WTA – https://bhartiyanews24x7.com

17Aug

By source belowNo Comments

Sports

Novak Djokovic makes winning US return in singles as rival retires | Tennis News – Times of India

[ad_1] CINCINNATI: Novak Djokovic made a winning return in his first appearance on U.S. soil for two years on Wednesday, reaching the third round of the Cincinnati Open when Alejandro Davidovich Fokina retired hurt.The world number two advanced after winning the first set 6-4, when his Spanish opponent could not go on with a lower back injury."He told me it started yesterday," the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion said. "Hopefully he will be ready for New York (US Open). "This is never the way you want to win, the crowd was expecting a match, a battle," the 36-year-old added. "I have mixed emotions with how the match ended. I'm hoping to build form and progress through the tournament by raising my level."Djokovic is playing in the United States for the first time since 2021. He was ba...

16Aug

By source belowNo Comments

Sports

Novak Djokovic falls in first US match since 2021, losing in doubles in Ohio | Tennis News – Times of India

[ad_1] MASON (USA): Novak Djokovic fell in his first match in the United States since 2021, losing in doubles in the Western & Southern Open. Djokovic and Nikola Cacic on Tuesday lost 6-4, 6-2 to Jamie Murray and Michael Venus in the Serbian star's return to the country after missing events because of COVID-19 vaccine restrictions. Djokovic was playing his first competitive match since falling to top-ranked Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final. The winner of a record 23 Grand Slam singles titles, Djokovic is set to open singles play Wednesday night against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. Alcaraz faced Australian qualifier Jordan Thompson in a late match. The defending US Open champion was in position to become the first ATP player to reach 50 wins this season. In women's play, former...

8Jul

By source belowNo Comments

Sports

Wimbledon: Former champion Petra Kvitova storms into Round of 16 | Tennis News – Times of India

[ad_1] NEW DELHI: Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova demonstrated her determination for a third title by defeating Serbian qualifier Natalija Stevanovic with a 6-3, 7-5 victory on Saturday. The Czech tennis star, a former world number two, showcased her grass court prowess as she navigated her way through a challenging match.Although Kvitova has a strong record on grass, including two Wimbledon titles, her recent performances at the All England Club have been less consistent. Since securing her second Wimbledon triumph in 2014, she has only advanced beyond the third round once. However, her recent success at the WTA tournament in Berlin, where she claimed the title on grass, hinted at her readiness for Wimbledon.In her match against Stevanovic, the ninth seed traded early breaks w...

3Jul

By source belowNo Comments

Sports

Andrey Rublev leads Russian Wimbledon return with easy win – Times of India

[ad_1] NEW DELHI: In a confident display, Andrey Rublev, the seventh seed from Russia, eased into the second round of Wimbledon with a straight-set 6-3, 7-5, 6-4 victory over Max Purcell of Australia on Monday.Rublev's achievement is particularly significant as he is among the 17 Russian and Belarusian players participating in the men's and women's singles draws.These players were previously banned in 2022 following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Wimbledon was the only Grand Slam tournament that enforced this ban, resulting in the loss of ranking points for the event according to the ATP and WTA Tours.As part of their return, Russian and Belarusian players are competing as neutrals and are required to sign a "waiver" denouncing support for Russian President Vladimir Putin's regime. They a...

1Jul

By source belowNo Comments

Sports

Iga Swiatek ready to play ‘wherever WTA decides’ in Saudi link | Tennis News – Times of India

[ad_1] LONDON: World number one Iga Swiatek said Saturday she is ready to "play wherever the WTA decides" after Saudi Arabia emerged as a controversial potential host on the women's tour.The Saudis have been increasing their global reach in recent years despite accusations of attempting to "sportswash" their human rights record."Basically I'm kind of still waiting for some official information that is going to come out because it's hard to know what is the rumour and what's not," said Swiatek on Saturday as she prepared for Wimbledon."I'll be ready to play wherever the WTA decides we're going to play."WTA chief executive Steve Simon said his organisation is evaluating the "challenging topic" of taking the sport to Saudi Arabia.The country has been linked with hosting the flagship end-of-...

26Jun

By source belowNo Comments

Sports

Italian Andrea Gaudenzi reappointed ATP chairman | Tennis News – Times of India

[ad_1] ATP Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi has been re-elected for a second term as the head of the organisation from 2024 through 2026, the governing body of men's tennis announced on Monday.Italian Gaudenzi presented an ambitious OneVision strategic plan to revolutionise the sport after taking over in 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic forced sporting bodies into crisis mode.The ATP said under phase one, which came into effect in 2023, it had already generated the largest single-year increase in player compensation in its history -- a $37.5 million year-on-year increase across the ATP Tour and Challenger Tour."I'm proud of everything we've achieved since 2020, during a particularly challenging time for the world," Gaudenzi said."OneVision has strengthened the ATP's foundation, fostering a genuin...

12Jun

By source belowNo Comments

Sports

Haddad Maia first Brazilian to reach WTA top 10

[ad_1] Beatriz Haddad Maia became the first Brazilian woman to reach the top 10 of the WTA rankings on Monday following her dream run to the semi-finals of the French Open. The 27-yaer-old beat Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur in the last eight in Paris to become the first Brazilian woman in 55 years to reach a Grand Slam semi-final. She was eventually beaten by eventual champion Iga Swiatek. Brazilian women’s has had precious little success since the days of Maria Bueno who claimed seven Grand Slam titles between 1959 and 1966 — long before the advent of the WTA rankings which were introduced in 1975. Three-time French Open champion Gustavo Kuerten reached number one in the men’s ATP rankings in 2000. Haddad Maia will take a ranking of 10 into the grasscourt season in which she impressed last year ...

4Jun

By source belowNo Comments

Sports

Australia favourites on paper but Indian players have edge in terms of match fitness: Shastri

[ad_1] Ravi Shastri, former head coach of India cricket team. File | Photo Credit: M. Vedhan The Australian team on paper holds slight advantage on a bouncy Oval track but both Ravi Shastri and Ricky Ponting feel that the Indians are better prepared for the World Test Championship final beginning Wednesday with IPL game-time under their belt. Shastri, Ponting and Pakistan legend Wasim Akram all feel that the Oval track will remain fresher than it usually is as it has never hosted a Test match in June in the venue's 140-year history. Shastri, a former India head coach who guided the team to inaugural WTC final in 2021, felt that had Jasprit Bumrah been there, India would have started on even keel if not as favourites. "I would say if you look at pace attack, if Bumrah was there, I would...

1Jun

By source belowNo Comments

Sports

We are used to the Dukes ball having practised with it during IPL, says Axar ahead of WTC final

[ad_1] Delhi Capitals’ Axar Patel. File | Photo Credit: ANI Switching from playing T20s to the longest format of the game is difficult but practising with the red ball through the IPL will help in the tough transition at the World Test Championship final against Australia, feels India all-rounder Axar Patel.Most members of the Indian team head to the marquee event after playing T20 cricket in the IPL for over two months.Additionally, while the SG balls are used to play the red-ball format in India, the Dukes ball will be used for the WTC final.However, India are well prepared for the twin challenges. To familiarise themselves with the Dukes ball, which is used in English conditions, the 'Men in Blue' have been working with it.Also Read | It will be a big challenge for India to come out...

13Apr

By source belowNo Comments

Sports

WTA to resume tournaments in China this year | Tennis News – Times of India

[ad_1] The Women's Tennis Association will resume operations in China this year, it said on Thursday, citing the "extraordinary price" on players as reason for reversing a decision taken over concerns for the safety of former doubles number one Peng Shuai.The WTA had received widespread praise for suspending its tournaments in the country after Peng said in a now deleted 2021 social media post that a senior former Chinese government official had sexually assaulted her.Peng then briefly disappeared from public view and later denied making the accusation, sparking fears for her safety."After 16 months of suspended tennis competition in China and sustained efforts at achieving our original requests, the situation has shown no sign of changing," the governing body of women's tennis said in a...

4Apr

By source belowNo Comments

Sports

Elina Svitolina criticises ‘useless’ WTA amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine | Tennis News – Times of India

[ad_1] PARIS: Ukrainian players do not get enough support from women's tennis governing body WTA amid Russia's invasion of their country, Elina Svitolina said on Tuesday.Svitolina, back on the tour at the Charleston Open after a maternity break, spoke to support fellow Ukrainian player Lesia Tsurenko, who said she withdrew from the Indian Wells tournament because of a panic attack brought on by a conversation the 33-year-old had days earlier with WTA chief executive Steve Simon about tennis's response to the Russian invasion."We are afraid, we feel empty. What is happening to Lesia is very sad. People who haven't experienced it can't really understand what it feels like to have no home, to feel safe nowhere, to have family in Ukraine, under the bombs, to know that Ukrainian cities are be...

2Apr

By source belowNo Comments

Sports

Petra Kvitova upsets Elena Rybakina to win first Miami Open title | Tennis News – Times of India

[ad_1] Petra Kvitova turned back the clock to upset Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina 7-6(14), 6-2 on Saturday to win her first Miami Open crown and ninth WTA 1000 title.The veteran Czech player, seeded 15th, ended an epic, 22-minute first set tiebreak by converting her fifth set point when 10th-seeded Rybakina's forehand landed in the net.The powerful left-hander then swung freely in the second, racing out to a 3-0 lead and breaking the hard-serving Rybakina for a third time on match point.The 33-year-old Kvitova, who won Wimbledon in 2011 and 2014 and who had recently contemplated retirement, put her hands on her head in astonishment when Rybakina's forehand sailed long to seal the win.She then went over to her box to embrace her fiance, former Czech player Jiri Vanek.Kvitova, who fended off...

31Mar

By source belowNo Comments

Sports

Elena Rybakina beats Jessica Pegula to reach Miami final | Tennis News – Times of India

[ad_1] MIAMI GARDENS (United States): Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina reached the final of the Miami Open by beating American world number three Jessica Pegula 7-6 (7/3), 6-4 at Hard Rock Stadium on Thursday.Kazakstan's Rybakina is on course to claim the 'Sunshine Double' after winning in Indian Wells earlier this month.The 23-year-old, ranked seventh in the world, will face the winner of Friday's semi-final between Petra Kvitova and Romanian Sorana Cirstea.In a rain-disrupted match, neither player was able to settled into their serve with 11 breaks in total throughout the two sets.But the contest turned decisively in Rybakina's direction when Pegula, on her serve, found the net on a return to go 5-4 down to the Moscow-born Rybakina.Rybakina then held her serve with ease to secure back...

20Mar

By source belowNo Comments

Sports

Elena Rybakina beats Aryna Sabalenka to win Indian Wells WTA title | Tennis News – Times of India

[ad_1] INDIAN WELLS: Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina edged Aryna Sabalenka 7-6 (13/11), 6-4 on Sunday to win the Indian Wells WTA title and avenge her loss to the Belarusian in the Australian Open final.Kazakhstan's Rybakina, the world number 10 who ousted top-ranked defending champion Iga Swiatek in the semi-finals, followed up with her first victory over second-ranked Sabalenka in five career meetings.Rybakina, projected to rise to seventh in the world, handed Sabalenka just her second defeat of the year, denying her a third title to go with a win in Adelaide that presaged her first Grand Slam triumph at Melbourne."It's actually the first time it goes my way," Rybakina said as she accepted the trophy, a smiling Sabalenka leaning to the microphone to interject, "I will make sure it wa...

18Mar

By source belowNo Comments

Sports

Aryna Sabalenka says WTA doing its best to support players amid tensions due to war

[ad_1] World number two Aryna Sabalenka said the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) was doing a good job of supporting players from Ukraine, Russia and Belarus amid tensions in the locker room following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine last year. Ukraine’s Lesia Tsurenko withdrew from her match with Belarusian Sabalenka at Indian Wells due to what she said was a panic attack triggered by a chat with WTA Chief Executive Steve Simon about tennis’s response to Russia’s invasion. Belarus has been a staging ground for what Moscow calls a “special military operation”. The top-ranked Iga Swiatek called for more support to be offered to Ukrainian players after Tsurenko’s pullout and said the actions taken by the tennis leadership was not enough. “Nobody can control the emotions of others. I think the ...

22Feb

By source belowNo Comments

Sports

‘Mental toughness set Sania Mirza apart from the rest’ | Tennis News – Times of India

[ad_1] Sania Mirza’s father and coach Imran Mirza talks about the phenomenal career of his star daughter.SANIA IN THE MAKINGIn tennis, it is not possible to come up without a struggle despite the money you have. It is very risky, but we managed to find sponsors. We had to take a lot of nonsense from a lot of them funding her because she did not have a name then. They were doing it almost like a favour. There was a time when for a junior we needed around Rs 50 lakh per year for her travel. You cannot make it to the professional circuit without playing at the junior level, especially coming from India.We have always been a sporting family. There are mostly cricketers in the family who played and enjoyed the game at various levels. We followed tennis also closely. I thought tennis would be ...

20Feb

By source belowNo Comments

Sports

I am neither a rebel nor a trend-setter: Sania Mirza | Tennis News – Times of India

[ad_1] DUBAI: Sania Mirza is not apologetic for being one of a kind.A few people chose to call her a trailblazer while some labelled her a rebel. She says she is none and just lived life "on her own terms".Splashed with mind-blowing success and achievements that no Indian female tennis player could enjoy and which are unlikely to be emulated in the imminent future, Sania has lived an inspiring life.During a free-wheeling chat at her villa in Dubai, Sania implored the society to accept differences in opinion and not brand as "villain or heroes" the people who dare to do things in their own way.In a free-wheeling interview, the iconic @MirzaSania tells @amanthejourno she is neither a rebel nor a trend-setter… https://t.co/iSWf3OF9da— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) 1676904690000"I don't t...

19Feb

By source belowNo Comments

Sports

Iga Swiatek wins back-to-back Qatar titles | Tennis News – Times of India

[ad_1] NEW DELHI: World number one Iga Swiatek cruised to a comfortable straight-set victory over American Jessica Pegula in the final to clinch her second successive Qatar Open title in Doha on Saturday. Swiatek registered a 6-3, 6-0 win in the finale to grab her first title of 2023. It was also Pole's 12th title of her career.The reigning French and US Open champion, Swiatek dropped just five games all week on her way to the Doha title.Swiatek completed victory over world number four Pegula in just 69 minutes to take her career head-to-head over the American to 5-2.Doha remains a special place for Swiatek -- last year her title triumph in the Qatari capital sparked a 37-match winning streak which culminated in her second Grand Slam title at the French Open."I'm really happy that I coul...

4Jan

By source belowNo Comments

Sports

Yuki Bhambri quits singles, targets doubles Grand Slam success | Tennis News – Times of India

[ad_1] PUNE: Without any emotive rhetoric or balderdash, Yuki Bhambri says that he has quit the singles format.The 28-year-old, once considered a top-50 prospect, is the first big Indian player after Sania Mirza to quit the singles format to prolong his tennis career.Tired of a stop-start singles career due to knee injuries, Yuki had made up his mind sometime back that doubles is the way forward for him.He did not make any excuse that the system did not help him enough, nor did he have any regrets that he could not achieve the heights he was expected to.Walking out of the outside courts at the Balewadi Stadium, his gait was assuring as he uttered, "no more singles for me"."I did the best I knew in my singles career and I am at peace with it. Maybe things were wrong, maybe it was bad luck...

2Jan

By source belowNo Comments

Sports

Martina Navratilova diagnosed with throat and breast cancer | Tennis News – Times of India

[ad_1] Former world number one tennis player Martina Navratilova said on Monday she has been diagnosed with throat and breast cancer.The Czech–American is considered among one the greatest players of all time, winning a total of 59 Grand Slam titles across singles and doubles."This double whammy is serious but still fixable," the 66-year-old said in a statement to WTA."I'm hoping for a favourable outcome. It's going to stink for a while, but I’ll fight with all I have got."Czech-born Navratilova, who became a U.S. citizen in 1981, was also diagnosed and beat breast cancer back in 2010.Navratilova added that the cancer was in Stage 1, and the prognosis are good, with treatments to begin next week.The cancer was first discovered in early November during the WTA finals when Navratilova noti...