2 hours ago
Arthur Fils charged into the men's final of the ATP-WTA Cincinnati Masters on Saturday as he dispatched Flavio Cobolli 6-3, 6-4 in a match delayed for 45 minutes by rain and lightning.
In his first ever Masters 1000 final, 22-year-old Fils will play the winner of the all-American semi-final clash between Brandon Nakashima and Frances Tiafoe.
Fils beat Cobolli -- the Roland Garros finalist from Italy -- for the third time in their career series to become the youngest French Masters finalist since a 20-year-old Richard Gasquet in Toronto two decades ago.
The 68-minute match finished with perfect timing as rain began only minutes after the conclusion, briefly delaying the start of a women's semi-final between holder Iga Swiatek and Jessica Pegula.
Fils said the weather delay that had halted the start of his match as the players took to the court was difficult to deal with.
#fils #semi
In his first ever Masters 1000 final, 22-year-old Fils will play the winner of the all-American semi-final clash between Brandon Nakashima and Frances Tiafoe.
Fils beat Cobolli -- the Roland Garros finalist from Italy -- for the third time in their career series to become the youngest French Masters finalist since a 20-year-old Richard Gasquet in Toronto two decades ago.
The 68-minute match finished with perfect timing as rain began only minutes after the conclusion, briefly delaying the start of a women's semi-final between holder Iga Swiatek and Jessica Pegula.
Fils said the weather delay that had halted the start of his match as the players took to the court was difficult to deal with.
#fils #semi
19 days ago
Britain's Katie Boulter and new husband Alex De Minaur, the Australian world number seven, are among the latest batch of entries for the US Open mixed doubles.
Fellow married couple Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils, ahead of what is expected to be his final Grand Slam event, were also announced by the US Tennis **** ociation on Monday, along with Venus Williams playing alongside Alexander Bublik.
Jack Draper was among the players already announced, alongside American Jessica Pegula, as well as fellow Briton Henry Patten with Katerina Siniakova, plus Novak Djokovic and world number one Aryna Sabalenka.
The tournament takes place on August 25 and 26 before the main tournament begins on August 30.
Of the 29 announced pairings, the six with the best combined singles rankings and eight wildcards will be joined in the 16-strong field by two teams from a qualifying tournament on August 24.
#katie
Fellow married couple Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils, ahead of what is expected to be his final Grand Slam event, were also announced by the US Tennis **** ociation on Monday, along with Venus Williams playing alongside Alexander Bublik.
Jack Draper was among the players already announced, alongside American Jessica Pegula, as well as fellow Briton Henry Patten with Katerina Siniakova, plus Novak Djokovic and world number one Aryna Sabalenka.
The tournament takes place on August 25 and 26 before the main tournament begins on August 30.
Of the 29 announced pairings, the six with the best combined singles rankings and eight wildcards will be joined in the 16-strong field by two teams from a qualifying tournament on August 24.
#katie
19 days ago
NEW YORK (AP) — An additional 13 teams, one featuring Venus Williams and some comprised of married couples, have entered the U.S. Open mixed doubles championship.
The new duos announced Monday by the U.S. Tennis ***** ociation raised the total to 29 teams for the 16 spots in the main draw, which will be held on Aug. 25 and Aug. 26.
Williams is partnering with Alexander Bublik for the tournament that was overhauled last year, with a $1 million prize to the winning team, in an effort to get top singles players to compete. Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka and 24-time Grand Slam singles champion Novak Djokovic headlined the initial list of 16 teams who entered.
Elina Svitolina and her husband Gael Monfils, who is expected to play his final Grand Slam event at the U.S. Open, and newlyweds Katie Boulter and Alex De Minaur also were among the new entries.
The other new teams: Karolina Muchova and Jakub Mensik, Anna Kalinskaya and Lorenzo Musetti, Emma Navarro and Tommy Paul, Maria Sakkari and Karen Khachanov, Tatjana Maria and Valentin Vacherot, Reese Brantmeier and Michael Zheng, Jelena Ostapenko and Marcelo Arevalo, Gabriela Dabrowski and Harri Heliovaara, Demi Schuurs and Julian Cash, and Caty McNally and Robert Cash.
#teams #grand #maria #singles
The new duos announced Monday by the U.S. Tennis ***** ociation raised the total to 29 teams for the 16 spots in the main draw, which will be held on Aug. 25 and Aug. 26.
Williams is partnering with Alexander Bublik for the tournament that was overhauled last year, with a $1 million prize to the winning team, in an effort to get top singles players to compete. Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka and 24-time Grand Slam singles champion Novak Djokovic headlined the initial list of 16 teams who entered.
Elina Svitolina and her husband Gael Monfils, who is expected to play his final Grand Slam event at the U.S. Open, and newlyweds Katie Boulter and Alex De Minaur also were among the new entries.
The other new teams: Karolina Muchova and Jakub Mensik, Anna Kalinskaya and Lorenzo Musetti, Emma Navarro and Tommy Paul, Maria Sakkari and Karen Khachanov, Tatjana Maria and Valentin Vacherot, Reese Brantmeier and Michael Zheng, Jelena Ostapenko and Marcelo Arevalo, Gabriela Dabrowski and Harri Heliovaara, Demi Schuurs and Julian Cash, and Caty McNally and Robert Cash.
#teams #grand #maria #singles
22 days ago
Two former Cincinnati high school standout tennis players have been awarded wild cards to the Cincinnati Open.
JJ Wolf (Cincinnati Country Day) and Vignesh Gogineni (Mason) were granted qualifying wild card spots, the tournament announced on Friday, July 31.
The main draw wild cards were awarded to former Cincinnati Open champion Grigor Dimitrov, three-time Major champion Stan Wawrinka, Jack Draper and Gael Monfils.
Wolf, who has been ranked as high as No. 39 throughout his career (2023), is on the comeback trail after shoulder injuries sidelined him for over a year. He has recently played in ATP Challengers in Bloomfield Hills, Lincoln and Cary.
Wolf is still searching for his first main draw victory in his hometown tournament. He lost in the Round of 64 in 2020, 2022 and 2023. In his last Cincinnati Open appearance, he fell in the opening round of qualifying.
#wolf #high
JJ Wolf (Cincinnati Country Day) and Vignesh Gogineni (Mason) were granted qualifying wild card spots, the tournament announced on Friday, July 31.
The main draw wild cards were awarded to former Cincinnati Open champion Grigor Dimitrov, three-time Major champion Stan Wawrinka, Jack Draper and Gael Monfils.
Wolf, who has been ranked as high as No. 39 throughout his career (2023), is on the comeback trail after shoulder injuries sidelined him for over a year. He has recently played in ATP Challengers in Bloomfield Hills, Lincoln and Cary.
Wolf is still searching for his first main draw victory in his hometown tournament. He lost in the Round of 64 in 2020, 2022 and 2023. In his last Cincinnati Open appearance, he fell in the opening round of qualifying.
#wolf #high
1 month ago
As the beginnings of a Mexico City thunderstorm swirl high above, dark clouds circling like a slow-motion whirlpool, a pair of English fans do not give a jot.
It is three hours before Mexico face England in the most anticipated match at the Estadio Azteca in 40 years. Attendees are being warned to take cover as the police implement their electrical storm protocol. But these adults, merry on pure vibes, are engrossed in the most childlike of games: a chalk-drawn hopscotch on the gravel, outside the stadium's Cabecera Norte end, with 'Viva Mexico' at the top. And the locals, kids and adults alike, are loving it.
And when embarking on a lap of the outer perimeter of the World Cup's most iconic venue before the blockbuster last-16 occasion, similar feel-good scenes are at every corner. Event volunteers dressed in blue and green form a 'Limbo' dance opportunity for passers-by; half a dozen Mexican dance groups greet ticket holders to the south of the main entrance; Mexicans joust with English in gentle ribbing as they queue for entry into the arena.
It is an intoxicating, smile-inducing, dopamine-hitting environment. This is the essence of the biggest event in world sport: the amalgamation of different nationalities and cultures, old and young, male and female. All coalescing, with passion and fervour, in a setting completely irrational and illogical, if it were not for two national football teams going head-to-head.
This is the premise of founder Jules Rimet's vision when he formed the very first World Cup in 1930. In his words: "It's about bringing together countries from around the world, people who might otherwise have nothing in common… at least for a little while." And, mercifully, 96 years on in its 23rd edition, the tournament still fulfils this overarching ethos, despite all the factors working against those in the stands.
It is three hours before Mexico face England in the most anticipated match at the Estadio Azteca in 40 years. Attendees are being warned to take cover as the police implement their electrical storm protocol. But these adults, merry on pure vibes, are engrossed in the most childlike of games: a chalk-drawn hopscotch on the gravel, outside the stadium's Cabecera Norte end, with 'Viva Mexico' at the top. And the locals, kids and adults alike, are loving it.
And when embarking on a lap of the outer perimeter of the World Cup's most iconic venue before the blockbuster last-16 occasion, similar feel-good scenes are at every corner. Event volunteers dressed in blue and green form a 'Limbo' dance opportunity for passers-by; half a dozen Mexican dance groups greet ticket holders to the south of the main entrance; Mexicans joust with English in gentle ribbing as they queue for entry into the arena.
It is an intoxicating, smile-inducing, dopamine-hitting environment. This is the essence of the biggest event in world sport: the amalgamation of different nationalities and cultures, old and young, male and female. All coalescing, with passion and fervour, in a setting completely irrational and illogical, if it were not for two national football teams going head-to-head.
This is the premise of founder Jules Rimet's vision when he formed the very first World Cup in 1930. In his words: "It's about bringing together countries from around the world, people who might otherwise have nothing in common… at least for a little while." And, mercifully, 96 years on in its 23rd edition, the tournament still fulfils this overarching ethos, despite all the factors working against those in the stands.
