world number one fails to live up to her top seeding. DIFFERENT PROPOSITIONSwiatek was thrashed 6-4 6-1 by Danielle Collins at Melbourne Park last year in her first hardcourt Grand Slam semi-final, and the American looms this year in the last 16 if the seedings hold. Charismatic American teenager Coco Gauff would be a popular champion, not least in the Australian Open marketing department. Last year's French Open finalist is in form, having opened the season with the title at the Auckland Open. Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina's big serve gives her a chance of a second Grand Slam title, while world number four Caroline Garcia is enjoying a late-career renaissance and won the WTA Finals on hardcourt last year.

☆ Kvitova takes her chances to down Rybakina in Adelaide
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ADELAIDE, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Former Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova ousted the current holder of the All England Club title Elena Rybakina 6-3 7-5 in the opening round of the Adelaide International 2 on Monday to continue her winning start in the new season. The second set of the contest was just as tight with no break points until the 11th game when Kvitova earned two and converted the second for a 6-5 lead with a blistering forehand return. "I was trying to wait for my chance to see if I could break her," said the world number 16. The top three women in the world were all late withdrawals from the second Adelaide tournament with Pegula citing a change of schedule and Iga Swiatek (shoulder) and Ons Jabeur (back) both nursing injuries. The other women's warm-up for the Australian Open this week is the Hobart Open, which returns after a two-year hiatus caused by the COVID pandemic.

[1/4] Nov 7, 2022; Forth Worth, TX, USA; Caroline Garcia (FRA) poses with the trophy in the confetti after winning the WTA Finals in singles after defeating Aryna Sabalenka on day eight of the WTA Finals at Dickies Arena. Nov 7 (Reuters) - France's Caroline Garcia put on a serving masterclass to claim the biggest title of her career on Monday by defeating Aryna Sabalenka 7-6(4) 6-4 to win the WTA Finals in Fort Worth, Texas. "Today was such an intense final," a smiling Garcia told Tennis Channel while donning a cowboy hat. Sabalenka, who will rise to world number five, looked forward to more title deciders against Garcia. "Caro, I really hate you right now but you played unbelievable tennis, not only tonight but this year," Sabalenka said.

☆ WTA Finals: Caroline Garcia wins biggest title of her career with victory over Aryna Sabalenka
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( George Ramsay | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Caroline Garcia capped off a remarkable six-month period in her tennis career as she won the WTA Finals with a 7-6 6-4 victory against Aryna Sabalenka in Fort Worth, Texas. Garcia was outside the top 70 in the world rankings as recently as June, but since then has enjoyed a superb run of form, culminating in the biggest title of her career on Monday. The victory sees Garcia become the second French player to win the WTA Tour’s season-ending tournament after Amelie Mauresmo in 2005. In a close first set, Garcia produced a ruthless serving performance – hitting 10 aces and winning 81.5% of her first-serve points – and came to the net with good effect. Despite a defeat against Swiatek last week, Garcia recoded victories against Coco Gauff, Daria Kasatkina and Maria Sakkari on the way to beating Sabalenka in the final.

☆ Garcia survives three-set epic to reach semis of WTA Finals
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-06 | by ( Amy Tennery | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/4] Nov 5, 2022; Forth Worth, TX, USA; Caroline Garcia (FRA) celebrates winning her match against Daria Kasatkina on day six of the WTA Finals at Dickies Arena. She regained her composure in the second set, bulldozing through the Roland Garros semi-finalist with her trademark aggressive style. The world number five looks tough as ever, after flattening all three of her round robin opponents. It marked the end of a bitterly disappointing WTA Finals debut for 18-year-old Gauff, who was unable to record a win in the group stage. Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York; editing by Jonathan Oatis and Michael PerryOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Dominant Garcia pushes past Sakkari to WTA Finals championship match
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Nov 6, 2022; Forth Worth, TX, USA; Caroline Garcia (FRA) returns a shot during her match against Maria Sakkari (GRE) on day seven of the WTA Finals at Dickies Arena. Mandatory Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY SportsNov 6 (Reuters) - A red-hot Caroline Garcia cruised past Greek Maria Sakkari 6-3 6-2 to reach her first WTA Finals championship match on Sunday, sending over 19 winners and a half-dozen aces in Fort Worth, Texas. "Today I was just a little bit more relaxed," Garcia said in a televised post-match interview. It was sweet relief after Saturday's emotional three-set epic against Daria Kasatkina but Garcia, who collected three titles earlier this year including Cincinnati, said she had little trouble regrouping in her second WTA Finals appearance. Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York; Editing by Sam Holmes and Christian RadnedgeOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Sakkari wins group to reach semis of WTA Finals, Sabalenka also advances
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Sakkari broke twice for a 5-1 cushion en route to capturing the first set, which meant Tunisian world number two Jabeur had no mathematical chance of advancing even if she had rallied back to victory. By winning her group, Sakkari will face either Frenchwoman Caroline Garcia or Russian Daria Kasatkina in the semis while Sabalenka will face world number one Iga Swiatek. In the day's first match, Belarusian world number seven Sabalenka eliminated Jessica Pegula from the WTA Finals with a 6-3 7-5 victory to improve to 2-1. Sabalenka made a blistering start, breaking Pegula to open the match and again for a 5-2 lead. World number three Pegula then fought off four set points to break straight back but Sabalenka broke to love in the next game to wrap up the set.

☆ Swiatek dominates Kasatkina at WTA Finals
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 1 (Reuters) - Iga Swiatek showed why she is world number one and the hot favorite to win this year's WTA Finals in Forth Worth with a 6-2 6-3 dismantling of Daria Kasatkina on Tuesday. The 21-year-old Pole cruised from there on, dominating with her serve, including one on match point that Kasatkina could not handle, to improve her head-to-head record against Kasatkina to 5-0 this year. "I think I started pretty well and that gave me a lot of confidence," Swiatek told Tennis Channel. WTA Finals debutante Kasatkina has also raised her level this season, making the semi-finals of the French Open and returning to the top 10 for the first time since 2019. The WTA Finals features eight women split into two groups, with the top two finishers moving into the semi-finals.

☆ Swiatek poised for picture-perfect finish to 2022 at WTA Finals
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Oct 29 (Reuters) - World number one Iga Swiatek is the hot favourite when the season-ending WTA Finals kick off on Monday in Fort Worth, Texas, as she looks to put the cherry on top of a blockbuster 2022. The 21-year-old Pole collected her second Roland Garros title and won four WTA 1000 tournaments amid a staggering 37-match unbeaten streak before hoisting the trophy at the U.S. Open this year. Tunisian fan favourite Ons Jabeur will feature for the first time with revenge on the agenda after losing in back-to-back Grand Slam finals, most recently in Flushing Meadows against Swiatek. Like Sakkari, U.S. Open semi-finalists Caroline Garcia and Aryna Sabalenka will also be making their second appearances at the finals, which are played in a round-robin format. The WTA Finals run from Oct. 31 through Nov. 7.

☆ Azarenka cruises past Keys to set up meeting with Gauff in Guadalajara
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Tennis - WTA 1000 - Guadalajara Open - Guadalajara, Mexico - October 19, 2022 Belarus' Victoria Azarenka in action during her second round match against Spain's Paula Badosa REUTERS/Henry RomeroOct 20 (Reuters) - Victoria Azarenka battled past Madison Keys 6-4 6-7(4) 6-1 in Guadalajara on Thursday, ending the American's hopes of reaching the WTA Finals and setting up a quarter-final showdown with Coco Gauff, who rolled past Italian Martina Trevisan 6-0 6-3. It will be the first meeting between the 33-year-old twice major winner Azarenka and the American 15 years her junior, after overcoming second-set blunders to dispatch Keys in a tense two hours and 14 minutes. Third-ranked Jessica Pegula of the United States kept her impressive 2022 on track to down former U.S. Open winner Bianca Andreescu 6-4 6-4 and will next face compatriot Sloane Stephens, who dispatched France's Caroline Garcia 7-6(6) 7-5. Veronika Kudermetova beat Latvian Jelena Ostapenko 6-4 6-4 and will next play either American Danielle Collins or Greek Maria Sakkari, while Czech Marie Bouzkova overcame a disastrous start to send off Liudmila Samsonova 0-6 7-5 6-3. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Amy Tennery in New York; Editing by Christopher CushingOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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