Osaka earns breakthrough milestone in Doha
FORMER world number one Naomi Osaka earned back-to-back victories on the WTA Tour for the first time in almost two years overnight, defeating another former top 15 player in Petra Martic, 6-3 7-6. The Japanese star missed all of 2023 after giving birth to her daughter Shai, but is now into the Round of 16 […]
Sorana stuns Sakkari to reach Abu Dhabi quarters
A GOBSMACKING performance from Sorana Cirstea resulted in the Romanian world number 26 completely dismantling Greek third seed Maria Sakkari to reach the WTA 500 Abu Dhabi quarter finals overnight. Though Cirstea had a 2-1 head-to-head record over the top 10 talent, few could have seen the 33-year-old winning 6-2 6-1 in an hour and […]
Tour scoreboard: Shnaider takes out top seed in Thailand
RUSSIAN teenager Diana Shnaider bounced back from a forgettable second set to knock off top-seeded Pole, Magna Linette in the WTA 250 Thailand Open. The first round matchup was always a danger for Linette – the world number 56 – with the 108th ranked Russian having caused some big upsets in the past. In what […]
Seeds scattered on Uruguayan clay
IT was a brutal day on the Uruguayan clay at the Punta Del Este Challenger 75 event. Of the six seeds in action, just two survived their first round encounters, with two losing to qualifiers in an unpredictable second day of action. PUNTA DEL ESTE, URUGUAY: The much anticipated battle between two former top 20 […]
Top seed skittled in Adelaide, Saville hits Hobart semis
WORLD number three Elena Rybakina has been bundled out of the Adelaide International quarter finals, suffering her first loss of the 2024 season at the hands of Ekaterina Alexandrova. The first seed was skittled 6-3, 6-3, breaking a streak of six wins which included her title run at the Brisbane International. With power hitting at […]
Teen wildcard causes Hong Kong upset
IT WAS a dream start to 2024 for Chinese teenager Juncheng Shang, who upset seventh seed Laslo Djere in the opening round of Hong Kong Tennis Open yesterday. Shang, ranked 183rd in the world was able to mastermind the victory over the world number 33, some 10 years his senior, 6-7 6-3 7-6. That included […]
Popyrin ends year with three-hour epic against mate
IT was quite the tiring finish for Alexei Popyrin in Brisbane, as the talented 24-year-old overcame compatriot Christopher O’Connell in an epic three set match that lasted more than three hours at Brisbane International. Having only played one match against each other previously – where Popyrin won in straight sets at the Rome Masters last […]
2023 Davis Cup Final 8 draw decided
EIGHT teams remain in the 2023 Davis Cup hunt following the group stage of the Finals that occurred over the weekend. Following the qualification from that, the eight sides who made it through – the top two from each pool – now know their respective roads to the ultimate nation glory. World numbers ones Canada […]
Finland survives Davis Cup ‘Group of Death’ as Aussies advance
IN one of the most incredible stories, heavy underdog Finland secured its place in the 2023 Davis Cup Finals after surviving what was predicted to be a ‘Group of Death’ for the nation Coming up against Croatia, United States and Netherlands who are all considered heavyweights in the tournament, Finland seemed the obvious choice for […]
Djokovic joins in Margaret’s Court with 24th major
SERBIAN world number two Novak Djokovic has joined Margaret Court on a history-equalling 24 Grand Slams after defeating third seed Daniil Medvedev in a three-hour, 17-minute epic US Open final. Djokovic showed his class in a tough three-set contest, eventually taking home the chocolates, 6-3 7-6 6-3. “To make the history of this sport is […]
