INSIDER
US Open: Tiafoe, Fritz, Pegula and Navarro reach the semifinals and make US tennis matter again
Read full article: US Open: Tiafoe, Fritz, Pegula and Navarro reach the semifinals and make US tennis matter againIt's been 21 years since an American man won a Grand Slam title, but the country is guaranteed a male finalist at the U.S. Open this weekend.
Civil rights lawyer Ben Crump advertises his firm on patches worn by US Open tennis players
Read full article: Civil rights lawyer Ben Crump advertises his firm on patches worn by US Open tennis playersProminent civil rights lawyer Ben Crump is advertising on players’ outfits at the U.S. Open Grand Slam tennis tournament this week by placing his firm’s name on sponsor patches worn during matches.
No. 1 seeds Sinner, Swiatek move into the third round at the US Open; Alcaraz, Osaka eliminated
Read full article: No. 1 seeds Sinner, Swiatek move into the third round at the US Open; Alcaraz, Osaka eliminatedIga Swiatek and Jannik Sinner have flashed their No. 1 form with powerful performances that moved them into the third round of the U.S. Open.
Rajeev Ram and Austin Krajicek win in doubles to lead the US past Ukraine in the Davis Cup
Read full article: Rajeev Ram and Austin Krajicek win in doubles to lead the US past Ukraine in the Davis CupRajeev Ram and Austin Krajicek have clinched a spot for the United States in the Davis Cup Finals group round by winning the doubles match against Ukraine for an insurmountable 3-0 lead in the best-of-five-match qualifying series in Vilnius, Lithuania.
Chris Eubanks and Sebastian Korda give the US a 2-0 lead over Ukraine in the Davis Cup
Read full article: Chris Eubanks and Sebastian Korda give the US a 2-0 lead over Ukraine in the Davis CupChris Eubanks and Sebastian Korda have given the United States a 2-0 lead against Ukraine in Davis Cup qualifying.
Swiatek beats Samsonova to take China Open title. Korda stuns Medvedev at Shanghai
Read full article: Swiatek beats Samsonova to take China Open title. Korda stuns Medvedev at ShanghaiSecond-ranked Iga Swiatek won the China Open final with a near-perfect 6-2, 6-2 victory over Liudmila Samsonova, for her tour-leading fifth title of the season.
Swiatek ends Gauff's 16-match winning streak in Beijing, Alcaraz breezes through in Shanghai
Read full article: Swiatek ends Gauff's 16-match winning streak in Beijing, Alcaraz breezes through in ShanghaiSecond-ranked Iga Swiatek has ended Coco Gauff’s 16-match winning streak to advance to the China Open final with a dominant 6-2, 6-3 victory over the U.S. Open champion.
Korda, 1998 Australian Open champ Petr's son, in 1st Slam QF
Read full article: Korda, 1998 Australian Open champ Petr's son, in 1st Slam QFSebastian Korda has reached the first Grand Slam quarterfinal of his career by beating 10th-seeded Hubert Hurkacz in a fifth-set tiebreaker at the Australian Open.
A busy Thursday in golf and tennis awaits the Korda family
Read full article: A busy Thursday in golf and tennis awaits the Korda familyMIAMI – Nelly Korda keeps asking her parents if she can book their flight to watch her and her sister play in the LPGA’s first major of the year this week. “Probably they’re going to change their schedule a little bit and hopefully stay with me,” Sebastian Korda said. 18 in the world; Nelly Korda, 22, is ranked No. Sebastian Korda is the little brother, at least in terms of age — he’s 20, but at 6-foot-5, he’s certainly not little. “He loves to pump up,” Nelly Korda said.
Barty goes distance, tops Azarenka to reach Miami quarters
Read full article: Barty goes distance, tops Azarenka to reach Miami quartersAshleigh Barty of Australia, returns to Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, during the Miami Open tennis tournament, Monday, March 29, 2021, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)MIAMI – Ash Barty is tough to beat under any circumstances, especially when she’s on the ropes. The world’s top-ranked player has reached the Miami Open quarterfinals, getting there by holding off 14th-seeded Victoria Azarenka of Belarus 6-1, 1-6, 6-2. This, too, was cool: The match lived up to its showdown potential, with the reigning Miami Open champion and current world No. 1 in Barty facing someone who has won the Miami title three times and a previous world No. Svitolina will play unseeded Anastasija Sevastova of Latvia in the quarters; Sevastova was a 6-1, 7-5 winner over wild-card Ana Konjuh of Croatia.
Tsitsipas, with Big Three missing, makes 4th round in Miami
Read full article: Tsitsipas, with Big Three missing, makes 4th round in MiamiStefanos Tsitsipas of Greece returns to Damir Dzumhur of Bosnia during the Miami Open tennis tournament, Saturday, March 27, 2021, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)MIAMI – For tennis up-and-comers like Stefanos Tsitsipas, the draw at the Miami Open began to look a lot less daunting even before the tournament began. “It’s a first test to see how it is playing without them,” Tsitsipas said after his third-round victory Saturday. 2-seeded Tsitsipas is among those with the best chance to take advantage, and he looked the part against Damir Dzumhur, winning 6-1, 6-4. “I created a lot of opportunities with my serve — I wasn’t rushing at all, finding the right angles and executing it perfectly,” Tsitsipas said. In women's play, top-ranked Ash Barty and three-time champion Victoria Azarenka advanced to a round of 16 showdown.
No sign of Grand Slam drought ending soon for American men
Read full article: No sign of Grand Slam drought ending soon for American menThe last American man to win a Grand Slam tournament was Andy Roddick at the U.S. Open in 2003, and there's no sign the drought will end anytime soon. “But I don’t see it being what it once was ever again.”AdOpelka, for one, isn’t surprised the United States has the same number of seeded men in Melbourne as, say, Bulgaria or Norway. The United States has four seeded women in Melbourne, including Kenin and Serena Williams. That’s a challenge, because those kids want to play basketball and football.”The United States Tennis Association has inner-city programs in more than 250 locations. Opelka (ranked 38th), Fritz (ranked 31st), Tommy Paul (53rd) and Frances Tiafoe (64th) are all 23 and good friends who root for each other.
Winds of change blow on day of upsets at French Open
Read full article: Winds of change blow on day of upsets at French OpenPoland's Iga Swiatek serves against Romania's Simona Halep in the fourth round match of the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, France, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2020. His long-term sights are set on winning at least two Grand Slam titles, one more than his dad, 1998 Australian Open champion Petr Korda. Swiatek and Trevisan will now play each other in what will be a first Grand Slam quarterfinal for them both. The 131st-ranked Podoroska, who lost in the first round at her only previous Grand Slam, the U.S. Open in 2016, will face third-seeded Elina Svitolina from Ukraine. The semifinalist last year at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open advanced 6-1, 6-3 against Caroline Garcia of France.
The Latest: Thiem vs. Schwartzman in French quarterfinals
Read full article: The Latest: Thiem vs. Schwartzman in French quarterfinals(AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)PARIS – The Latest from the French Open (all times local):___8:30 p.m.Two-time French Open runner-up Dominic Thiem survived a spirited comeback by a French wild-card entry to win their fourth-round match in five sets. He equaled his best Grand Slam showing by reaching his fourth major quarterfinal with a 6-1, 6-3, 6-4 win over Lorenzo Sonego. Organizers said the sixth-seeded German player did not consult their doctors before his fourth-round match against Italian teenager Jannik Sinner, despite the symptoms he later disclosed in his news conference after he was beaten 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3. While there have been upsets in the women's draw, it's business as usual for Rafael Nadal among the men at the French Open. It's quickly becoming a day of upsets at the French Open, with Italian qualifier Martina Trevisan beating the fifth-seeded Kiki Bertens 6-4, 6-4.
Djokovic leads been-there-done-that crew at wild French Open
Read full article: Djokovic leads been-there-done-that crew at wild French OpenIs it the two-week gap from the end of the U.S. Open to the start of the French Open? The women’s matchups established Saturday: Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin against Fiona Ferro; two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova against Zhang Shuai; Paula Badosa against Laura Siegemund; and No. “You can go out any round,” said Garbiñe Muguruza, the 2016 French Open champion who was beaten by the 57th-ranked Collins 7-5, 2-6, 6-4 in Saturday's last match. The 22-year-old from Spain, ranked 87th, defeated 2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko 6-4, 6-3. “It’s really nice, I think, overall for tennis to see new faces, young players,” Djokovic said.
The Latest: Dimitrov in French's 4th for 1st time; foe sick
Read full article: The Latest: Dimitrov in French's 4th for 1st time; foe sickBut he had been 0-4 in the third round at the French Open until now. ___4:20 p.m.Fifth-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas reached the fourth round at the French Open for the second year in a row. The 22-year-old has now upset seventh-seeded Matteo Berrettini to storm into the fourth round with a 6-2, 7-6 (5), 6-4 win. That many men haven’t gone that far on their debuts at Roland Garros since four debutants made the last 16 in 1994. ___1:10 p.m.Andrey Rublev advanced to the French Open fourth round with a 6-3, 6-2, 6-3 win against the unseeded South African Kevin Anderson.
'Are you Sebastian’s father?' Korda, 20, takes on idol Nadal
Read full article: 'Are you Sebastian’s father?' Korda, 20, takes on idol Nadal(AP Photo/Peter Dejong)PARIS – Sebastian Korda was 9, heart set on a hockey career, when he went with his father, Petr, to the 2009 U.S. Open. By then, Petr — 1998 Australian Open champion, 1992 French Open finalist — had retired as a competitor and turned to coaching. Went home, came back the next year, and said, ‘This is exactly what I want to do,’” Korda said. “Everybody is always asking him: ‘Are you the son of Petr Korda?’ Which I would love to change in the future,” Dad said in a telephone interview, “so that people ask me, ‘Are you Sebastian’s father? On Sunday, Korda plays 12-time champion Rafael Nadal, while Gaston meets U.S. Open champion Dominic Thiem.
'Bad timing and bad luck': Injured Serena out of French Open
Read full article: 'Bad timing and bad luck': Injured Serena out of French Open“If it was my knee, that would be more really devastating for me. I feel like my body is actually doing really, really well,” said Williams, who turned 39 on Saturday. Williams took a long pause, clutched at that leg and then took a medical timeout so a trainer could wrap it. I was able to get it somewhat better, but just looking long-term in this tournament, will I be able to get through enough matches? And so, for me, I don’t think I could,” Williams said Wednesday.
The Latest: Gauff undone by 19 double-faults in French loss
Read full article: The Latest: Gauff undone by 19 double-faults in French loss(AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)PARIS – The Latest from the French Open (all times local):___9:35 p.m.American teenager Coco Gauff’s French Open debut has ended in the second round after she double-faulted 19 times in a 4-6, 6-2, 7-5 loss to 159th-ranked qualifier Martina Trevisan. Stefano Travaglia beat the Japanese player 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (7), 4-6, 6-2 in the second round of the French Open after nearly four hours. 2-seeded Spaniard is looking to win his record-extending 13th French Open title and equal Roger Federer’s men’s record of 20 major titles overall. ___2:55 p.m.U.S. Open runner-up Victoria Azarenka is out of the French Open in the second round. They said it was "a fighter plane which has broken the sound barrier.”___12 p.m.Serena Williams is out of the French Open.
Wawrinka routs Murray in Slam champ matchup at French Open
Read full article: Wawrinka routs Murray in Slam champ matchup at French OpenMurray and Wawrinka met in the 2017 semifinals in Paris and neither has been quite the same since. “To me, also.”But 2015 French Open champion Wawrinka’s road back from two procedures on his knee has been less arduous than Murray’s journey. VENUS DONE FOR 2020Venus Williams finished 2020 with an 0-3 record in Grand Slam matches, adding a first-round exit at the French Open to those she had at the Australian Open and U.S. Open. So I’m looking forward to that.”She is a seven-time major champion and was the 2002 runner-up at the French Open to her younger sister, Serena. The 20-year-old American’s father, Petr, won the 1998 Australian Open and was the runner-up at the 1992 French Open; his mother, Regina, reached the top 30 in the WTA rankings.
The Latest: US Open runner-up Zverev wins 1st match in Paris
Read full article: The Latest: US Open runner-up Zverev wins 1st match in ParisThe French Open is the only Grand Slam tournament that does not use tiebreakers in the final set. 9 seed Johanna Konta 6-3, 6-3 at Court Suzanne Lenglen on Sunday. ___7:30 p.m.Stan Wawrinka made quick work of Andy Murray in their reunion of sorts at the French Open. One of his coaches is Wolfgang Thiem, the father of fellow Austrian Dominic Thiem — the U.S. Open champion, and French Open runner-up the past two years. The 20-year-old Korda beat Andreas Seppi of Italy 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3.