Tennis

February 21, 2025 11:30 AM

Tennis: Alcaraz rues error that turned the match in shock loss to Lehecka

World number three Carlos Alcaraz was left ruing a mistake that let Jiri Lehecka off the hook in the third set and allowed the Czech to fight back and claim a 6-3 3-6 6-4 victory in the Qatar Open quarter-finals on Thursday. Four-time Grand Slam winner Alcaraz led 4-2 in the deciding set and was 40-30 up on Lehecka's serve when the top seed hit the net on a return to give his unseeded opponent the chance to hold. Lehecka went on to win every remaining game and clinch his first victory over a t...

February 20, 2025 2:08 PM

Venus Williams given wildcard for Indian Wells tournament

Former world number one Venus Williams has been given a wildcard for this year's Indian Wells tournament, organisers said on Wednesday, allowing the 44-year-old American to compete at the WTA 1000-level event for the 10th time. The seven-times Grand Slam champion boycotted the tournament for 15 years after fans subjected her younger sister Serena and family to racist abuse during her 2001 final victory over Kim Clijsters. Venus, whose withdrawal from the semi-final against her sister due to in...

February 19, 2025 12:01 PM

Djokovic stunned by Berrettini in Qatar Open first round

Novak Djokovic was stunned 7-6(4) 6-2 by Matteo Berrettini in the Qatar Open first round on Tuesday as the Italian enjoyed his first win over the former world number one. Berrettini played superbly to knock out the twice champion in one hour 35 minutes and secure his first victory against a top-10 opponent since January 2023. "It's something that I've been looking to do," said former world number six Berrettini, who had lost all four of his previous matches against the Serbian. "I playe...

February 18, 2025 11:23 AM

Djokovic claims the majority of players feel ‘favouritism’ in Sinner’s doping ban

Serbian tennis great Novak Djokovic has claimed that the majority of players are not happy with the way the whole process is handled in the case of world no.1 Jannik Sinner's three-month doping ban. Sinner has reached a settlement with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) which will see the Italian serve a three-month ban. WADA has accepted that Sinner did not intend to cheat and that his exposure to clostebol did not provide any performance-enhancing benefit and took place without his knowledg...

February 17, 2025 11:57 AM

Brazilian youngster Fonseca triumphs at Argentina Open

Joao Fonseca became the youngest Brazilian to win an ATP tournament on Sunday after the 18-year-old captured the Argentina Open title with a 6-4 7-6(1) win over home favourite Francisco Cerundolo. Fonseca has established himself as one of the game's most exciting young talents with his victory at the ATP Next Gen Finals in Jeddah in December and his win over ninth seed Andrey Rublev in the first round of the Australian Open last month. He lost to Italy's Lorenzo Sonego in five sets in the seco...

February 15, 2025 4:39 PM

Jannik Sinner accepts three-month doping ban after settlement with WADA

World number one Jannik Sinner has accepted an immediate three-month doping ban after the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) said they had reached a settlement on his period of ineligibility, making him eligible to return before the French Open in May. WADA had appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against an independent tribunal's decision in August to clear Sinner of wrongdoing after he failed drug tests. Sinner had tested positive for anabolic agent clostebol which he said had e...

February 8, 2025 6:23 PM

Davis Cup heroes Sasikumar, Ramanathan, Karan receive wild cards for Delhi Open

Former World No. 31 Lloyd Harris and 2019 Wimbledon Boys' Singles champion Shintaro Mochizuki will be among the top 8 seeds at the 2025 Delhi Open, an ATP Challenger 75 event returning for its fifth edition at the DLTA Complex from February 10-16. India’s Mukund Sasikumar, Ramkumar Ramanathan, and Karan Singh have received wild cards after starring in the country’s 4-0 Davis Cup World Group I Playoff win over Togo. The hard-court tournament will feature a competitive 32-player singles draw...

January 22, 2025 9:37 AM

Keys rallies to defeat Svitolina in three sets and advance to Australian Open semis

Madison Keys blasted her way into the Australian Open semi-finals for a third time with characteristic aggression after overhauling Elina Svitolina 3-6 6-3 6-4 on Wednesday (January 22). Riding a 10-match winning streak, Keys will meet the winner of second seed Iga Swiatek and eighth seed Emma Navarro as the American continues her bid for a first Grand Slam title. "To be here 10 years later in the semi-finals again, I'm really proud of myself and really excited to play another semi- final here...

January 16, 2025 11:06 AM

Australian Open 2025: day five highlights, results

Highlights of the fifth day of the Australian Open on Thursday (all times GMT): 0505 SHELTON TOPS CARRENO BUSTA American 21st seed Ben Shelton took out former Spanish world number 10 Pablo Carreno Busta with a 6-3 6-3 6-7(4) 6-4 win. 0447 FRITZ CRUSHES QUALIFIER GARIN American fourth seed Taylor Fritz needed just 82 minutes to beat Chilean qualifier Cristian Garin 6-2 6-1 6-0 on the back of a strong first serve. 0442 DE MINAUR SAILS INTO THIRD ROUND Australian eighth seed Alex de Minaur br...

January 15, 2025 4:41 PM

Australian Open: Gauff, Osaka, Pegula, and Sabalenka advance to third round

American teenager Coco Gauff extended her impressive winning streak to nine matches with a 6-3, 7-5 victory over Jodie Burrage in the Australian Open second round. Gauff overcame a 5-3 deficit in the second set, rallying with four straight games to secure the win. The World No. 7 now sets up a third-round clash with 2021 US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez, who triumphed 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 against Cristina Bucsa. In other action, two-time Australian Open champion Naomi Osaka marked her return to the ...