Iga Swiatek starts the 2024 Olympics tennis event with a win at the site of her French Open triumphs

Iga Swiatek starts the 2024 Olympics tennis event with a win at the site of her French Open triumphs
Poland’s Iga Swiatek returns to Romania’s Irina-Camelia Begu during their women’s singles first round tennis match on Court Philippe-Chatrier at the Roland-Garros Stadium at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, in Paris on July 27, 2024. (AFP)
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Updated 27 July 2024
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Iga Swiatek starts the 2024 Olympics tennis event with a win at the site of her French Open triumphs

Iga Swiatek starts the 2024 Olympics tennis event with a win at the site of her French Open triumphs
  • Swiatek got broken in that same stadium to trail 5-3 in the second set before getting back to her usual clay-court expertise
  • Italy’s Jasmine Paolini was the first tennis player to win a match at these Summer Games, eliminating Romania’s Ana Bogdan 7-5, 6-3 at Lenglen

PARIS: Iga Swiatek shook off a bit of a dip in the first round of the Paris Olympics tennis competition and grabbed the last four games to beat Romania’s Irina-Camelia Begu 6-2, 7-5 on Saturday under a closed roof at Roland Garros, the site of the No. 1-ranked Polish player’s four French Open titles.
Swiatek, who won a third consecutive championship at Court Philippe Chatrier just seven weeks ago, got broken in that same stadium to trail 5-3 in the second set before getting back to her usual clay-court expertise. She wrapped up the victory by breaking at love when Begu double-faulted on the last point.
Day 1 of tennis began with showers that might have contributed to slow lines for umbrella-toting spectators at the facility’s security checks near entrances and postponed by hours the start of matches at the 10 courts without retractable roofs.
It’s a good thing the French tennis federation built a pair of covers recently: 15,000-capacity Chatrier added one in 2020, and the second-largest arena, 10,000-capacity Court Suzanne Lenglen, has one as of this year.
Italy’s Jasmine Paolini, who was the runner-up to Swiatek at the French Open in June and to Barbora Krejcikova at Wimbledon two weeks ago, was the first tennis player to win a match at these Summer Games, eliminating Romania’s Ana Bogdan 7-5, 6-3 at Lenglen.
Among the other big names from the sport scheduled to play later Saturday were reigning French Open and Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz — facing Lebanon’s Hady Habib in singles in the afternoon and pairing with Spanish teammate Rafael Nadal in doubles at night — along with 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic of Serbia and four-time major champion Naomi Osaka.
Nadal has won a record 14 of his 22 Slam titles at Roland Garros and owns Olympic gold medals in singles and doubles. He carried the torch and rode on a boat in the Seine River with retired tennis star Serena Williams during the drenched opening ceremony Friday night.
Coco Gauff, the female flag bearer for the United States on Friday, was slated to make her Olympic debut Saturday with Jessica Pegula in doubles. Gauff won the French Open doubles title with Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic last month and the US Open singles trophy last September.
Three years ago, Gauff missed the Tokyo Games after testing positive for COVID-19 right before she was supposed to fly to Japan.


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.


‘Impossible’: Alcaraz shoots down Federer comparisons after Laver Cup win

‘Impossible’: Alcaraz shoots down Federer comparisons after Laver Cup win
Updated 23 September 2024
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‘Impossible’: Alcaraz shoots down Federer comparisons after Laver Cup win

‘Impossible’: Alcaraz shoots down Federer comparisons after Laver Cup win
  • The 21-year-old Spaniard, playing in the tournament for the first time, beat American Taylor Fritz 6-2, 7-5 to win the tournament in Berlin

BERLIN: Carlos Alcaraz shot down comparisons with 20-time Grand Slam winner Roger Federer moments after his victory over Taylor Fritz won the Laver Cup for Team Europe on Sunday.
The 21-year-old Spaniard, playing in the tournament for the first time, beat American Taylor Fritz 6-2, 7-5 to win the tournament in Berlin.
Team Europe had lost the past two events and needed a come-from-behind victory from local player Alexander Zverev against Frances Tiafoe, 6-7(5/7), 7-5, 10-5, to send the tournament to the final match between Alcaraz and Fritz.
After his win, the four-time Grand Slam winner was compared to peak Federer, but Alcaraz said such a comparison was “impossible.”
“I’m too far away from that level,” he said. “I hope I’ll reach it one day, but it’s really impossible.”
Alcaraz, who won the French Open and Wimbledon this season, had not played the event before.
“It’s great. We can feel proud, all of us. I’m really happy. All of us did a pretty good job over the days. It’s been a top one,” the Spaniard added.
“We almost lost, but Sasha (Zverev) came with some really good tennis and gave me a chance to win the Laver Cup.”
The world number three won Sunday’s opening match, a doubles clash alongside Casper Ruud, 6-2, 7-6 (8/6), to help put his side on course to lift the Laver Cup for the fifth time.
Alcaraz said he found it more difficult to watch matches with his Team Europe colleagues than to actually take to the court, saying “the nerves were killing us.”
“It’s really difficult to watch the matches from outside. I was trying to stay away a bit, watching on TV in the locker-room, trying to support from there.
“The nerves were there.”


Haddad Maia roars back to beat Kasatkina in final

Haddad Maia roars back to beat Kasatkina in final
Updated 22 September 2024
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Haddad Maia roars back to beat Kasatkina in final

Haddad Maia roars back to beat Kasatkina in final
  • No. 3 seed Haddad Maia lost the opening set but turned the tide in the second, before going on to close out the match in a gutsy performance

SEOUL: Brazil’s Beatriz Haddad Maia won the fourth title of her career with a furious fightback to beat Russian top seed Daria Kasatkina 1-6, 6-4, 6-1 in Sunday’s Korea Open final.

No. 3 seed Haddad Maia lost the opening set in just 26 minutes but turned the tide in the second, before going on to close out the match in a gutsy performance in Seoul.

It was the world No. 17’s first title since June 2022. “I know that tennis changes everything very fast,” said Haddad Maia.

“I was competing better at the end of the second set and then my tennis appeared. I finished in the way that I wanted and I think I deserved this win.”

Kasatkina, ranked 13, has now lost four of her five finals this year. She said “losing in the final can feel worse than losing in the first round.”

“It’s tough, especially being up in the final, but she definitely raised the level after the first set,” said Kasatkina. “The match was pretty good but then she was better in the third set.”

Neither player had dropped a set on their way to the Seoul decider and both played two matches on Saturday, after heavy rain wiped out the previous day’s play.

Kasatkina won her quarter-final after opponent Emma Raducanu retired injured after the first set.

Kasatkina broke Haddad Maia twice on the way to winning the first set.

She broke her opponent again in the first game of the second set and held serve, before Haddad Maia began to threaten for the first time in the match.

The momentum shifted when the 28-year-old Haddad Maia broke back midway through the second set and then took the lead for the first time.

The Brazilian argued a call with the umpire but kept her cool to take the second set.

“I was just trying to play every point,” she said. “I was improving and I think that was the key, to be calm and just play tennis.”

Haddad Maia went a break up in the third and stayed ahead as Kasatkina began to crumble.

Haddad Maia broke again and closed out the final when Kasatkina hit a return long.

“I feel stronger, I feel that I’m very competitive now,” said Haddad Maia.

“I’m in a good moment, ready for the next week. I feel that I’m doing very good things, working hard.

“Let’s see what the end of the season brings to me,” she added.

The Korea Open was being played as a WTA 500 tournament for the first time.

It was hit by a string of last-minute withdrawals including world No. 1 Iga Swiatek, US Open runner-up Jessica Pegula and former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina.


Tunisia's Jabeur to miss rest of year with injury

Tunisia's Jabeur to miss rest of year with injury
Updated 16 September 2024
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Tunisia's Jabeur to miss rest of year with injury

Tunisia's Jabeur to miss rest of year with injury
  • Jabeur missed the recent US Open due to the injury

PARIS: Ons Jabeur will miss the rest of the 2024 WTA season with a shoulder injury, the Tunisian announced on Monday.
The three-time Grand Slam runner-up has struggled for form and fitness this year, slipping to 22nd in the world rankings.
Jabeur missed the recent US Open due to the injury and has not played since a heavy defeat by Naomi Osaka in Toronto in early August.
“This year has been extremely hard for me and as athletes, we know that recovery is part of the journey,” she said on social media.
“Due to my ongoing shoulder injury, my medical team and I’ve made the difficult decision to step off the tennis circuit for the rest of the season.”
The 30-year-old said she would be back on court for the start of the 2025 campaign in Australia.


Champions Italy, Argentina qualify for Davis Cup final eight

Champions Italy, Argentina qualify for Davis Cup final eight
Updated 15 September 2024
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Champions Italy, Argentina qualify for Davis Cup final eight

Champions Italy, Argentina qualify for Davis Cup final eight
  • On Sunday, the last two places are up for grabs with Britain needing to beat Canada 3-0 at home in Manchester to take the Group D berth ahead of the Canadians
  • All is to play for in Group A between Brazil, Belgium and the Netherlands, depending on the result of the clash between the Dutch and Italy

PARIS: Defending champions Italy qualified for the Davis Cup final eight on Saturday without playing as Argentina advanced with a dominant 3-0 win over Finland.

Italy and Argentina join Spain, Australia, the US and Germany, who are already through to the eight-team finals in Malaga, Spain from Nov. 19-24.

On Sunday, the last two places are up for grabs with Britain needing to beat Canada 3-0 at home in Manchester to take the Group D berth ahead of the Canadians.

All is to play for in Group A between Brazil, Belgium and the Netherlands, depending on the result of the clash between the Dutch and Italy.

In Bologna, Italy advanced thanks to Brazil’s 2-1 victory over Belgium.

Brazil’s Thiago Monteiro beat Belgian Zizou Bergs 4-6, 7-6 (7/5), 7-5 after Joao Fonseca defeated Raphael Collignon 6-3, 7-6 (7/3), 6-3.

Belgium kept their slim hopes alive thanks to their doubles victory.

In Group D, Guillermo Coria’s Argentina powered back after 2-1 to Canada on Tuesday crushing last year’s semifinalists Finland.

Tomas Martin Etcheverry beat Eero Vasa 7-6 (7/5), 6-3 with Francisco Cerundolo battling past Otto Virtanen 6-7 (4/7), 6-1, 6-0

Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni survived dropping their opening set to take the doubles. Argentina return to the last eight for the first time since 2019.

“We knew we had to win 3-0,” said Gonzalez.

Etcheverry added: “The Davis Cup was a tournament I always dreamed about as a child. It was so important to get the first point.”

In China, Reilly Opelka saved two match points, with Brandon Nakashima also winning as the US beat Germany 2-1 to take top spot in Group C.

Both 32-times tournament winners USA and Germany were already through to the final eight but were playing for top spot in the group which helps determine seeding.

Bob Bryan’s US team made it three wins out of three having also defeated Slovakia and Chile.

Opelka beat Germany’s Henri Squire 6-7 (4/7), 7-6 (11/9), 6-3 in Zhuhai with Nakashima easing past Maximilian Marterer 6-4, 6-2.

Germany’s Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz won the doubles rubber.

In World Group 1, Novak Djokovic eased to a 6-0, 6-1 victory over Ioannis Xilas as Serbia took a 2-0 lead over Greece.

The 37-year-old world No. 4, who won the Davis Cup with Serbia in 2010, wrapped up the match in just 45 minutes.

Earlier, Miomir Kecmanovic gave Serbia a 1-0 lead with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Aristotelis Thanos.

Djokovic is playing his first match since losing in the third round of the US Open.

“It is always a great pleasure to play here,” said Djokovic.

“This may be the last time I will play in front of this audience. The format is changing.

“It’s been seven years since I last played the Davis Cup here. I don’t know if I have seven more years of my career. We’ll see, some young tennis players who will defend the colors of the national team need to take over the helm.”

Casper Ruud secured a 3-1 win for Norway in their World Group I tie against Portugal.