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 […]
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 […]
BJK Cup semi-finalists out of 2023 Finals
BILLIE Jean King Cup reigning semi-finalists Great Britain were eliminated from the 2023 title race after bowing out to France in the Qualifiers over the weekend. Twelve months ago, then top-ranked France suffered a shock loss to Italy in the Qualifiers to miss out on competing at the Finals, but after defeating Netherlands in the […]
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 […]
Fernandez stars in crushing Canadian win
CANADA has set up a virtual elimination final with top seeds Switzerland after sweeping Italy 3-0 in convincing style. The North American nation handed the Italians their second successive 3-0 sweep after Italy copped a similar beating from the Swiss the day before. On this occasion, it included a double-bagel 44-minute obliteration from US Open […]
Spain sweeps Kazakhstan to move into box seat
SPAIN survived a couple of hard-fought singles matches against Kazakhstan to move into the box seat for a spot in the Billie Jean King (BJK) Cup semi-finals. The Group C match came after Kazakhstan defeated Great Britain yesterday, and would have qualified for the final four had it won against the third seeds. Spain, lead […]
Crafty Cornet rolls reigning champ Raducanu
LAST year’s US Open winner, Emma Raducanu is out of the 2022 edition after falling to Frenchwoman Alize Cornet in straight sets on day two of action. Cornet won with a few extra breaks to serve to advance through to the second round 6-3 6-3 in an hour and 42 minutes on Louis Armstrong Stadium. […]
Czech, mate: Noskova claims Cornet scalp
TEENAGE future star Linda Noskova has claimed the biggest win of her career, defeating Alize Cornet to make it back-to-back victories on the WTA Tour. The Czech young gun had not won a WTA main draw match prior to entering the Prague Ladies Open WTA 250 event, but now the wildcard has strung together two […]
Swiatek blasts compatriot in Warsaw homecoming
WORLD number one Iga Swiatek‘s 37-match winning streak might have come to an end at Wimbledon, but the Polish star showed no signs of slowing down in her first match since that event. Swiatek returned home to Warsaw and won her 17th consecutive match on clay with a regulation blitz of compatriot Magdalena Frech. The […]
