Category: Tennis

• Australian tested positive at event in June

• Kyrgios and Tsitsipas have clashed in the past

Stefanos Tsitsipas says he is not surprised that Nick Kyrgios was suspended from tennis for taking cocaine.

“Pretty much expected, to be honest,” Tsitsipas said. “I am surprised it came so late, though.”

• Kim Birrell, Maya Joint and James Duckworth advance on day two

• Birrell plans to spend $265,000 pay day on upcoming wedding

An elated Kim Birrell plans on paying down her mortgage after surviving a match point and a restless night’s sleep to chalk up a life-changing US Open win in New York.

The gritty Gold Coaster wore down Croatian Petra Marcinko 3-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-3 to finally reach the second round after losing all three of her previous Flushing Meadows openers in 2023, 2024 and 2025.

• Aroma wafts over practice courts from nearby park

• Katie Boulter: ‘I’ve experienced it. I’m not a huge fan’

Britain’s US Open hopefuls thought they had put the grass behind them when Wimbledon finished, but the smell of it is all around Flushing Meadows and they are not happy about it.

Marijuana is legal for adults in New York and while smoking is not allowed on site, the aroma of weed wafts over some outside courts from the nearby Corona Park.

The women’s singles champion at SW19 on her off-court passions, growing up in Czechia, and the aftermath of achieving her dream

Linda Noskova has spent almost her entire life working towards mastering her sport. She began travelling around Czechia, Europe and then the world for tournaments before she was a teenager. Her life decisions have revolved around tennis for as long as she can remember.

Those early years prepared Noskova for the challenge of winning her first grand slam title, but the biggest lesson from her triumph at Wimbledon last month has been her lack of preparedness for everything that followed. The world did not come to a halt upon the completion of her ultimate goal. Life continues at the same pace, and now she must find her place in the sport once more.

• Sisters to appear in New York for first time since 2022

• Serena played mixed doubles with Alcaraz on Tuesday

Serena and Venus Williams are teaming up again at the US Open.

The sisters will play doubles at the tournament after receiving a wild card on Wednesday into the event they have won twice.

British No 2 looks back on ‘Fery-tale’ after dealing with injury and shares his ranking goals before US Open debut

“I was around 300 in the world and still really struggling with my arm,” Arthur Fery says as he explains how life has changed from this time last year when, after his shock appearance in the Wimbledon semi-finals, he rose to No 36 in the rankings. His run of five victories, which produced a stunning turnaround in his career, was celebrated as a glorious “Fery-tale”.

But it does not take long in the company of the measured and thoughtful 24-year-old for the grit to emerge from the deeper shadows in his story. There has been more pain than glory in the long hard slog to this point but, amid the doubt caused by his injury, Fery’s self-belief has remained intact. As he says in Cincinnati, his success at Wimbledon provides a dizzying contrast to the testing times he has endured.

• World No 1 makes ‘difficult decision’ to miss slam

• Draper still recovering from bone bruise in left arm

Jannik Sinner will miss the US Open with a right knee injury. The world No 1 has not played a match since beating Alexander Zverev last month to successfully defend his Wimbledon title, missing the Masters 1000 events in Canada and Cincinnati. Great Britain’s Jack Draper is also out of the event.

The news comes a day after his great rival Carlos Alcaraz, whom the Italian lost to in the final in New York 12 months ago, revealed he will make his comeback at Flushing Meadows after four months out with a wrist injury.

• Marta Kostyuk and Peyton Stearns beat American pair 6-2, 1-6, 10-8

• Serena and Venus enjoy ‘fun’ on-court reunion despite defeat

Serena and Venus Williams played their first doubles match together since the 2022 US Open and lost a thriller, 2-6, 6-1, 10-8 to Marta Kostyuk and Peyton Stearns at the Cincinnati Open.

The sisters nearly recovered from a 6-0 deficit in the match tiebreaker before a double-fault by Venus Williams ended their first doubles appearance in a non-grand slam event since the Italian Open in 2016.

• Olympic tennis event begins three days after Wimbledon

• Rybakina: ‘It’s crazy … hopefully something will change’

Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina and a number of top tennis players have called for changes to the calendar in light of the “crazy” and “ridiculous” news that the tennis competition in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics will begin just three days after Wimbledon ends.

The LA28 Olympics announced last month that the tennis event will take place between 19 and 28 July. With the Wimbledon 2028 men’s final on 16 July, the best performers at the tournament will have minimal time to fly to a different continent and adapt from grass to hard courts.

• Seven-time major champion beaten 6-2, 6-2

• Williams, 46, loses 11th match of the season

• Tsitsipas advances as Dimitrov squanders lead

Colombian Emilia Arango handed Venus Williams a 14th straight loss dating to July of last year, defeating the fading seven-time grand slam champion who is currently ranked 615th in 66 minutes by 6-2, 6-2 at the ATP-WTA Cincinnati Masters.

The 46-year-old Williams was given a wild card entry at an event where she reached a semi-final a dozen years ago. She has played and lost 11 times this season while competing on organizer free entries.

• American wins second straight Masters 1000 title

• Shelton improves to 6-0 against fellow American

• Norrie advances as Draper falls in Cincinnati

Ben Shelton broke onto the scene by winning his first-ever ATP Masters 1000 championship a year ago in Toronto.

He earned his second crown at that level ⁠by successfully defending his Canadian title on Thursday, defeating fellow American Brandon Nakashima 6-3, 7-6 (4) to win the National Bank Open in Montreal.

Former Wimbledon champion’s suspension comes as Mykhailo Mudryk returns for Chelsea, exposing stark contrast in processes

In the months between the first announcement of Marketa Vondrousova’s doping test refusal and the release of the full reasoned decision after her four‑year ban, the 2023 Wimbledon champion did her best to grab hold of the narrative. Between her social media posts and later interviews, Vondrousova explained that she had serious concerns about her safety during the encounter, that the doping control officer at her door had acted improperly, and that her mental health problems had affected her judgment.

Then came the 58-page document, a summary of the court tribunal process, which was finally released a little over a week ago. Among the ample questionable decisions it showed Vondrousova to have made that evening, the text to her boyfriend shortly after the doping control officer arrived was particularly revealing, an indication that she felt disdain towards the tester rather than fear: “So like here is ringing some cunt from the doping,” she wrote.

The emergence of GenAI has led to a generational shift with stars conflicted on the impact of technology on their sport

Not so long ago, Emma Raducanu was on her phone when she found herself wondering what her comprehensive usage of ChatGPT said about her own character. “I use Chat a lot,” Raducanu says, laughing. “Every small thing I do it and I got this idea. So, you know how Spotify do a Spotify Wrapped? I asked ChatGPT to make me a Chat Wrapped, and it was giving me a rundown on my personality.

“I was like: ‘It’s a little bit too accurate.’ It was very clear, very concise. No nonsense, straight into the question. I was like: ‘OK, I can relate maybe. Some of that is true.’”