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☆ US Open men's quarterfinals: Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe and Ben Shelton bid for a semifinal place
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( Ben Church | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

For the first time since 2005, three Americans have progressed to the quarterfinals of the men’s draw. Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe and Ben Shelton are the trio still harboring dreams of winning a home grand slam. Tiafoe and Shelton will play each other on Tuesday, while Fritz has a rather tricky tie against 23-time grand slam winner Novak Djokovic on the same day. I’m not going to do anything different because I’m playing Novak,” he told reporters after reaching the quarterfinal. “He’s going to come after me, and I’m going to come after him.

Persons: Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe, Ben Shelton, Andy Roddick, Shelton, Fritz, Novak Djokovic, Andre Agassi, James Blake, Robby Ginepri, Agassi, Roger Federer, Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, “ I’ve, ”, Sarah Stier, “ I’m, I’m, Novak, Bunny, “, Bugs Bunny, He’s, ” Tiafoe, “ He’s, It’s, ” Shelton, Tommy Paul, ” Shleton Organizations: CNN, Getty Locations: American, Shelton, Australia

☆ Ben Shelton vs. Frances Tiafoe: 2 Black men will face off in a US Open quarterfinal for the first time
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( Chandelis Duster | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —No matter who wins Tuesday’s US Open quarterfinals match between Frances Tiafoe and Ben Shelton, history will be made: For the first time, two Black men will face off in the match. It’s also the first time since 2008 that two Black men play each other at Arthur Ashe Stadium. Tiafoe, 25, and Shelton, 20, will face each other at a stadium christened after the Black tennis legend who broke barriers in the game. He was also the first Black American to play on the United States Davis Cup team. Earlier this year, Shelton’s father resigned from coaching at the University of Florida to coach his son in professional tennis.

Persons: Frances Tiafoe, Ben Shelton, It’s, Arthur Ashe, Art Carrington, Shelton, Carrington, ”, Venus, Serena Williams, Tiafoe, Ashe, Bryan, Shelton’s, “ Organizations: CNN, Wimbledon, United States Davis, Sierra Leonean, Association of Tennis, University of Florida, Black Locations: American, Sierra

☆ Novak Djokovic into US Open semifinals with victory over American star Taylor Fritz
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( Ben Morse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Novak Djokovic booked his spot in the US Open semifinals with an emphatic victory over American Taylor Fritz on Tuesday. Victory ensured that Djokovic’s hopes of winning a 24th grand slam title remain alive, as he seeks to equal Margaret Court’s outright record and extend his own men’s record. I thrive on that energy, whatever the energy is, use it as a fuel to try and play my best tennis,” Djokovic added. Fritz, who is enjoying his best run at his home grand slam, continued to grow into the game and gave Djokovic a stern test in the third set. The American earned multiple break points against the 36-year-old, but Djokovic continued to produce in the most important moments to stay ahead.

Persons: CNN — Novak Djokovic, Taylor Fritz, Fritz, Djokovic’s, Margaret Court’s, Frances Tiafoe, Ben Shelton, Djokovic, ’, Taylor, ” Djokovic, Arthur Ashe, Robert Deutsch, Carlos Alcaraz, ” Fritz Organizations: CNN, Boys, Cincinnati, partizan Locations: USA, United States, New York

☆ Fritz aims to down Djokovic, Gauff faces Ostapenko in U.S. Open quarters
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

U.S. Open quarters would be a pretty good time to get him." In their most recent meeting, Djokovic beat Fritz last month in the quarter-finals of a U.S. Open tune-up event in Cincinnati that the Serbian went on to win by beating Carlos Alcaraz. Should Fritz prevail over Djokovic it would set up an all-American semi-final against the winner of the late match at Arthur Ashe Stadium between 10th seed Frances Tiafoe and unseeded Ben Shelton. The day's other women's quarter-final sees Czech 10th seed and French Open finalist Karolina Muchova facing Romanian 30th seed Sorana Cirstea. Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by Ken FerrisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Taylor Fritz, Germany's Yannick Hanfmann, Andrew Couldridge, Novak Djokovic, Coco Gauff, Fritz, Arthur Ashe, Djokovic, Novak's Novak, It's, he's, I've, Carlos Alcaraz, Margaret Court's, Laslo Djere, Andy Roddick, Frances Tiafoe, Arthur, Ben Shelton, Tiafoe, Jelena Ostapenko, Gauff's, Karolina Muchova, Sorana, Frank Pingue, Ken Ferris Organizations: Lawn Tennis, Croquet Club, Germany's Yannick Hanfmann REUTERS, U.S, Serbian, York, French, Sorana Cirstea, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, U.S, Cincinnati, New York, American, Latvian, Washington, Czech, Romanian, Toronto

☆ Djokovic turns up heat to beat Fritz and breeze into U.S. Open semi-finals
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( Steve Keating | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

With temperatures once again nudging towards 100 Fahrenheit (38 Celsius), Djokovic turned in a cool, clinical effort, improving his record against American opposition at the U.S. Open to a perfect 12-0. "It's expected of course that people are backing the home player and there is nothing wrong with that," said Djokovic. On a baking hot day, 19-year-old Coco Gauff had warmed up the Arthur Ashe crowd, blasting past Latvia's Jelena Ostapenko 6-0 6-2 to become the youngest American to reach the U.S. Open semi-finals since Serena Williams in 2001. "As the song went that they played here five minutes ago, you've got to fight for your right to party." Djokovic wasted no time ending both those runs, breaking the American three times and then taking the first set with a booming ace.

Persons: Serbia's Novak Djokovic, Taylor Fritz, Brendan Mcdermid, Novak Djokovic shrugged, Margaret Court's, Djokovic, Frances Tiafoe, Ben Shelton, Arthur Ashe, It's, I've, Coco Gauff, Jelena Ostapenko, Serena Williams, Fritz, Roger Federer, you've, Steve Keating, Rory Carroll, Toby Davis Organizations: Tennis, U.S, REUTERS, Flushing Meadows, Djokovic, Thomson Locations: Flushing Meadows , New York, United States, Flushing, U.S, American, New York, Los Angeles

☆ Shelton first through to quarters as action heats up at U.S. Open
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-03 | by ( Steve Keating | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Sept 3, 2023; Flushing, NY, USA; Ben Shelton of the USA after a winner in the 4th set to Tommy Paul of the USA on day seven of the 2023 U.S. Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports Acquire Licensing RightsNEW YORK, Sept 3 (Reuters) - American young gun Ben Shelton battled past Tommy Paul 6-4 6-3 4-6 6-4 to become the first man through to the U.S. Open quarter-finals as action heated up at the season's final Grand Slam on Sunday with temperatures nudging towards 100 Fahrenheit (38 Celsius). An all-American clash kicked off the action on Arthur Ashe with 14th seed Paul taking on 20-year-old Shelton in a rematch of their Australian Open quarter-final. Down two sets and 4-1 in third and staring at the exit, Paul fought back to prevent a rout but Shelton would not be denied, avenging his four set loss in Australia. Paul would use two late breaks to win the third but there would be no way back against Shelton who held steady, breaking his compatriot to take the fourth set 6-4 and seal the win.

Persons: Ben Shelton, Tommy Paul of, USTA Billie Jean King, Robert Deutsch, Tommy Paul, Arthur Ashe, Paul, Shelton, smartly, superfan Eddy, Steve Keating, Toby Davis Organizations: USA, USTA Billie, USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, U.S, Thomson Locations: Flushing , NY, USA, Australia, Flushing, Brooklyn, New York

☆ US Open: Jessica Pegula and Madison Keys reach fourth round as Americans continue to shine
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-03 | by ( Issy Ronald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Jessica Pegula advanced to the fourth round of the US Open with a hard fought 6-4 4-6 6-2 victory over Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina, continuing the impressive performances of American players at their home tournament. 3 seed will now face her compatriot Madison Keys for a place in the quarterfinals after Keys completed a 5-7 6-2 6-2 victory over Russia’s Liudmila Samsonova in her own third-round match. She really picked up her level and forced me to go after that third set.”Remarkably, Pegula has also reached the fourth round in both the doubles and mixed doubles at Flushing Meadows. Robert Prange/Getty ImagesPeyton Stearns will also join her compatriots in the fourth round after she defeated Britain’s Katie Boulter to reach this stage of a grand slam for the first time in her career. But with Pegula, Keys, Stearns and Coco Gauff all reaching the fourth round and with Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe, Tommy Paul and Ben Shelton all still in contention in the men’s draw, American tennis seems to be flourishing again.

Persons: Jessica Pegula, Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina, Madison Keys, Keys, Svitolina, Pegula didn’t, Pegula’s, “, ” Pegula, “ She’s, Pegula, ”, Robert Prange, Peyton Stearns, Britain’s Katie Boulter, Marketa, Pete Sampras, Serena Williams, Stearns, Coco Gauff, Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe, Tommy Paul, Ben Shelton, Marie Bouzkova, Carlos Alcaraz, Britain’s Dan Evans Organizations: CNN, Wimbledon, WTA, Flushing, Madison, NCAA Locations: Flushing Meadows, USA, Keys, Czech

☆ Coco Gauff, Caroline Wozniacki ready for clash of generations at US Open
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

She's still a really fit player," Gauff said of the 33-year-old former world number one before their fourth-round match. I know she's watched tennis when she was retired. But I kind of accept that all these players they're going to play the best tennis against me." It is the first time since 2011 that four American men have reached the U.S. Open fourth round. "Someone achieves something big, then someone else comes and wants to match him or one-up him and it's the cycle that keeps going.

Persons: Coco Gauff, Belgium's Elise Mertens, Shannon Stapleton, Caroline Wozniacki, Novak Djokovic, Iga, Gauff, Sofia Kenin, Arthur Ashe, Wozniacki, She's, It's, Laslo Djere, Borna Gojo, Swiatek, Jelena Ostapenko, Jelena, it's, she's, Tommy Paul, Ben Shelton, Ashe, Frances Tiafoe, Hijikata, Louis Armstrong, Taylor Fritz, Swiss Dominic Stricker, we've, Fritz, Shrivathsa Sridhar, Ed Osmond Organizations: Tennis, U.S, Croatian, Swiss, Thomson Locations: Flushing Meadows , New York, United States, New York, Washington, Cincinnati, U.S, Bengaluru

☆ Four Americans set to play in US Open men’s fourth round for first time in more than a decade
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-02 | by ( Issy Ronald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Frances Tiafoe, Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul and Ben Shelton will all be in action on Sunday – Paul and Shelton playing each other while Tiafoe will face Australia’s Rinky Hijikata and Fritz will take on Switzerland’s Dominic Stricker. Taylor Fritz has never reached the fourth round of the US Open before. Mike Stobe/Getty Images“We’ve all been hearing about who’s going to be the next American (after) Andy Roddick 20 years ago our entire careers. Sarah Stier/Getty Images“Obviously around the grounds, everyone is really stoked and excited about the Americans,” Paul told the Washington Post. Coco Gauff is so far the only American woman to reach the fourth round of this year’s tournament, though Madison Keys and Jessica Pegula are still in contention at time of publication.

Persons: Andy Roddick, Frances Tiafoe, Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul, Ben Shelton, Paul, Shelton, Hijikata, Fritz, Dominic Stricker, Mike Stobe, ” Fritz, “, ”, ” Tiafoe, Arthur Ashe, France’s Adrian Mannarino, Timothy A, Clary, Taylor, he’s, Roddick, Sarah Stier, ” Paul, ’, Sloane Stephens, Coco Gauff, Madison Keys, Jessica Pegula Organizations: CNN, American, Reuters, Eurosport, “, Flushing, Getty, Washington Post Locations: Flushing Meadows, AFP, American

☆ The Tennis Education of Ben Shelton
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-02 | by ( Kurt Streeter | More About Kurt Streeter | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

He did not play any of the significant junior grand slam events that have operated as springboards for many pros. Shelton went to the University of Florida, where the men’s tennis coach happened to be Bryan Shelton, who is well respected in tennis circles for emphasizing a mastery of the game over chasing victories. There was no grand plan to move Ben quickly up the tennis ranks. “You work on something, you work on something, you keep working on it, and then, six months later, you see that you can do it,” the younger Shelton told me this week. Then he began running roughshod in ATP Challenger tournaments, the tennis equivalent of Triple-A baseball.

Persons: Shelton, Bryan Shelton, Ben, “ Organizations: American, University of Florida, Florida, ATP Challenger, Triple

Third seed Daniil Medvedev once again worked the U.S. Open graveyard shift on Saturday, beating in-form Sebastian Baez 6-2 6-2 7-6(6) to end the Argentine's 12 match winning streak. Against the 26th seeded Evans the 20-year-old Spaniard mixed moments of brilliance with lapses in focus but was never really threatened on his way to 6-2 6-3 4-6 6-3 win. Top seeded Briton, number 16 Cameron Norrie, was dumped out 6-3 6-4 6-3 by Italian Matteo Arnaldi while American Peyton Stearns pushed the last British woman Katie Boulter to the exit with a 6-4 6-3 victory. Joining Pegula were 2017 finalist Madison Keys, a 5-7 6-2 6-2 winner over 14th seed Liudmila Samsonova, Stearns and sixth seed Coco Gauff, who booked her spot on Friday with a win over Elise Mertens. Reporting by Steve Keating and Amy Tennery in New York, editing by Lincoln FeastOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Spain's Carlos Alcaraz, Britain's Daniel Evans, Shannon Stapleton, Carlos Alcaraz aced, women's, Aryna Sabalenka, France's Clara Burel, Arthur Ashe, Czech Marie Bouzkova, Jabeur, Bouzkova, Daniil Medvedev, Sebastian Baez, Medvedev, Christopher O'Connell, Roger Federer, Evans, Alcaraz's, Jack Draper, Michael Mmoh, Draper, Winston, Cameron Norrie, Matteo Arnaldi, Peyton Stearns, Katie Boulter, Jessica Pegula, Ukraine's Elina Svitolina, Pegula, Madison Keys, Liudmila Samsonova, Stearns, Coco Gauff, Elise Mertens, Pete Sampras, Serena Williams, Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe, Tommy Paul, Ben Shelton, Sloane Stephens, Keys, Andy Roddick's, Jannik, Stan Wawrinka, Alexander Zverev, Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov, Steve Keating, Amy Tennery, Lincoln Organizations: Tennis, Britain's Daniel Evans REUTERS, U.S, Czech, American, Bulgarian, Thomson Locations: Flushing Meadows , New York, United States, U.S, New York, Salem, British, Flushing, Flushing Meadows

☆ Tiafoe beats 'annoying' Mannarino, Paul inspired by young fan at U.S. Open
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Tiafoe managed to convert just five of 15 break points and said the 35-year-old Frenchman's unpredictable style gave him fits in the nearly three-hour affair. "He's so annoying to play," Tiafoe said to laughs during an on-court interview. "I think we got him tickets to our box but he ended up getting better tickets right on the side of the court," Paul told reporters. Next up for Paul is 20-year-old American Ben Shelton after the 20-year-old ran away with a 6-4 3-6 6-2 6-0 win over Aslan Karatsev earlier on Friday. American men are looking to snap a 20-year major drought at this year's U.S. Open.

Persons: Frances Tiafoe, France's Adrian Mannarino REUTERS, Brendan Mcdermid, Adrian Mannarino, Tiafoe, what's, I'm, shrugged, I've, Arthur Ashe, Tommy Paul, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, SUPERFAN Paul, Eddy, Paul, Ben Shelton, Aslan Karatsev, Taylor Fritz, Jakub Mensik, Rory Carroll, Ken Ferris Organizations: Tennis, Louis Armstrong, U.S, Flushing, Thomson Locations: Flushing Meadows , New York, United States, Flushing Meadows, Brooklyn, Czech, U.S, Los Angeles

☆ Ace king Isner calls it a career after U.S. Open loss
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] Aug 31, 2023; Flushing, NY, USA; John Isner of the United States serves against Michael Mmoh of the United States (not pictured) on day four of the 2023 U.S. Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Isner had match point at 5-4 in the fifth but Mmoh was able to serve his way out of trouble and levelled with a drop shot. After a successful college career at Georgia, Isner turned pro in 2007 and went on to reach a career high of world number eight. He won the longest professional tennis match in history against Frenchman Nicolas Mahut at Wimbledon in 2010, which lasted 11 hours and 5 minutes and took place over three days. Isner finishes his 17-year pro career with 14,470 aces, a record that is unlikely to be broken anytime soon.

Persons: John Isner, Michael Mmoh, USTA Billie Jean King, Geoff Burke, Isner, Mmoh, it's, It's, Madison, Frenchman Nicolas Mahut, Jack Sock, Albano Olivetti, Robert Galloway, Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe, Tommy Paul, Ben Shelton, Rory Carroll, Frank Pingue, Ed Osmond Organizations: United States, USTA Billie, USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, USA, U.S ., Georgia, Miami, Wimbledon, England, U.S, Thomson Locations: Flushing , NY, USA, United, United States, Robert Galloway . U.S, Los Angeles, Toronto

☆ Djokovic, Swiatek advance before China's Zhang shocks Ruud at US Open
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( Steve Keating | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/7] Aug 30, 2023; Flushing, NY, USA; Novak Djokovic of Serbia hits to Bernabe Zapata Miralles of Spain on day three of the 2023 U.S. Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. But while results followed the form book for much of the day at the year's final Grand Slam, shocks sprung up as the sun went down. Earlier, Swiss young gun Dominic Stricker delivered a shock by grinding out a 7-5 6-7(2) 6-7(5) 7-6(6) 6-3 win over Greek seventh seed Stefanos Tsitsipas for his first top-10 win. Djokovic remains on course for a fourth U.S. Open title that would pull him level with Margaret Court's record haul of 24 Grand Slams. Sixth seed Gauff warmed up the home crowd early when the teenager beat Mirra Andreeva 6-3 6-3, before handing the baton to the U.S. men.

Persons: Novak Djokovic, Bernabe Zapata Miralles, USTA Billie Jean King, Robert Deutsch, Iga Swiatek, Casper Ruud, Petra Kvitova, Billie Jean King, Coco Gauff, Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe, Zhang Zhizhen, Ruud, Caroline Wozniacki, Dominic Stricker, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Djokovic, Arthur Ashe, Spain's Bernabe Zapata Miralles, Margaret Court's, Swiatek, Daria Saville, Wozniacki, you'd, Mirra, Andy Roddick, Fritz, Tiafoe, Austrian Sebastian Ofner, Peru's Juan Pablo Varillas, Tommy Paul, American Ben Shelton, Dominic Thiem, Thiem, Amy Tennery, Toby Davis, Peter Rutherford Organizations: Serbia, USTA Billie, USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, U.S, Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, COVID, Flushing, U.S ., Austrian, Thomson Locations: Flushing , NY, USA, Spain, Swiss, Flushing Meadows, U.S, Russian, American, New York

☆ Stefanos Tsitsipas complains about ‘a person imitating a bee’ during Western & Southern Open match
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( George Ramsay | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —The atmosphere was buzzing for Stefanos Tsitsipas’ second-round match at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati – though more in an annoying way for the Greek tennis star. Tsitsipas said that he was antagonized by a “person imitating a bee” in the seats behind him during his match against American Ben Shelton on Wednesday. “It’s a buzz right before I serve,” Tsitsipas told the umpire after abandoning a serve mid-action. 4 then went to have a word with the spectator himself before returning to speak with the umpire. The Western & Southern Open is staged each year ahead of the US Open, which gets underway on August 28 and runs until September 9.

Persons: Tsitsipas, American Ben Shelton, “, ” Tsitsipas, “ It’s, ”, …, Shelton, Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz Organizations: CNN, & Southern, American Locations: Cincinnati

☆ Medvedev cruises past Musetti to reach Cincinnati third round
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Aug 16 (Reuters) - Former champion Daniil Medvedev beat Italy's Lorenzo Musetti 6-3 6-2 on Wednesday to reach the third round of the Cincinnati Open where Novak Djokovic was preparing to begin his U.S. Open preparations. "We both made some mistakes, we both made some double faults and stuff like this," third seed Medvedev, who served five double faults, said during his on-court interview. Musetti did well to claw back from 0-40 down to hold for a 2-1 lead in the second but Medvedev responded in style with a love hold and broke the Italian's serve on the next two opportunities before closing out the match. In other second-round action, Italy's Jannik Sinner, who won the Canadian Open, faces Serbian qualifier Dusan Lajovic and fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas meets American Ben Shelton. Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto, editing by Ed OsmondOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Daniil Medvedev, Italy's Lorenzo Musetti, Novak Djokovic, Medvedev, Musetti, Dusan Lajovic, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Ben Shelton, Djokovic, Margaret Court's, Spain's Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, Frank Pingue, Ed Osmond Organizations: Cincinnati, U.S, Canadian, Serbian, U.S ., Thomson Locations: Toronto

☆ Ben and Bryan Shelton, Son and Father, Hit the Road as Player and Coach
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Matthew Futterman | Jane Stockdale | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Last year, when Ben Shelton decided to leave college and turn professional, he wondered aloud to his father, Bryan, a former player on the men’s tennis tour, if they ought to embark on a venture together. Sorry, Bryan Shelton told his son, he already had a full-time job coaching at the University of Florida. Bryan Shelton handed the reins to Dean Goldfine, a highly respected coach who had previously worked with the former world No. Division I tennis tournament, the Sheltons announced that Ben had a new/old full-time coach. “It was the right time,” Bryan Shelton said.

Persons: Ben Shelton, Bryan, Bryan Shelton, Dean Goldfine, Andy Roddick, Ben, Florida’s, ” Bryan Shelton, Shelton, Taro Daniel Organizations: University of Florida, Gators, Wimbledon Locations: Gainesville, Fla

☆ 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.

☆ Djokovic targets 10th Australian Open final, Paul looks to flip the script
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Shrivathsa Sridhar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Fourth seed Djokovic, seeking a record-extending 10th Australian Open title, has been in dominant form in his return to the country, a year after being deported on the eve of last year's tournament for not being vaccinated against COVID-19. "I feel good on court, better and better as the tournament progresses," Djokovic said. "I've been in this situation so many times in my life, in my career, I've never lost a semi-final at the Australian Open. "It's important to me," said Paul, the first American man to reach the Australian Open semis since Andy Roddick in 2009. CROWD FAVOURITEStefanos Tsitsipas will make his fourth appearance in the semi-finals at the Australian Open when he takes on revitalised Russian Karen Khachanov.

☆ The Last American Standing at the Australian Open Faces the Toughest Test in Tennis
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Joshua Robinson | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

MELBOURNE, Australia—Round after round at this Australian Open, young American men seemed to be having their best-ever major tournaments. They took down seeded opponents and rolled into the second week. Four of them reached the round of 16. But as the first Grand Slam of the year heads into the semifinals on Friday here, only one American remains: a 25-year-old from New Jersey named Tommy Paul. He defeated fellow American Ben Shelton in their heavy-hitting quarterfinal, 7-6(6), 6-3, 5-7, 6-4, on Wednesday.

☆ 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.

☆ On His First Trip Outside the U.S., a College Tennis Star Breaks Out in Australia
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Joshua Robinson | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

MELBOURNE, Australia—Until he boarded a flight for the other side of the world earlier this month, Ben Shelton had never left the U.S. He was 20 years old and already a champion in college tennis, but while other players his age crisscrossed the globe chasing tournaments, he chose to build up experience at home. Then came the prospect of playing in the Australian Open this year. Shelton knew it was time to rack up some airline miles. Over a matter of weeks, he launched himself to events in Adelaide, Australia, in Auckland, New Zealand, and finally here in Melbourne to play just the second major tournament of his young career.

☆ Shelton gets better of Popyrin and 'rowdy' crowd to roar into last 16
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"I know I came from college tennis and I really thought it was rowdy there, but this stadium is something special," a grinning Shelton said. "Us Aussies, we stick together," De Minaur had said in a post-match interview after the home fans watched him beat Benjamin Bonzi at Rod Laver Arena. The fans found their voice again in the second set when Popyrin took it to a tiebreak but Shelton was undeterred, silencing them again with both his firepower and finesse, closing out the set with another roar. "For the first 12 or 13 years of my life, I swore that I would never play tennis. Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Ken FerrisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Nick who? De Minaur steps out of Kyrgios shadow
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( Ian Ransom | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

But De Minaur has filled the breach superbly at a tournament where Australians are now in short supply. "I'm very happy, I can't lie," De Minaur told the centre court crowd. Inflatable kangaroos bobbed in the Rod Laver Arena terraces and Mexican waves surged around the stadium in the third set as De Minaur put the foot down against Bonzi. "I wasn't sure what to expect, but to see a packed Rod Laver Arena was pretty special," he said. "I hope everyone that's on this court is going to go and support Alexei Popyrin," De Minaur said in a rallying cry to the Laver crowd.

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