12:33 AM ET Associated Press MELBOURNE, Australia — Rivals Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal were placed on opposite halves of the Australian Open bracket in the draw Thursday, meaning the owners of a combined 43 Grand Slam singles titles could only meet in the final at Melbourne Park. Djokovic, a nine-time champion in Australia, returns
11:26 PM ET With his eyes fixed on a breakthrough singles Slam on home soil, Nick Kyrgios is prepared to let his Australian Open doubles title defence with Thanasi Kokkinakis fall by the wayside if needed. The Australian duo have registered to defend their title, claimed after a rollicking campaign that reinvigorated doubles’ profile at
7:54 PM ET Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios will join five-time NBA All-Star John Wall and former NBA players Dante Exum and Al Harrington among others in an ownership stake of the NBL’s South East Melbourne Phoenix. Announced on Thursday, Kyrgios will join the ownership group headed by investment guru Romie Chaudhari, with whom Kyrgios
5:22 PM ET Associated Press MELBOURNE, Australia — Former finalist Marin Cilic has withdrawn from the Australian Open due to a knee injury. Cilic, 34, was a runner-up in Melbourne in 2018 when he lost to Roger Federer in the final. “Not a great start to 2023 and few tough days in Melbourne,” he wrote
1:09 PM ET D’Arcy MaineESPN.com Four-time major champion and former world No. 1 Naomi Osaka announced she is pregnant and indicated she will miss the entire 2023 tennis season. “I realize that life is so short and I don’t take any moments for granted, everyday is a new blessing and adventure,” Osaka tweeted Wednesday, including
10:29 PM ET ADELAIDE, Australia — Two-time Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova is through to the quarter-finals of the Adelaide International 2 after Qinwen Zheng pulled the pin with a leg problem during their round-two match. The Chinese world No.30 retired on Wednesday after dropping the first set 6-7 (6-8) and squandering three set points in
5:24 AM ET Former World No. 1 Andy Murray said he has “no time frame” on retirement after notching his first win of the season on Wednesday. The three-time Grand Slam champion finally got his first victory of the year with a 2-6, 6-3 .10-2 super tiebreaker win over Zhang Zhizen at the Kooyong Classic
2:50 AM ET Associated Press Facebook Twitter Facebook Messenger Pinterest Email print MELBOURNE, Australia — Defending champion Rafael Nadal is the top men’s seed in the absence of injured world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz, with nine-time winner Novak Djokovic seeded fourth ahead of Thursday’s draw for the Australian Open. Alcaraz withdrew from this year’s first
1:45 AM ET HOBART, Australia — One-time Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin has declared she is feeling like herself again on court after struggles with form and injury led her ranking to nosedive. The 24-year-old progressed to the quarter-finals of the Hobart International on Wednesday, breezing past Belgian qualifier Maryna Zanevska 6-2 6-3. Kenin, who
11:59 PM ET MELBOURNE, Australia — Novak Djokovic’s hamstring injury scare continues to hover over his Australian Open tilt after the nine-time champion required treatment on his left leg throughout an exhibition practice match against Daniil Medvedev. Djokovic pushed through hamstring tightness to claim last week’s Adelaide International 1 and firm as favourite for a
4:09 PM ET D’Arcy MaineESPN.com Ons Jabeur, the WTA’s No. 2-ranked player in the world and a finalist at last year’s Wimbledon and US Open, was one of eight announced as members of the inaugural player executive committee for the Professional Tennis Players Association on Tuesday. Jabeur joins co-founders Novak Djokovic and Vasek Pospisil on
4:47 AM ET MELBOURNE, Australia — Former semi-finalist Fernando Verdasco’s hopes of reaching an 18th Australian Open main draw remain alive after he fought his way into the second round of qualifying. The former world No.7, who lost a five-set Open semi to eventual champion Rafael Nadal in 2009, fought back from a set down
2:15 AM ET HOBART, Australia — Former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin has made a bright start at the Hobart International, beating higher-ranked Lin Zhu in straight sets. Kenin, who sits at world No.143 three years after her Melbourne Park triumph, was too strong in a 6-2 6-2 first-round win over her 85-ranked opponent on
11:29 PM ET ADELAIDE, Australia — Forced to qualify for the Adelaide International 2, French Open semifinalist Amanda Anisimova is now into the second round after dispatching Liudmila Samsonova. The American, a quarter-finalist at Wimbledon last year and former French Open semi-finalist, benefited from Samsonova’s service wobbles in a 7-5, 6-3 win on Tuesday. The
12:18 AM ET Associated Press AUCKLAND, New Zealand — Belgium’s David Goffin has ousted fifth-seeded Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan 6-3, 6-4 in the first round of the ASB Tennis Classic in a match which produced an engrossing clash of styles. Goffin, a baseliner who won his seventh ATP singles title last year on clay in
12:34 AM ET Associated Press ADELAIDE, Australia — Petra Kvitova issued a reminder of her ability ahead of the Australian Open when she beat Elena Rybakina on Monday in a clash of Wimbledon champions at the Adelaide International. The 32-year-old Kvitova who won at Wimbledon in 2011 and 2014 relied on a powerful serve to
11:04 PM ET Associated Press MELBOURNE, Australia — With calls urging the hierarchy of the Australian Open to change the timing of the event to allow players a longer offseason gaining momentum, tournament director Craig Tiley described the claims as “ridiculous” and “bizarre.” Tiley was responding to an Australian media report which suggested the first
7:12 AM ET Associated Press ADELAIDE, Australia — Novak Djokovic showed no signs of an injury that might derail his Australian Open campaign when he beat unseeded American Sebastian Korda 6-7 (8), 7-6 (3), 6-4 Sunday to win the Adelaide International. Djokovic worried Open organizers when he said after his semifinal in Adelaide against Daniil
5:07 AM ET Associated Press SYDNEY — The United States claimed the inaugural United Cup on Sunday in convincing fashion with an overpowering display over Italy in the final of the mixed teams event. No. 9-ranked Taylor Fritz gave the U.S. an unassailable 3-0 lead in the best-of-five matchup when edging former Wimbledon finalist Matteo
5:16 AM ET Associated Press AUCKLAND, New Zealand — Top-seeded American Coco Gauff has capped a commanding start to the new season Sunday by beating Spanish qualifier Viktoria Masarova 6-1, 6-1 in the final of the ASB Classic. Gauff claimed her third WTA Tour title but her first in years on hard courts, boosting her