Serena Williams made a a surprise appearance at the International Tennis Hall of Fame ceremony in Newport, Rhode Island, emerging from behind the stage to introduce 'former rival, former fan and forever friend' Maria Sharapova for her induction on Saturday night. 'My favourite moments were always the quiet victories,' Sharapova told the audience. 'In giving my life to tennis, tennis gave me a remarkable life.'
Continue reading...Sharapova enters tennis Hall of Fame with surprise cameo by Serena Williams
Williams surprises Sharapova at induction
23-time major winner hails fierce rivalry
Bryan brothers, Sharapova join 2025 class
Serena Williams made a a surprise – and early – appearance at the International Tennis Hall of Fame, emerging from behind the stage to introduce “former rival, former fan and forever friend” Maria Sharapova for her induction on Saturday night.
Williams, a 23-time grand slam champion who will be eligible for her own enshrinement in 2027, drew gasps and shrieks from the crowd at the Newport shrine.
Continue reading...Alex de Minaur raring to go for US Open tilt despite tricky draw
World No 8 will face compatriot Chris O’Connell in first round
Australia’s 15-strong contingent prepare at Flushing Meadows
In-form Alex de Minaur has brushed off a minefield draw to declare himself primed to lead Australia’s 15-strong charge at the US Open in New York.
Having secured a precious top-eight seeding courtesy of his 10th career title in Washington and a last-eight run in Cincinnati, De Minaur is guaranteed to avoid a higher-ranked rival until at least the quarter-finals.
Continue reading...Serena Williams built her legacy on defiance. Why lend it to Ozempic culture? | Bryan Armen Graham
From Compton outsider to American nonpareil, she came to embody resistance to toxic norms. But her embrace of GLP-1 drugs feels like capitulation to ideals she once rejected
When Serena Williams was featured in a People magazine story on Thursday morning discussing her 31lb weight loss, the rollout had all the hallmarks of an advertisement draped in the thin veil of an all-caps EXCLUSIVE.
Vogue’s social channels amplified their own access, NBC’s Today show gave her a one-on-one segment and Elle published a carefully packaged interview in which Williams declared she wanted to break the stigma around weight-loss drugs, each of them in lockstep with what appeared to be a hard 9am press embargo. This vintage Jill Smoller quadrafecta was not a spontaneous confessional; it was a coordinated media blitz pegged to the US Open, the tentpole event of American tennis, which kicks off on Sunday in earnest.
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Continue reading...‘I’m so driven to find a way’: Holger Rune on what it takes to beat Alcaraz and Sinner
The 22-year-old has recruited the ‘legend’ Andre Agassi on his search for grand-slam winning form before the US Open
“My aim is to win as many grand slams as possible and be No 1 in the world,” Holger Rune says with cool assurance on a stinking hot day in Cincinnati. “It’s very, very clear for me and it’s always been like that since I was a child.”
The 22-year-old Dane is the world No 11 and he has reached the quarter-finals of Wimbledon and, on two occasions, the French Open. As the US Open approaches, he has yet to make the semi-finals of a grand slam but his bold ambition seems more concrete when his impressive record against the best two players in the world is remembered. Rune has played Carlos Alcaraz four times, winning twice, including a 7-6 (6), 6-2 victory in their most recent encounter, four months ago in the final of the Barcelona Open. He has also beaten Jannik Sinner twice in their five matches against each other.
Continue reading...Coco Gauff parts ways with her coach days before US Open campaign
World No 3 dismisses Daly ahead of US Open
Gauff adds biomechanics guru Gavin MacMillan
21-year-old seeks to fix serve woes in New York
Coco Gauff has reportedly split with coach Matthew Daly just days before the start of the US Open, making another shakeup to her support team on the eve of the year’s final major. The move was first reported by Bounces.
The world No 3 and two-time major champion will continue to work with her longtime coach Jean-Christophe Faurel but has added biomechanics specialist Gavin MacMillan to her corner. MacMillan was spotted with Gauff during a Wednesday practice session at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York.
Continue reading...US Open mixed doubles: Draper/Pegula into semi-finals after beating Alcaraz/Raducanu – as it happened
Iga Swiatek/Casper Ruud, Jessica Pegula/Jack Draper, Sara Errani/Andrea Vavassori and Danielle Collins/Christian Harrison reached the last four
The last 16, quarter-finals and semi-finals will be best of three sets, but first to four games not six. If a game goes to deuce, the winners of the next point take it – there’s no advantage. If a match is level at a set apiece, a 10-point match tiebreak will settle it.
Breaking: Danielle Collins and Christian Harris replace Sinner/Siniakova.
Continue reading...Carlos Alcaraz wins Cincinnati Open as Sinner retires from final with illness
Italian trailing 0-5 when he decided to pull out
Alcaraz confident rival is ‘going to come back stronger’
Carlos Alcaraz has won the Cincinnati Open for the first time in his career after the world No 1, Jannik Sinner, his great rival, was forced to retire from their highly anticipated final with illness while trailing 0-5 in the opening set.
Sinner, who had looked under the weather from the start of the match, explained later that he had been struggling with illness since Sunday. “I’m super sorry to disappoint you,” the Italian said.
Continue reading...Emma Raducanu and Jack Draper to face each other in revamped US Open mixed doubles
Britons to meet in first round of 16-pair event
Raducanu and Alcaraz will play Draper and Pegula
Jack Draper and Emma Raducanu, will face each other in the first round of the revamped US Open mixed doubles. The event has been moved to before the main tournament, on 19 and 20 August, with $1m (£750,000) in prize money at stake for the winners of the 16-pair event.
Draper will play with the American Jessica Pegula after their original partners, Paula Badosa and Tommy Paul, withdrew. With both inside the top five in the singles rankings, the pair have been handed the top seeding and will kick off their campaign against the wildcard pair of Raducanu and Carlos Alcaraz.
Continue reading...Iga Swiatek powers into first Cincinnati final with battling win over Rybakina
World No 3 recovers from early break to win 7-5, 6-3
Paolini beats Kudermetova 6-3, 6-7 (2), 6-3 in other semi
Iga Swiatek, the third seed, defeated Elena Rybakina 7-5, 6-3 on Sunday to reach her first Cincinnati Open final. The Pole had her hands full in the early stages of the 98-minute match but took advantage of a sudden dip in Rybakina’s form to win four consecutive games and wrap up the first set before easing through the second.
“That was a tough match,” Swiatek said. “At the beginning the level was pretty crazy. We played so fast that sometimes we couldn’t even run to the second ball. But I was there to play with intensity and good quality and I am super happy with the performance. I served much better, so for sure it helped and I wouldn’t change anything.”
Continue reading...Jannik Sinner sets up Carlos Alcaraz showdown in Cincinnati Open final
World No 1 wins 7-6 (4), 6-2 against Térence Atmane
Alcaraz sees off Alexander Zverev to make final
Jannik Sinner, the top seed and defending champion, ended the French qualifier Térence Atmane’s dream run at the Cincinnati Open with a 7-6 (4), 6-2 win to reach the final of the US Open warm-up event.
Sinner, playing on his 24th birthday, won a remarkable 91% of his first-serve points, did not face a single break point during the 86-minute match and converted two of five break points in his first career meeting with Atmane, the world No 136.
Continue reading...Rybakina happy to have controversial coach back as she beats Sabalenka
Former Wimbledon champion races to 6-1, 6-4 victory
She defends previously banned coach Stefano Vukov
Elena Rybakina has described herself as satisfied by the return of her coach Stefano Vukov as she produced an imperious performance at the Cincinnati Open, dismantling Aryna Sabalenka, the world No 1 and defending champion, 6-1, 6-4 to reach the semi-finals.
Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon champion, put together a performance of the highest quality on Friday afternoon as she served efficiently and completely overpowered one of the most destructive shotmakers in the world.
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Continue reading...Jannik Sinner cruises to 25th hard-court win in a row with victory in Cincinnati
Italian comfortably beats Félix Auger-Aliassime 6-0, 6-2
Fifth man this century to hit 25 straight hard-court wins
Jannik Sinner extended his winning run on hard courts to 25 matches with a ruthless dismissal of Félix Auger-Aliassime in the Cincinnati Open quarter-finals. Playing in his first tournament since lifting his fourth grand slam title at Wimbledon, the world No 1 and defending champion powered to a 6-0, 6-2 victory against the Canadian.
Auger-Aliassime had won both his previous matches against Sinner but could offer little resistance on Thursday, with the 23-year-old Italian beginning and ending the contest with runs of six games in a row, completing victory in just 71 minutes.
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