Category: Tennis

• Joint defeats Eala 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 for second WTA title

• Pegula overcomes Swiatek in Bad Homburg Open final

Australia’s Maya Joint saved four match points before beating Alexandra Eala 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (10) to win the Eastbourne title in a gripping final on Saturday.

Four times Eala, the first player from the Philippines to reach a WTA Tour final, was a point away from victory in the final-set tie-break but Joint dug deep to prevail. The 19-year-old showed tremendous resilience to stay alive and when she earned her second match point at 11-10 and made no mistake, drilling a backhand crosscourt winner.

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A scrappy, smart defensive player in his formative years, a late growth spurt and shrewd coaching have honed the 23-year-old Briton into an opponent others now fear

Towards the end of 2018, a relatively unknown 16-year-old British tennis player took some of his first strides on the professional tennis circuit in a $15,000 (£11,000) tournament in Lagos, Nigeria on the ITF World Tennis Tour. Earlier that summer, Jack Draper had offered a glimpse into his considerable potential with a run to the Wimbledon boys’ final and his encouraging first tussles against adult opposition had earned him a modest ATP ranking of No 623. “I was very different then,” Draper says, smiling. “A bit of a maniac, to be honest.”

Those experiences were key in his development for various reasons. He ended that tournament by winning his third consecutive title, offering him more reason to believe he was on the right path. Along the way, he gained some essential perspective. “I’d have a wet [racket] grip, because it was so humid there. I’d put it in a bin and the kids were fighting over it. Just the energy from the people there, they were really passionate about tennis,” says Draper. “To go to those sorts of places was definitely … going from the UK and having a lot of, I guess, things given to me, it definitely helped the way I saw life.”

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• World No 51 beats Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 7-5 6-4 in semi-final

• Alexandra Eala first Philippines player to reach a WTA Tour decider

Australian teenager Maya Joint has reached another WTA final at the age of just 19, giving herself the perfect pre-Wimbledon boost by powering into the championship match in the traditional Eastbourne International curtain-raiser.

The US-born Queenslander, competing in just her second senior grass-court event, took another illustrious scalp on Friday following her wins over Ons Jabeur and Emma Raducanu as she defeated Russia’s former French Open finalist Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 7-5 6-4 in the semi-final.

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The margins in grand slam tennis have always been tight and the titles will be decided by who rises to the occasion

About three hours and 45 minutes into his duel with Carlos Alcaraz three weeks ago, Jannik Sinner lowered himself into his return stance for what he hoped would be the last rally of a near-flawless fortnight. Sinner held three championship points for what would be one of the most monumental victories of his career.

Just one of those three would have earned him a first grand slam title away from hard courts and redefined the terms of engagement with Alcaraz, the only player to beat him for 10 months. Sinner would then have drawn level with the Spaniard on four grand slam titles.

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• Raducanu: ‘For us to be British No 1s is pretty cool’

• Old friends can benefit from sharing responsibility

Emma Raducanu believes that the recent success enjoyed by Jack Draper can only help her as the two old friends tackle Wimbledon, and all the pressure that comes with it, as Britain’s No 1 players.

Draper has taken over Andy Murray’s mantle on the men’s side of the game, having reached No 4 in the world rankings after a remarkable six months. Although Draper has never passed the second round at Wimbledon, he is capable of making his first deep run at the All England Club when the championships begin on Monday.

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The Australian Open winner is ready for another tilt at Wimbledon after her injury heartbreak in last year’s tournament

Before she won her first grand slam tournament at the Australian Open in January, Madison Keys had spent more than a year talking to a therapist about her life rather than just her tennis career. “When I’d gone to see sports psychologists in the past it had been a little tunnel-focused on routines and big moments on the court,” she says on a sleepy Sunday afternoon in London. “So being able to talk to someone about broader life philosophies helped me get to the root of why I was feeling that way instead of just being uber-focused on decisive moments in a match.”

The 30-year-old American, who is ready for another tilt at Wimbledon, remembers some of the wayward suggestions that specialist sports psychiatrists would advise her to follow at crucial stages of a match. “It would be, like: ‘Make sure you look at your strings and do this specific thing and that’ll just help the nerves go away.’”

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• Total of 17 Australians will feature in main draw in London

• Priscilla Hon, Talia Gibson, Alex Bolt and James McCabe complete lineup

Four more of Australians have qualified for Wimbledon, meaning 17 players will feature in the main draw at next week’s championships – the biggest Aussie contingent for 30 years.

While Priscilla Hon and Talia Gibson both saved match points in final qualifying to earn their dream Wimbledon dates and Alex Bolt and James McCabe also booked their spots at windy Roehampton, teenage star Maya Joint sealed the stellar day by reaching the Eastbourne International semi-final.

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• British No 1 ‘feeling so much better’ after tonsillitis

• Draper will be seeded No 4 this year at Wimbledon

Jack Draper says he is feeling refreshed before Wimbledon after his bout of tonsillitis and is determined to make Centre Court his own as he prepares for his first championships at the All England Club as one of the top players in the world.

“I think the home support that I’m going to have and people right behind me is going to be amazing,” Draper said. “It’s going to be a privilege to play as the British No 1 and that’s what I’ve always wanted, I’ve wanted to make Centre Court of Wimbledon my environment, and I’m looking forward to hopefully starting that.”

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Double champion unlikely to be at SW19 this year but is enjoying helping Britain’s next generation of tennis players

Andy Murray has always had a way of creating alchemy on a tennis court. But, even in retirement, he is discovering new tricks. For more than an hour he has little kids from West Byfleet junior school transfixed as he coaches them through the joys of mini-tennis. There are swings and wild misses, gentle advice and high fives. In fact Murray is so locked in, he even makes his familiar power-exhale noise while he gently lifts the ball over a tiny net.

In short, he is a natural – even if he doesn’t quite see it that way himself. “I think they were just buzzing to get a few hours out of the classroom to be honest,” he says, typically self-effacing, as he chats during a quick break. “But it’s great. I love seeing kids on a tennis court having fun.”

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• British No 1 knocked out by teenager Maya Joint

• Australian world No 51 wins 4-6, 6-1, 7-6 (4)

Emma Raducanu says she needs to get her “head in the game” before Wimbledon starts on Monday after falling just short of a comeback against the Australian teenager Maya Joint at Eastbourne.

The British No 1 looked dead and buried in her battle with the youngster, trailing 5-2 in the deciding set. But she produced an inspired spell, breaking Joint three times when she was serving for the match to set up a tie-break.

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The American accepts Wimbledon might be the best chance for him to win an elusive major title at 27, and says being ‘a bit delusional’ has helped him in elite tennis

“That’s the only reason I really want to be playing,” Taylor Fritz says of his quest to win a grand slam tournament as he counts down the days to Wimbledon. Fritz, the world No 5, made the US Open final last year but he believes Wimbledon offers him the best opportunity to claim that elusive prize. He is 27 and, with each passing year, the pressure of his ambition grows.

Asked if he would feel an emptiness at the end of his career if he doesn’t win a slam, Fritz admits the truth: “I probably would. I’d probably think about it forever if I don’t do it.”

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• British player wins 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-1 in first round

• ‘I’m very, very happy to come through that’

Emma Raducanu fought back tears after resuming her Wimbledon preparations by battling back from a set down to beat the US’s Ann Li in the first round of the Eastbourne Open.

Amid blustery conditions, the British No 1, who missed last week’s Berlin Open as she managed a back problem, triumphed 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-1.

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• All England Club to recognise retired double champion

• Statue will also mark 150th anniversary in 2027

Sir Andy Murray will enjoy a permanent legacy at Wimbledon after the All England Club announced they would be unveiling a statue in his honour at the 2027 championships.

Debbie Jevans, the chair of the AELTC, said that the club had been working closely with Murray and his team and would reveal the sculpture at the championship’s 150th anniversary in two years’ time.

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Carlos Alcaraz survived a second-set scare, beating Jiri Lehecka in three to win Queen’s for the second time

Lehecka to serve, ready … play.

Our coverage has, finally, started, and our players are out. Lehecka will have to start well, but if he can he’s a live dog.

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