Dutch dash dream Rafa retirement party
THERE was no room for sentiment from the Dutch at the Davis Cup Finals, with Netherlands sending off 22-time Grand Slam winner Rafael Nadal by eliminating his Spanish side in the quarter finals. Going down to the deciding doubles tie, the experienced doubles talent of Wesley Koolhof worked well with Botic Van de Zandschulp against […]
2024 Davis Cup Finals preview
EIGHT nations will vie for glory in the 2024 Davis Cup Finals that kicks off overnight in Malaga. Headlined by reigning champions Italy with world number one Jannik Sinner named for his nation, the only element that tops it is the fact that 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal will bid farewell to tennis at […]
Tsitsipas survives first round Paris test
DESPITE being on the ropes early, Greek talent Stefanos Tsitsipas was able to recover and see off Spaniard Roberto Carballes Baena in just under two hours at the 2024 Paris Masters. The first round match saw the 10th seed – who has had a mediocre 5-4 record since the Laver Cup – have to fight […]
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 […]
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: 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 […]
Around the Tour: Mirra magic as Kenin curbed
IN THE wake of the respective WTA and ATP Tour 1000 events in Wuhan and Shanghai that were won by tournament top seeds Aryna Sabalenka and Jannik Sinner respectively, a lot of the lower ranked players headed to tournaments across the globe. In today’s Around the Tour, we take a look at the sole 500 […]
Goffin makes long Shanghai Night for Zverev
BELGIAN David Goffin wound back the clock at the 2024 Shanghai Masters overnight, with the former Top 10 talent upsetting second seed and world number three Alexander Zverev to reach the quarter finals of the ATP 1000 event. Goffin won in straight sets, 6-4 7-5, to advance past the German who was in the headlines […]
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 […]
