Sabalenka, Zverev eye French Open semis after Djokovic withdrawal

Sabalenka, Zverev eye French Open semis after Djokovic withdrawal
Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus serves against Emma Navarro of the US during their fourth round match of the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris on Jun. 3, 2024. (AP)
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Updated 05 June 2024
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Sabalenka, Zverev eye French Open semis after Djokovic withdrawal

Sabalenka, Zverev eye French Open semis after Djokovic withdrawal
  • “When you finally get there, to your goal, it actually gives you so much confidence in yourself,” the Belarusian said
  • Zverev and De Minaur, playing in only his second Slam quarter-final, will face off for the remaining last-four spot against Ruud

PARIS: Aryna Sabalenka eyes a place in a seventh consecutive Grand Slam semifinal when she takes on Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva at the French Open on Wednesday, with the schedule diminished following the withdrawal of Novak Djokovic.
The other two singles quarter-finals on Court Philippe Chatrier see Elena Rybakina face Jasmine Paolini and Alexander Zverev play Alex de Minaur in the night session.
World number two Sabalenka, who is still on course to meet rival Iga Swiatek in Saturday’s final, has not failed to reach a Slam semifinal since lifting her first major title at last year’s Australian Open.
“When you finally get there, to your goal, it actually gives you so much confidence in yourself,” the Belarusian said.
Sabalenka has powered through the draw so far without dropping a set, including a 6-1, 6-2 dismantling of Andreeva’s older sister Erika in the first round.
However, 17-year-old Mirra, the youngest woman to reach the quarter-finals since 2005, could prove a tougher nut to crack despite having failed to win a set against Sabalenka in two previous meetings.
“Of course, we will add a few adjustments,” she said. “We will change something, because the way I played last two times didn’t work.
“I don’t have anything in my head, so I hope my coach will help me with it.”
The winner will play either former Wimbledon champion Rybakina or Italian 12th seed Paolini for a spot in the final.
Rybakina will be a strong favorite to progress, but the 28-year-old Paolini will be full of confidence after an excellent year which has seen her fly up the rankings.
“Before was, like, ‘I cannot win these matches’. I have to, I don’t know, do a miracle,” Paolini said after beating Elina Avanesyan to reach her first Grand Slam quarter-final.
“But now I step on court, and I say, ‘Okay, I can have my chance’. I have to play well, of course, but I have chances.”
Djokovic had been due to face Casper Ruud in a repeat of last year’s final, but the 24-time Grand Slam champion’s title defense was abruptly ended by a knee injury he suffered during his dramatic last-16 victory over Francisco Cerundolo.
Media reports suggested Djokovic was set to undergo surgery, which would put his participation at Wimbledon and potentially the Paris Olympics in doubt.
Jannik Sinner will now usurp Djokovic as world number one next week and the Italian goes up against Carlos Alcaraz in Friday’s men’s semifinals.
Zverev and De Minaur, playing in only his second Slam quarter-final, will face off for the remaining last-four spot against Ruud.
German fourth seed Zverev will be targeting a fourth straight Roland Garros semifinal after making the last eight for the sixth time in seven years.
He needed five sets to beat Tallon Griekspoor in the third round, before fighting back to defeat Holger Rune in another decider in a last-16 tie which finished at 1:40 am local time — the second-latest finish in French Open history.
“I’ve played a total of eight-and-a-half hours over the last three days so I need to recover,” said Zverev.
“I need to do everything possible to be ready for the quarter-final match.”
Zverev is playing under the shadow of an ongoing trial in Berlin over allegations of assaulting an ex-girlfriend.
Australian De Minaur, seeded 11th, had never even got past the second round in Paris before this year, winning just three of 10 matches.
“It’s one of my best Slam results. Looks like I’ve converted myself into a clay specialist,” De Minaur said.
There will be a first-time French Open men’s champion on Sunday, with Ruud the only man left in the draw who has previously reached the final.


Game On: Garbine Muguruza champions ‘gigantic’ WTA Finals in Saudi Arabia

Game On: Garbine Muguruza champions ‘gigantic’ WTA Finals in Saudi Arabia
Updated 02 October 2024
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Game On: Garbine Muguruza champions ‘gigantic’ WTA Finals in Saudi Arabia

Game On: Garbine Muguruza champions ‘gigantic’ WTA Finals in Saudi Arabia
  • As the world’s top female players gear up for Riyadh, the tournament director envisions bright future for tennis in the Middle East

RIYADH: As the Kingdom’s capital gears up for the highly anticipated WTA Finals this November, the tournament’s director and former world No. 1 Garbine Muguruza believes the event will be “gigantic” for tennis in the country and region.

In an interview with Arab News recently, she said the contest, which will feature some of the world’s top female tennis players, will showcase the power of sport to inspire and unite people.

“I’m very excited that we can bring this gigantic tournament to Saudi Arabia,” she said, noting the significance of introducing this premier event in a region that is still becoming acquainted with the sport at the highest level.

The WTA Finals is regarded as one of the crown jewels of women’s tennis.

Muguruza, who has experience working in the Middle East, said: “This is going to make such an impact for the kids, for the next generation.”

She praised the Saudi Tennis Federation and the broader sports community for the work they are doing. “They’re bringing exhibitions, next-gen (tournaments), and now the finals,” said Muguruza.

She said the focus on community engagement — through several clinics and coaching sessions — was vital for fostering local talent. The ultimate aim is to have 1 million tennis players in the country.

“Every time I do it, there’s more people,” she said.

“They’re doing a great job letting them dream and giving them the options to do it,” she said, recalling her own journey to the top of the sport.

“Why not dream, right? Like I dreamt when I was little to one day be the world No. 1, you know?”

Muguruza’s dual perspective as both a former elite player and a tournament director enriches her approach. “I can tell what the players could need, what to expect. How can we get the crowd excited,” she said.

As she reflected on the evolution of tennis in the Kingdom, Muguruza acknowledged the strides being made, particularly among young female players.

Witnessing Saudi Arabia’s Haniya Minhas compete at Wimbledon this year in the under-14 category was a poignant moment for her.

“I felt great because I’m like, ‘wow, you see, finally we have a representation,’” she said.

“We see every country has their timing, has their step,” Muguruza added.


Sabalenka wins 15th match in a row to reach Beijing quarters

Sabalenka wins 15th match in a row to reach Beijing quarters
Updated 02 October 2024
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Sabalenka wins 15th match in a row to reach Beijing quarters

Sabalenka wins 15th match in a row to reach Beijing quarters
  • The US Open champion will face Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic or Spain’s Cristina Bucsa in the last eight in Beijing

BEIJING: Top seed Aryna Sabalenka won her 15th match in a row to power into the China Open quarter-finals with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Madison Keys on Wednesday.
The US Open champion will face Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic or Spain’s Cristina Bucsa in the last eight in Beijing.
World number two Sabalenka has won more matches on tour this season than anyone else and extended her red-hot streak with a fairly routine victory over the 24th-ranked American.
On a sunny Beijing day, Sabalenka and Keys exchanged breaks in the first set for 3-3 before the hard-hitting Belarusian pulled away go a set up.
The second took a similar course and Keys double-faulted on the first match point to gift Sabalenka victory in 65 minutes.
Sabalenka is on a collision course in the semifinals with China’s Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen, who faces 43rd-ranked Amanda Anisimova in the last 16 later Wednesday.
Three-time Grand Slam champion Sabalenka can take a major step toward overhauling Iga Swiatek at the top of the rankings by lifting the title in Beijing.
Swiatek is not playing in the Chinese capital because of “personal matters.”


Sinner to play Alcaraz in China Open final; Osaka out with back injury

Sinner to play Alcaraz in China Open final; Osaka out with back injury
Updated 02 October 2024
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Sinner to play Alcaraz in China Open final; Osaka out with back injury

Sinner to play Alcaraz in China Open final; Osaka out with back injury
  • Sinner and Alcaraz accounted for all four Grand Slam titles this year between them
  • Arthur Fils saved a championship point and rallied to beat Ugo Humbert 5-7, 7-6 (6), 6-3 in the final of the Japan Open

BEIJING: Top-ranked Jannik Sinner will play rival Carlos Alcaraz in the final of the China Open after recording a 6-3, 7-6 (3) victory over home favorite Bu Yunchaokete on Tuesday.

Sinner and Alcaraz accounted for all four Grand Slam titles this year between them. Alcaraz leads the head-to-head series 5-4 — including wins at both their meetings this year — but Sinner doesn’t believe that recent history will have a bearing on Wednesday’s final.

“We know each other very well now, but every match is different, so the situation on the court is also a bit different than it was the last two matches,” Sinner said.

The 23-year-old Italian is the defending champion and hasn’t appeared distracted by the World Anti-Doping Agency announcing Saturday it was seeking a ban of one to two years for the US Open champion, who tested positive twice for an anabolic steroid in March.

Chinese wild card Yunchaokete, ranked 96th, couldn’t take any of his three break-point chances in the first set.

Sinner’s experience proved crucial during the pivotal moments, especially in the second-set tiebreaker, where he surged to a 6-1 lead.

Earlier, third-ranked Alcaraz’s athleticism was again on show as he advanced to the final with a 7-5, 6-3 victory over Daniil Medvedev.

“I felt great on the court once again, so I’m really happy about it,” Alcaraz said. “I couldn’t ask for a better semifinal.”

The four-time Grand Slam champion — including this year’s French Open and Wimbledon — extended his head-to-head record against the Russian to 6-2.

The 21-year-old Spaniard found his way through a testing first set that had five breaks of serve, but crucially it was Alcaraz’s third service break in the 12th game that secured the set.

Alcaraz has now won eight straight matches — across the Davis Cup, Laver Cup and in Beijing — since his loss to Botic van de Zandschulp in the second round at the US Open.

Osaka out with back injury

Coco Gauff advanced to the quarterfinals when Naomi Osaka retired at 3-6, 6-4 because of a lower back injury.

Osaka, a four-time major champion, was leading 4-3 in the second set before Gauff won three straight games.

The sixth-ranked Gauff then helped carry Osaka’s bags off the court.

Gauff hit six aces compared to Osaka’s one and improved to 3-2 over her opponent at WTA tournaments.

She will next meet No. 115-ranked Yuliia Starodubtseva, who earlier upset No. 14 Anna Kalinskaya 7-5, 6-0.

Paula Badosa reeled off 11 of the last 12 games in a 6-4, 6-0 victory over US Open finalist Jessica Pegula to reach her eighth career quarterfinal at a WTA 1000-level event.

“She’s one the of the players I never want to face — she’s very solid, hits very flat, changes very well direction,” said Badosa, who was 0-3 previously against Pegula. “I prepared myself for a battle, but I think today everything worked pretty well.”

Badosa next faces 35-year-old Chinese player Zhang Shuai, who continued her resurgence with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Magdalena Frech of Poland.

Zhang entered the China Open on a 24-match losing streak and ranked No. 595, but she’s yet to drop a set in four matches this week.

Zhang is now into her first women’s tour quarterfinal since Tokyo in 2022, and her first at a WTA 1000 tournament since Cincinnati in the same year.

“In this draw, everyone has a higher ranking than me,” Zhang said. “Just step on court, just play. So I do not have much to think about, to prepare. I will just focus on myself.”

Japan Open

Arthur Fils saved a championship point and rallied to beat Ugo Humbert 5-7, 7-6 (6), 6-3 in the final of the Japan Open to earn his third tour-level title.

The championship point was in the second-set tiebreaker against his French compatriot.

The 20-year-old Fils struggled with an injury to his left leg for much of the second set and when trailing 4-3 in the second set — with three break points for his opponent — it looked almost certain that Humbert would go on to win his seventh final in seven appearances.

Fils defeated four top-20 opponents — US Open finalist Taylor Fritz, defending champion Ben Shelton, Holger Rune and Humbert — on his way to the title.


Zhang Shuai ‘feels like Nadal’ after making more Beijing history

Zhang Shuai ‘feels like Nadal’ after making more Beijing history
Updated 29 September 2024
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Zhang Shuai ‘feels like Nadal’ after making more Beijing history

Zhang Shuai ‘feels like Nadal’ after making more Beijing history
  • Zhang Shuai had not won a singles match in more than 600 days when she arrived at the prestigious WTA 1000 event in Beijing last week

BEIJING: Zhang Shuai said she “felt like Rafa Nadal” after the home player ranked 595th powered into the last 16 to extend her historic China Open run on Sunday.

The 35-year-old wildcard had not won a singles match in more than 600 days when she arrived at the prestigious WTA 1000 event in Beijing last week.

Her run of 24 straight defeats was the longest such barren spell on tour since Madeleine Pegel lost her first 29 matches in 1968-1972.

Shuai, a two-time Grand Slam singles quarter-finalist who has been plagued by injuries, has now won three matches in a row after a 6-2, 6-3 defeat of Belgium’s Greet Minnen.

Shuai, who faced Minnen as the lowest-ranked player to reach the China Open third round in the tournament’s history, faces Poland’s 23rd seed Magdalena Frech next.

“I had a long, long, long time not getting this feeling,” said the former top-25 player Shuai, who has won two Grand Slam doubles titles.

“When I play my best I can win a lot of matches, I know that ... I just want to keep it simple, keep going and keep winning.”

Shuai snapped her losing run on Wednesday when she beat 65th-ranked American McCartney Kessler 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (7/1).

She then stunned US Open semifinalist Emma Navarro 6-4, 6-2 to reach round three and a meeting with 94th-ranked Minnen.

Shuai was on course for a third win in a row when she took the first set and went up a break in the second, only to relinquish the advantage immediately when the 27-year-old Minnen broke back.

As the match ticked past the hour mark, Shuai emerged from a gripping seventh game to break once more for 4-3, then held for 5-3 to put the next round within reach.

Shuai hails from Tianjin, near to Beijing, and said she felt very much at home on the hard courts of the Chinese capital.

So at home in fact that she compared herself jokingly to the Spanish great Nadal on his favorite surface of the French Open.

“When I am on the court I feel so like Rafa Nadal on Court Philippe-Chatrier,” she laughed

“When you’re losing, maybe everybody wants to play against you ... Now nobody wants to play against you.”

Meanwhile, four-time Grand Slam champion Carlos Alcaraz said Sunday that the steroid case involving Jannik Sinner was “not good” for tennis but sympathized with the world No. 1.

The World Anti-Doping Agency on Saturday said it had appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport after Sinner was cleared of wrongdoing last month.

WADA is seeking a ban of up to two years after the Italian twice tested positive for traces of the banned substance clostebol in March.

The International Tennis Integrity Agency subsequently accepted Sinner’s explanation that the drug entered his system when his physiotherapist used a spray containing it to treat a cut, then provided massage and sports therapy to the player.

Alcaraz, the Spanish world No. 3, said at the China Open: “I think for tennis it’s not really good, not really a good sign for tennis in general.”

There has been skepticism among some players about Sinner’s explanation for why he failed the two tests, but Alcaraz took a more sympathetic stance.

“It is difficult for him. I know everyone is talking about it, the news is talking about it,” he said, having reached the last eight in Beijing.


Nadal, Alcaraz and Sinner in Davis Cup finals teams

Nadal, Alcaraz and Sinner in Davis Cup finals teams
Updated 24 September 2024
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Nadal, Alcaraz and Sinner in Davis Cup finals teams

Nadal, Alcaraz and Sinner in Davis Cup finals teams
  • French Open and Wimbledon winner Alcaraz will be Spain’s key figure as they bid to win the competition dubbed the World Cup of tennis for the first time since 2019
  • US Open and Australian Open champion Sinner is part of Italy’s squad for the finals, which start on Nov. 19

BARCELONA: Spain named 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz in a five-man Davis Cup team on Monday, while Italian world No. 1 Jannik Sinner will also compete in the final eight in Malaga.

Nadal, 38, pulled out of the US Open and Laver Cup in recent months and has only taken part in one of the last seven Grand Slams because of injury and fitness struggles.

French Open and Wimbledon winner Alcaraz will be Spain’s key figure as they bid to win the competition dubbed the World Cup of tennis for the first time since 2019, starting with a clash against the Netherlands.

Alcaraz inspired Team Europe to Laver Cup victory over Team World last weekend in Berlin.

US Open and Australian Open champion Sinner is part of Italy’s squad for the finals, which start on Nov. 19.

The 23-year-old was crucial as Italy triumphed last year, beating Serbian superstar Novak Djokovic twice in one day, first in singles and then in doubles, in the semifinals.

Italy, who face Argentina in their quarterfinal clash, beat Australia in the 2023 final to win the competition for the first time since 1976.