Maand: januari 2023

9:16 PM ET ESPN News Services MELBOURNE, Australia — Aryna Sabalenka maintained her unbeaten start to the year when she beat Tereza Martincova 6-1, 6-4 on Tuesday to reach the second round of the Australian Open. The fifth-seeded Sabalenka, who won the Adelaide International title in the first week of the year, hit 29 winners

3:20 AM ET A vintage Andy Murray weathered a gallant fightback from Matteo Berrettini before dumping the 13th seeded Italian out of the Australian Open first round with an epic 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 6-7 (7), 7-6 (10-6), win on Tuesday. With the crowd largely in the palm of his hand, the 35-year-old raced out of

11:49 PM ET Associated Press MELBOURNE, Australia — Italian tennis player Camila Giorgi has denied allegations that she obtained a false COVID-19 vaccine certificate to allow her to travel. A doctor is under investigation in Italy for supplying false certificates and fake vaccines and Giorgi’s name was revealed in a long list of people implicated

10:32 PM ET Associated Press MELBOURNE, Australia — Andrey Rublev beat wild-card entry Dominic Thiem 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 on Tuesday to book his place in the second round of the Australian Open. Thiem, a runner-up at the Australian Open in 2020 and the US Open winner the same year, missed much of 2021 due to

7:09 PM ET MELBOURNE, Australia — Tennis Australia banned Russian and Belarusian flags at the Australian Open after a Russian flag spotted hanging courtside during Monday’s first-round match between Ukraine’s Kateryna Baindl and Russian Kamilla Rakhimova sparked controversy. “Flags from Russia and Belarus are banned onsite at the Australian Open,” Tennis Australia said in a

7:30 AM ET MELBOURNE, Australia — Flanked by security personnel and members of his traveling entourage, Novak Djokovic strode briskly through a near-empty Tullamarine Airport, his eyes fixed on the white tiles shining underneath his feet. A KN95 mask concealed a large portion of his face, but there was still no hiding the utter dejection.

6:47 AM ET Associated Press MELBOURNE, Australia — Iga Swiatek went into her first-round Australian Open match with strong memories of what a tough go of it she had against Jule Niemeier the last time they met. So the No. 1-ranked Swiatek came in ready for another tussle, and possibly another three-setter, but grabbed the

3:36 AM ET Emma Raducanu shrugged off injury concern to beat Tamara Korpatsch 6-3, 6-2 in the Australian Open first round on Monday. The result comes 11 days after Raducanu left the court in tears after retiring from her round of 16 match at the ASB Classic with an ankle injury. She wore strapping around

3:46 AM ET ESPN News Services MELBOURNE, Australia — Rafael Nadal never truly seemed in danger of becoming the first Australian Open defending men’s champion to lose in the first round since his current coach, Carlos Moya, managed to beat Boris Becker a quarter of a century ago. Still, this was not a vintage performance

12:10 AM ET MELBOURNE, Australia — Nick Kyrgios was forced Monday to withdraw from the Australian Open, just 24 hours ahead of his scheduled first-round match against Roman Safiullin, because of an injury to his left knee that will require arthroscopic surgery. Kyrgios, Australia’s highest-ranked men’s tennis player, called an impromptu news conference during Day

8:30 PM ET Associated Press MELBOURNE, Australia — Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff made strong starts to their quests for a first Grand Slam singles title as they reached the second round of the Australian Open on Monday. Third-seeded Pegula overwhelmed Jaqueline Cristian of Romania 6-0, 6-1, while seventh-seeded Gauff overcame a second-set wobble to

7:30 PM ET MELBOURNE, Australia — Glorious sunshine, bumper crowds, and an unmistakably Australian laid-back atmosphere has seen the Aussie Open unofficially dubbed the “Happy Slam”. But perhaps the greatest reason behind the smiles on players’ faces at Melbourne Park is thanks to the eye-watering prize money on offer. The tournament’s total prize pool has

11:16 AM ET Is Novak Djokovic unstoppable on his way to a 10th Australian Open title? Can Iga Swiatek cement her status as the best in the world? And what about Rafael Nadal? Can he re-create the magic from a year ago? Our experts attempt to answer these questions and make their own predictions as

Jan 14, 2023 MELBOURNE, Australia — World No. 4 Caroline Garcia said on Saturday she may not have opened up about her battle with bulimia had she known the reaction her revelation would provoke within the tennis world ahead of the Australian Open. Garcia, who capped an impressive second half of the 2022 season by

7:59 AM ET Lucky loser Soonwoo Kwon has become a deserved winner, prevailing in a fluctuating Adelaide International 2 final against Roberto Bautista Agut. The South Korean lost in qualifying for the event but was a late call-up for the first round. He made the most of it, combining aggressive stroke play with a keen

7:59 AM ET Sam Stosur will call time on her distinguished tennis career after a 21st Australian Open campaign. The conqueror of Serena Williams in the 2011 US Open singles final made an emotional departure from that domain last year. On Saturday, she announced the mixed doubles with Matt Ebden and the women’s event alongside

8:28 AM ET D’Arcy MaineESPN.com NEARLY EVERY TIME Kiranpal “KP” Pannu tells someone what he does for a living, he’s bombarded with questions about his seemingly glamorous lifestyle as a professional tennis player. It happens almost every day. “Unfortunately, all of their assumptions are wrong,” Pannu said recently, sighing. “And I’m like, ‘Well, if only

8:16 AM ET D’Arcy MaineESPN.com With Novak Djokovic making his return to Melbourne after his ill-fated trip to Australia in 2022, and much speculation on who will fill the 43-major-trophy-size voids left by Serena Williams and Roger Federer, there are more than a few storylines to watch going into the 2023 Australian Open. But, perhaps,

12:24 AM ET AUCKLAND, New Zealand — On course for an Australian Open second-round clash with Nick Kyrgios, veteran Richard Gasquet has shown he is far from washed up. The 36-year-old Frenchman rolled back the years with an inspired finish to upset second seed and British No.1 Cameron Norrie 4-6 6-4 6-4 in the ASB

12:24 AM ET HOBART, Australia — American Lauren Davis has claimed a second WTA title six years after her first, beating Italian rookie Elisabetta Cocciaretto in the Hobart International final. The 29-year-old, who came through qualifying, outlasted her younger and higher-ranked opponent 7-6 (7-0) 6-2 on Saturday afternoon. World No.84 Davis upset fourth seed and