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☆ 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 powers past Griekspoor into Dubai quarter-finals
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] ATP 500 - Dubai Tennis Championships - The Dubai Duty Free Tennis Centre, Dubai, United Arab Emirates - March 1, 2023 Serbia's Novak Djokovic in action during his round of 16 match against Netherlands' Tallon Griekspoor REUTERS/Amr AlfikyMarch 1 (Reuters) - Novak Djokovic stormed into the quarter-finals of the Dubai Tennis Championships on Wednesday with a 6-2 6-3 thrashing of Tallon Griekspoor, swiftly returning to his best form at a tournament he has won five times. A day after being taken to three sets by Czech qualifier Tomas Machac, Djokovic was back to his ruthless best and blasted past a shell-shocked Griekspoor to take the first set with two breaks of serve. Griekspoor managed to win a game and world number one Djokovic dropped serve with a double fault before sealing victory in style. Yesterday, I really had to work hard to get a win," Djokovic said. I have no words to describe it," Rublev, who has saved match points en route to victory three times this season, said.

☆ Djokovic labours to victory over Machac on return to action in Dubai
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Feb 28 (Reuters) - Novak Djokovic won on his return to the ATP Tour following his Australian Open triumph but he had to work hard to beat Czech qualifier Tomas Machac 6-3 3-6 7-6(1) in his Dubai Tennis Championships opener on Tuesday. Machac blinked first in the tiebreak and Djokovic did not need another invitation as he finally quelled the world number 130 to extend his 2023 winning streak to 13 matches. "Tomas didn't play like a world number 130. He was giving me all kinds of trouble but when it mattered most I found another gear," Djokovic said. Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru Editing by Toby DavisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ ATP roundup: Jiri Lehecka upsets Doha top seed Andrey Rublev
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

1 seed Andrey Rublev 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 in the quarterfinals of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open on Thursday in Doha. Lehecka will face Great Britain's Andy Murray in the semifinals after Murray rallied past French qualifier Alexandre Muller 4-6, 6-1, 6-2. 7 seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-4, 7-6 (5) on Thursday while Medvedev battled past Christopher O'Connell of Australia 6-2, 4-6, 7-5. 1 seed Hubert Hurkacz of Poland dropped his first set before rallying past Switzerland's Leandro Riedi 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 in second-round action at Marseille, France. Third seed Alex de Minaur of Australia beat Swiss qualifier Alexander Ritschard 6-3, 6-3, while fourth seed Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria was a 6-3, 6-2 winner over Dutch qualifier Gijs Brouwer.

☆ Murray saves five match points to reach Doha final
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Murray beat his Czech opponent 6-0 3-6 7-6(6), fighting back from 5-3 down in the decider. "If I kept working hard and kept improving just a little bit, then those matches would change. You know how you need to try and play and it becomes a little bit of a habit," Murray said. "Maybe it's a little bit in the back of the opponent's mind, as well. Wild card Murray will face either Canada's second-seeded Felix Auger-Aliassime or Russian third seed Daniil Medvedev in the final.

☆ ATP roundup: Andrey Rublev escapes for win in Doha
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

February 23 - Top-seeded Andrey Rublev of Russia staved off three match points while rallying for a 1-6, 6-1, 7-6 (6) win over the Netherlands' Tallon Griekspoor in the second round of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open on Wednesday in Doha. Rublev knocked off three match points and broke serve. In the decisive tiebreaker, Rublev needed three match points of his own to advance to the quarterfinals. Third-seeded Russian Daniil Medvedev topped British qualifier Liam Broady 6-4, 6-3. In the tournament's final two first-round matches, French wild-card entrant Arthur Fils topped Russia's Roman Safiullin 6-4, 6-3, and Sweden's Mikael Ymer handled Moldova's Radu Albot 6-3, 7-6 (5).

☆ Tsitsipas subdues Lehecka to reach Australian Open semi-final
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MELBOURNE, Jan 24 (Reuters) - Stefanos Tsitsipas reached the Australian Open semi-finals for the fourth time as the Greek saw off rising Czech Jiri Lehecka 6-3 7-6(2) 6-4 on Tuesday. The third seed dominated the opening set after breaking a nervy Lehecka early on but was pushed hard after that against the 21-year-old who has enjoyed a breakout tournament. Tsitsipas was forced to save three successive break points at 3-3 in the third set as Lehecka threatened to extend the Rod Laver Arena clash. Tsitsipas will face Russian Karen Khachanov in the semi-final when he will again enjoy strong support from the many Greek-origin fans in Melbourne. Lehecka, who enjoyed impressive wins against seeded players Borna Coric, Cameron Norrie and Felix Auger-Aliassime during his run, will rue not taking any of eight break points.

☆ Lehecka high on belief after Australian Open heroics
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( Shrivathsa Sridhar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"I didn't expect that," world number 71 Lehecka, who made his breakthrough last year by reaching the Rotterdam semi-finals as a qualifier, told reporters. Hopefully we'll go one more step, step after step. "To be in those moments and be cool under pressure, play well the right points, serve well to close the match, it's a good sign of a good player," Auger-Aliassime said. "Yeah, I'm sure for those reasons he'll be a good player in the future." Up next for Lehecka is a potential meeting with third seed Stefanos Tsitsipas, his conqueror in the Rotterdam semi-finals, if the Greek gets past Jannik Sinner.

☆ Top seed Swiatek crashes out, Gauff exits Australian Open in tears
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( Ian Ransom | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"I felt the pressure, and I felt that I don't want to lose instead of I want to win," said Swiatek, who dominated last season with two Grand Slam wins. Rybakina, the 22nd seed, might have expected to face Gauff in the quarter-finals but the much-hyped American teen was upset 7-5 6-3 by Jelena Ostapenko, the forgotten Grand Slam winner of women's tennis. The win secured a first Australian Open quarter-final for hard-hitting Ostapenko, as well as the first at a Grand Slam since her run to the Wimbledon semi-finals in 2018. Latvia's first - and only - Grand Slam champion stunned the world when she hoisted the trophy at Roland Garros as an unseeded 20-year-old. Third seed Pegula will face the winner of Victoria Azarenka and China's Zhu Lin for a place in the semi-finals.

☆ I wasn't in the zone says Medvedev after defeat by Korda
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

I played not at all bad, but just a little bit below what I had to do to win," Medvedev told reporters. He was winning a little bit more..."I think it was a top match where he was just better than me. Even if we take last year, so basically the matches against Nick, Felix, and Stefanos, kind of tough matches. "If we talk point by point, yes, this point I won, that point I won, I won the matches. "Actually, I think on the serve it was bothering me a little bit," Medvedev said.

☆ 'It's not rocket science', Auger-Aliassime fights back from the brink
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"It's quite simple, you have to put the ball in the court without missing," Auger-Aliassime laughed, explaining the transformation. So I was just trying to put one more ball in the court and make it simple, make it work." It was quite a contrast with the opening two sets when Auger-Aliassime overcooked his shots on both sides and sprayed 25 unforced errors, with Molcan gleefully taking advantage. "The numbers show it but he was just way more consistent than I was in the first two sets," Auger-Aliassime conceded. A quarter-finalist in Melbourne last year, Auger-Aliassime will next play Argentine 28th seed Francisco Cerundolo or France's Corentin Moutet.

☆ 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.

☆ Nadal launches title defence as Australian Open ushers in new era
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-15 | by ( Ian Ransom | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

MELBOURNE, Jan 15 (Reuters) - Rafa Nadal will kick off his Australian Open title defence on Monday with a first round test against rising Briton Jack Draper as a new era begins on the blue hardcourts of Melbourne Park. The top seed has had only one win since September's U.S. Open and admitted his title defence was vulnerable to an early shock after two straight defeats in the lead-up. The reigning French and U.S. Open champion opens her campaign against Jule Niemeier in the first evening match at Rod Laver Arena, the German who gave Swiatek a huge scare in the U.S. Open fourth round. With American tennis looking for a new champion in the post-Serena era, Coco Gauff will open the day session at Rod Laver Arena against Czech Katerina Siniakova. Medvedev, the men's seventh seed, will return to the scene of last year's final heartbreak when he faces unseeded American Marcos Giron in the late match at Rod Laver Arena.

☆ Djokovic seeks normal service at Australian Open to match Nadal
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Shrivathsa Sridhar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Jan 12, 2023; Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Novak Djokovic of Serbia hits a backhand during a practice session on Rod Laver Arena with his coach Goran Ivanisevic at Melbourne Park. Mandatory Credit: Mike Frey-USA TODAY SportsMELBOURNE, Jan 13 (Reuters) - Novak Djokovic resumes his Grand Slam title race with Rafa Nadal next week at the Australian Open, returning to what was his happiest hunting ground before the ugly controversy which led to his absence last year. While Roland Garros has been Nadal's domain for nearly two decades, Melbourne Park is almost as much for Djokovic, with the world number five capturing nine titles and holding an 82-6 record since 2007. Djokovic has also proven to be unbeatable in Australian Open semi-finals and finals with 9-0 records in both, making him the automatic favourite anytime he enjoys a deep run. The injury withdrawal of world number one and U.S. Open champion Carlos Alcaraz robbed the year's first Grand Slam of a genuine title contender.

☆ Early exits for Rune, Auger-Aliassime in Adelaide
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The 23-year-old Australian fired 11 aces against his second-seeded opponent to wrap up the biggest victory of his career. "I played really well, really solid. Denmark's Rune, who won three titles in 2022 including the Paris Masters, where the 19-year-old beat Novak Djokovic in the final, lost 2-6 6-4 6-4 to Nishioka. Miomir Kecmanovic overcame Australian Christopher O'Connell 6-4 6-4 and could play Daniil Medvedev in the second round if the third-seeded Russian gets past Italian Lorenzo Sonego on Tuesday. Also in action on the second day of the tournament are Djokovic, Denis Shapovalov, Jannik Sinner, Andy Murray and Karen Khachanov.

☆ Nadal signs off with win, avoids matching worst run
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

With world number four Ruud already assured of a semi-final berth the match was in reality a dead rubber. Even so the first set was full of intensity inside the Pala Alpitour where the afternoon crowd were firmly behind Nadal. The 23-year-old Ruud went down 0-40 on serve at 5-6 and world number two Nadal needed just one chance to seal the set, punching away a volley into an empty court. It was a similar story in the second set with nothing between the players until Nadal pounced again in the 12th game. Ruud saved one match point but Nadal then clubbed away a backhand winner to finish his season on a high.

☆ Nadal excited about Australian Open title defence
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Victory means Nadal is likely to end the year ranked number two but after injury worries and hardly playing since the U.S. Open he was just happy to be firing on all cylinders again. He would then arrive early in Australia to prepare for his challenge for a record-extending 23rd Grand Slam title. "Not only because of the preparation for Australia, but because of preparation for myself for the rest of the season." "That's the best news possible, especially knowing that now the virus is more under control, around the world," Nadal said. Djokovic was deported before this year's Australian Open after failing to have a COVID-19 vaccination.

☆ Carlos Alcaraz becomes youngest year-end No. 1 in men’s tennis as Rafael Nadal’s slump continues at ATP Finals
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( George Ramsay | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Carlos Alcaraz is set to become the youngest year-end No. 1 in the history of men’s tennis after Rafael Nadal was knocked out of the ATP Finals. 1 in men’s tennis when he won his first grand slam title in New York. “I don’t think I forgot how to play tennis, how to be strong enough mentally,” Nadal told reporters on Tuesday. In the second set, Auger-Aliassime broke Nadal at 1-1, then consolidated his advantage the following game with three aces in a row.

☆ Canada's Auger-Aliassime crushes Nadal at ATP Finals
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Summary Nadal slumps to second loss in TurinAlcaraz on brink of being year-end No. 1TURIN, Italy, Nov 15 (Reuters) - Felix Auger-Aliassime left Rafa Nadal's title hopes at the ATP Finals in tatters as he beat the struggling Spaniard 6-3 6-4 in round-robin action at the Pala Alpitour Stadium on Tuesday. Nadal, the record 22-times Grand Slam champion, has now lost four successive ATP Tour matches for the first time since 2009. Serving at 3-4 Nadal led 40-0 but a couple of double faults and some baseline errors allowed Auger-Aliassime to break. If that happens Alcaraz will be confirmed as the youngest year-end number one since the ATP rankings were introduced in 1973.

☆ Ruud downs debutant Auger-Aliassime in ATP Finals opener
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 13 (Reuters) - Norway's third seed Casper Ruud downed ATP Finals debutant Felix Auger-Aliassime 7-6(4) 6-4 on Sunday to kick-start his round-robin campaign in the season-ending tournament. You will face difficult moments in your career, and maybe these last couple of months was one of those." Auger-Aliassime had won 16 matches in a row to win titles in Florence, Antwerp and Basel last month. "Felix has been on a roll this fall and I knew he was going to come out strong," Ruud added. (This story has been corrected to fix Ruud's nationality in lead)Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru;Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ 'Crazy feeling' to beat Djokovic, says Paris champion Rune
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

"To beat Novak. To be able to beat him in such occasion ... in the final is probably the best feeling of this whole week," said Rune, who defeated Hubert Hurkacz, Andrey Rublev, Carlos Alcaraz and Felix Auger-Aliassime en route to the title clash. "It was also important for me to beat Felix and Alcaraz and these guys. But still, to be able to beat Novak ... he's probably one of the greatest we have ever had in this sport. I'm super happy how I officially ended my season, and if there possibly is more matches, I'm super excited for it."

☆ Rune outlasts Djokovic in Paris to claim first Masters title
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PARIS, Nov 6 (Reuters) - Danish teenager Holger Rune fought back from a set down to beat hot favourite Novak Djokovic 3-6 6-3 7-5 and win his first Masters title in Paris on Sunday. "You've put in a lot of hours of hard work, it's paying off for you and your future is bright." Rune looked down and out when six-times Paris champion Djokovic produced a near-flawless opening set, with the Serbian virtually unstoppable on his first serve as the 19-year-old struggled with unforced errors. In the final set, Djokovic raced to a 3-1 lead but Rune quickly broke back, with the Serbian calling for a physio during a changeover to check on his thigh before the Dane levelled the set at 3-3. "I really enjoyed my time at the tournament here and I can't wait to be back here next year."

☆ Djokovic fights past Tsitsipas to reach Paris Masters final against Rune
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Nov 5 (Reuters) - Reigning Paris Masters champion Novak Djokovic beat Stefanos Tsitsipas in a three-set epic on Saturday to set up a title clash with Holger Rune, who reached his first ATP Masters 1000 final after a comfortable win over Felix Auger-Aliassime. Djokovic won his eighth straight match against Tsitsipas but needed more than two hours to seal a 6-2 3-6 7-6(4) victory, keeping alive a 13-match unbeaten run as well as his hopes of clinching a seventh title in Paris. The momentum shifted again in the third set with Djokovic imperious on serve, but he went a mini-break down in the tiebreak before winning the final four points of the match. Danish teenager Rune won 86% of his first-serve points and did not face a break point in a comprehensive 88-minute win. "I really was sticking to the game plan for the whole match and just taking every chance I got.

☆ Rune into Paris semi-finals after Alcaraz retires
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Nov 4 (Reuters) - World number one Carlos Alcaraz retired injured against Holger Rune at the Paris Masters on Friday, sending his fellow 19-year-old through to a semi-final clash against Felix Auger-Aliassime after the Canadian extended his winning run to 16 matches. Rune outclassed Alcaraz on serve to win the opening set 6-3 and held firm in the second when the Spaniard stepped up his level before retiring four points into the tiebreak, having received medical treatment for an abdominal strain at 6-5. Alcaraz will have nine days to recover for the Nov. 13-20 ATP Finals in Turin, where he is set to make his debut. I couldn't serve well, I couldn't hit the forehand well said Alcaraz, who withdrew with Rune leading 6-3 6-6 (3-1) in the quarter-final. "I feel better and better," Auger-Aliassime said.

☆ Rune into Paris semis after Alcaraz retires, Djokovic advances
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Nov 4 (Reuters) - World number one Carlos Alcaraz retired injured against Holger Rune at the Paris Masters on Friday, sending his fellow 19-year-old through to the semi-finals, while Novak Djokovic and Felix Auger-Aliassime also sealed their places in the last four. Alcaraz was hopeful of making a full recovery for his debut at the ATP Finals in Turin, which begin on Nov. 13, despite the quick turnaround. "But right now I'm focused on trying to get better in the abdominal and trying to be at 100% in Turin." "I feel better and better," Auger-Aliassime said. Reporting by Hritika Sharma in Bengaluru Editing by Toby Davis and Ken FerrisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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