Tennis: Tsitsipas retires with arm injury as seeds fall in Paris

PARIS (AFP) – French Open finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas headed a long list of seeds to exit the Paris Masters on Wednesday (Nov 3) as an arm injury forced him to retire from a match for the first time in his career. The 23-year-old Greek was clearly out of sorts from the beginning of his second-round... » read more

Six Singaporeans get bond-free scholarships from French govt

SINGAPORE – Undergraduate Xenia Chan plans to build a career in the world of international diplomacy and she is now one step closer to her goal after securing a bond-free scholarship from the French government. Miss Chan, 23, is one of six Singaporeans to get the funding for a master’s degree through the France Excellence... » read more

Tennis: Halep advances at US Open with Osaka, Murray waiting to start

NEW YORK (AFP) – Two-time Grand Slam champion Simona Halep, battling back from injury, advanced to the second round of the US Open on Monday (Aug 30) as the hardcourts showdown began before full-capacity crowds. The 29-year-old Romanian 12th seed defeated Italy’s Camila Giorgi 6-4, 7-6 (7/3) to book a second-round match against Slovakian lucky... » read more

Sayonara Tokyo, bonjour Paris: Olympic focus switches to 2024

PARIS (AFP) – Sayonara Tokyo, bonjour Paris. Thousands of people partied in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower on Sunday (Aug 8) to watch the closing ceremony of the delayed 2020 Olympics and celebrate the French capital’s status as host of the 2024 showpiece. The contrast was dramatic after a Tokyo Games played out in... » read more

Tennis: Tsitsipas slumps to another early loss in European Open

HAMBURG (AFP) – Stefanos Tsitsipas’ post-French Open gloom deepened on Friday (July 16) when the world number four slumped to a European Open quarter-final defeat to Serbia’s Filip Krajinovic. Tsitispas, who gave up a two-set lead to lose the Roland Garros final to Novak Djokovic last month, went down 3-6, 6-1, 6-3. The Greek star... » read more

Tennis: Karolina Pliskova fails to defend Eastbourne title

LONDON (AFP) – Former world number one Karolina Pliskova will drop out of the WTA’s top 10 for the first time in almost five years after her bid to retain the Eastbourne title was ruined by Camila Giorgi on Tuesday (June 22). The fifth-seeded Czech was beaten 2-6, 6-2, 6-2 by Italian qualifier Giorgi in... » read more

Tennis: Osaka pulls out of Wimbledon but aims for Olympics

LOS ANGELES (AFP, REUTERS) – Japanese star Naomi Osaka has withdrawn from Wimbledon, her agent confirmed on Thursday (June 17), weeks after the world number two pulled out of the French Open citing her struggle with depression and anxiety. “Naomi won’t be playing Wimbledon this year,” Osaka’s agent Stuart Duguid said in an email to... » read more