No Thiem for sentimentality as Darderi dashes “last dance”
THERE has been no shortage of tennis legends retiring in 2024, and Austrian star Dominic Thiem joined fellow Grand Slam winners Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray on the sidelines after his career came to an end in his home nation overnight. Coming into the Erste Bank Open in Vienna, the Austrian – who had more […]
Gael breezes into Shanghai second round
FRENCH enigma Gael Monfils wound back the clock with an impressive straight sets victory over fellow veteran Damir Dzumhur to reach the second round of the 2024 Shanghai ATP 1000 Masters yesterday. Monfils won 6-4 6-3 in an hour and 21 minutes, and despite the relatively rudimentary nature of the win, said it was still […]
Arthur gets his Fils after denying fellow Frenchman
PLAYING the role of party pooper perfectly, NextGen ATP Frenchman Arthur Fils denied compatriot Ugo Humbert a rare slice of history in Tokyo. Humbert was gunning to become the first player in tennis history to win his first seven ATP Tour finals, being one of three who had achieved half a dozen straight. Incredibly, Humbert […]
Korea Open finalists decided after frantic day
FALLING 24 hours behind on the schedule due to a washed out quarter finals day, players returned to the court in the Korea Open to double-up with both the quarter finals and semi-finals yesterday. The WTA 500 event saw six singles matches played all up with the two finalists – Beatriz Haddad Maia and Daria […]
PREVIEW | 2024 Davis Cup Qualifiers
HALF of the 24 nations doing battle in the 2024 Davis Cup Qualifiers this weekend will secure their spots in the Davis Cup Finals later this year. Four nations have already acquired safe passage into the 16-team finals series, with the remaining 12 to come from the winning nations of the qualifiers. We preview this […]
Red-hot Rinky tames Thanasi
NO MATTER the result, an Australian was going to be the winner as wildcard Rinky Hijikata took on Thanasi Kokkinakis on Show Court 1 at the Brisbane International. In a match that lasted an hour and 37 minutes, it was Hijikata who emerged victorious, shaking off an early Kokkinakis challenge to win 7-6 6-2. Hijikata […]
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 […]
2023 Davis Cup Qualifiers preview: Part II
IN the second of four parts previewing the Davis Cup Qualifiers, we take a look at the next three matches taking place this weekend across the globe. There are 12 matches all up, with the winner of each match qualifying for the Davis Cup Finals in November, while the loser of each match goes into […]
Aussies de Minaur, Hijikata get wins ahead of Australian Open
TOP-RANKED Australian male Alex de Minaur has carried his strong form from the United Cup to Melbourne, defeating Dominic Thiem 6-4 6-4 in the Kooyong Classic opener on Tuesday. De Minaur has repeatedly spoken about his love for playing in front of his home crowd and representing his country, and, donning the green and gold, […]
Around the Tours – Jan 5: Qualifiers surprise in Adelaide
QUARTER finalists have been determined in Auckland, Adelaide and Pune, with one semi-final also already set to take place in the latter’s ATP250 event. While we have provided daily coverage on the United Cup the past week, the other four majors events – including the Adelaide ATP and WTA events – have been running concurrently […]
