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☆ Top seed Swiatek knocked out by Wimbledon champ Rybakina
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MELBOURNE, Jan 22 (Reuters) - World number one Iga Swiatek crashed out of the Australian Open on Sunday with a 6-4 6-4 defeat by Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina on Rod Laver Arena. Kazakhstan's Rybakina advanced to the quarter-finals of the season's opening Grand Slam for the first time with an impressive display against the misfiring Pole. "It was a really tough match and I really respect Iga because of the strike she has and the Grand Slams," said Rybakina. The Russia-born right-hander broke Swiatek again at 4-4 in the second set before holding her own serve in convincing fashion to close out the match. Rybakina's win sees her progress to a third Grand Slam quarter-final having also reached the last eight at the 2021 French Open before winning Wimbledon last year.

☆ Rybakina eyes Swiatek's No.1 ranking after Australian Open win
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Rybakina advanced to the quarter-finals at Melbourne Park for the first time with her win at Rod Laver Arena and will meet Latvia's Jelena Ostapenko for a place in the last four. Rybakina said there were still "many things to improve" on but that she was a match for anyone if she could continue her current form. Sunday was the first time Kazakhstan's Rybakina appeared on one of the two main showcourts at Melbourne Park during this tournament, with the Russia-born player starting her campaign on an outer court. "When you play against the number one, I think you have really nothing to lose," Rybakina added. "So I was trying to just attack her from the first ball, and it really worked well."

☆ 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.

☆ Ostapenko knocks out Gauff to reach Australian Open quarters
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/5] Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 22, 2023 Latvia's Jelena Ostapenko in action during her fourth round match against Coco Gauff of the U.S. REUTERS/Carl RecineMELBOURNE, Jan 22 (Reuters) - Jelena Ostapenko stunned Coco Gauff 7-5 6-3 to reach the quarter-finals of the Australian Open on Sunday after putting on a power-hitting clinic. Latvian Ostapenko has struggled to reach the heights of her French Open-winning days but the 17th seed simply overpowered the American at Margaret Court Arena. Ostapenko was ruthless in the finish, unleashing a thumping forehand down the line to bring up match point, then clipping the line with a crosscourt forehand winner to give Gauff no chance. The 17th seed will meet Elena Rybakina, who shocked top seed Iga Swiatek, for a place in the semi-final. Reporting by Ian Ransom in Melbourne; Editing by Peter RutherfordOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Swiatek wants winning mindset back after Australian Open exit
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( Shrivathsa Sridhar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Reigning French Open and U.S. Open winner Swiatek said the pressure had been building over the last two weeks and she had been going into matches hoping not to lose rather than wanting to win. "So I'm going to try to chill out a bit more. "I felt the pressure and I felt that I don't want to lose instead of I want to win. Swiatek went on a 37-match winning streak last year before losing in the third round at Wimbledon. "So this time, I think it's going to be motivating for me and I'm sure I'm going to play next tournaments with something to focus on, something to work on, and I'm going to go forward."

☆ Gauff in tears after failing to crack Ostapenko code
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( Shrivathsa Sridhar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"I think every loss is somewhat in my control because I do feel like I'm a good player, but today she just played better," Gauff, seeded seventh, told reporters. "I think it's because I worked really hard and I felt really good coming into the tournament and I still feel good," Gauff said. "But when you play a player like her and she plays really well, it's like there's nothing you can do. "I think doubles has taught me how to play after losing, how to play with frustration," Gauff added. I hope I can help her and I hope that she continues well in the (singles) tournament now that I'm out.

☆ Early French Open triumph proved a burden, says resurgent Ostapenko
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( Ian Ransom | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 22, 2023 Latvia's Jelena Ostapenko in action during her fourth round match against Coco Gauff of the U.S. REUTERS/Loren ElliottMELBOURNE, Jan 22 (Reuters) - Grand Slam success came to Jelena Ostapenko in a hurry when she hoisted the French Open trophy as an unseeded 20-year-old but the early career triumph soon became a burden. She next plays Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina, who sent world number one Iga Swiatek packing in the early match at Rod Laver Arena. Her country's first Grand Slam champion, Ostapenko is hardly alone in being unable to back up after winning a major title but her retreat from the spotlight was sudden and sustained. Of course, (there was) a lot of attention from everywhere outside the court, like photo shoots and all those kind of things. Ostapenko is no shrinking violet and has sometimes let her emotions get the better of her on court.

☆ Swiatek stays grounded ahead of Rybakina test in clash of champions
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( Rohith Nair | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"To be honest, it doesn't matter which round I play because I think Iga is a great player. I think that if I'm going to play my game, aggressive, I'm going to be solid from the beginning till the end." "I'm really looking forward to it. I'm sure he's much better prepared this time," said Greek Tsitsipas, who has not dropped a set in Melbourne this year. Latvian Jelena Ostapenko, another French Open champion, will play last year's Roland Garros runner-up American Coco Gauff.

☆ All business Swiatek eases into second week at Australian Open
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/3] Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 20, 2023 Poland's Iga Swiatek reacts during her third round match against Spain's Cristina Bucsa REUTERS/Sandra SandersMELBOURNE, Jan 20 (Reuters) - Top seed Iga Swiatek continued to carve her way through the Australian Open draw on Friday, dismantling Cristina Bucsa 6-0 6-1 in bright sunshine on the Margaret Court Arena to reach the fourth round. The 21-year-old world number one, who is looking to add a first Melbourne Park crown to the French and U.S. Open titles she won last year, was all business as she whipped through the first set in 23 minutes. World number 100 Bucsa had simply no answer to Swiatek's all-court game and the Spaniard only managed to avoid the dreaded 'double bagel' 6-0 6-0 scoreline by holding her last service game. Swiatek should face a tougher test in Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina in the last 16 after the big-serving Kazakh earlier upset last year's losing finalist Danielle Collins. Reporting by Nick Mulvenney; Editing by Neil FullickOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Australian Open 2023 prize money: how much do winners of men's, women's and doubles finals win?
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Here is what you need to know about the prize pot on offer at the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the year:WHEN IS THE AUSTRALIAN OPEN HAPPENING? * The 2023 Australian Open runs from Jan. 16-29. * The winners of the men's and women's singles in 2022, Rafael Nadal and Ash Barty, received A$2.875 million in prize money. * Last year's winners of the men's and women's singles at the U.S. Open, Carlos Alcaraz and Swiatek, received $2.6 million. WHAT IS THE PRIZE MONEY ON OFFER IN MEN'S AND WOMEN'S DOUBLES AT THE AUSTRALIAN OPEN IN 2023?

☆ 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.

☆ Sabalenka survives scare to reach Adelaide quarters
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Having received a bye into the second round, second seed Sabalenka started sluggishly to find herself in trouble trailing by five games to one but the 24-year-old roared back to save six set points and claim the opening set in the tie-break. After the pair traded breaks other early in the next set, Sabalenka showed her mental toughness again in the tie-break to seal her first win of the season in two hours and 15 minutes. "She's an incredible player with a huge serve, so it was a tough match and I'm super happy with this win." Sabalenka will next face former French Open runner-up Marketa Vondrousova, who handed Kaia Kanepi a bagel en route to a 6-0 6-4 victory. Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; Editing by Robert BirselOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Navratilova diagnosed with throat and breast cancer
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Czech-born Navratilova, who became a U.S. citizen in 1981, was also diagnosed and beat breast cancer back in 2010. Navratilova added that the cancer was in Stage 1, and the prognosis are good, with treatments to begin next week. The cancer was first discovered in early November during the WTA finals when Navratilova noticed a swelling in her neck that did not go down. "When it didn't do down, a biopsy was performed, the results came back as Stage 1 throat cancer. "At the same time as Martina was undergoing the tests for the throat, a suspicious form was found in her breast, which was subsequently diagnosed as cancer, completely unrelated to the throat cancer.

☆ Krejcikova back in business with victory over Swiatek
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Tennis - WTA 500 - Ostrava Open - CEZ Arena, Ostrava, Czech Republic - October 9, 2022 Czech Republic's Barbora Krejcikova celebrates with a trophy after winning the singles final against Poland's Iga Swiatek REUTERS/David W CernyOct 10 (Reuters) - Czech Barbora Krejcikova edged world number one Iga Swiatek in the duel between French Open champions in Ostrava on Sunday to continue her late flourish in an injury-hit season. The 26-year-old climbed to a career-high ranking of two in February before being sidelined for months due to an elbow injury. She failed to make another semi-final until winning two titles in consecutive weeks in Tallinn, Estonia, and at home in Ostrava. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterKrejcikova's 5-7 7-6(4) 6-3 win handed twice French Open winner Swiatek her first defeat in a final since 2019. "It was difficult because I think the beginning of the season was great," Krejcikova told the WTA following her win that took three hours and 16 minutes.

☆ Samsonova shines in Tokyo for third title in two months
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Tennis - Pan Pacific Open - Women's Singles - Ariake Coliseum, Tokyo, Japan - September 25, 2022. Russia's Liudmila Samsonova reacts after winning against China's Zheng Qinwen during their final match. World number 30 Samsonova won consecutive titles in Washington and Cleveland in the run-up to the hardcourt Grand Slam in New York and she is projected to reach a career-high ranking just outside the top 20 on Monday. I need little bit of time," Samsonova said on court, having won all four Tour-level championship matches she has reached. With Sunday's win Samsonova capped a strong week at the WTA 500 event, having not dropped a set all week and with victories over Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina and multiple major winner Garbine Muguruza during the tournament.

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