Top-ranked Swiatek is into Australian Open 2nd round, beats former champion Kenin

Iga Swiatek of Poland Sofia plays a forehand return to Sofia Kenin of the US during their first round match at the Australian Open tennis championships at Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia. (AP)
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Updated 16 January 2024
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Top-ranked Swiatek is into Australian Open 2nd round, beats former champion Kenin

  • The Polish player is trying to win her fifth Grand Slam title but her first in Melbourne
  • In men’s results, 11th-seeded Casper Ruud beat Albert Ramos-Vinolas 6-1, 6-3, 6-1 and Cameron Norrie defeated Juan Pablo Varillas 6-4, 6-4, 6-2

MELBOURNE: Top-ranked Iga Swiatek survived an early test of her Australian Open title hopes when she beat former champion Sofia Kenin 7-6 (2), 6-2 in the first round on Tuesday.

Kenin, the winner in 2020, served for the first set at 5-4 but could not close it out and Swiatek took it in the tiebreaker. The No. 1 seed then broke Kenin in the fifth game of the second set and held on to clinch victory.

“Really happy,” said Swiatek, who hit 30 winners. “It wasn’t easy to find my rhythm. I felt a little bit off and Sofia did everything to keep it that way, huge respect to her. I managed to get my level up in the second set.”

The Polish player is trying to win her fifth Grand Slam title but her first in Melbourne.

Earlier, Sloane Stephens picked up her first win at the Australian Open since 2019 when she beat wild-card entry Olivia Gadecki 6-3, 6-1. The 30-year-old American, who won the US Open in 2017, won five straight games from 2-0 down in the opening set and eased through the second to clinch victory in just under an hour.

“Pleased with the way I played,” said Stephens, who reached the semifinals of the event in 2013 but who has lost in the first round in seven of her past eight visits to Melbourne. “I’ve been working a lot on making the opponents play. I think that’s something I had got away from. Pleased with the win.”

Daria Kasatkina, who is seeded 14th and next plays Stephens, beat Peyton Stearns 6-2, 3-6, 6-2.

In men’s results, 11th-seeded Casper Ruud beat Albert Ramos-Vinolas 6-1, 6-3, 6-1 and Cameron Norrie defeated Juan Pablo Varillas 6-4, 6-4, 6-2.

Men’s second-ranked Carlos Alcaraz began his title bid later Tuesday. Alcaraz, last year’s Wimbledon winner, played Richard Gasquet in the last match of the night session on Rod Laver Arena.


Birthday boy Djokovic avenges Arnaldi loss in Geneva

Updated 23 May 2025
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Birthday boy Djokovic avenges Arnaldi loss in Geneva

GENEVA: Novak Djokovic overcame soggy conditions on his 38th birthday to beat Matteo Arnaldi on Thursday and reach the Geneva Open semifinals in a tune-up event for Roland Garros.
The former world number one retrieved a break in the second set to claim a 6-4, 6-4 win over the 39th-ranked Italian who dumped him out at the first hurdle in Madrid last month.
Djokovic is hunting the 100th title of his career on the eve of the French Open having not won a tournament since capturing Olympic gold in Paris last August.
“It’s great to be in the semifinals again. Last year I played the semifinals. Hopefully this year I can go at least a step further. That’s the goal,” said Djokovic.
Djokovic, who received a wild card to play in Geneva after skipping Rome, will meet British qualifier Cameron Norrie for a place in Saturday’s final.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion had not won a match on clay this season after also losing his Monte Carlo opener at the start of April to Alejandro Tabilo.
A single break early in the first set enabled Djokovic to take control, but the sixth-ranked Serbian had to rally from 4-1 down in the second.
He drew audible gasps from the crowd when he grabbed his right knee after stretching for a shot in the fifth game.
But Djokovic, who had surgery last year to repair a torn meniscus suffered at the French Open, quickly rebounded and let out a mighty roar as he broke to go 5-4 ahead before putting away Arnaldi.
He said an angry outburst after dropping serve helped him reset as he won the final five games.
“I think I’m playing really, really good tennis,” said Djokovic, who was presented on court with a chocolate cake topped with sparklers after his victory.
“Today it was a lot of tension on the court. A straight-sets win but it was much closer than maybe the score indicates.
“I was 4-1 down in the second. Somehow after that racquet breaking I didn’t lose a game and kind of found my optimal state and balance, mentally and emotionally.”
Norrie ousted Australian fifth seed Alexei Popyrin 7-6 (8/6), 6-4 in the day’s last quarter-final.
Hubert Hurkacz put out top seed Taylor 6-3, 7-6 (7/5) earlier and will play Austrian qualifier Sebastian Ofner in the other semifinal.
The 128th-ranked Ofner came from behind to beat fourth seed Karen Khachanov 4-6, 6-4, 6-4.


French Open odds against tennis great Novak Djokovic as time running out for record 25th Slam

Updated 22 May 2025
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French Open odds against tennis great Novak Djokovic as time running out for record 25th Slam

  • The 38-year-old Serbian’s bid for a fourth French Open crown looks more unlikely than in many years
  • Djokovic struggling for form since his run to the Australian Open semifinals back in January before retiring injured

BERLIN: If there is one tennis player who knows how to beat the odds when they are stacked against him, it is 24-times Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic.
The 38-year-old Serbian’s bid for a fourth French Open crown looks more unlikely than in many years, with Djokovic struggling for form since his run to the Australian Open semifinals back in January before retiring injured.
Since then Djokovic, who has 99 tour titles to his name and is in the twilight of a glorious career, has reached only one final and has not lifted a trophy this year.
After two early losses in Monte Carlo and Madrid, it was clear that Djokovic’s attempt to claim a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam could be his hardest yet.
“(It is) kind of a new reality for me, I have to say, trying to win a match or two, not really thinking about getting far in the tournament,” Djokovic said after his early Madrid exit.
He was expected to jumpstart his clay campaign in Rome before returning to Paris, where he won Olympic gold last year, but he skipped the Italian Open without giving a reason.
Instead he picked up a surprise wild card for the Geneva Open this week, in what looks like a last-ditch attempt to get some more matches on clay under his belt before Paris.
News of the wild card came as Djokovic split with his coach Andy Murray after only a few months working together.
Djokovic appointed fellow former world number one Murray ahead of this year’s Australian Open and the Serb said at the Qatar Open in February that he would continue working with the Scot for an indefinite period.
That time, however, ended abruptly last week with the Djokovic-Murray partnership yielding no titles and one losing final in Miami.
Their partnership is now officially over as Djokovic heads toward the French Open in a cloud of uncertainty over his form and future.
The world number six has struggled to assert his dominance after winning three out of the four Grand Slams in 2023.
There is even more uncertainty over his chances of reaching the last major goal in his illustrious career: adding that elusive 25th record Grand Slam to his collection to move past Margaret Court on the all-time winners’ list.


Zverev suffers early exit in French Open warm-up

Updated 21 May 2025
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Zverev suffers early exit in French Open warm-up

  • Muller, ranked 40th in the world, beat a top-five ranked opponent for the first time in his career
  • The German said sickness was behind his lacklustre showing

BERLIN: World number three Alexander Zverev blamed illness after a last 16 elimination by Frenchman Alexandre Muller in the Hamburg Open on Wednesday botched his French Open dress rehearsal.

Muller, ranked 40th in the world, won 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (7/5) to reach the quarter-finals, beating a top-five ranked opponent for the first time in his career.

The German struggled in the opening set, taking just two games as Muller won in 34 minutes. Zverev opened strongly in the second and broke his opponent twice.

In the third, Zverev and Muller broke each other once before forcing a tiebreak. Zverev held the advantage until Muller won the final three points to take the match.

A last-minute sign-up to the clay court event, Zverev had hoped to use his hometown tournament to gain momentum for the French Open.

The German said sickness was behind his lacklustre showing. “It was OK considering I threw up 37 times and had a fever of 39.4 degrees (Celsius, 102.9 Fahrenheit) all night.

“I was two points away from winning the match. There’s a lot to be said in my favor.”

The 28-year-old said his opponent had taken advantage of his poor condition.

“When I had to walk it was difficult. He then realized at some point I wasn’t feeling well and made the points last as long as possible.”

Still looking for a breakthrough Grand Slam victory, Zverev lost in the most recent Australian and French Open finals, along with the US Open in 2020.

After an inconsistent start to 2025, Zverev broke through to win the Bavarian Open in April, his third victory on the Munich clay. The German was however eliminated at the quarter-finals in Rome in straight sets last Wednesday.

Zverev won the tournament in 2023 and made the final last year, losing to France’s Arthur Fils in a third-set tiebreak.

The German was considered the favorite for the tournament after world number one Jannik Sinner’s late withdrawal.

Earlier on Wednesday, American second seed Frances Tiafoe was eliminated by Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut and fourth-seeded Argentinian Francisco Cerundolo lost to Czech Jiri Lehecka.


Djokovic to carry on without a coach after parting ways with Murray

Updated 21 May 2025
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Djokovic to carry on without a coach after parting ways with Murray

  • The high-profile partnership with three-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray lasted only six months
  • Djokovic is winless on clay this year after exiting the Monte Carlo Masters and Madrid Open with straight-sets losses

Novak Djokovic said he would carry on without a coach for now after parting ways with Andy Murray last week, as the Serbian prepares for his latest bid to win a record-extending 25th Grand Slam title at the French Open.
The high-profile partnership with three-time Grand Slam champion Murray lasted only six months but Djokovic said his respect for the Scot had only grown in that time.
“At the moment, I’m not in need of a coach. I don’t need to rush in any context. I feel comfortable with the people around me,” Djokovic told reporters on Tuesday, a day before facing Marton Fucsovics at the Geneva Open.
“In the next few tournaments, we’ll see what happens.”
Djokovic, 38, is winless on clay this year after exiting the Monte Carlo Masters and Madrid Open with straight-sets losses last month, and his form is a concern heading into Roland Garros, which kicks off on Sunday.
He had appointed fellow former world number one Murray ahead of this year’s Australian Open and said in February he would continue working with him for an indefinite period.
“We felt like we couldn’t get more out of that partnership on the court, and that’s all there is to it,” added Djokovic.
“My respect toward Andy remains the same, even more actually, I got to know him as a person.”


Bianca Andreescu on challenges of finding purpose away from the tennis court

Updated 20 May 2025
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Bianca Andreescu on challenges of finding purpose away from the tennis court

  • Ranked 102 in the world this week, Andreescu is competing in the qualifying rounds of a Grand Slam for the first time since the 2019 Australian Open

MADRID: Bianca Andreescu has spent more time than she would have liked away from the tennis tour since she stormed onto the scene back in 2019.

That breakthrough season six years ago saw a 19-year-old Andreescu become the first Canadian to win a Grand Slam singles title when she defeated Serena Williams in the US Open final.

She ended that year ranked No. 4 in the world after starting it ranked outside the top 150.

Her career has been a stop-start journey since then, as a slew of injuries, a self-imposed break for mental health reasons, and more recently an appendectomy, have kept her on the sidelines for various stretches of time.

Currently mounting yet another comeback following a six-month hiatus, Andreescu opened her Roland Garros qualifying campaign with a bang, delivering a 6-0, 6-0 performance against China’s Yao Xinxin on Monday to advance to round two.

Ranked 102 in the world this week, Andreescu is competing in the qualifying rounds of a Grand Slam for the first time since the 2019 Australian Open.

The 24-year-old Canadian returned to action in April after missing the first three and a half months of the season due to personal reasons, as well as an emergency surgery to remove her appendix back in February.

Looking fitter and feeling healthier than, perhaps, ever, Andreescu sent out a signal of intent in Rome last week, where she claimed two top-20 victories, over former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina and Olympic silver medallist Donna Vekic, en route to the round of 16.

A long journey of soul-searching and self-development is what helped Andreescu get to where she is today. But ever the seeker, she admits her appetite for learning and finding meaningful off-court experiences doesn’t always make her life easier on court.

For years now, Andreescu has been working on finding fulfilment beyond winning a tennis match. During a break she took in 2022, she started volunteering at various charities, including a women’s shelter dedicated to victims of domestic violence.

She made sure her most recent hiatus was just as productive.

“I did a lot of things. After Tokyo [in October 2024], I was not too good mentally, so since I was in that area, I went to Thailand, and I did a lot of volunteer work there with kids,” Andreescu told Arab News earlier this month.

She spent time in Phuket and Chiang Mai, helping bring food, water, and clothes to impoverished areas.

“It was very humbling, obviously, and just such amazing people,” she added. “That definitely helped me get into a better mindset.”

Just as she was preparing to return to the tour for March’s ‘Sunshine Double’ in Indian Wells and Miami, Andreescu’s progress was delayed by appendectomy surgery.

“But that led to other things; so I went on two retreats,” she explained.

“I did an online Tony Robbins retreat, and then I did a Joe Dispenza retreat in person [in Basel]. I've read all of his books, and I talk about him quite a lot. I went to one of his retreats to really get into that mindset of, coming back into the sport.”

She also visited her grandparents in Romania.

“They are my biggest supporters, and, honestly, when I have tough times on court, I really think about them, and they really give me that confidence to push harder and to be better on the court, so it was really nice,” said Andreescu.

Getting healthy has been a top priority for Andreescu, who spent months researching various nutrition plans before settling on Dave Asprey’s ‘Bulletproof diet’. She said a lot of her previous injuries could have been attributed to being overweight and is pleased with all the work she’s done to “get leaner”.

Now back on tour and working her way through the qualifying rounds of the French Open, Andreescu is armed with a wealth of knowledge and real-life experiences she never would have amassed had she been on the tennis circuit full-time.

“It is definitely great, but sometimes I can get too much in my head with all the information that I'm seeking,” she confessed.

“Because, yes, I have a lot of interests outside of the court, and that can be beneficial, but also not. Because if I go back to 2019, yes, I read books and stuff, but I was still in that era of ‘ignorance is bliss’, and sometimes that's really nice, because I can definitely get into my head.

“But it helps me so much in the way of growing as a person on and off the court, a million percent. And I think that's what life is all about, and I think that's why I also seek those experiences, especially volunteer work. For me, that's, like, super, super important, giving back.”

‘Getting in her head’ can manifest in different ways and Andreescu tries to elaborate with a few examples.

“Let's say I'm feeling nervous. I have all of these tools under my belt that I can use to help me tame that nervousness. But then I can also take the way of going with the flow and just letting the nerves hit me and use that to my advantage,” she says.

“So it's like finding that balance, for instance, because I know that I can do well when I am nervous, but I know I can also do well when I'm more calm and centered, so it's a bit weird in that way.

“And then the other part is I feel like I always need to be doing something and always needing to learn something, and that can get quite overbearing because sometimes, let's say, if I don't write in my journal one day, I can get in my head, if I lose my match today, I'll maybe think, ‘Oh, if I wrote in my journal yesterday, maybe I would have won’. Little things like that.”

Striking that balance remains a work in progress for Andreescu but she certainly feels empowered by all her off-court endeavors and feels “super different than even six months ago”.

Her biggest challenge is shedding all the comparisons people draw between who she is now, as a player, and who she was during her breakthrough 2019 campaign. She admits it’s a trap she herself sometimes gets caught up in.

“It's like how can I be Bianca now instead of how can I be Bianca from last year, or even, you know, 2019, right? Because everyone talks about 2019, but it's never going to be the case. So it's like finding who Bianca is now is the most important thing,” she states.

“I can definitely have a toxic relationship in a way with the sport, and so it's just really focusing on giving myself grace of, yes, I'm a perfectionist and I know where my level can be, but it's also like, I'm not the same person I was back in 2019, because people always compare me to 2019, and me too. That's kind of been the narrative of my career.

“So it's just giving myself grace and patience because in a way I'm still young.”

A month shy of her 25th birthday, Andreescu has every reason to believe the best is yet to come.