Katie Boults into Tokyo second round
BRITISH ninth seed Katie Boulter wasted no time in dismissing Australian qualifier Priscilla Hon to race into the Round of 16 at the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo overnight. The sole seed in action, and only match that did not contain a local Japanese hope, Boulter needed just 77 minutes to get past Hon 6-1 […]
Around the Tour: Saito strikes in Osaka
PROMISING Japanese teenager Sara Saito is through to the quarter finals on WTA debut in her home tournament. The 18-year-old and former junior world number two upset talented fifth seed Elina Avanesyan to book her place in the last eight of the WTA Tour Japan Open. Saito had to work hard early, saving two set […]
Frech bagel no worries for Pole
DESPITE not winning a game in the opening set of her Round of 32 match in Beijing, Polish 23rd seed Magdalena Frech turned her form around to take down higher ranked opponent Diana Shnaider and reach the fourth round of the China Open. The 31-year-old lost their only previous encounter back in Toronto when the […]
Osaka begins China Open with big win
FORMER China Open winner Naomi Osaka got her 2024 campaign at the tournament off to a perfect start, defeating Italian Lucia Bronzetti 6-3, 6-2 on the opening day of the tournament. Although she ultimately finished with a lower first serve percentage than her Italian opponent, Osaka absolutely blitzed Bronzetti on the aces count, winning it […]
Sabalenka easy as Yue goes in Toronto
WORLD number two Aryna Sabalenka showed a fierce determination in her opening round match at the National Bank Open, dismanting China’s Yue Yuan in a breezy 92-minute match on the Toronto hardcourt. Sabalenka disappointingly fell at the semi-final stage of the Citi Open last week in a shock loss to Czech Marie Bouzkova, but quickly […]
Tsurenko overcomes early Bia bagel
UNPREDICTABLE Ukrainian Lesia Tsurenko showed the best and worst of her game in a three-set win over local hope Bianca Andreescu in Toronto’s National Bank Open. The world number 85 – who has the most match retirements or walkovers on Tour with 20 in the past three years – looked in danger early after losing […]
Raducanu returns to roll Renata
BRITISH wildcard Emma Raducanu has returned to the scene where he career exploded three years earlier, winning in straight set in the first round of Wimbledon. In front of a passionate home crowd, the nation’s talented young gun who rose to fame in 2021 after reaching a fourth round at the All-England club then remarkable […]
Niemeier makes most of second chance to upset Sakkari
GERMAN lucky loser Jule Niemeier has won in front of her home fans, grinding out a two-and-a-half-hour marathon victory over top 10 talent Maria Sakkari in Bad Homburg. The world number 96 ripped open the WTA 500 draw with a win over the top seed, defeating Sakkari in a come-from-behind win, 2-6 6-2 7-6 in […]
Around the Tour: US Open winners set for quarter finals clash
A TANTALISING quarter finals clash between US Open champions Naomi Osaka and Bianca Andreescu awaits in ‘s-Hertogenbosch after the pair won their respective Round of 16 matches overnight. Osaka, who holds four Grand Slams – all on hard court – three more than Andreescu’s sole 2019 US Open title, will face the fellow wildcard on […]
Around the Tour: Osaka breaks grass drought
FORMER world number one Naomi Osaka cruised to her first win on grass court since the 2019 Birmingham Classic, taking care of Belgian Elise Mertens at the Libema Open. Osaka won 6-2 6-4 at the ‘s-Hertogenbosch event in the Netherlands, needing 69 minutes to knock off the 32nd ranked Belgian. Holding a wildcard at the […]
