WTA Risers & Sliders: Feb 26, 2024
A MAIDEN WTA 1000 title in Dubai had Italian Jasmine Paolini and her final opponent Anna Kalinskaya high up in our WTA Tour Risers and Sliders piece this week, as we take a look at the players who took the biggest rankings jump and fall over the past seven days. RISERS: Jasmine Paolini (Italy)04/01/1996 | […]
Bulgarian boilover as Dencheva upsets red-hot favourite
SECURING her first prominent ITF Junior title, Bulgarian Rositsa Dencheva downed tournament favourite Laura Samsonova in the J500 title in Cairo. Samsonova came into the tournament as the top seed and had only dropped one set en route to the final, but had her work cut out for her against the world number 39. The […]
Terrific Thommo’ caps off astonishing Los Cabos run
IT WAS a run very few saw coming, but Australian Jordan Thompson continued his strong form in 2024 to pick up his maiden title at Los Cabos in Mexico. The Aussie defeated former top 10 talent Casper Ruud in the final, where he backed up from an epic come-from-behind victory against Alexander Zverev and make […]
Paolini wins Dubai to secure first WTA 1000 title
ITALIAN 28-year-old Jasmine Paolini came from a set down to defeat Anna Kalinskaya overnight and lock in the highest level title of her career – just her second overall – by ending the run of the Russian qualifier, 4-6 7-5 7-5 at the Dubai Tennis Championships. Both players had taken some big scalps throughout the […]
Kalinskaya slays Swiatek to reach Dubai decider
BECOMING just the second qualifier in history to make a WTA 1000 final, Russian Anna Kalinskaya is on cloud nine. The world number 40 was top seed in the qualifying draw at the Dubai Tennis Championships, and has now won seven matches in a row over the past week to reach the decider, with the […]
Agwi breaking glass ceilings for Ireland
THE name Michael Agwi will just not go away in tennis circles as the 20-year-old Irish talent continues to make waves on the ITF circuit. Last weekend, Agwi became the first Irish player in five years to win an ITF singles title, and is now at a career-high 754th in the world. Easily Ireland’s top […]
Cirstea epic comeback leaves crowd stunned
THERE are comebacks, and then there is whatever Sorana Cirstea managed to do against seventh seeded Czech Marketa Vondrousova in the quarter finals of the Dubai Tennis Championships. Vondrousova had a match point in the second set, and would go on to squander six match points across the course of that set, only for Cirstea […]
Gauff ends unbeaten Pliskova run to reach Dubai quarters
YOUNG gun Coco Gauff overcame a frustrating moment with the chairperson and a set down against an in-form Karolina Pliskova to come from behind and win in three sets to advance to the quarter finals of the Dubai Tennis Championships. The third seed won 2-6 6-4 6-3 in an epic contest to bounce back from […]
Fonseca makes history at home in Brazil
BRAZILIAN teenager Joao Fonseca became the first 2006-born player to win an ATP Tour main draw match in history, after defeating seventh seeded Frenchman Arthur Fils in Rio de Janeiro a few hours ago. The 657th ranked Fonseca earned a wildcard into the ATP 500 event in his home nation, and had the crowd in […]
Vekic stuns Sabalenka in Dubai shock
IT was the result few would have seen coming. Croatian Donna Vekic came from behind to upset world number two Aryna Sabalenka in three sets, 6-7 6-3 6-0 to advance through to the Round of 16 at the Dubai Tennis Championships. The win itself was an accomplishment, but the manner of which it was done […]
