Tiafoe tirade stuns Shanghai in controversial day
TENNIS is no stranger when it comes to heated player-official confrontations, usually resulting in huge fines, or in rare cases disqualifications. However few past exchanges could hold a candle to the expletive-laden rant Frances Tiafoe directed at chair umpire Jimmy Pinoargote at the Shanghai Masters overnight. The Ecuadorian official was at the centre of Tiafoe’s […]
Rune bests Berrettini in Shanghai showdown
DANISH 21-year-old Holger Rune had to wait an extra 48 hours to finally step out on court for his first Shanghai Masters match, but the talented world number 14 made the most of it, surviving in-form opponent Matteo Berrettini in a two-hour showdown. Due to constant rain, the second round matches that were meant to […]
Nishikori edges closer to third Tokyo triumph
FORMER Top 5 ATP Tour player Kei Nishikori reached the quarter finals of his home ATP 500 event in Tokyo with a commanding 6-2 6-3 victory over Australian Jordan Thompson. The Japanese home favourite is a two-time winner at the event, getting up in 2012 and 2014, but it has been a decade-long break between […]
Shelton doubles up to reach Tokyo quarters
AMERICAN young gun Ben Shelton showed a deep run at the US Open and then busy Laver Cup schedule has not slowed him down, winning back-to-back matches at the Japan Open Tennis Championships on Friday. Shelton is the reigning champion at the ATP 500 event in the nation’s capital, and is now back into the […]
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 […]
Alcaraz storms past Safiullin into Olympic quarter finals
WORLD number three and reigning Roland Garros champion Carlos Alcaraz is just three wins away from a maiden Olympic gold medal after skipping past Roman Safiullin in a comfortable straight sets victory, 6-4 6-2. Alcaraz needed an hour and 29 minutes to dispatch of the neutral athlete and advance through to the Paris quarter finals. […]
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 […]
Monfils makes more magic at French Open
HOMETOWN hero Gael Monfils is through to the second round of Roland Garros, winning in front of a passionate crowd over Brazilian Thiago Seyboth Wild. The 37-year-old in his 17th French Open won in four sets, 6-2 3-6 6-3 6-4 to set up a Round of 64 encounter with Italian Lorenzo Musetti. A former semi-finalist […]
Demon dash – Aussie races into second round
TOP-RANKED Australian Alex de Minaur was at his brutal best, making light work of Swiss Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka to reach the second round of the Monte Carlo Masters in a flurry. Needing just 63 minutes against the wildcard, de Minaur won 6-3 6-0, including the last eight games of the match. Wasting no […]
Getting his Fils: Arthur slays Hanfmann
YOUNG Frenchman Arthur Fils wasted no time in destroying his German opponent Yannick Hanfmann and making history in the process at the Monte Carlo Masters overnight. The 19-year-old Frenchman became the youngest male player from his nation to win a match at the event in almost two decades when he wiped his lucky loser opponent […]