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Andy Murray's bid for a first ATP title since October 2019 ended in a straight-set defeat by Russian top seed Aslan Karatsev in the Sydney Classic final.

The Briton, whose last win in Antwerp came nine months after hip surgery, lost 6-3 6-3 to the world number 20.

Murray was broken in the opening game and struggled on first serve in a set where he was outpowered by Karatsev.

Murray lost his first service game in the second set and the single break was enough for Karatsev to secure victory.

Five break opportunities were created by Murray in the fifth game of the second set, but Karatsev saved them all and regained his rhythm to close in on the title.

Left to serve out for victory, 28-year-old Karatsev wobbled as Murray saved two championship points before the Russian - a surprise Australian Open semi-finalist in 2021 - secured the third ATP title of his career.

Afterwards Murray thanked his team, which includes recently hired coach Jan de Witt, for "all of their help" in him reaching the Sydney final.

"First time back in the finals for three years, it's been a long road to get back here but I couldn't have done it without your help, so thank you," he said.

"I'd also like to thank my family back home. I don't know if you were watching but I miss you all."

Despite the disappointment of the defeat, the world number 135 can reflect positively on the week as a whole.

Generally, the three-time Grand Slam champion moved well around the court and his serving, before the final against Karatsev at least, was particularly strong.

Now the 34-year-old Scot will head to Melbourne, where the Australian Open starts on Monday.

Murray, a five-time finalist at the opening Grand Slam of the season, will play Georgian 21st seed Nikoloz Basilashvili in the first round on Tuesday.

BBC
 
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-60183028

<b>Emma Raducanu: Man found guilty of stalking British number one</b>

A 35-year-old man has been found guilty of stalking British number one tennis player Emma Raducanu.

Amrit Magar from Edgware was convicted at Bromley Magistrates' Court on Friday and will be sentenced at a later date.

Magar was captured on door camera footage at the 19-year-old player's south London home, where she lives with her parents, leaving notes and cards.

In a statement to the court, reported by the Daily Mail, Raducanu said she was now fearful of going out alone.

"Since all this has happened, I have felt creeped out. I feel very apprehensive if I go out, especially if I am on my own," she told police in a statement.

"Because of this I feel like my freedom has been taken away from me. I am constantly looking over my shoulder.

I feel on edge and worried this could happen again. I don't feel safe in my own home which is where I should feel safest."

Magar visited Raducanu's home a number of times during December last year.

On one occasion, the former Amazon delivery driver left a hand-drawn map to show the tennis player he had walked 23 miles from his house in north-west London to reach her.

He also left her a note which read "you deserve love".

Raducanu, the reigning US Open champion, was named BBC Sport Personality of the Year in December.
 
Andy Murray will skip the French Open and the whole of the clay court season as he plots his course through the rest of 2022.

Back in action in Rotterdam next week for the first time since his second-round exit at the Australian Open, the Scot is taking a bigger-picture view of the year ahead.

Murray has been plagued by injury issues since undergoing hip surgery in 2019 but has recently been able to stay on the court, with a strong second half of 2021 raising hopes of a return to contention for titles in 2022.

The 34-year-old's only French Open appearance in the last four years came in 2020, but he has not ruled out returning to Roland Garros in future.
 
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/60341755

<b>Andy Murray beaten in Rotterdam by Felix Auger-Aliassime</b>

Britain's Andy Murray was knocked out in the second round of the Rotterdam Open in straight sets by Canada's world number nine Felix Auger-Aliassime.

The 21-year-old, who reached the quarter-final of the Australian Open last month, won 6-3 6-4.

Murray, 34, broke in both sets but struggled to hold his own serve and Auger-Aliassime took advantage to win in one hour and 37 minutes.

He will now face another Briton in Cameron Norrie in the third round.

"From the start of the match I came ready and focused and that was why I was able to produce a high level from the first point," said Auger-Aliassime.

"I watched him (Murray) play numerous times so I know how good he could play when he was number one in the world, not so long ago. He doesn't miss a lot of balls - I really hope he can keeping playing well and get back to where he belongs."

Auger-Aliassime stormed into a 4-0 lead before holding off a brief response from Murray to serve out the opening set. He then broke in the third game of the second set, only for the Scot to hit back immediately.

But Murray was broken again in the following service game, slamming his racquet into the ground in frustration, and Auger-Aliassime held his nerve to go on and seal victory.

That was only after a winner on his first match point had to be replayed, however, after Murray's cap fell off during the rally.

Murray approached the umpire, protesting he was "not cheating" but had stopped because of the incident, with Auger-Aliassime then double faulting from the replayed point.

But the Canadian made no mistake with the second match point, putting away a volley to set up a meeting with Norrie.

Murray, a three-time Grand Slam winner, beat Kazakhstan's Alexander Bublik in the previous round - his first match since his second-round loss at the Australian Open in January.
 
Britain's Andy Murray won only one game as he lost in straight sets to Roberto Bautista Agut in the last 16 of the Qatar Open.

Former world number one Murray, 34, was beaten 6-0 6-1 by the Spaniard, who won the tournament in 2019.

Fellow Briton Dan Evans also failed to reach the quarter-finals as Alejandro Davidovich Fokina came from behind to win their encounter.

The Spaniard, ranked 47th in the world, won 4-6 7-5 6-4.

Murray had gone into the tournament looking to win his first singles title since 2019 and had made a strong start with a straight sets win against Japan's Taro Daniel.

But he was well beaten by 2019 champion Bautista Agut, who will play his compatriot Davidovich Fokina in the last eight.

BBC
 
World number three Alexander Zverev defeated Jenson Brooksby in three sets at the Mexican Open in a first-round contest which set a new record for the latest finish to a tennis match.

Defending champion Zverev won 3-6 7-6 (12-10) 6-2 with the match ending at 4:55am local time in Acapulco.

A marathon second set was clinched by the German in one hour and 51 minutes.

The previous latest finish was 4:34am when Lleyton Hewitt beat Marcos Baghdatis at the 2008 Australian Open.

Play in Acaplulco does not begin until 6pm local time because of the heat and humidity, and all three of Monday's Centre Court matches lasted more than three hours.

The three hour 20-minute match between Zverev, 24, and 21-year-old American Brooksby - which did not get under way until 1:35am - fell one minute short of the longest match in Mexican Open history.

That record had been set earlier on Monday, when Stefan Kozlov defeated 2014 champion Grigor Dimitrov 7-6 (10-8) 5-7 6-3.

John Isner and Fernando Verdasco also came close to rivalling that time, as Isner prevailed 7-5 6-7 (4-7) 7-6 (7-3) after three hours and 14 minutes.

Zverev will face compatriot Peter Gojowczyk next, on Wednesday.
 
Ukrainian tennis player Sergiy Stakhovsky says he hopes he will not have to use the gun he has been given after signing up to help his nation's defence against the Russian invasion.

Boxer Vasiliy Lomachenko, a three-weight champion, is another sports star to join Ukraine's reserve forces and has been photographed with a rifle.

Heavyweight boxing champion Oleksandr Usyk is also thought to have signed up.

Stakhovsky said: "I know how to use the gun. If I'll have to, I'll have to."

Live updates: Soldiers killed in strike as Russia convoy advances
Kharkiv attack was a war crime, says President Zelensky
The 36-year-old retired from tennis after the Australian Open in January and has returned to Kyiv to help his nation's defence.

Reigning heavyweight champion Usyk, who beat Britain's Anthony Joshua in September, has left his London base to go back to Ukraine.

Photographs on Instagram - from an unverified Ukraine Boxing Federation account - claim to show the 35-year-old holding a weapon.

Lomachenko, 34, was shown wearing military uniform with a rifle across his shoulder in a post on his Facebook page.

Men between the ages of 18 and 60 have been told by the Ukrainian government to stay in the country and fight as it looks to slow Russia's attacks.

"I pretty much hope that I won't have to use the gun," Stakhovsky, a former world number 31 known for beating Roger Federer at Wimbledon in 2013, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

Stakhovsky has left his wife Anfisa and children at their home in Hungary, saying it was a "horrible" decision to make.

He thinks Anfisa has told their children he has gone to another tennis tournament.

"I'm still not sure how I've done it. I know that it's extremely hard on my wife. My kids don't know that I'm here," he said.

"They don't understand war. They're too little to understand what's going on."

Will sporting sanctions make a difference?

Sporting organisations are continuing to impose sanctions on Russian teams and athletes after the country, supported by Belarus, launched a military invasion of Ukraine last Thursday.

On Monday, Russian football clubs and national teams were suspended from all competitions by Fifa and Uefa "until further notice".

It means the Russian men's team will not play their World Cup play-off matches next month and the women's team have been banned from this summer's Euro 2022 competition.

Spartak Moscow have been kicked out of the Europa League, while Uefa has ended its sponsorship with Russian energy giant Gazprom.

The International Olympic Committee has urged sport governing bodies to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes.

The Ukrainian Tennis Federation has called on the sport's governing body, the International Tennis Federation (ITF), to expel Russia and Belarus from the organisation and ban Russia from individual and team tournaments.

Ukrainian world number 15 Elina Svitolina has said she will refuse to play Russian or Belarusian players until they are classed as 'neutral athletes'.

Stakhovsky says he believes these moves will make "a lot of difference in terms of perspective" for Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"He really loves sport and loves that Russia is successful in sport. He loves that he can demonstrate that success out in the world during the Olympics and all the other sport events," said Stakhovsky.

I would be on the front line - Fury

With fellow heavyweight world champion Usyk also thought to have signed up, Britain's Tyson Fury was quick to praise the Ukrainian during his pre-fight news conference against Dillian Whyte on Tuesday.

"I would be on the front line if England or the USA got involved [in the war]," said Fury.

"So would my dad and all the boys [the Fury brothers]. Love your woman and defend your country."

Fury first became world champion in 2015 after beating Ukraine's Wladimir Klitschko, who is also understood to have signed up.

BBC
 
Ivan Lendl and Andy Murray are getting back together again, with the two due to start work in the United States next month.

They will spend several weeks training after this month's Miami Masters as Murray prepares for the grass-court season which starts in June.

Murray had already decided to skip the clay court season from April to June.

He won two Wimbledon titles, the 2012 US Open and two Olympic gold medals while working with Lendl.

Murray also became the world number one under the coach.
 
Alexander Zverev given suspended eight-week ban for striking umpire's chair

World number three Alexander Zverev faces an eight-week ban from tennis if he repeats the behaviour which led to his expulsion from the Mexican Open.

In February, the Olympic champion was fined $40,000 (£31,000) and forfeited all his prize money for striking the umpire's chair in Acapulco.

Zverev has now been found guilty of a 'major offence' after an ATP review.

The German 24-year-old will be banned if he commits another similar offence within 12 months of the incident.

Similar offences include unsportsmanlike behaviour and verbal or physical abuse of anyone at a tournament.

As well as the eight-week ban, Zverev has been handed a further suspended $25,000 (£19,000) fine.

The biggest penalty in men's tennis to date was a 16-week suspended ban given to Australian Nick Kyrgios in 2019 for verbally abusing a chair umpire and smashing two racquets.

Zverev has until 11 March to appeal against the decision.

'Some will consider it too lenient' - Analysis
BBC tennis correspondent Russell Fuller

As with Nick Kyrgios, who was also deemed to have committed a major offence for an ugly pattern of behaviour in 2019, Zverev's extra punishment is on hold.

Kyrgios' 16-week ban was suspended for six months, but due to injury the Australian only played half a dozen tournaments in that time.

Zverev, in contrast, will expect to play about 20 events over the next 12 months.

In that long period of time, he cannot afford to be disrespectful or aggressive to any officials, players or spectators.

Some will consider a suspended sentence too lenient, but the ATP's decision does put the onus on Zverev to change his behaviour in a permanent and meaningful way.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/tennis/60658371
 
Andy Murray has pledged to donate his prize-money earnings for the rest of the year to help children affected by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The British former world number one is working with Unicef to provide medical supplies and development kits.

Russia's attack on Ukraine has so far seen more than two million people flee the country.

"Over 7.5 million children are at risk with the escalating conflict in Ukraine," said Murray, 34.

The three-time Grand Slam winner, who is an ambassador for Unicef UK, added: "It's vital education continues, so Unicef is working to enable access to learning for displaced children, as well as supporting the rehabilitation of damaged schools, together with replacement equipment and furniture."

Earlier on Tuesday, tennis' governing bodies announced a donation of $700,000 (£530,000) to help humanitarian efforts in Ukraine and support the Ukraine Tennis Federation.
 
War in Ukraine: Alexandr Dolgopolov says tennis authorities should ban Russian players

Ukrainian former tennis player Alexandr Dolgopolov says tennis authorities are being "too passive" and should ban players from Russia while there is war in Ukraine.

The 33-year-old told BBC Sport the decision to allow Russian players, such as men's world number one Daniil Medvedev, to continue playing as neutrals and removing their flag "is not changing anything".

"Letting them play just by saying a few words that they are against war, I don't believe this is enough," he said.

Former world number 13 Dolgopolov has returned to Kyiv to join Ukraine's territorial defence unit and has had recent military training to learn how to use weapons.

While he was speaking to BBC Sport the air raid sirens in the city were sounded, and he said it was "tough" to see "terrible things" happening in his country.

Russia and Belarus have been suspended from international tennis team competitions following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

But the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and both the ATP and WTA tours have allowed players from both countries to continue competing as neutral individuals "at this time".

Medvedev has said he wants peace in the world, and his compatriot Andrey Rublev, the world number seven, signed a camera lens with a "no war please" message at a recent tournament in Dubai.

But Dolgopolov said he was disappointed by the stance being taken by tennis authorities.

"I know all those guys personally. I even played Daniil when I was playing. They are nice guys but no offence to them - I believe Russia should be blocked from any participant in any sport, in any culture," he said.

"I think every Russian is responsible for their government and their president.

"Just being neutral, taking away their flag, we know that is not changing anything. And even the sanctions that are happening now, even the destroyed economics it is not enough for [Russian President Vladimir Putin] to stop."

Dolgopolov said he has told an ATP representative that tennis should go further.

"I already said this to them that I think tennis is being too passive," he said.

"I think it is not enough to say 'we are against war'. We hear 'we're against war' everywhere, in Miss Universe, in the Oscars. Yeah, that's great, but they don't ask the children or the women here any questions."

Dolgopolov said it was "inspiring" to see a number of Ukrainian sportspeople, including fellow tennis player Sergiy Stakhovsky, signing up to fight.

To prepare himself for his return to Ukraine, Dolgopolov had several days of military training from an ex-soldier.

"Going to a place like this you would like to understand how a gun works," he said.

"So it doesn't mean that I will need it - I don't know if I do. It means that I can defend myself. And if I appear in some battle I will shoot and I will hit the point."

Explaining what his overriding emotion was at this time, Dolgopolov said: "Anger. My girlfriend was trying to leave with her child, that was maybe 10 days ago. Their car got shot with some Kalashnikovs or something. They are OK but three cars in front of them were destroyed.

"They are killing civilians, whole families, she told me that one of her friends' family got killed with children, with women. So we just feel anger."
 
Tennis star Nick Kyrgios dragged the American actor Ben Stiller into an angry exchange with a fan on his way to losing against Rafael Nadal.

During the quarter final of the Indian Wells Masters in California, Kyrgios asked a vocal spectator in the crowd "Are you playing?" as he got ready to serve.

The Australian player, 26, added: "Are you good at tennis?"
In video footage of the encounter, a faint "no" can be heard from the stands.
Kyrgios responds: "Exactly, so why are you speaking?"

Referring to Stiller, he continues: "Do I tell him how to act? No", drawing a laugh from the crowd.

Stiller, 56, sitting a few seats away from the fan, is seen smiling too.

The match was at deuce in the final set during the exchange. Kyrgios went on to lose 7-6 (7-0) 5-7 6-4.

Kyrgios, who entered the competition as a wild card, was playing in an ATP Tour quarter-final for the first time since 2019.
In the third round, he beat eighth seed Casper Ruud in his first top 10 win in more than two years.

Both achievements confirmed he is clearly continuing the form that helped him and partner Thanasi Kokkinakis win the Australian Open men's doubles title at the start of the year.

https://news.sky.com/story/tennis-s...-to-rafael-nadal-12569431?dcmp=snt-sf-twitter
 
Rafael Nadal beaten by Taylor Fritz in Indian Wells final

Rafael Nadal says he suffered from breathing difficulties during his straight sets defeat by Taylor Fritz in the Indian Wells final.

Nadal, 35, appeared out of sorts and quickly found himself 4-0 down before leaving the court for treatment.

He looked more comfortable on his return but struggled to break down a determined Fritz who won 6-3 7-6 (7-5).

"It's tough for me to breathe. When I try to breathe, it's painful and it's very uncomfortable," said Nadal.

"When I'm breathing, when I'm moving it's like a needle all the time inside here. I get dizzy a little bit because it's painful. It's a kind of pain that limits me a lot. It's not only about pain, I don't feel very well because it affects my breathing."

Spaniard Nadal, who claimed victory at the Australian Open earlier this year, had won his previous 20 matches in 2022.

But he made 34 unforced errors in the match compared to 22 from Fritz.

"Honestly I am sad because of the way I was not able to compete," he added. "The thing that worries me now, it's about what's going on there, what I have to do now to recover and how long it's going to take."

Fritz's win meant he became the first American to win at Indian Wells since Andre Agassi in 2001.

He saved two break points at 5-5 in the second set before winning a tie-break to secure his second ATP Tour title - and first Masters 1000 victory.

There were concerns about his fitness after he suffered an ankle injury in the semi-final win against Andrey Rublev but he showed no ill-effects during his win.

"I can't even begin to describe how ridiculous it is to play, how I could play today, I've never experienced worse pain like I did before the match," said 24-year-old Fritz.

"I took a couple of steps and screamed. I was trying to act tough and we did a lot of work leading up to the match.

"I was really upset, basically almost crying because I thought I was going to have to pull out.

"I went through a rollercoaster of emotion and all of a sudden being really happy thinking maybe I can play, but it didn't affect me at all.

"This is one of those childhood dreams you never even think will come true."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/60816909
 
Emma Raducanu: British No 1 defeated by Katerina Siniakova at the Miami Open in second round

Emma Raducanu was beaten by Katerina Siniakova 3-6 6-4 7-5 in the second round of the Miami Open.

The British No 1 had received a bye in the first round and attacked the early stages of her debut match in Miami well.

She took the first set while Siniakova seemed to be struggling with the heat and had needed to call the trainer after only five games.

The Czech athlete rallied from 1-3 down to take the second though and gave Raducanu plenty to ponder.

In the opening stages of the third set, it seemed as if the 19-year-old had the answers. She moved 5-3 ahead and had a chance to serve for the match. But, with the finish line in sight, Raducanu was broken and she then lost the momentum completely from 5-5.

Elsewhere in the draw, fellow Brit Heather Watson came back from a set down to defeat the 15th seed Elina Svitolina 4-6 6-3 7-6 (7-4).

Watson's victory means she progresses into the third round in Miami for the first time in six years and it is her best win by ranking for more than two years.

"I love this tournament. I've been coming here for so long. I just love it here, I feel like it's home," Watson said to Amazon Prime Video.

"I'm really happy that I'm coming back into form this year. I was just thinking at the end that my fitness got me through that match. I'm really glad I held my nerve and was able to get over the line."

She will face either Belinda Bencic or Marta Kostyuk next.

Meanwhile, Naomi Osaka beat Angelique Kerber 6-2 6-3 to reach the third round.

Osaka made a strong start against Kerber, grabbing an early break to go 2-0 up and never looked back in a 29-minute opening set, during which she won 91 per cent of her first-serve points.

The 24-year-old denied Kerber any chance of fighting her way back into the match as she capitalised on her serve and had total control of her game. She went on to close out the 60-minute encounter on her third match point.

The victory was Osaka's first against Kerber since the 2017 US Open and denied her opponent a fifth consecutive win in their head-to-head series. It also marked Osaka's first win over a top-20 player since last year's Miami Open.

"She's like the first high-seeded player I've beaten this year," Osaka noted during her on-court interview. "I went into the match just really wanting to play my game and I still have memories of all the matches she's beaten me before.

"I feel like I came into the match wanting to dictate and actually I wanted to come into the net if I needed to ... that's something I'm practising and hopefully as I keep playing it will get better."

https://www.skysports.com/tennis/ne...a-siniakova-at-the-miami-open-in-second-round
 
Naomi Osaka advanced into the quarter-finals of the Miami Open after deafening Alison Riske, while Daniil Medvedev took another step towards a return to the top of the world rankings.

Russia's Daniil Medvedev is two wins away from regaining the men's world number one spot after reaching the Miami Open last 16.
 
Former world number one Naomi Osaka moved into the Miami Open semi-finals with a straight-set win over American Danielle Collins.
 
Emma Raducanu won on her Billie Jean King Cup debut to haul Great Britain level with the Czech Republic and leave the qualifying tie delicately poised.

Raducanu, 19, was playing her first senior match on clay, adjusting well to the surface to win 7-5 7-5 against world number 50 Tereza Martincova.

The US Open champion levelled the best-of-five tie after Harriet Dart lost 6-1 6-0 to Marketa Vondrousova.

The nations play two singles matches on Saturday, plus a doubles if needed.

The winners will qualify for November's finals, while the runners-up face a play-off tie the same week.

Britain are among the countries bidding to host the finals and could also still qualify as the host nation.

Relive how GB fought back against the Czech Republic
Following her stunning ascent in the past year, it is easy to forget how Raducanu is still a novice in terms of professional experience.

But she showed every bit of her talent and mentality to come through a tough battle with 27-year-old Martincova.

The teenager saved a set point at 5-4 in the opener before winning the next three games, and also fought back from a 4-1 deficit in the second.

Raducanu won six of the final seven games to clinch a vital victory for herself and her team, showing her elation with a enthusiastic celebration before she was hugged by her team-mates.

With illness and injury hampering her first full season on the main WTA tour, it was only Raducanu's third match win in 2022.

"This one means so much to me," said world number 12 Raducanu, who is set to play Vondrousova in the reverse singles on Saturday.

"This year I've won a lot of the first sets, I've been leading the match, but to actually close it out in two sets definitely gave me a lot of confidence and I'm very happy that I managed to.

"Playing on clay definitely took some adjusting, even now. The conditions were very windy and some bad bounces, so to adjust and adapt in the situation was very challenging but I'm very proud of how I dug in.

"In the beginning of the second set, I went a bit flat and everyone in my team was telling me the intensity had dropped. It is difficult to regain that but I'm very happy I did in the end."

BBC
 
Wimbledon 2022: Russian & Belarusian players banned from tournament

Russian and Belarusian players will not be allowed to compete at Wimbledon this year because of the invasion of Ukraine.

Men's world number two Daniil Medvedev of Russia and women's world number four Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus are the highest-ranked players to be affected.

Players from both countries have been allowed to compete on the tennis tour but not under their national flags.

Wimbledon takes place from 27 June to 10 July.

It is understood the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) will confirm the move later on Wednesday.

Sabalenka reached the semi-finals of last year's tournament, while Medvedev, who has beenannounced as one of the star draws at the grass-court warm-up event at 's-Hertogenbosch in the Netherlands today,reached the fourth round.

Russian world number 15 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova - who called for the war to stop earlier this year - and 18th-ranked Victoria Azarenka of Belarus will also miss out.

Russia's Andrey Rublev is eighth in the men's standings, with compatriot Karen Khachanov 26th.

They will all still be able to compete at the French Open, which begins in May.

The AELTC, which organises the grass-court Grand Slam, consulted the government in April about whether to allow players to compete.

Sports minister Nigel Huddleston previously said "nobody flying the flag for Russia should be allowed" to play at Wimbledon.

However, WTA head Steve Simon told BBC Sport in March that he did not believe players from the two countries should be banned from tournaments.

Russia was previously banned from defending its Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup team titles after the country's invasion of Ukraine - a military operation supported by Belarus.

Olga Savchuk, who captained Ukraine in last week's Billie Jean King Cup tie against the USA, said Russian players should be banned from competing.

"It cannot just be a sanction against 90% of the Russian people and 10% not," Savchuk told the New York Times.

"It has to be even and I think it is collective guilt."

Ukrainian former world number 13 Alexandr Dolgopolov thanked Wimbledon for "stepping up and showing the world an example".

"I believe Russia should be isolated in all possible ways, and the people of Russia have to solve this problem," he told BBC Sport.

The Women's Tennis Association (WTA) and the men's association (ATP) have suspended their combined event scheduled to take place in Moscow in October.

The International Tennis Federation (ITF) has also cancelled its events in the country.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/tennis/61161016
 
ATP condemns decision to ban Russian and Belarusian players from Wimbledon

We've had further reaction this evening to news that Russian and Belarusian tennis players will not be able to participate in Wimbledon this summer.

The Association of Tennis Professionals said the decision, confirmed earlier on Wednesday, is "unfair and has the potential to set a damaging precedent for the game".

A statement added: "Discrimination based on nationality also constitutes a violation of our agreement with Wimbledon that states that player entry is based solely on ATP Rankings.

"Any course of action in response to this decision will now be assessed in consultation with our Board and Member councils.

"It is important to stress that players from Russia and Belarus will continue to be allowed to compete at ATP events under a neutral flag, a position that has until now been shared across professional tennis."

SKY
 
Novak Djokovic has branded the decision to ban Russian and Belarusian players from competing at Wimbledon this year as "crazy".

The All England Club made the announcement on Wednesday, ruling out, among others, US Open champion and world No 2 Daniil Medvedev, men's world No 8 Andrey Rublev and women's fourth-ranked Aryna Sabalenka from featuring in the Grand Slam.

But, speaking at the Serbia Open on Wednesday, reigning Wimbledon men's singles champion and six-time winner Djokovic expressed his disagreement for the organisers' stance.

"I will always condemn war, I will never support war being myself a child of war," Djokovic said.

"I know how much emotional trauma it leaves. In Serbia we all know what happened in 1999. In the Balkans we have had many wars in recent history.

"However, I cannot support the decision of Wimbledon, I think it is crazy. When politics interferes with sport, the result is not good."

Djokovic, in action in the quarter-finals of the Serbian Open on Thursday, recovered from a set down to defeat compatriot Miomir Kecmanovic 4-6 6-3 6-3.

The world No 1 had survived a deciding tie-break against Laslo Djere on Wednesday and again found himself up against it against Kecmanovic before coming back from a break down in the second set to clinch a semi-final spot, where he will face either Karen Khachanov or Thiago Monteiro.

Sports Minister welcomes Wimbledon's 'decisive action'
Of the players now banned from competing at Wimbledon in June and July, Medvedev reached the fourth round of Wimbledon last year, while Sabalenka was a beaten semi-finalist.

I cannot support the decision of Wimbledon, I think it is crazy. When politics interferes with sport, the result is not good.

Russian world No 15 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Belarus' Victoria Azarenka - a two-time Australian Open champion - will also miss out. Russian and Belarusian players have also been banned from LTA grass court tournaments this summer.

The All England Club said in a statement: "We share in the universal condemnation of Russia's illegal actions and have carefully considered the situation in the context of our duties to the players, to our community and to the broader UK public as a British sporting institution."

The statement went on to say: "If circumstances change materially between now and June, we will consider and respond accordingly."

Ian Hewitt, chairman of the All England Club, said: "We recognise that this is hard on the individuals affected, and it is with sadness that they will suffer for the actions of the leaders of the Russian regime.

"We have very carefully considered the alternative measures that might be taken within the UK Government guidance but, given the high profile environment of The Championships, the importance of not allowing sport to be used to promote the Russian regime and our broader concerns for public and player (including family) safety, we do not believe it is viable to proceed on any other basis at The Championships."

Sports Minister Nigel Huddleston welcomed the "decisive action" taken by Wimbledon, saying: "The UK has taken a leading role internationally to make clear that President Putin must not be able to use sport to legitimise Russia's barbaric invasion of Ukraine.

"Whilst the withdrawal of individual athletes is a complex issue that will divide opinion, there is a bigger cause at stake.

"We have set out our position with sport governing bodies and event organisers and will continue to encourage them to take appropriate action for their sport."

However, Ukraine's former world No 3 Elina Svitolina believes it is better for Russian and Belarusian players to speak out against the war in her homeland, with them being allowed to participate if they do so.

"The best way is not to ban them completely, but make them speak about the war in Ukraine, to ask them if they support the invasion in Ukraine, if they support the government," Svitolina told Sky News.

"And if they can answer those questions and if they say they that don't support it [the war], they don't support Putin, they don't support Lukashenko, then they would be allowed to participate."

ATP, WTA express concerns over ban

Djokovic's stance mirrors that of the ATP and WTA, with both organisations releasing a statement on Wednesday expressing their concern over the ban.

To date, Russian and Belarusian athletes have been permitted to continue playing in ATP, WTA and ITF competitions as long as they do so under a neutral flag and with no anthem played.

An ATP statement read: "We strongly condemn Russia's reprehensible invasion of Ukraine and stand in solidarity with the millions of innocent people affected by the ongoing war.

"Our sport is proud to operate on the fundamental principles of merit and fairness, where players compete as individuals to earn their place in tournaments based on the ATP Rankings.

"We believe that today's unilateral decision by Wimbledon and the LTA to exclude players from Russia and Belarus from this year's British grass-court swing is unfair and has the potential to set a damaging precedent for the game.

"Discrimination based on nationality also constitutes a violation of our agreement with Wimbledon that states that player entry is based solely on ATP Rankings.

"Any course of action in response to this decision will now be assessed in consultation with our Board and Member councils.

"It is important to stress that players from Russia and Belarus will continue to be allowed to compete at ATP events under a neutral flag, a position that has until now been shared across professional tennis.

"In parallel, we will continue our joint humanitarian support for Ukraine under Tennis Plays for Peace."

A WTA statement read: "The WTA strongly condemns the actions that have been taken by Russia and its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. We continue our humanitarian relief efforts to support Ukraine through Tennis Plays for Peace.

"We are, however, very disappointed in today's announcement by the AELTC and the LTA to ban individual athletes who are from Russia and Belarus from competing in the upcoming UK grass court events. A fundamental principle of the WTA is that individual athletes may participate in professional tennis events based on merit and without any form of discrimination.

"That principle is expressly set forth in our rules and has been agreed to by both AELTC and LTA. Prohibitions against discrimination are also clearly expressed in their own rules and the Grand Slam rules.

"As the WTA has consistently stated, individual athletes should not be penalized or prevented from competing due to where they are from, or the decisions made by the governments of their countries.

"Discrimination, and the decision to focus such discrimination against athletes competing on their own as individuals, is neither fair nor justified. The WTA will continue to apply its rules to reject discrimination and ensure that all athletes are able to compete at our Tour events should they qualify to do so, a position that until today's announcement has been shared across professional tennis. The WTA will be evaluating its next steps and what actions may be taken regarding these decisions."

The Kremlin said on Wednesday a ban on Russian players would hurt Wimbledon itself given Russia's tennis prowess and was "unacceptable".

"Given that Russia is a strong tennis country the competitions [which take this decision] will suffer from this," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters on a conference call.

"To make sportspeople hostages of political intrigue is unacceptable. I hope the players won't lose their fitness."

The Grand Slam begins on Monday, June 27 and concludes on Sunday, July 10.

SKY
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Tennis player Andrey Rublev has called Wimbledon's ban on Russian and Belarusian players for this year's tournament 'complete discrimination.'</p>— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) <a href="https://twitter.com/SkySportsNews/status/1517420444349046787?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 22, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
Wimbledon organisers have said players unvaccinated against Covid-19 will be allowed to play in this year's tournament, clearing the way for Novak Djokovic to compete.

The former world No 1 missed the Australian Open in January due to his decision not to be vaccinated against Covid-19, with the Australian government deporting Djokovic after revoking his visa.

Djokovic said earlier this year he would be willing to skip tournaments if he was required to be vaccinated, although Wimbledon officials confirmed on Tuesday the Serbian will be able to compete without having to do so.

Chief executive of the All England Club, Sally Bolton, said: "The requirements set out by government to enter the UK do not include mandatory vaccination, therefore whilst of course it is encouraged, it will not be a condition of entry to compete at the Championships this year."

The 34-year-old will now be able to defend his title this summer, having won Wimbledon for a sixth time after defeating Italy's Matteo Berrettini in last year's final.

https://www.skysports.com/tennis/ne...e-allowed-to-compete-at-wimbledon-this-summer
 
Wimbledon chiefs have denied the decision to decline the entries of Russian and Belarusian players to this year’s championships in light of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was an act of discrimination, a charge made against the All England Club by both the WTA and ATP tours.

“It is not discrimination in the form that is being said,” said Ian Hewitt, chairman of the All England Club, after being asked repeatedly about the statements from the other governing bodies in the wake of the ban. “It is a considered view reached as to what is the right and responsible decision in all circumstances.”

While there will be no Russian or Belarusian players, Novak Djokovic will officially be able to defend his title at Wimbledon after the AELTC confirmed that mandatory vaccination will not be a feature of the championships this year.

At the annual spring press briefing at the All England Club, normally an uneventful outlining of changes for the upcoming Wimbledon tournament, Hewitt and Sally Bolton, the AELTC chief executive, were tasked with explaining their decision to ban Russian and Belarusian players. They said they had no choice but to come to what was “an extremely difficult decision and painful decision”.

According to the AELTC, their decision rested on limiting Russia’s global influence and they opted to work within the government guidance provided to them. “The UK government has set out directional guidance for sporting bodies and events in the UK, with the specific aim of limiting Russia’s influence,” Hewitt said. “We have taken that directional guidance into account, as we must as a high-profile event and leading British institution.”

In addition to the ban on players, Wimbledon will not accept accreditation requests from Russian media. Discussions continue between the AELTC and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport about whether Russian coaches and other support staff will be allowed to accompany foreign players at Wimbledon . Russian fans will be allowed at Wimbledon.

Wimbledon’s decision has been criticised from various directions. The WTA and ATP, which have opted to allow Russian and Belarusians to compete as neutral athletes at their events, are expected to hold meetings at the Madrid Open this week as they decide on their next steps. The tours could theoretically opt for the radical response of withholding ranking points for this year’s Wimbledon.

According to Bolton, Wimbledon consulted the other tennis governing bodies and players at length, but they accept not everyone is happy. “We would simply say we can well understand that opinions differ and we’re communicating regularly with the WTA and the ATP and we will try and get our reasons across,” Hewitt said. “We think they understand what a challenging position we’re in. And this is an ongoing communication.”

Some have accused the AELTC of hypocrisy, pointing to Wimbledon’s inaction in response to other humanitarian and political crises. Their partnership with the Chinese phone company, Oppo, has been highlighted in light of China’s treatment of Uyghurs and the WTA’s continued concerns about the wellbeing of Peng Shuai. Hewitt responded by referring to the invasion of Ukraine as an “exceptional situation”.

“For my part, there are at least three reasons. First, we have an invasion of a sovereign state with the scale and severity that it has. We have a condemnation by over 140 nations through the United Nations. And in our case, we have specific and directive guidance to address matters. So those factors make it a very, very exceptional situation,” he said.

The AELTC was also questioned about Mervyn Davies, the current chairman of the LTA and a member of the House of Lords, who refused to remove himself as chairman of the investment firm, LetterOne, in light of the Ukraine invasion. The firm was founded by the Russian oligarch Mikhail Fridman and previously boasted other oligarchs as shareholders. Hewitt said Davies is welcome at Wimbledon. “Our decision is in relation to players only and their participation in Wimbledon and how that is presented. It’s only in relation to the players,” he said.

Meanwhile, the AELTC officially confirmed there will be no mandatory vaccination for arrivals at Wimbledon this year, in line with the current British entry policy. A year after players were required to stay at a designated hotel and only allowed to move to and from the tournament, there will be no notable Covid restrictions at the championships this year, with players able to return to renting nearby houses and walking to the site.

Guardian
 
silentkiller187 said:
Wimbledon organisers have said players unvaccinated against Covid-19 will be allowed to play in this year's tournament, clearing the way for Novak Djokovic to compete.

The former world No 1 missed the Australian Open in January due to his decision not to be vaccinated against Covid-19, with the Australian government deporting Djokovic after revoking his visa.

Djokovic said earlier this year he would be willing to skip tournaments if he was required to be vaccinated, although Wimbledon officials confirmed on Tuesday the Serbian will be able to compete without having to do so.

Chief executive of the All England Club, Sally Bolton, said: "The requirements set out by government to enter the UK do not include mandatory vaccination, therefore whilst of course it is encouraged, it will not be a condition of entry to compete at the Championships this year."

The 34-year-old will now be able to defend his title this summer, having won Wimbledon for a sixth time after defeating Italy's Matteo Berrettini in last year's final.

https://www.skysports.com/tennis/ne...e-allowed-to-compete-at-wimbledon-this-summer
Click to expand...

Return of the Djok.
 
Emma Raducanu has split with her coach Torben Beltz after only five months together.

The US Open champion hired the German, best known for guiding Angelique Kerber through her professional career, at the end of last season but it has proved another short-lived relationship.

Raducanu said in a statement: "I want to thank Torben for his coaching, professionalism and dedication over last half a year. He has a huge heart and I have enjoyed our strong chemistry during the time together.

"I feel the best direction for my development is to transition to a new training model with the LTA supporting in the interim."

SKY
 
MenInG said:
Emma Raducanu has split with her coach Torben Beltz after only five months together.

The US Open champion hired the German, best known for guiding Angelique Kerber through her professional career, at the end of last season but it has proved another short-lived relationship.

Raducanu said in a statement: "I want to thank Torben for his coaching, professionalism and dedication over last half a year. He has a huge heart and I have enjoyed our strong chemistry during the time together.

"I feel the best direction for my development is to transition to a new training model with the LTA supporting in the interim."

SKY
Click to expand...

Torben was her 3rd in a Yr, not looking good for Emma, bad decisions, letting coaches go so early
 
Emma has been all over the place since her US Open win, she needs to get her head straight.
 
Poor BBC will have to find a new pundit.

This is one of the most absurd cases in recent years.

From precocious Grand Slam winner to being indicted by the Grand jury. From first serves to serving time. From forehands to dodgy backhanders..
 
Rafael Nadal calls Wimbledon ban of Russian and Belarusian players 'unfair'

Rafael Nadal has criticised the decision to ban Russian and Belarusian players from Wimbledon as a response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Players from Russia and Belarus have also been barred from any of the UK grass-court tournaments by the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC).

"I think it's very unfair [on] my Russian tennis mates, my colleagues," said Spaniard Nadal.

"It's not their fault what's happening in this moment with the war."

Serbia's Novak Djokovic has called the ban "crazy", while Russian world number eight Andrey Rublev said the ban was "complete discrimination" and "illogical".

However, some players, including Ukraine's Elina Svitolina, have welcomed Wimbledon's action, although the former semi-finalist said Russian and Belarusian players who speak out against the invasion should be allowed to compete.

The governing bodies of men's (ATP) and women's professional tennis (WTA) are against the ban and are deciding how to react. One possibility is that they could remove ranking points from the Grand Slam tournament which runs from 27 June to 10 July.

"The 2,000 points, whenever we go to the Grand Slams, they are really important and we have to go to those tournaments," added Nadal, who is a member of the ATP player council. "So we will have to see the measures that we take.

"What happens in our game doesn't have any importance when we can see so many people dying and suffering and seeing the bad situation they are having in Ukraine."

Nadal is set to return to action at the Madrid Open this week, having been sidelined since 22 March with a rib injury.

"Talking about the injury, I'm recovered, I feel good," said Nadal, who won the Australian Open earlier this year.

"Talking about my tennis game and preparations, well, it's a completely different story.

"Anyone who has broken a rib knows how limiting it is, very painful, especially the first weeks. I wasn't able to do anything without a lot of difficulties, even to fall asleep because of the pain.

"I have improved compared to when I came here but I still have ups and downs because it's been a long time without being in these kind of situations and it's going to be a difficult week, for sure."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/61293193
 
This ban needs to be retracted.

Very unfair.

Good to see some top players challenging it and speaking out.
 
Madrid Open: Andy Murray wins to face Novak Djokovic next, Jack Draper beaten by Andrey Rublev

Britain's Andy Murray will face old rival Novak Djokovic for the first time since 2017 after beating Canada's Denis Shapovalov at the Madrid Open.

Murray, 34, produced a high level to win 6-1 3-6 6-2 against world number 16 Shapovalov, who beat the Scot at Wimbledon last year.

Now an even tougher test against world number one Djokovic awaits on Thursday.

Serbia's Djokovic started his campaign on the Madrid clay with a 6-3 6-2 win against France's Gael Monfils.

The 20-time Grand Slam champion will play Murray - who he has known since they were children and faced 36 times in their professional careers - in the last 16.

"He's the world number one and I've got a metal hip," world number 78 Murray told Amazon Prime. "I didn't know I'd get opportunities to play matches like this again. In theory I shouldn't have a chance in the match.

"But I've worked my hardest, put myself in a great position and it's a fantastic opportunity to play against him again on a big court in a huge tournament."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/61309148
 
Every win for Sir Andy now is a bonus. He is in twilight / exhibition mode at this point in his career. As long as he is still winning the odd big match, benefiting from training and enjoying his tennis then he will carry on. I still think he has something to offer the game, not only as a player but also with his opinions on different matters and issues that are facing tennis; his views generally come across (nowadays) as level-headed, experienced, and wise.
 
Madrid Open: Carlos Alcaraz beats Rafael Nadal to set up Novak Djokovic semi-final

Carlos Alcaraz continued his impressive rise by shaking off injury to beat Rafael Nadal and set up a Madrid Open semi-final against Novak Djokovic.

The 19-year-old Spaniard produced some superb hitting to beat five-time champion Nadal 6-2 1-6 6-3.

Alcaraz was struggling to move after falling and injuring his right ankle in the second set but managed to regroup to close out a stunning win.

World number one Djokovic earlier beat Hubert Hurkacz 6-3 6-4.

Alcaraz has often been compared to Nadal during his meteoric rise, which has seen him win the Miami Open and break into the top 10 of the world rankings.

However, this is the first time in three meetings that Alcaraz has beaten the 21-time Grand Slam champion.

Watched on by a number of Real Madrid players after Nadal attended their Champions League semi-final, Alcaraz produced a blistering first-set performance.

The two traded breaks before Alcaraz reeled off five of the final six games, often out-hitting Nadal and out-foxing him with drop shots.

After saving three break points early in the second set Alcaraz fell heavily while sliding for a forehand and received a medical time out to get the injury taped up.

However, he was visibly struggling to put weight on his right foot which affected his serve, and Nadal duly broke and won four games in a row to force the third set.

Alcaraz left the court at the end of the second set and then returned with more of his form from the first set, breaking Nadal to love to get a 3-1 lead.

He then sealed the game in style, whipping a forehand past Nadal into the corner of the court before turning to face his box in disbelief.

He shared a warm handshake with Nadal at the net before writing 'que ha pasado' - 'what happened?' - on the camera.

It is just Nadal's second defeat of the year, with the Spaniard currently making his return from a rib injury.

Alcaraz will now face three-time champion Djokovic, who has reached the semi-finals of the tournament for a seventh time.

Serbia's Djokovic did not face a break point during his 78-minute victory over Poland's Hurkacz.

It is the 72nd time Djokovic has reached the semi-finals of a Masters 1000 tournament. Only Nadal, with 76, has reached the last four more often.

Djokovic reached his first final of the season at the Serbia Open in April but lost to Andrey Rublev.

Rublev takes on Stefanos Tsitsipas later in Madrid, before Felix Auger-Aliassime faces defending champion Alexander Zverev.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/61352827
 
Six Spanish tennis players have been given lengthy bans following match-fixing convictions.

It's part of a case involving organised crime.
 
So Nadal is coming back from injury and was beaten by the young and extremely talent Alcaraz. Alcaraz if he managed to beat Djokovic and Nadal back to back in 2 days would be some feat. Even if Nadal and Djokovic are not the same as they were a few years ago.

The decision to ban Russians from Wimbledon is an absolute joke.
 
Madrid Open: Carlos Alcaraz shocks Novak Djokovic to reach final

Teenage rising star Carlos Alcaraz shocked world number one Novak Djokovic in a three-set thriller to reach the Madrid Open final.

The 19-year-old Spaniard followed up his quarter-final win over Rafael Nadal with a 6-7 (5-7) 7-5 7-6 (7-5) success.

Alcaraz coped with everything Djokovic threw at him and delighted the home crowd with some brilliant drop shots.

He will face German defending champion Alexander Zverev or Greek fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in Sunday's final.

Alcaraz becomes the first player to beat 21-time Grand Slam champion Nadal and 20-time major winner Djokovic on consecutive days on a clay court.

He is enjoying a superb season, winning a first Masters 1000 title in Miami last month which has helped him into the top 10 of the world rankings for the first time.

"This gives me a lot of confidence to play the final tomorrow," said Alcaraz.

"I know that I played a really good game, and for the rest of the season I think I am able to play against the best players in the world and beat them as well, so it gives me a lot of confidence."

The teenager started strongly, breaking Djokovic in the opening game, but the Serb found his way into the match and broke back in the eighth game to make it 4-4.

Alcaraz gave his opponent a couple of break-point chances late in the set but Djokovic was unable to capitalise. He went 6-2 up in the first-set tie-break and although the Spaniard brought it back to 6-5, Djokovic took it.

The second set was equally tight but Djokovic's energy seemed to slip late on and he put in a tired-looking service game that the teenager made the most of to level the match.

Djokovic found his rhythm again in the deciding set but he was put under pressure on his serve when Alcaraz earned a match point in the 10th game.

But the Serb responded brilliantly with an ace and went on to level the match at 5-5. Both players held their next service game and the match would be decided on another tie-break.

Alcaraz seized the early advantage, going 2-0 ahead and he maintained his lead, sealing victory on his third match point with a forehand winner to become the youngest-ever Madrid finalist.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/61364603
 
Beating Nadal and Djokovic, the 2 greatest clay players in history, back to back in Madrid. This 19 year old has got something.
 
Carlos Alcaraz beats Alexander Zverev to take Madrid Open title

Spanish teenager Carlos Alcaraz completed a magical week with victory over defending champion Alexander Zverev in the Madrid Open final.

The 19-year-old, who had beaten Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic in his previous two matches, swept aside the German second seed 6-3 6-1.

It is Alcaraz's second Masters 1000 crown after Miami last month and his fourth title of the year.

He is set to rise to sixth in the world before the French Open later in May.

"This tournament is special for me because it's a tournament I came and watched when I was seven or eight," he said.

Alcaraz was in determined form from the start against Zverev, whose semi-final against Greek fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas did not finish until after 01:00 local time on Sunday (00:00 BST).

He outplayed and outfought the German, who was chasing a third title in the Spanish capital, right from the start.

Zverev seemed totally out of sorts and unable to deal with the rising star of the sport.

Alcaraz broke to make it 4-2 in the opening set and was in full control after that, thrilling the home crowd with the variety of his shots and keeping his opponent on the run.

The teenager broke his opponent three times in the second set to wrap up victory in just one hour and four minutes.

Zverev blamed the scheduling for his lacklustre performance.

"The scheduling needs to be done better ... Yesterday I started my match at 11:00pm. I played three sets. Finished at 1:30," the world number three said.

"Until I get back to the hotel, until I eat, until I do my work with the physio because I have to prepare my body for the next day, it's 5:00am.

"If you stay up until 4:00-5:00am, the next day you are tired. If you do it two nights in a row, you are completely dead. You are destroyed, you will not be able to do physical activity on a maximum level."

The German also said Alcaraz is now the "best player in the world" but the Spaniard played down that praise.

"Djokovic is number one in the rankings. [Even though] I have won Barcelona, and I have beaten Djokovic and Rafa in Madrid, I don't consider myself the best player in the world," he said.

"I also think that tomorrow I'm going to be [ranked] sixth, so I still have five players in front of me to be the best one."

Alcaraz also said he would be skipping the Rome Masters to recover from the ankle injury he suffered in the Madrid quarter-finals and be ready for the French Open, which starts on 22 May.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/61373763
 
Injury-hit former Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka says the love of the fans is what keeps him going after he earned a first ATP Tour win in 15 months.

Wawrinka, 37, fought back from a set and a break down to beat American Reilly Opelka at the Italian Open.

The Swiss, now ranked 361st, was playing only his second tour match since March 2021 after a foot injury.

"The support is the main reason why I'm still playing and came back," Wawrinka said after his 3-6 7-5 6-2 win in Rome.

British number two Dan Evans continued his winless run in the main draw at the Masters 1,000 event after a 7-6 (7-2) 6-2 defeat by Georgia's Nikoloz Basilashvili.

Evans, 31, has now lost all five of his first-round matches on the clay in the Italian capital.

Meanwhile, four-time major champion Naomi Osaka has pulled out of the event because of an injury.

"Unfortunately I'm going to have to withdraw from Rome as the injury which I picked up last week in Madrid hasn't healed yet," said the Japanese player, who is now ranked 38th in the world.

"It's an Achilles injury, so I need to be careful especially in advance of Roland Garros."

The French Open starts at Roland Garros on 22 May.

Osaka, 24, withdrew from the clay-court Grand Slam last year following the controversy over her refusal to speak to the media at the tournament, revealing she had "suffered long bouts of depression" since winning her first Grand Slam title in 2018.

Since taking a break from the sport last year, she has won 12 of her 16 matches this season.

BBC
 
Rafael Nadal maintained his perfect record of never losing back-to-back matches on clay with victory over John Isner at the Italian Open.

The Spaniard, beaten by Carlos Alcaraz in last week's Madrid Open quarter-finals, returned to his favourite surface with a 6-3 6-1 win over Isner.

The victory put Nadal into the third round in Rome and got his preparations for his pursuit of a record-extending 14th French Open title back on track.

He faces Denis Shapovalov next.

Third seed Nadal, who had received a first-round bye, was given a stern test in the seventh game of the first set against his American opponent.

But he saved two break points and capitalised on Isner's disappointment over the missed chances by stringing together a run of five games in a row to go a set and a break up.

The 10-time champion did not look back, with big-serving Isner managing only one hold during the rest of the match, and Nadal eventually took victory with a huge forehand down the line.

The win put him through to another encounter with Canadian world number 16 Shapovalov, against whom he saved two match points at this event last year.

"I know how dangerous he is," Nadal, 35, told Amazon Prime, when asked about his next opponent. "I need to play well, I need to play better than today."

Earlier, second seed Alexander Zverev of Germany advanced to the third round with a 7-6 (8-6) 6-3 win over Argentina's Sebastian Baez.

Among the other players in action later on Wednesday is British number one Cameron Norrie, who faces Croatian 2014 US Open champion Marin Cilic.

The Masters 1000 event in Rome finishes on Sunday, a week before the French Open clay-court Grand Slam begins at Roland Garros.


https://www.bbc.com/sport/tennis/61401525
 
Rome Open: Iga Swiatek beats Aryna Sabalenka to reach Rome Open final

Iga Swiatek took her winning run to 27 games by reaching the Rome Open final as she beat Aryna Sabalenka 6-2 6-1.

The 20-year-old produced a display of precision and variety in contrast to her Belarusian opponent in breaking serve six times.

The defending champion will face Ons Jabeur or Daria Kasatkina next.

World number one Swiatek has the chance it make it five straight tournament wins after victories in Doha, Indian Wells, Miami and Stuttgart.

Tunisian Jabeur, who faces Russia's Kasatkina in the second semi-final, last week became the first Arab or African player to win a WTA 1000 title in Madrid.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/tennis/61448479
 
Wimbledon has had its ranking points stripped by the ATP and WTA in response to barring Russian and Belarusian players from this summer's Grand Slam.

Russian and Belarusian players were last month banned from competing at this year's Wimbledon due to the invasion of Ukraine, a decision which both the WTA and ATP criticised.

Wimbledon chairman Ian Hewitt said the UK Government had left them with "no viable alternative" but to ban Russian and Belarusian players from this year's Championships.

Hewitt said the club was left with only two options - an outright ban or forcing players to sign declarations condemning the invasion of Ukraine.

Andy Murray, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have all spoken out against the ban.

"The ability for players of any nationality to enter tournaments based on merit, and without discrimination, is fundamental to our Tour," the ATP said in a statement.

"The decision by Wimbledon to ban Russian and Belarusian players from competing in the UK this summer undermines this principle and the integrity of the ATP Ranking system. It is also inconsistent with our Rankings agreement.

"Absent a change in circumstances, it is with great regret and reluctance that we see no option but to remove ATP Ranking points from Wimbledon for 2022."

The statement continued: "Our rules and agreements exist in order to protect the rights of players as a whole. Unilateral decisions of this nature, if unaddressed, set a damaging precedent for the rest of the Tour. Discrimination by individual tournaments is simply not viable on a Tour that operates in more than 30 countries.

"We greatly value our long-standing relationships with Wimbledon and the LTA and do not underestimate the difficult decisions faced in responding to recent UK Government guidance.

"However, we note that this was informal guidance, not a mandate, which offered an alternative option that would have left the decision in the hands of individual players competing as neutral athletes through a signed declaration.

"Our internal discussions with affected players in fact led us to conclude this would have been a more agreeable option for the Tour.

"We remain hopeful of further discussions with Wimbledon leading to an acceptable outcome for all concerned. More broadly, we believe this matter again highlights the need for a united governance structure across professional tennis so that decisions of this nature can be made in a joint manner."

Steve Simon, WTA Chairman, said in a statement: "As a result of the AELTC's position that it will not honour its obligation to use the WTA Rankings for entry into Wimbledon and proceed with a partial field not based on merit, the WTA has made the difficult decision to not award WTA ranking points for this year's Wimbledon Championships.

"The stance we are taking is about protecting the equal opportunities that WTA players should have to compete as individuals.

"If we do not take this stance, then we abandon our fundamental principle and allow the WTA to become an example to support discrimination based on nationality at other events and in other regions around the world. The WTA will continue to apply its rules to reject such discrimination."

The International Tennis Federation has also confirmed its decision not to grant ranking points to Wimbledon for Juniors and Wheelchair events.

"The ITF has determined that Wimbledon's entry criteria banning Russians and Belarusians compromises the integrity of its international competition, in particular its ranking system, as there is a lack of alternative equivalent opportunities for players to compete for ranking points and prize money," it said in a statement.

Wimbledon organisers said they had "deep disappointment" at the removal of ranking points, but added they stood by their decision.

A statement read: "We appreciate that opinions differ in relation to our decision to decline entries from Russian and Belarusian players to the championships this year, and we deeply regret the impact of this decision on the individuals affected.

"However, given the position taken by the UK Government to limit Russia's global influence, which removed automatic entry by ranking, and the widespread response of Government, industry, sport and creative institutions, we remain of the view that we have made the only viable decision for Wimbledon as a globally renowned sporting event and British institution, and we stand by the decision we have made.

"We therefore wish to state our deep disappointment at the decisions taken by the ATP, WTA and ITF in removing ranking points for the championships.

"We believe these decisions to be disproportionate in the context of the exceptional and extreme circumstances of this situation and the position we found ourselves in, and damaging to all players who compete on tour.

"We are considering our options, and we are reserving our position at this stage. We are also in discussion with our Grand Slam colleagues."

Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries criticised the decision and said it does not send the right message to Russian president Vladimir Putin.

She said: "The international sporting community rightly moved quickly and came together to condemn Putin's illegal and barbaric actions in Ukraine.

"Given the importance of sport and cultural bodies in making the Russian government an international pariah, we stand squarely behind the decision that Wimbledon and the LTA have taken to stand up for what is right.

"We deeply regret today's decision and urge the ATP, WTA and the ITF to consider their stance on ranking points at the Championships. It does not send the right message to either Putin or the people of Ukraine."

The move by the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) is the first time players have been banned on grounds of nationality since the immediate post-World War Two era when German and Japanese players were excluded.

SKY
 
Rafael Nadal began his quest for a record-extending 14th French Open men's title with a commanding straight-set victory over Australia's Jordan Thompson.

The Spaniard, aiming to reclaim his crown after Novak Djokovic's triumph in 2021, cruised to a 6-2 6-2 6-2 win.

It is a 106th French Open victory for the 35-year-old fifth seed.

He will face Corentin Moutet in the second round after the Frenchman's victory over 2015 winner Stan Wawrinka.

"I'm very happy with the victory today. I'm happy to get through in three sets," said Nadal, seeded outside the top four in Paris for just the second time in his career.

"It's a first round, a positive match for me. Straight sets but with significant room for improvement."

Nadal was troubled by the recurrence of a chronic foot injury at the Italian Open earlier this month, but appeared to be moving freely against world number 82 Thompson.

The record 21-time men's Grand Slam champion broke for 2-1 in the opening set with a backhand volley winner and moved 4-1 up with a crushing forehand.

Nadal, who could face Djokovic in the quarter-finals, broke serve in the first, fifth and seventh games to take the second set as an increasingly exasperated Thompson ran out of ideas.

Thompson did pull a break back in the third but Nadal's forehand volley moved him 3-2 and he secured the last three games to advance.

Serbia's world number one Djokovic opens his campaign later on Monday against Japan's Yoshihito Nishioka (19:45 BST).

BBC
 
Emma Raducanu showed fight and spirit to come back from a set down and win her senior debut at the French Open against Czech teenager Linda Noskova.
 
World number one Novak Djokovic launched his French Open title defence in routine fashion with a straight-set win over Japan's Yoshihito Nishioka.
 
World number two Daniil Medvedev reached the French Open second round with a comfortable win but 14th seed Denis Shapovalov made a surprise exit.

US Open champion Medvedev, 26, won 6-2 6-2 6-2 against Argentine Facundo Bagnis, ranked 103rd.

The Russian reached his first quarter-final at Roland Garros last year - having lost in the first round the four previous times.

He had been unsure of his participation after a hernia operation in April.

"I love Roland Garros, especially since last year. I hope this year I can go further," said Medvedev, who will meet Serb Laslo Djere or Lithuanian Ricardas Berankis next.

"When I went under the operation I didn't think I was going to play on clay, but I managed with the doctor and physio to get back. Physically, I feel 100 per cent."

Meanwhile, 2021 Wimbledon semi-finalist Shapovalov said he "didn't really show up" in a straight-sets defeat by Danish 19-year-old Holger Rune.

The 23-year-old Canadian, who reached the last eight at the Australian Open earlier this year, made a huge 53 unforced errors as the 2019 junior Roland Garros champion won 6-3 6-1 7-6 (7-4).

Bagnis, 32, immediately responded after seeing his serve broken in the opening game - but that was to prove a rare glimmer of hope for him against Medvedev on Court Suzanne Lenglen.

In a dominant display, second seed Medvedev won nine successive games as he efficiently settled the first set and took a commanding 4-0 lead on his way to clinching the second.

The Russian, unable to compete under his national flag because of the war in Ukraine, saw his progress checked as Bagnis - struggling with a calf issue throughout - broke back to level the third set at 2-2.

But that only served to refocus Medvedev, who rattled through the next four games to end the contest after just one hour and 38 minutes.

Bagnis could be fined his full prize money if it is decided that his injury prevented the Argentine meeting the required professional standard.

"It was a tough first round. I tried to give my best. I didn't have it in my best condition, I had a problem last week in my leg, but I came here to Roland Garros to get ready and try to give 100 percent," Bagnis said.

"But today after the warm-up I felt it again, the problem, so it was tough because I think I couldn't play, but I wanted to continue. I wanted to finish the match, so, I tried to do it, but it was not to easy so that's the reality."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/61565909
 
World number two Daniil Medvedev and 2021 runner-up Stefanos Tsitsipas reached the French Open second round but 14th seed Denis Shapovalov made a surprise exit.
 
British number one Emma Raducanu was unable to capitalise on a one-set lead as her French Open debut ended with a defeat in the second round.

Raducanu, 19, lost 3-6 6-1 6-1 to Aliaksandra Sasnovich of Belarus.

Later on Wednesday, Cameron Norrie became the first British singles player to reach this year's third round.

Norrie, seeded 10th, earned a 6-3 6-4 6-3 win over Australia's Jason Kubler to reach the last 32 on the Paris clay for the second successive year.

Norrie will face Karen Khachanov, the 21st seed, for a fourth-round spot.

British number two Dan Evans is aiming to join Norrie when he plays on Thursday.

Raducanu's exit means there are no British women left in the singles draw, with Heather Watson and Harriet Dart losing in the first round.

BBC
 
MenInG said:
British number one Emma Raducanu was unable to capitalise on a one-set lead as her French Open debut ended with a defeat in the second round.

Raducanu, 19, lost 3-6 6-1 6-1 to Aliaksandra Sasnovich of Belarus.

Later on Wednesday, Cameron Norrie became the first British singles player to reach this year's third round.

Norrie, seeded 10th, earned a 6-3 6-4 6-3 win over Australia's Jason Kubler to reach the last 32 on the Paris clay for the second successive year.

Norrie will face Karen Khachanov, the 21st seed, for a fourth-round spot.

British number two Dan Evans is aiming to join Norrie when he plays on Thursday.

Raducanu's exit means there are no British women left in the singles draw, with Heather Watson and Harriet Dart losing in the first round.

BBC
Click to expand...

Looking increasingly a one-hit wonder
 
Andy Murray says Wimbledon will never be an exhibition, even without ranking points

Two-time champion Andy Murray says Wimbledon will "never feel like an exhibition" despite it being stripped of ranking points by the ATP and WTA.

Points were removed after organisers banned Russians and Belarusians following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Japan's Naomi Osaka has said she may not play the grass-court Grand Slam as it is now "more like an exhibition".

"I follow golf very closely and have no idea how many ranking points the winner of the Masters gets," Murray said.

"Me and my friends love football and none of us know or care how many ranking points a team gets for winning the World Cup," the British former world number one continued.

"But I could tell you exactly who won the World Cup and the Masters. I'd hazard a guess that most people watching on Centre Court at Wimbledon in a few weeks' time wouldn't know or care about how many ranking points a player gets for winning a third-round match.

"But I guarantee they will remember who wins. Wimbledon will never be an exhibition and will never feel like an exhibition. The end."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/61581379
 
Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev saved match points to fight back from the brink and reach the French Open third round.

Spanish teenager Alcaraz won a rollercoaster match against compatriot Albert Ramos-Vinolas 6-1 6-7 (7-9) 5-7 7-6 (7-2) 6-4.

That came after German third seed Zverev sealed a 2-6 4-6 6-1 6-2 7-5 win over Argentine Sebastian Baez.

By contrast, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal both swept past their opponents.

Serbia's defending champion Djokovic beat 38th-ranked Slovak Alex Molcan 6-2 6-3 7-6 (7-4), while Spanish 13-time winner Nadal defeated Frenchman Corentin Moutet 6-3 6-1 6-4 for his 300th Grand Slam match win.
 
French wildcard Leolia Jeanjean stunned eighth seed Karolina Pliskova in the French Open second round for a win she said "will change everything".

The world number 227, who lived on minimum wage after a knee injury when she was 15 kept her off the courts for two years, beat the Czech 6-2 6-2.

The 26-year-old has earned a minimum of 125,800 euros (£107,118) here following the upset that surprised even her.

==
 
Second seed Daniil Medvedev moved into the third round of the French Open by beating Serbia's Laslo Djere.

The 26-year-old US Open champion gained a routine 6-3 6-4 6-3 victory in Thursday's opening match on Court Philippe Chatrier.

The Russian will face Serbia's 28th seed Miomir Kecmanovic, who won in four sets against Alexander Bublik.

"It was a very tough match but I'm happy to win. I have a lot more to do to be remembered," Medvedev said.

"Laslo was playing a bit better clay-court tennis but I managed to fight to put one more ball in."
 
Former champion Simona Halep suffered a mid-match panic attack as the Romanian lost her second-round match at the French Open.

World No 1 Iga Swiatek needed just 61 minutes to beat Alison Riske and progress into the third round of the French Open.
 
The All England Lawn Tennis Club has decided to change Wimbledon’s honour roll for the Championships next month, removing titles before the names of its female champions in line with the tournament’s presentation of its male winners.

The change to the honours boards around the club is part of a push to further modernise the tournament.

Since the tournament began in 1877, women’s and men’s names on the honour roll have been presented differently. The men’s champions are recorded as just their first initial and their surname, meaning last year’s champion, Novak Djokovic, has always been presented as “N Djokovic”.

The women’s champions, meanwhile, have always been referred to with their title included. Venus Williams, the five-time winner, had her name presented as Miss V. Williams each time. Last year Ashleigh Barty was identified on the honours board as Miss A. Barty.

Wimbledon’s decision to replace their honours boards, first reported in the Times, will notably see a change in how married women’s champions are recorded, with married women no longer being identified by both the initials and surnames of their husbands, as things have also stood since the tournament’s inception.

After marrying John Lloyd, Chris Evert was identified on the women’s singles honours boards for her 1981 triumph as Mrs. J.M. Lloyd. Both before her marriage to Lloyd and after their divorce in 1987, her name was engraved as Miss C.M. Evert while the original 1981 version has not been altered. She will now be referred to as C.M. Evert for all three of her victories.

Even Billie Jean King, the six-time women’s singles champion and legendary pioneer for equality, was not spared. She has always been listed on Wimbledon’s honours boards as Mrs. L.W. King despite her divorce to Larry King in 1987. Likewise, Evonne Goolagong Cawley has been listed on the All England Club’s honour boards as Mrs. R. Cawley for her 1980 championship win.

Wimbledon’s honour board has been discussed and criticised frequently in the past, seen by some as a reflection of Wimbledon being outdated and out of touch. In 2018, the New York Times drew attention to the practice of umpires identifying male and female players differently.

A year later, in 2019, Wimbledon decided to end the policy of umpires identifying women’s players with their titles while they only called out male players’ surnames. Previously, Serena Williams would be referred to as “Mrs Williams”, while Roger Federer was simply referred to as “Federer”.

Last year, Barty’s triumph at Wimbledon generated considerable attention among Australian fans and media after footage of her newly-engraved name being unveiled on Wimbledon’s honours boards was broadcast after the ceremony, with the Australian sports opinion publication the Roar publishing an op-ed criticising the practice.

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2...d-miss-before-names-womens-honour-roll-tennis
 
French Open: Novak Djokovic & Rafael Nadal into last 16 at Roland Garros

Defending champion Novak Djokovic produced another outstanding display as he reached the French Open fourth round without dropping a set all week.

Serbia's Djokovic, 34, won 6-3 6-3 6-2 - saving one break point in the third set - against Slovenia's Aljaz Bedene.

The top seed remains on course for a potential quarter-final meeting with Spain's 13-time champion Rafael Nadal.

Nadal, 35, also moved into the last 16 on Friday with a 6-3 6-2 6-4 win over Dutch opponent Botic van de Zandschulp.

Nadal, who was beaten by Djokovic in a gripping semi-final last year, will face Canada's Felix Auger-Aliassime in Paris on Sunday.

An intriguing element to that match is that Toni Nadal - Rafael's uncle, who coached him to 16 of his 21 major titles - is part of ninth seed Auger-Aliassime's team.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/61609932
 
Two-time Grand Slam winner Victoria Azarenka was knocked out of the French Open by Jil Teichmann in a three-set third-round thriller at Roland Garros.
 
Spanish teenage sensation Carlos Alcaraz became the youngest man to make the fourth round at the French Open on Friday since Novak Djokovic in 2006.

Alcaraz, 19, beat Sebastian Korda 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 as he avenged last month's loss to the American at Monte Carlo -- his only defeat on clay this year in 21 matches.

His comfortable victory was in stark contrast to his troubles in the third round when he had to save a match point and go five sets to defeat compatriot Albert Ramos-Vinolas.

Playing in the tougher half of the draw, Alcaraz could face third seed Alexander Zverev in the quarter-finals.

Defending champion and world number one Djokovic and 13-time winner Rafael Nadal are potential semi-final opponents.

However, the teenager defeated all three on his way to the Madrid Masters title earlier this month.

"I think I am ready," he said. "If I win this tournament I would say it's my golden ticket."

The sixth seed goes on to face Karen Khachanov, the 21st seed, for a place in the quarter-finals.

Khachanov, who knocked out British 10th seed Cameron Norrie 6-2, 7-5, 5-7, 6-4 to reach the last 16, made the quarter-finals in 2019.

"I just practice with him just once, but I watch other matches from him, so I know that it's going to be a tough match," said Alcaraz.

"But at the same time as well he's a tough opponent and I like those matches."

© 2022 AFP
 
Hot favourite Iga Swiatek came through her toughest test yet to reach the French Open last 16 as the draw continued to open up for her in Paris. The world number one beat Danka Kovinic of Montenegro 6-3 7-5.

Daniil Medvedev continued his impressive form as he picked apart Miomir Kecmanovic to reach the fourth round of the French Open without dropping set. The second seed was relentless and inventive throughout a 6-2 6-4 6-2 win over the Serb 28th seed.

Rafael Nadal says he does not think his uncle and former coach Toni could ever wish him to lose - despite now guiding his next opponent at the French Open. Nadal, 35, plays Canadian ninth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime in the fourth round at Roland Garros on Sunday at around 15:00 BST.
 
Teenagers Coco Gauff and Leylah Fernandez claimed impressive wins to reach the French Open quarter-finals.

Canada's Fernandez made the last eight at Roland Garros for the first time with a battling victory over Amanda Anisimova.

The 2021 US Open runner-up, 19, beat the American 6-3 4-6 6-3.

Meanwhile, Gauff, 18, edged a tight first set against Elise Mertens before blowing the Belgian away in the second to triumph 6-4 6-0.

The American progresses to the quarter-finals in Paris for the second successive year, equalling her best run at a Grand Slam, and will face either compatriot Sloane Stephens or Switzerland's Jil Teichmann.

"I just tell myself to fight for every point - pressure is a privilege and I used to focus too much on results but this Slam I am having the most fun that I ever have had at a tournament," Gauff said in her on-court interview.

Fernandez, the 17th seed, had to fight harder for her victory, forced into a deciding set by 27th seed Anisimova.

"It was a very complicated match - Amanda is a very good player but I was happy to win," said Fernandez, who lost to Britain's Emma Raducanu in her first Grand Slam final in New York last September.

She will face Martina Trevisan for a semi-final spot following the unseeded Italian's 7-6 (12-10) 7-5 win over Belarusian Aliaksandra Sasnovich.

The 28-year-old Italian broke out into a broad smile at match point.

"I know that it's weird that I was smiling but you know it helped me a lot during the moment of [needing to have] more patience and [feeling] more nervous," Trevisan said after making the quarter-finals at Roland Garros for the second time.

"I remember to smile and I feel better. It's not easy to do because the situation is very tough but I practise it a lot."

BBC
 
nadal just beaten felix, it was a grood contest by felix, nearly, nadal was just half a step ahead in the last set, nadal wins in 5th set 3-6 6-3 6-2 3-6 6-3
 
James said:
Nadal gets through a scrape there!
Click to expand...

Rafael Nadal set up a French Open quarter-final against long-time rival Novak Djokovic after winning an absorbing five-set battle with Canada's Felix Auger-Aliassime in Paris.

Spain's Nadal, 35, dropped sets for the first time at this year's event but recovered to win 3-6 6-3 6-2 3-6 6-3.

Top seed Djokovic moved up a gear to beat 15th seed Diego Schwartzman.

The 35-year-old Serb produced his best level so far in the tournament to win 6-1 6-3 6-3 in his fourth-round match.

Fifth seed Nadal fixed up a 59th career meeting with Djokovic - a men's record - by beating ninth seed Auger-Aliassime later on Sunday.

Elsewhere, Alexander Zverev booked his place in the quarter-finals despite a patchy display against Spanish qualifier Bernabe Zapata Miralles as the third seed triumphed 7-6 (13-11) 7-5 6-3.

The 25-year-old German will next face the winner of Sunday's night session encounter between Spanish teenager Carlos Alcaraz and Karen Khachanov.

BBC
 
Emma Raducanu's US Open victory showed anyone can win titles, says Coco Gauff

Emma Raducanu's US Open triumph showed any player can challenge for Grand Slam titles in women's tennis, says French Open quarter-finalist Coco Gauff.

The women's draw at Roland Garros is wide open after a string of upsets left world number one Iga Swiatek as the sole top-10 player remaining.

Britain's Raducanu, 19, progressed from qualifying to win the 2021 US Open.

"I'm thinking, especially if the US Open taught us anything, that anybody can win on any day," said Gauff, 18.

"I think all players should really go into the match thinking about that."

Like Raducanu, Gauff burst on to the scene at Wimbledon, the American with a run to the fourth round in 2019 and Raducanu exiting at the same stage two years later.

Raducanu was knocked out of her maiden French Open in the second round but Gauff, seeded 18th, is through to the quarter-finals for the second successive year after victory over Elise Mertens on Sunday.

Shock defeats for Aryna Sabalenka and Paula Badosa on Saturday - as well as even earlier exits for other top seeds, such as defending champion Barbora Krejcikova and Wimbledon runner-up Karolina Pliskova - have seemingly paved the way for Swiatek to win her second title at Roland Garros.

Swiatek, who won her only Grand Slam in 2020, is on a 31-match winning streak and has not dropped a set at the tournament yet. The Pole faces Chinese world number 74 Zheng Qinwen for a place in the quarter-finals on Monday.

Like Gauff, Canada's 17th seed and fellow teenager Leylah Fernandez - whom Raducanu beat in the US Open final - has booked her place in the last eight, where she will meet Italy's Martina Trevisan.

"I think for me I've always believed that I could go far, but for other players I think so as well," added Gauff, who will face compatriot Sloane Stephens, the 2017 US Open champion, in the last eight.

"In this tournament, both sides of the draw, with the exception of Iga, there are a lot of lower-seeded and lower-ranked players still left in the tournament.

"So I really think that players believe that. Other players believe that. I think a lot of it stems from that tournament."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/61627396
 
Fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas became the highest-profile casualty of the French Open men's draw as he lost in four sets to teenage Dane Holger Rune.

The 19-year-old punished a lacklustre display from the 2021 Roland Garros runner-up to triumph 7-5 3-6 6-3 6-4.

Rune had never won a Grand Slam match before this event but has dropped just one set in reaching the quarter-finals.

He meets Casper Ruud in the last eight after the Norwegian also won in four sets, beating Hubert Hurkacz.

World number four Tsitsipas seemed strangely subdued for large parts of the fourth-round match, although he levelled after losing the first set and threatened a fightback towards the end of the fourth.

But Rune saved three break points to serve out the match and become the first Danish man to reach a quarter-final on the Paris clay - and the first since 1967 to make the last eight in any Grand Slam.

"I was very nervous, but at the same time I knew that if I went away from my tactics I would lose for sure," world number 40 Rune said in his on-court interview.

"It was part of the tactic to be as aggressive as possible - Tsitsipas attacks every ball so I had to be aggressive, play fast and I really like playing the drop shots. It worked out and I'm really happy."

With fellow 19-year-old Carlos Alcaraz also through, it ensured two teenagers are in the last eight of a Grand Slam for the first time since the 1994 French Open.

Rune, who won the boys' title at Roland Garros in 2019, appeared much fresher throughout, with Tsitsipas perhaps feeling the effects of his two draining opening matches.

The Greek came from two sets down to beat Lorenzo Musetti in the first round and then took four hours to see off Czech qualifier Zdenek Kolar in round two.

Ruud sets up all-Scandinavian quarter-final

Eighth seed Ruud also made history by becoming the first Norwegian man to reach a Grand Slam quarter-final with his 6-2 6-3 3-6 6-3 victory over Hurkacz.

The 23-year-old's previous best run at a major came in reaching the 2021 Australian Open fourth round but he assumed control from the off against the Polish 12th seed.

Hurkacz had not dropped serve all tournament but Ruud put paid to that statistic in his very first return game and went on to break on five further occasions.

"It's been a goal of mine to reach the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam - I feel more experienced now playing best of five sets," said Ruud.

BBC
 
Top seed Iga Swiatek fought back from dropping her first set in 10 matches to beat China's Zheng Qinwen and reach the French Open quarter-finals.

Swiatek, who turns 21 on Tuesday, celebrated by earning a 6-7 (5-7) 6-0 6-2 win over world number 74 Zheng.

Zheng fought off five set points to win an absorbing opener, then was hampered by a thigh injury from the second set.

Poland's Swiatek extended her winning streak to 32 matches and now faces 11th seed Jessica Pegula.

Pegula also produced a comeback to beat Romania's Irina-Camelia Begu 4-6 6-2 6-3 in her fourth-round match earlier on Monday.

The 28-year-old American is the highest seed left in the women's singles behind Swiatek, who has only faced unseeded opponents so far.

After recently reaching a clay-court final in Madrid, Pegula has made the quarter-finals at Roland Garros for the first time.

Now she faces the toughest task in tennis at the moment - stopping hot favourite Swiatek at the place where the Pole won her maiden Grand Slam title in 2020.

BBC
 
Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas suffered surprise fourth-round exits on a day of shocks in the men's draw at the French Open.

World number two Medvedev was thrashed 6-2 6-3 6-2 by Croatian Marin Cilic in a one-sided evening session.

Fourth seed Tsitsipas lost in four sets as teenager Holger Rune reached a maiden Grand Slam quarter-final.

The Dane, 19, punished a lacklustre display from the 2021 Roland Garros runner-up to triumph 7-5 3-6 6-3 6-4.
 
French Open: Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic set for Roland Garros quarter-final

Novak Djokovic says he is ready for the "biggest challenge one can have" at the French Open when he plays 13-time champion Rafael Nadal in a much-anticipated quarter-final on Tuesday.

The pair, who have 41 Grand Slam titles between them, continue their rivalry with a men's record 59th meeting.

The match starts at 19:45 BST in the Court Philippe-Chatrier night session.

"I like the way I've been feeling, the way I'm hitting the ball. I'm ready," said defending champion Djokovic.

Spain's Nadal, who is still finding his best level after recent fitness issues, added: "I haven't played these kind of matches for three months so it is going to be a big challenge for me."

Fifth seed Nadal, 35, has not played Serbia's Djokovic since he lost to the world number one in last year's semi-finals on the Paris clay.

Djokovic, 35, leads 30-28 in the head-to head record after he handed Nadal just his third loss at Roland Garros.

Nadal moved ahead of Djokovic and Switzerland's Roger Federer in terms of Grand Slam men's singles trophies when he won a record 21st title with victory at the Australian Open in January.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/61636755
 
Alexander Zverev (3) beat Carlos Alcaraz (6) 6-4, 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 to progress to the #rolandgarros last 4 in Paris for the 2nd straight year
 
Djokovic, 35, and Nadal, a few days from his 36th birthday, are still putting on marathon classics in Grand Slams in 2022.

The sheer mental and physical fortitude to still be producing these performances against each other every tournament is ridiculous.

Nadal just came off a 4h21m 5-setter 48 hours ago. The bar these guys have set is insane.
 
Rafa is on fire today. This man isn’t showing any signs of slowing down.
 
What a brilliant win in a brilliant match. What more can you say about Rafa.
 
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