Rublev ends giant-killer Shang’s run
RUSSIAN top 10 talent Andrey Rublev put an end to giant-killing Chinese teenager Juncheng Shang‘s run in Hong Kong, defeating him in a come-from-behind victory to get up in three sets and reach the final. The world number five had to grind hard against the wildcard, eventually winning 4-6 6-2 6-3 in two hours and […]
Thompson stuns Nadal in massive Brisbane upset
IT had to be seen to be believed, but Australian Jordan Thompson caused a huge boilover against former number one and 22-time Grand Slam winner, Rafael Nadal in Brisbane. In what left the crowd a little lost for words, Thompson fought back from a tough first set loss to post an unbelievable win, 5-7 7-6 […]
Rafa rockets into Brisbane quarters
A DISPLAY of sheer power and smarts saw former world number one and 22-time Grand Slam winner Rafael Nadal make light work of Australian Jason Kubler at the Brisbane International last night. After getting past former major winner Dominic Thiem in the opening round, Nadal crushed the world number 102 to book a spot in […]
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 […]
Svitolina’s Roland Garros run defies own expectations
HAVING given birth to her first child last October, Ukrainian Elina Svitolina admitted she never would have dreamed to reach a Roland Garros quarter final within eight months. But coming off a title in Strasbourg in the lead-up to the Paris event, Svitolina has ground her way through the first four matches to set up […]
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 […]
Thiem returns home, reaches second round
FORMER world number three Dominic Thiem has returned home to much support, winning through to the second round of the ATP 250 event in Kitzbuhel. The Austrian star’s homecoming – at the tournament where he made his debut 11 years ago – was a sweet one, putting away lucky loser, Alexander Shevchenko in straight sets. […]
ATP Tour wrap: Rinderknech stuns RBA in Swiss Open upset
ARTHUR Rinderknech has caused the upset of the day across the globe in the Swiss Open ATP Tour tournament, downing second seed Roberto Bautista Agut in straight sets. The Frenchman won 6-2 6-4 in the biggest win of his career to advance through to the quarter finals at the event. Set to enter inside the […]
ATP Tour wrap: 250 events shape up
THREE more ATP 250 events have begun this week in the wake of the Tokyo Olympics beginning over the weekend, with two clay court events starting up in Gstaad, Switzerland and Umag, Croatia, as the Mifel Open hard court event began in Mexico. In Switzerland, sixth seed Benoit Paire and eighth seed Feliciano Lopez both claimed […]