Category: Tennis

Now the 19-year-old Filipina’s challenge is to handle the unavoidable pressure and build a successful career

In the early hours of Friday morning, after nearly two weeks spent slaying giants, Alexandra Eala slumped in her chair inside the vast Hard Rock Stadium, her unforgettable run in Miami finally at an end. Before she could even begin to reflect on her mixed emotions of pride and disappointment, however, she was hit by a wall of noise.

The audience, still filled with Filipino fans at 12.45am, had opted to celebrate Eala’s achievements with a thunderous standing ovation. She responded immediately, raising both fists to the air and then blowing kisses to all corners of the stadium with a smile.

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She plays her best tennis in a positive environment but her setup at the Miami Open is unlikely to be for the long term

Not long before she was due on court for one of the more significant occasions of her career so far, Emma Raducanu was pictured surrounded by her temporary team of the week – Jane O’Donoghue, Mark Petchey and Yutaka Nakamura – on the player warmup lawn inside the hulking Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. While many players try to enjoy a quiet moment alone in their own thoughts before being called on to court, team Raducanu were preoccupied by an epic spikeball battle.

At one point during the game, which involves players rebounding a ball against a springy, circular net between them with their hands, Petchey threw himself on the ground in a doomed attempt to save the point. They were all soon doubled over with laughter.

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• Briton loses first career WTA 1000 quarter-final 6-4, 6-7 (3), 6-2
• No 4 seed to face Alexandra Eala after her upset win over Iga Świątek

Emma Raducanu’s encouraging run at the Miami Open came to a difficult end in the quarter-finals on Wednesday night as she went toe-to-toe with Jessica Pegula for two-and-a-half hours before eventually being outlasted by one of the best players in the world. After three bruising, classy sets under the lights, the fourth seed sustained her excellent level in the decisive final stages as she closed out a 6-4, 6-7 (3), 6-2 victory.

Pegula will next face Alexandra Eala, who pulled off one of the great upsets in recent years earlier on Wednesday by toppling Iga Świątek 6-2, 7-5. Eala, a 19 year-old ranked No 140 and the first Filipino player to reach the highest levels of the WTA tour, had already defeated Madison Keys, the reigning Australian Open champion, and former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko.

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• World No 2 reportedly subject of abuse online and in-person
• Pole to face Eala in Miami quarter-finals Wednesday

World No 2 Iga Swiatek has been given extra security after a spectator at the Miami Open verbally abused the five-times major champion during a practice session last weekend, the BBC reported on Wednesday.

The man shouted personal insults about Swiatek’s family and had previously sent abusive online messages to her through social media.

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Briton is looking a tougher athlete but can still learn lessons from her quarter-final opponent, Jessica Pegula

Jessica Pegula began her professional tennis journey with a head start on most of her peers. In a sport as prohibitively expensive as elite tennis, her family wealth – her billionaire parents own several sports franchises, including the NFL’s Buffalo Bills – afforded her unfettered access to equipment and knowledge. Her career, however, has come to signify something else altogether.

At the age of 22, Pegula was still fluttering in and out of the top 150, stuck on the lower rungs of the ITF circuit and simply trying to figure things out. Pegula did not break into the top 100 until a couple of weeks before her 25th birthday in February 2019 and even then it seemed as if she was light years away from ever becoming a top player. She failed countless times before she began to soar.

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New Laver Cup Team Europe vice-captain won’t be moving into coaching even if he does like the look of Jack Draper

Tim Henman says he has no intention of following Andy Murray’s lead into full‑time coaching despite being appointed the new vice-captain of Team Europe at the Laver Cup. From this year, Henman will act as a mentor to some of the best players in the world alongside the team captain, Yannick Noah, the 1983 French Open champion.

“I think coaching is a far bigger commitment in terms of time, in terms of travel, and I’ve had those offers, but it just doesn’t appeal to me,” Henman said. “And that may change. I would never shut the door on coaching an individual player. I was involved in the ATP Cup, but that was a very specific event.

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• Briton into quarter-finals with 6-1, 6-3 victory
• First time she has made last eight of a WTA 1000 event

Her confidence growing and her game blossoming further with every match, Emma Raducanu produced another supreme performance under pressure as she dismantled Amanda Anisimova 6-1, 6-3 to reach the ­quarter-finals of the Miami Open.

With one of the best ­tournament runs of her career, Raducanu will ­contest her first WTA 1000 ^­quarter-final. She will return to the top 50 for the first time since her eight-month layoff in 2023 after undergoing surgery to both wrists and her ankle.

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• Raducanu leading 6-1, 3-0 before opponent withdraws
• Brit reaches fourth round in Miami for first time

Emma Raducanu produced another brilliant performance to reach the fourth round of the Miami Open for the first time in her career after her opponent McCartney Kessler of the US retired with a back injury while Raducanu led 6-1, 3-0.

Two days after registering one of the most impressive wins of her career, a dramatic three-set tussle versus the world No 8 Emma Navarro, Raducanu returned to the court radiating confidence and she performed at an excellent level until the end of the match. By reaching the round of 16 in Miami, Raducanu has equalled her best result at a WTA 1000 event.

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• Briton loses 7-6 (2) 7-6 (3) in Miami Open second round
• Jacob Fearnley also exits at hands of Alexander Zverev

Just under a week after pulling off the greatest achievement of his career so far, the next task for Jack Draper was to cast all thoughts of his sublime Indian Wells title run to the back of his mind while maintaining the form that had taken his tennis to new heights.

Performing at the highest level week after week regardless of circumstances and conditions remains one of the toughest challenges in professional tennis and on Saturday it proved a step too far. Draper fell back to earth with an unsatisfying 7-6 (2), 7-6 (3) defeat to the 19-year-old Jakub Mensik of the Czech Republic in the second round of the Miami Open.

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• British No 2 beats American 7-6 (6), 2-6, 7-6 (3)
• Victory marks first career top-10 win on hard court

Midway through the final set of an increasingly painful spectacle, it looked like Emma Raducanu was finished. As the games piled up against her and she visibly struggled physically, Raducanu limped slowly between rallies and she was barely any more agile once they began. It seemed like she had nothing more to give.

Even when she appeared to be rounding on certain defeat, however, Raducanu refused to stop searching for a way through. The 22 year-old was rewarded for her faith and fortitude with one of the best wins of her career as she recovered from numerous deficits in the final set of an utterly chaotic tussle to defeat Emma Navarro, the eighth seed, 7-6 (6), 2-6, 7-6 (3) and reach the third round of the Miami Open.

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• Third seed beats fellow American 6-0, 6-0
• Qualifier Fearnley will face Alexander Zverev

Third seed Coco Gauff crushed fellow American Sofia Kenin 6-0, 6-0 at the Miami Open on Thursday, as the former US Open champion produced a flawless display to reach the third round.

Gauff, aiming to win her maiden Miami Open title, won 84% of her first-serve points, saved the one break point she faced and converted six of her nine break points in the 47-minute match.

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• World No 892 beats Mackenzie McDonald 3-6, 6-3, 6-4
• ‘I never thought I would play tennis again,’ admits Australian

Australia’s Nick Kyrgios has recovered from a slow start to beat American Mackenzie McDonald in the first round of the Miami Open. Kyrgios dropped the opening set before storming home to win 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 on Wednesday.

The win was his first in a tour-level match since 2022 and sets up a second-round encounter with Russian Karen Khachanov. The Australian said he is glad to be back but will not be getting carried away.

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• Briton produces calm display in 6-2, 6-1 victory
• Raducanu faces Emma Navarro in second round

Emma Raducanu began her time on the east coast of the US on a positive note as she produced a calm, consistent performance to reach the second round of the Miami Open for the first time with a 6-2, 6-1 win over the Japanese wildcard Sayaka Ishii. Her victory sets up a second-round match against Emma Navarro, the eighth seed.

“I was just so focused on every point and trying to compete,” said Raducanu. “That was my main objective today, just trying my best every point and bringing some energy, bringing some competitiveness. I think that’s maybe been missing in the past couple of months. I’m really proud of that. It’s just nice to win in two sets and less than two and a half hours.”

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The 163-page PTPA lawsuit contains some valid and not-so-valid criticism of the professional tours and major events

The Professional Tennis Players’ Association came into existence on the eve of the 2020 US Open and at the height of pandemic restrictions. After an inauspicious start, the association co-founded by Novak Djokovic has spent time building its professional structures, finances and player support while trying to gain influence in the sport. The PTPA ostensibly functions as a players’ union, but it is not legally recognised as such, since players are classed as independent contractors rather than employees.

As the PTPA’s numerous attempts to gain a seat at the sport’s decision making table have been rebuffed, often vigorously, by the leading governing bodies – the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and the four grand slam tournaments – it became increasingly likely that their acrimonious relations would lead to litigation. The PTPA’s decision to initiate a lawsuit against the ATP, WTA and ITF on Tuesday, while naming the grand slams as co-conspirators, marks a dramatic intensification of its campaign for players’ rights. It also comes as no great surprise.

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Changes in WTA tour means the days of child stars are gone, which is why 17-year-old’s achievements are so significant

There are two teenagers in the top 100 of the WTA rankings at the moment. Women’s tennis, in some ways, was built on the success of its child prodigies – Chris Evert, Monica Seles, Martina Hingis and the Williams sisters – who audaciously stormed towards the top in their youth, demanding attention.

Those days are long gone. Between the improved depth, physicality and professionalism at the lower levels, possibly a more sparse talent pool and the WTA’s age eligibility rules restricting the number of tournaments a child can contest, it is increasingly more difficult to flit up the rankings so early.

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