ROME (REUTERS) – Serena Williams, playing the 1,000th Tour-level match of her glittering career, suffered a shock 7-6(6) 7-5 defeat by Argentina’s Nadia Podoroska in the the Italian Open second round on Wednesday (May 12). Playing her first competitive match in nearly three months, the 23-times Grand Slam champion twice came back from a break... » read more
STUTTGART, GERMANY (AFP) – World number one Ashleigh Barty fought back to reach the semi-finals of the WTA Stuttgart clay-court tournament with a 2-6, 6-1, 7-5 win over Karolina Pliskova on Friday (April 23). “It was an incredible match, with two very different opening sets, and the third was extraordinary,” said Barty after her 18th... » read more
MONACO (AFP) – Stefanos Tsitsipas made a winning start to the Monte Carlo Masters on Tuesday (April 13) after the world number five cruised past Aslan Karatsev 6-3, 6-4 and into the last 16. Greek Tsitsipas, who had been given a bye into the second round, took just one hour and 24 minutes to beat... » read more
MIAMI (AFP) – Naomi Osaka returned to action for the first time since winning the Australian Open with a 7-6 (7/3), 6-4 victory over Ajla Tomljanovic in her opening match at the Miami Open. The Japanese star, ranked second in the world and seeded second in the ATP and WTA hardcourt event behind top-ranked Ashleigh... » read more
DOHA (AFP) – Roger Federer squandered a match point and was knocked out of the Qatar Open by Georgia’s Nikoloz Basilashvili on Thursday (March 11) in just his second match since a 13-month injury absence. The 20-time Grand Slam title winner, who underwent two knee surgeries in 2020, secured the first set but eventually wilted... » read more
DOHA (AFP) – Roger Federer won his first match contested in over a year on Wednesday (March 10) as the 20-time Grand Slam champion returned from injury to beat British number one Dan Evans at the Qatar Open. Federer, who underwent two knee surgeries in 2020, still proved a tough opponent for an in-form Evans... » read more
ROTTERDAM, NETHERLANDS (AFP) – Stefanos Tsitsipas had to dig deep to edge out Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz on Thursday (March 4) in three sets to set up a quarter-final against Karen Khachanov in Rotterdam. The Greek second seed dropped the second set but won in a tight decider on his third match point, securing a 6-4,... » read more
ROTTERDAM, NETHERLANDS (AFP) – Stan Wawrinka was knocked out of the Rotterdam ATP meeting in the first round on Tuesday (March 2) after being seen off in straight sets 6-4, 7-5 by Russia’s Karen Khachanov. The three-time Grand Slam winner, playing in his first ATP match since losing a five-set epic to Marton Fucsovics at... » read more
Radu Albot is no stranger to tough situations. In his first ATP singles final at the 2019 Delray Beach Open in Florida, he came from one set down against Briton Daniel Evans while saving three championship points to become the first Moldovan to lift an ATP title. At the recent Australian Open, the world No.... » read more
It’s not one point, or two, or a game, or a set. No, to play Novak Djokovic or Rafael Nadal is to feel the squeeze of pressure all day. It’s a suffocating intensity that won’t dip, it’s a relentless interrogation under bright lights to which you’d better have brilliant rejoinders. “They play every single point... » read more
TOKYO • Japan’s badminton world No. 1 Kento Momota shrugged off nerves to make a winning return to competition yesterday, nearly a year after suffering serious injuries in a car crash. He defeated compatriot Koshiro Moriguchi 21-12, 21-14 in the first round of the All-Japan championships, marking his long-awaited return from the January accident that... » read more
VIENNA • Novak Djokovic admitted he was “blown off court” following his heaviest defeat in a three-set match on Friday, when he was knocked out of the Vienna ATP tournament by lucky loser Lorenzo Sonego. The Italian, ranked 42nd and who had initially lost in qualifying last weekend, is the first lucky loser ever to... » read more
Defending champions Brunei DPMM’s participation in the Singapore Premier League (SPL) remains in limbo, after the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) announced yesterday that the match between Hougang United and the Brunei side on Sunday has been postponed. The FAS did not provide a new date for the rescheduled fixture. In its media statement, the... » read more
Strict safety protocols will be implemented on match days when the Singapore Premier League (SPL) resumes on Saturday after a suspension of more than 200 days due to the coronavirus pandemic. At a virtual meeting with officials from the nine clubs yesterday, the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) disclosed these measures – as advised by... » read more