Category: Tennis

• Norwegian claims milestone success in 6-1, 7-5 win
• Alexander Zverev beats Andrey Rublev 6-4, 6-4

Carlos Alcaraz made a stuttering start to the ATP Finals in Turin as he suffered a shock first career defeat to the world No 7 Casper Ruud.

The two-time Wimbledon champion, who won the first of his four grand slam titles by beating Ruud in the 2022 US Open final, went into the contest leading the head-to-head results 4-0. But the inspired Norwegian impressively claimed a milestone ­success in the opening match of the John Newcombe Group, winning 6-1, 7-5 in an hour and 25 minutes.

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• Sinner defeats Australian opponent 6-3, 6-4 in Turin
• Fritz triumphs 6-4, 6-3 in other Ilie Nastase Group match

Home favourite Jannik Sinner made the ideal start to the ATP Finals in Turin with a straight-sets victory over Alex de Minaur. Sinner recovered from losing his serve in the third game to ease to a 6-3, 6-4 victory in 85 minutes in his first match since winning the Rolex Shanghai Masters on October 13.

“He was playing great in the beginning of the match so I just tried to stay there mentally knowing that, hopefully, at some point my tennis would arrive,” the world No 1 said in an on-court interview. “It arrived quite early and I started to return very well, my serve for sure I have to improve but I’m very pleased about the win and hopefully this can give me the confidence for the next one.”

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• Czech responds to comments made on Tennis Channel
• ‘I believe it’s time to address the need for respect’

Barbora Krejcikova has criticised “unprofessional commentary” regarding her appearance on the US TV network Tennis Channel.

The Wimbledon champion was taking part in the WTA Finals in Saudi Arabia this week, the culmination to the regular women’s season, where she lost to Zheng Qinwen in the semi-finals on Friday.

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• American claims 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (2) victory
• Gauff faced 5-3 deficit in final set

As Coco Gauff faced down a 5-3 third-set deficit towards the end of a relentless, brutal battle, the odds of victory were dissipating with every point. However, in her short career, the American’s grit has been a constant resource when all else has failed. She has found a way to victory from dire circumstances so many times. In one of the biggest finals of her career, Gauff spent almost the entirety of her three hours on-court just fighting to stay in the match against an opponent in the form of her life. Somehow, in the desperate final moments at the end of a brilliant tussle, Gauff rose up to topple Zheng Qinwen 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (2) and win the WTA Finals for the first time.

Still just 20, Gauff is the youngest champion at the WTA Finals since a 17-year-old Maria Sharapova won in 2004. She did so the hard way, ­defeating the two best players, in Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek, and then Zheng, the Olympic gold ­medallist. This victory marks Gauff’s third career title and ninth overall, her 9-1 record in finals a reflection of her immense toughness under pressure.

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Coco Gauff wins the WTA Finals after a gripping three-set thriller against Zheng Qinwen

First set: Zheng 3-2 Gauff* (*denotes next server) A humdinger of a game bursting with huge shots and ferocious rallies. An inside out backhand wins Zheng the first point in her serve. Gauff is very quick, spanning the length of the base line like a woman in seven league boots. A inch-perfect forehand from Gauff, then Zheng hits long to give Gauff two break points. Zheng saves the game with a perfectly balanced cross court winner then a backhand down the line. Zheng saves a third break point, and Gauff is disgusted with herself after a limp forehand to give Zheng the advantage. But a cross-court forehand brings her back to deuce. Eventually though, Zheng wins out. They take a sit down.

First set: Zheng 2*-2 Gauff (*denotes next server) Gauff is wearing a deeper purple, almost a royal purple, dress, and a matching headband. A double fault is followed up by two outrageous first serves. Zheng pulls back to deuce but brilliant defence from Gauff in a squeaky shoed rally gives her the advantage, and she soon pockets the game

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• American outlasts world No 1: 7-6 (4), 6-3 in Riyadh
• Zheng Qinwen beats Barbora Krejcikova in first semi

When Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff stared each other down just a month ago in Wuhan, Gauff clearly had the edge as she methodically established a set and break lead. But then, out of nowhere, her serve spectacularly crumbled. Although she fought valiantly until the end, she was torpedoed by an astounding 21 double faults.

Having already been a presence on the tour for half a decade, it is sometimes easy to forget that, at 20 years old, Gauff is still growing, still a work in progress. Throughout this week, the American has shown the results of some of that progress as she arrived in Riyadh with significant adjustments in her game and she has used them to play some of the best tennis of her career. On Friday, Gauff produced a superb performance against Sabalenka, the world No 1, to reach the final of the WTA Finals with a spectacular 7-6 (4), 6-3 win.

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• Swiatek exits on sets percentage despite routing Kasatkina
• Krejcikova and Gauff progress to the semi-finals

The defending champion, Iga Swiatek, was knocked out of the WTA Finals after Barbora Krejcikova defeated Coco Gauff to book her spot in the last four.

Swiatek had earlier needed less than an hour to dispatch Daria Kasatkina, who had replaced the injured Jessica Pegula, 6-1, 6-0 in the opening match of the day in Riyadh.

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• Zheng Qinwen defeats Italian opponent 6-1, 6-1 in Riyadh
• Chinese player is youngest to reach semi-finals since 2011

China’s Zheng Qinwen reached the semi-finals of the WTA Finals in Riyadh after claiming an impressive 6-1, 6-1 win over Italian fourth seed Jasmine Paolini. In her WTA Finals debut, the 22-year-old became the youngest player to reach the semi-finals since Petra Kvitova in 2011.

The seventh seed fired 12 aces in a dominant performance, recording her 30th win from 34 matches since Wimbledon. “It’s one of the best performances I had during this year,” she said on court. “Really good percentage of first serves. I enjoyed a lot tonight to play here.”

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• American triumphs 6-3, 6-4 despite serving struggles
• Gauff’s record against Polish rival now stands at 2-11

At 20, Coco Gauff has achieved a considerable amount. She has established herself as a perennial top-five player, won a grand slam title, and lived up to the suffocating hype that followed her since her preteens. Still, it remains to be seen if she can solve one of the most lopsided match-ups between two top players the sport has seen – her 1-11 record against Iga Swiatek.

In her second match at the WTA Finals, Gauff took a significant step forward as she held her nerve to register her second win over Swiatek, the No 2 seed and defending champion. After bursting into the contest playing bold tennis, Gauff maintained her composure in the middle of a serving slump before closing out a 6-3, 6-4 win over her erratic opponent.

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• Djokovic pulls out of Turin finale with unspecified injury
• Nadal will retire from tennis at Davis Cup next month

Novak Djokovic has announced his withdrawal from ATP Finals due to an unspecified injury, marking the end to his 2024 season.

Djokovic pulling out means that for the first time since 2001 there will be no member of the ’big three’ present at the ATP Finals. While Roger Federer has been retired since 2022, Rafael Nadal will retire from professional tennis at the Davis Cup in Málaga later this month. Djokovic, however, has said that he currently has no plans to call it a day.

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• Year of ill health and ailing form is ending on low note
• Sabalenka through to semi-finals with win over Paolini

As Elena Rybakina trailed Zheng Qinwen by a set and a break in their tight group-stage tussle at the WTA Finals in Riyadh on Monday, the odds were not in her favour. Still, she fought hard, retrieved the break and as her confidence grew, her own serve, one of the most destructive weapons in the sport, fell into place. Rybakina rolled through four successive games to force a final set.

That sequence of play from Rybakina was a reminder of the high level she has produced to establish herself as one of the leading players on the WTA tour, but this time it was fleeting. She was visibly fatigued in the final set as Zheng regained control and secured her first win at the WTA Finals, closing out the match 7-6 (4), 3-6, 6-1.

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• British No 1 beaten 6-1, 6-2 by 20-year-old Russian
• Boulter excited after reaching career-high ranking of 23

Katie Boulter’s strong run in Hong Kong came to a brutal end on Sunday as she was thoroughly outplayed in the final by top seed Diana Shnaider, who dismantled the British No 1 6-1, 6-2 to win her fourth WTA title of the season.

Boulter, the second seed, was outgunned from the beginning by a brilliant Shnaider, a strong left-hander with a vicious, heavy forehand. As Shnaider continually took the first strike and forced Boulter into uncomfortable positions around the court, she exposed the vulnerable points of Boulter’s game. Boulter overpressed, she lost confidence in her serve and she had no alternative plan against a relentless opponent.

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• British No 1 battled to 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 victory over Yuan Yue
• She will rise to at least 23rd in world rankings on Monday

Katie Boulter had many reasons to be apprehensive about her form in the final stretch of an arduous first full season at tennis’s highest levels. However, even as she travelled from city to city struggling to re-establish herself, the British No 1 continued to work hard each day, remaining optimistic and giving herself opportunities to find her best level again.

In her last individual tournament of the season, Boulter has been rewarded for her resilience and grit. She pieced together another brilliant performance on Saturday in a quality tussle against Yuan Yue of China, eventually closing out a 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 win to reach the Hong Kong Open final.

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