Queen’s Club: Andy Murray and Cameron Norrie among British players at Cinch Championships
Athletes criticise claim by IOC president Thomas Bach that Russian and Belarusian neutral participation ‘works’
Miami Open 2023: Sorana Cirstea stuns Aryna Sabalenka to reach semi-finals
Davis Cup Finals 2023: GB to face Australia, France and Switzerland in group stage in Manchester
Great Britain set for Davis Cup showdown with Australia in Manchester
- Leon Smith’s side also face France and Switzerland in September
- Carlos Alcaraz’s Spain and Novak Djokovic’s Serbia in same group
Great Britain will face last year’s runners-up Australia along with France and Switzerland in the group stage of the Davis Cup Finals at Manchester’s AO Arena in September.
Leon Smith’s side qualified for the group stage by defeating Colombia 3-1 away in February.
Continue reading...Miami Open: Carlos Alcaraz beats Tommy Paul, Elena Rybakina into semis
‘I’ve never felt this kind of pain’: Andreescu leaves court in wheelchair at Miami Open
- Canadian has suffered brutal run of injuries in recent years
- 22-year-old had been in good run of form recently
2019 US Open champion Bianca Andreescu left the court in a wheelchair due to a leg injury in the second set of her Miami Open match against Ekaterina Alexandrova on Monday night.
Andreescu was trailing in the match when she fell to the court as she moved across the baseline, clutching her lower left leg and screaming. A short time later, she was wheeled off the court to a standing ovation.
Continue reading...Davis Cup Finals 2023: Manchester to host group stage in September
Miami Open: Elena Rybakina beats Elise Mertens to reach quarter-finals
Carlos Alcaraz is the best in the world – and he is only going to get better | Tumaini Carayol
Teenage world No 1 is overwhelming elite opponents in dazzling style having refocused after a few off-court struggles
Early in the second set of Carlos Alcaraz’s third-round victory at the Miami Open, Dusan Lajovic, a Serbian veteran, was suffocating under the world No 1’s relentless pressure. Lajovic threw down everything he had, directing a forehand approach shot down the line and then connecting with a backhand overhead to the other line. In three rapid steps, Alcaraz flitted from the left side of the court to the right and cracked an angled forehand passing shot past Lajovic at the net. Then he smiled.
Alcaraz is the most dynamic, creative player in men’s tennis right now, a walking highlight reel, and seemingly every single match he plays brings similar exhibitions of skill and athleticism. His speed makes it so difficult to put the ball past him, and he pairs his defence with unwavering aggression off both wings and hand skills that allow him to unload from any position on the court.
Continue reading...Rybakina backing up Wimbledon breakthrough with composure of a champion | Tumaini Carayol
Supreme shotmaker has positioned herself as one of the game’s elite with understated self-belief and calmness under pressure
Elena Rybakina stepped up to the baseline to face match point in the Miami Open third round on Saturday night with her game in total disarray. While Paula Badosa had erected a wall on her side of the court, refusing to offer up any mistakes, Rybakina’s unforced errors piled up to the skies. She had missed countless routine backhands, she had shanked decisive drive volleys and her frustration increasingly surfaced as she trailed 6-3, 5-4. Her brief time in Florida, it seemed, was coming to an end.
Instead the pressure of standing a point from defeat steadied her. Rybakina slotted in a sweet, angled cross-court forehand winner to save the match point and, after a further flurry of point‑ending shots, the entire complexion of the match had changed. She was suddenly striking winners from all parts of the court, marching towards a third set. Badosa unloaded her own frustration at her team, covering her eyes with her left hand before mimicking forehand and backhand swings with her right. The implication was that Rybakina was swinging blindly and the ball just happened to be landing in.
Continue reading...Miami Open: Carlos Alcaraz beats Dusan Lajovic to reach last 16
Miami Open: Cameron Norrie sunk by Gregoire Barrère as Coco Gauff crumbles
- British No1 slumps out in 6-3, 6-2 defeat to on-form Frenchman
- Gauff stunned by thrilling Anastasia Potapova comeback
British No 1 Cameron Norrie has been dumped out of the Miami Open in a shock second-round loss to Frenchman Grégoire Barrère.
Miami has been a successful venue for Norrie in recent years, the 27-year-old having won the biggest title of his career there in 2021 and reached the quarter-finals last year. However, Norrie was simply outclassed by Barrère on Saturday, the world No 65 wrapping up a 6-3, 6-2 victory in an hour and 10 minutes.
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