Machac marches into Vienna quarters
DEFYING the odds against the ATP Tour’s best indoor player in 2024, Czech Tomas Machac upset world number nine Grigor Dimitrov‘s chances of reaching the ATP Finals. Machac won the pair’s maiden encounter, winning 6-7 6-4 6-3 under the roof at the Erste Bank Open in Vienna. The match itself lasted two hours and 31 […]
Felix eyes Basel three-peat by Baez beating
BASEL has always been a source of success for Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime, and now the eighth seed is into the Swiss Indoors ATP 500 event second round in 2024. Auger-Aliassime is a back-to-back winner at the indoor hardcourt event having won the past two years and is now just four wins away from completing a […]
Around The Tour: All-Russian final set for Ningbo
THOUGH the Japan Open in Osaka got washed out, there was still plenty of semi-finals action taking place across both the WTA and ATP Tours overnight. The WTA 500 final contestants in Ningbo were determined, with an all-Russian duo scheduled for the decider in fifth seed Daria Kasatkina and unseeded teenager Mirra Andreeva winning their […]
Around the Tour: Upstaged in Antwerp; upsets galore
THERE was no shortage of upsets across multiple ATP and WTA Tour events overnight, but the major results came in Antwerp where three of the lower ranked players took out the top three seeds. In what was a dismantling day, number one seed Alex de Minaur, number two seed Stefanos Tsitsipas and number three seed […]
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 […]
Around the Tour: Ito crafts third straight upset
ADMITTING she has not got “any power” and she is “skinny”, Japanese qualifier Aoi Ito has made a name for herself in Osaka. The 188th ranked Japanese hope knows where her strengths and weaknesses lie, and focuses on what she can do, rather than she cannot, leading her to a quarter finals appearance in the […]
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 […]
Berrettini bounces back for Shanghai success
AFTER withdrawing due to an abdominal injury issue mid-match last week in Tokyo, Italian former Top 10 talent Matteo Berrettini got his body back on track by producing a straight sets nail-biting win over Australian Christopher O’Connell in Shanghai. The world number 45 needed two tiebreakers to get it done, but eventually won both 11-9 […]
Popyrin powers past Wawrinka to set up Zverev tie
ALEXEI Popyrin continues to carry the hopes of Australian singles gold at the Olympics, defeating Stan Wawrinka in straight sets to progress to the third round of the men’s singles. After winning the first set 6-4 in 35 minutes, Popyrin had a harder time winning the second set but still won it 7-5 to wrap […]
Popyrin pushes past Jarry to set up Stan showdown
AUSSIE Alexei Popyrin spiced up the men’s singles draw at the 2024 Olympics after he upset Chilean 16th seed Nicolas Jarry 6-3, 7-6(5) . Popyrin blitzed his more fancied opponent in the first set in 36 minutes, before being made to work for the set win in the second term, taking just under an hour. […]