Analysis: Coco Gauff’s forehand woes return
FOR SUCH an incredibly talented young player, world number three Coco Gauff has two major weaknesses in her game. The first is her serve, which she deliberately targeted at the end of the 2024 WTA Tour season by hiring technical coach Matt Daly to improve her high number of double faults that were costing her […]
Doha finalists defeated in Dubai
MAKING the final in the Qatar Open proved to be a poison chalice for the Dubai Tennis Championships as both Doha champion Amanda Anisimova and runner-up Jelena Ostapenko suffered shock losses in the first round overnight. Ansimova had just cracked the Top 20 for the first time but went down to compatriot McCartney Kessler 6-2 […]
Anisimova completes WTA Tour comeback
A FORMER world number 21 who faced her struggles over the last few years, Amanda Anisimova is a WTA Tour champion at the 1000 level. The American ended the run of Latvian Jelena Ostapenko at the Qatar Open overnight by winning 6-4 6-3 and securing her first Tour title in more than two years, and […]
Penko powers past Swiatek to deny four-peat
OF COURSE it just had to be ‘Penko’. The only player in four years that could stop Iga Swiatek in Doha, Latvian hard-hitter Jelena Ostapenko not only beat the world number two in the event where she has won the past three titles, but completely humbled her in a one-sided contest. Ostapenko ran out a […]
Iga advances to semis with 15th straight Doha win
WORLD number two Iga Swiatek is just two wins away from a fourth consecutive Qatar Open title after dismissing fellow Grand Slam winner and Top 5 player Elena Rybakina 6-2 7-5 in the quarter finals of the WTA1000 event overnight. The second seed looked to be doing it easy in the first set, but found […]
Penko powers past Paolini in Doha
‘PENKO’ is back and thriving on the WTA Tour with Latvian former Top 5 player and Grand Slam winner Jelena Ostapenko snapping her horror start to 2025 by reaching the quarter finals of the 2025 Qatar Open WTA1000 event in Doha. A mind-blowing demolition of Italian world number four Jasmine Paolini was on the menu […]
All Alexandr-ova for Sabalenka in Doha
IT WAS the result no one saw coming. Despite winning in Linz a fortnight ago, Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova was given little to no hope of beating the best hardcourt player in the world in Aryna Sabalenka in Doha, but then the world number 26 tore up the script. In a match that had to be […]
Parks piles on pain for Shnaider in Doha
AMERICAN qualifier Alycia Parks caused a huge boilover against 11th seed Diana Shnaider to reach the second round of the 2025 Qatar Open overnight. The hard-hitting but often inconsistent Parks smashed her way to victory as one of three unseeded players to knock off seeded opponents. Parks won 6-4 7-6 in 95 minutes, blowing her […]
2025 WTA Tour Week 5 preview: Singapore
IN THE first of two WTA Tour tournament previews this week, we take a look at the smaller WTA 250 event in Singapore, where a number of talented players look to gain a rankings boost in an even field. The 32-player draw which sees the winner collect a crucial 280 WTA Tour points, has plenty […]
Raducanu’s roadblock comes to an end
THE SECOND round has been somewhat of a roadblock at the Australian Open for Emma Raducanu, having never managed to get past it any time she has been at Melbourne Park. That changed yesterday after the Brit defeated Amanda Anisimova 6-3, 7-5 to progress to this year’s third round. “Fourth time lucky,” Raducanu wrote on […]
