2:44 AM ET Italian youngster Elisabetta Cocciaretto is on the verge of a maiden WTA title after knocking out former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin at the Hobart International. World No.67 Cocciaretto, who has beaten two seeded players at the tournament including Alize Cornet in the first round, progressed to the final with a 7-5
2:12 AM ET New Zealand-raised Briton Cameron Norrie stormed into the final of the Auckland Open with a 6-3 6-4 win over Jenson Brooksby on Friday, continuing his unbeaten start to the season ahead of the Australian Open. The world number 12 will face Richard Gasquet for the title on Saturday after the French veteran
12:33 AM ET Associated Press Paula Badosa has withdrawn from her Adelaide International semifinal with a thigh injury, handing fifth-seeded Daria Kasatkina a walkover into the final. Kasatkina will play the winner of Friday’s later semifinal between Belinda Bencic and Veronika Kudermetova in the Saturday final. Badosa, who is seeded 11th for the Australian Open,
9:00 AM ET Former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin is two wins away from her first title in three years after coming from behind to make the semi-finals of the Hobart International. The 24-year-old, whose battles with poor form and injury saw her ranking nosedive last year, finished with a flurry to beat Ukrainian fifth
9:00 AM ET Spain’s top female player Paula Badosa has overcome the heat and a plucky showing from improved Brazilian Beatriz Haddad Maia to make the semi-finals of the Adelaide International 2. World No.11 Badosa clinched a 7-6 (7-5) 7-5 victory on Thursday after spending two hours and 34 minutes on court. Haddad Maia, coming
4:45 PM ET Associated Press LONDON — The International Tennis Federation is ending its Davis Cup partnership with the private investment group fronted by former Barcelona soccer star Gerard Pique, which helped revamp the storied competition in 2018. The ITF signed a 25-year partnership with Kosmos Tennis in 2018, when a new Davis Cup format
7:00 AM ET SWEAT DRIPS OFF Nick Kyrgios‘ face as he stands near the edge of the tennis court. It’s a blistering August day in Mason, Ohio, and the 27-year-old, fresh off his maiden trip to a Grand Slam final, wipes down his body with a white towel. His eyes narrow as he looks in
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