Maand: januari 2023

2:03 PM ET The depth of the sport has been tested at the 2023 Australian Open. The men’s field has been theoretically limited by injuries to both Carlos Alcaraz (who withdrew from the tournament before it began) and Rafael Nadal (who lost in the second round), and an early-round upset loss for 2022 finalist Daniil

5:55 AM ET Novak Djokovic steamrolled local hope Alex de Minaur 6-2, 6-1, 6-2 on Monday to ease into the quarterfinals of the Australian Open with a statement win in his quest for a 10th title at the Grand Slam. Djokovic struck first after a breathless start to the match when De Minaur crashed a

6:08 AM ET ESPN News Services MELBOURNE, Australia — The next stop on Ben Shelton’s first trip outside the United States will be a spot in the Australian Open quarterfinals. The 20-year-old NCAA champion from the University of Florida extended his stay in his debut at Melbourne Park by pulling out a 6-7 (5), 6-2,

9:08 PM ET ESPN News Services MELBOURNE, Australia — No. 5-seeded Aryna Sabalenka defeated Belinda Bencic 7-5, 6-2 on Monday to reach the quarterfinals of the Australian Open for the first time. Bencic double-faulted to drop the first set, which put Sabalenka in control from that point. No. 4-seeded Caroline Garcia faced Magda Linette later

2:03 PM ET MELBOURNE, Australia — Novak Djokovic paused his service routine and began aggressively stretching out his left leg. There were just seven points left for him to wrap up his third-round Australian Open match against Grigor Dimitrov, but he was clearly in pain. Djokovic’s left hamstring has been causing him grief during the

10:30 AM ET MELBOURNE, Australia — Prior to coming to New Zealand and Australia this month, Ben Shelton had never left the United States. Now, his first trip overseas has been extended after he defeated rising Australian Alexei Popyrin in the third round. “It feels great,” Shelton said of making the last 16 of a

2:30 AM ET ESPN News Services This was not a smooth ride for Sebastian Korda at the Australian Open on Sunday. An early deficit against a higher-seeded opponent. Some so-so serving. An up-and-down fifth-set tiebreaker filled with mistakes by both players. At the end, it was Korda, a 22-year-old American, who earned a spot in

6:13 AM ET MELBOURNE, Australia — Jessica Pegula thinks she is more settled and more confident than ever heading into her third straight Australian Open quarterfinal, but she admitted she is hungry for more after the women’s draw opened up in her favor Sunday. Pegula, the No. 3 seed in Melbourne, was too strong for

2:07 AM ET MELBOURNE, Australia — Coco Gauff didn’t hide her disappointment at a fourth-round exit during the Australian Open, briskly walking from Margaret Court Arena and later tearing up in her postmatch news conference. But still just 18 years of age, the world No. 7 knows she can’t win every match, every day. “After

10:30 PM ET ESPN News Services MELBOURNE, Australia — It all came so seemingly easy for Iga Swiatek last season: two Grand Slam trophies, eight titles overall, a 37-match winning streak, a lengthy stay at No. 1 in the rankings. Those accomplishments made everyone else expect constant greatness from Swiatek, which she can’t do anything

11:49 PM ET Associated Press MELBOURNE, Australia — Shingo Kunieda, the most successful player in the history of wheelchair tennis, announced his retirement from the sport on Sunday at the age of 38. The top-ranked Kunieda won 28 Grand Slam singles titles and completed the career Grand Slam of all four majors when he won

8:33 AM ET MELBOURNE, Australia — Novak Djokovic has backed calls from Andy Murray for the Australian Open to consider altering its schedule early in tournaments to avoid any more 4 a.m. finishes, with the nine-time Melbourne champ declaring “something needs to be addressed” to ensure players are in the best condition possible for Slam

6:54 AM ET Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut eliminated Andy Murray from the Australian Open with a 6-1, 6-7 (7), 6-3, 6-4 victory in the third round on Saturday. Former World No. 1 Murray was looking to reach a Grand Slam quarterfinals for the first time in six years. Murray beat Thanasi Kokkinakis in a stunning

5:31 AM ET MELBOURNE, Australia — Alexei Popyrin has been unable to secure a maiden Grand Slam fourth round appearance, going down to American Ben Shelton in straight sets on Saturday. Popyrin, backed by a healthy pro-Australian crowd on John Cain Arena, started brightly before the Florida Gators product Shelton took control of the match,

1:15 AM ET ESPN News Services MELBOURNE, Australia — Fifth-seeded Aryna Sabalenka extended her win streak to seven matches as she beat Elise Mertens 6-2, 6-3 to reach the fourth round of the Australian Open on Saturday. The Belarusian player hit 32 winners to beat Mertens, with whom she won the doubles title in Melbourne

11:28 PM ET Associated Press MELBOURNE, Australia — Fifth-seeded Andrey Rublev advanced to the fourth round of the Australian Open for the third time in four years with a 6-4, 6-2, 6-3 win over Dan Evans on Saturday. Rublev hit 60 winners, including 10 aces. “Every match I’m playing better and better,” Rublev said. “At

4:30 PM ET Only Labradors love chasing a tennis ball more than Sir Andy Murray. He continues to thrill and grind, and every time he defies logic on the court, you feel Britain adores him even more than thought possible. Editor’s Picks 1 Related Thursday afternoon in the UK was another occasion when we were

1:57 AM ET ESPN News Services MELBOURNE, Australia — As well as Jessica Pegula is playing tennis at the moment, dropping zero sets and just 11 games total along the way to Week 2 at the Australian Open, you might think she’d be completely pleased with how things are going. Ah, but the No. 3-seeded

4:10 AM ET Jiri Lehecka knocked British No. 1 Cameron Norrie out of the Australian Open following a 6-7 (8), 6-3, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 victory on Friday. Norrie, 27, took a 2-1 lead after three sets against the 21-year-old but let his advantage slip to leave Andy Murray and Dan Evans as the only remaining

2:31 AM ET MELBOURNE, Australia — Concern exuded from Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open press room. It was two years ago, the summer of 2021, and he was fielding question upon question about his nagging oblique injury. “I know it’s a tear of the muscle. Definitely,” Djokovic professed to reporters. “I don’t know if