Epic tiebreaker sees third seed undone
THE big names continue to fall in the women’s draw at the Australian Open, with Elena Rybakina the latest victim. After an epic record-breaking 31-minute third set tie breaker, the number three seed and 2023 finalist was ultimately beaten by Anna Blinkova 6-4, 4-6, 722-620. In the match Rybakina served nine aces compared to Blinkova’s […]
2023 BJK Cup Finals preview: Swiss eye back-to-back titles
SWITZERLAND returns to the Billie Jean King Cup Finals determined to go back-to-back after defeating Australia in the decider last year. Twelve months on, and the four players that tasted that success return with top seeded Belinda Bencic alongside Jil Teichmann, while doubles pairing Viktorija Golubic and Simona Waltert are also back. This year, the […]
Déjà vu as Muchova downs Maria in Paris opener
FOR the second successive year, Czech Karolina Muchova has knocked off Greek talent Maria Sakkari at the French Open, grinding out a 7-6 7-5 victory on Court Suzanne Lenglen to advance to the Round of 64. After defeating Sakkari in the second round last year at Roland Garros, Muchova double down on her efforts against […]
Swiatek’s swift surge to Doha title
WORLD number one Iga Swiatek made light work of the rest of the competition at Doha, claiming the WTA 500 title in just three hours. That was not the length of the final, but rather, the entire tournament, as Swiatek dropped just five games in three matches, as well as having a first round bye […]
Zheng continues ascent up WTA rankings
POWERFUL Chinese young gun Qinwen Zheng remains one of the shining lights on Tour, backing up a promising start to 2023 to reach the quarter finals of the Abu Dhabi Open. Following the conclusion of the Australian Open – where Zheng had a shock loss to American Bernarda Pera as 29th seed – the Chinese […]
2023 Australian Open ICYMI: Day 5
AFTER a day of upsets and epics on Thursday, and though a bit more normality returned to Melbourne Park in the day session, there were still plenty of surprises at night. THE GOOD: Unpredictable wins. China’s Lin Zhu stunned sixth seed Maria Sakkari in three sets, while Sebastian Korda took down 2022 finalist, Daniil Medvedev […]
Wimbledon champ Rybakina rolls on
ONE of the more underrated players on the WTA Tour, Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina is quietly becoming one of the world’s best, even if she is not always rewarded for it. Given the lack of points awarded at the All-England Club last year, Rybakina’s Wimbledon triumph did not give the talented 23-year-old the reward on the […]
2023 Australian Open ICYMI: Day 1
IT was a massive opening day at Melbourne Park, with plenty of storylines coming from the 2023 Australian Open. We take a look at the good, bad and ugly, as well as some of the matches that stood out for fans as the first Grand Slam of the year got underway. THE GOOD: Chinese teenager […]
2023 Australian Open preview: Women’s Singles
MONDAY marks the start of Australia’s most prestigious tennis tournament, with the Australian Open kicking off at Melbourne Park. The first round contains 128 players – including 32 qualifiers – 64 of whom will take to the courts on the opening day. We take a look at the Australian Open women’s singles field, and how […]
Around the Tours – Jan 5: Qualifiers surprise in Adelaide
QUARTER finalists have been determined in Auckland, Adelaide and Pune, with one semi-final also already set to take place in the latter’s ATP250 event. While we have provided daily coverage on the United Cup the past week, the other four majors events – including the Adelaide ATP and WTA events – have been running concurrently […]
