Category: Tennis

FLORIDA: Italy’s Jannik Sinner turned on the style to end Carlos Alcaraz’s hopes of the “Sunshine Double” and his reign as world number one, triumphing 6-7 (4/7), 6-4, 6-2 in their Miami Open semi-final on Friday.

Sinner will meet Russian Daniil Medvedev in Sunday’s final while Alcaraz will lose his number one ranking to Novak Djokovic.

Medvedev reached his fifth straight ATP Tour final with a 7-6 (7/5), 3-6, 6-3 win over fellow Russian Karen Khachanov.

The disappointment for the 19-year-old Alcaraz, the defending champion in Miami and coming off a title at Indian Wells, will be tinged with frustration after he struggled in the third set with leg cramps.

It had been an enthralling and entertaining power-hitting performance from both men in the first set, with an incredible 25-shot exchange in the seventh game, bring the crowd to their feet.

The intense, high quality set was eventually won by the Spaniard after a tie-break, but an inspired Sinner fought back in the second.

Sinner broke in the first game and although Alcaraz broke back to make it 2-2, the 21-year-old Italian sensed his moment was arriving and showed confidence in his powerful groundstrokes.

The world number one was moving with difficulty and was broken on his first serve in the deciding set. Looking in discomfort, he crouched down on his baseline in between points and shot some worried and confused looks to his team in the stands.

Sinner chose some more conservative strokes and although Alcaraz appeared to recover a little, the Italian ran out the winner in three hours.

Alcaraz said his problems had appeared during a bathroom break after the second set.

“I went to bathroom for five minutes and yeah, everything went down for me a little bit. I stopped myself. I started cramping a little bit. You know, after a really tough match it’s, well, it is tough to stop the match for five minutes,” he said.

“I started cramping at the beginning of the third set, but it wasn’t the reason for I lost the match. I came back…I started to feel better but of course Jannik, he was better than me in the third set. That’s the truth,” he said.

Sinner had lost to Alcaraz in straight sets in their meeting at the same stage in Indian Wells and he said he could feel just how high the quality of their encounter at Hard Rock Stadium had been.

“When both players play tennis like this it is very nice to play, you can feel it with the crowds. There was just a great energy with everything. It is just nice to be part of matches like this,” he said.

Sinner also said that he had suffered some cramping during the second set but recovered quickly.

“I knew that I had to go on and wait for the right moment,” he said. “I feel ready to compete and I am happy to be in the final,” he added.

The 27-year-old Medvedev, playing against his boyhood friend, survived a second-set comeback but his trademark precision stroke play saw him through against the big-serving Khachanov in a high quality encounter.

The contest saw a series of long rallies as Medvedev fended off Khachanov’s thumping shots from the baseline and then pinned his opponent back on his service game.

Medvedev hit 13 aces and saved four of six break points as the match turned decisively in his favor when he broke Khachanov in the fourth game of the third set.

Medvedev won 82% (14 of 17) of his first-serve points in the final set and was relieved to have beaten a player who knows his game so well.

“In my opinion, it was a top match,” Medvedev said. “In the first set when we lost our serves, it was just a good game from the returner.

“In the second set, I had one bad game and he won the set. I had one break point, I could have done better. He had a break point in the first game of the third set, I managed to play well. He had one bad game in the third set, I managed to take it and I am really happy to be through. It was a very tough match”.

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INDIAN WELLS: Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz swept past Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 6-2 on Sunday to win the Indian Wells ATP Masters 1000 and secure his return to number one in the world.

US Open champion Alcaraz ended Medvedev’s 19-match winning streak, denying him a fourth title in as many tournaments to ensure he will supplant Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic atop the rankings.

“It feels amazing to lift the trophy here, to recover the No. 1,” Alcaraz said. “I would say this has been the perfect tournament.”

Serbia’s Djokovic, barred from entering the United States because he hasn’t been vaccinated against Covid-19, sat out Indian Wells and will miss the Miami Open starting this week, where Alcaraz is the defending champion.

Alcaraz, 19, who became the youngest world number one ever after his triumph at Flushing Meadows last year, claimed his third Masters 1000 title and joined compatriot Rafael Nadal as the only players to win at least three as a teenager. Nadal won six before turning 20.

He was unstoppable on Stadium Court, breaking through what he’d called the “wall” of Medvedev’s formidable defenses.

Medvedev, coming off titles in Rotterdam, Doha and Dubai, could find no answer as Alcaraz fired winners from all over the court, defying the windy conditions.

“Daniil obviously didn’t play at his best level, but I’m very happy for my performance and how I played this tournament.”

He said the big change in him since a semi-final defeat to Nadal last year at Indian Wells was his comfort level on the game’s biggest stages.

“I think my tennis didn’t improve so much since last year. What I improve a lot is to not take the pressure, just to play relaxed. That, for me, is the most important thing.

“That’s why I show a great level, because I feel like I have no pressure. I enjoy.”

Medvedev certainly wasn’t able to ratchet up the pressure on him.

A stinging backhand winner gave Alcaraz an early break in the opening set as he raced to a 3-0 lead.

He gave himself a set point with a sharply angled forehand volley and sealed it with an unreturnable serve, then won the first 10 points of the second set on the way to a 4-0 lead.

He didn’t face a break point as he polished it off in one hour and 11 minutes, a diving volley winner giving him match point that he converted with another service winner.

Not easy

“I expected a tougher match,” he said. “Against him is always a tactic match, and I did perfect today. That’s why it looks easy — but it wasn’t.”

Alcaraz has returned to number one despite a late start to the year. Injury forced him to miss the Australian Open, where Djokovic claimed a record-equalling 22nd Grand Slam title.

Since launching his season in February Alcaraz has won a title in Buenos Aires and reached the final in Rio de Janeiro.

But to stay at the top he’ll have to successfully defend his Miami title over the course of the next two weeks.

Medvedev, a former world number one and US Open winner himself, was disappointed that he didn’t play his best, but pleased to get past the fourth round at Indian Wells for the first time, despite twisting his ankle in a win over Alexander Zverev and cutting his thumb in another tumble against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.

“Why didn’t I play my best? I don’t know. Maybe it was his ball. Maybe it was the wind, was pretty windy today, and for him it was easier to go through this wind, and that’s normal.

“But the week was amazing,” added Medvedev never a fan of the slow hard courts of Indian Wells.

“I had a pretty toxic relationship with the courts here,” he said during the trophy ceremony as he reeled off a long list of those to thank.

“I would like to thank this court. I was giving a hard time to it, so it gave me a hard time also, rolled my ankle, but it gave me the chance to finish the tournament so thanks a lot to this court.”

PARIS: Novak Djokovic extended his record of weeks as world number one to 379 in the latest ATP rankings released on Monday, although Carlos Alcaraz remains in hot pursuit.

The 35-year-old winner of 22 Grand Slam titles edged ahead of Steffi Graf’s all-time record last week despite losing in the Dubai semi-finals to Daniil Medvedev.

The Russian ended Djokovic’s 20-match win streak and perfect start to 2023 before claiming his third title in as many weeks with defeat of compatriot Andrey Rublev in Dubai.

He moved up a place to sixth.

Second-ranked Alcaraz will take over at the ATP summit if he wins the Indian Wells Masters — Djokovic was forced to withdraw from the event starting this week on Sunday.

The Serb is unable to enter the United States because he is unvaccinated against Covid-19. A petition to US authorities for special permission to enter was rejected.

ATP top 20

1. Novak Djokovic (SRB) 7,160 points

2. Carlos Alcaraz (ESP) 6,780

3. Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) 5,805

4. Casper Ruud (NOR) 5,560

5. Taylor Fritz (USA) 3,795

6. Daniil Medvedev 3,775 (+1)

7. Andrey Rublev 3,660 (-1)

8. Holger Rune (NOR) 3,321 (+2)

9. Rafael Nadal (ESP) 3,315 (-1)

10. Felix Auger-Aliassime (CAN) 3,245 (-1)

11. Hubert Hurkacz (POL) 3,110

12. Cameron Norrie (GBR) 2,815

13. Jannik Sinner (ITA) 2,655

14. Alexander Zverev (GER) 2,500

15. Karen Khachanov 2,470

16. Frances Tiafoe (USA) 2,395

17. Pablo Carreno Busta (ESP) 2,240

18. Alex de Minaur (AUS) 2,165 (+4)

19. Tommy Paul (USA) 2,000 (+4)

20. Borna Coric (CRO) 1,905

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LOS ANGELES: World number one Novak Djokovic has withdrawn from next week’s ATP/WTA Indian Wells Masters event, organisers confirmed on Sunday with the Serb barred from entering the country.

Djokovic is unable to enter the United States because he is unvaccinated against Covid-19, but he had petitioned US authorities for special permission to enter.

The Indian Wells ATP 1000 event begins next week in the California desert and is followed by the prestigious tournament in Miami which Djokovic is now expected to miss unless US authorities have a change of heart.

The United States still doesn’t allow unvaccinated international travellers to enter the country, with the Transportation Security Administration recently indicating the policy would not change until at least mid-April.

Djokovic’s vaccination status saw him deported from Australia shortly before the 2022 Australian Open.

After winning Wimbledon he also missed the US Open last year because of the travel restriction.

He returned to Australia in January, winning the 2023 Australian Open for a record-equalling 22nd Grand Slam singles title.

He took his match win streak to 20 in Dubai last week before falling on Friday to Daniil Medvedev in the semi-finals.

Djokovic will be replaced in the field by Nikoloz Basilashvili, a brief statement said.

On Friday, both the US Tennis Association and US Open organisers voiced support for Djokovic’s request to be allowed to enter the United States.

“Novak Djokovic is one the greatest champions our sport has ever seen,” the US Open wrote on its official Twitter feed.

“The USTA and US Open are hopeful that Novak is successful in his petition to enter the country, and that the fans will be able to see him back in action at Indian Wells and Miami.”

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RIO DE JANEIRO: World number two Carlos Alcaraz clawed back a break in both sets and dominated the tiebreaker to beat Dusan Lajovic 6-4, 7-6 (7/0) on Friday in the ATP Rio Open quarterfinals.

The 19-year-old Spaniard notched his third win in three matches against 32-year-old Lajovic, including a quarterfinal win over the 80th-ranked Serbian in the quarterfinals at the Argentina Open last week.

Alcaraz went on to win that title to cement his return from a four-month injury layoff that saw him miss the Australian Open.

In the semifinals on Saturday, Alcaraz will face Chilean Qualifier Nicolas Jarry, who toppled sixth-seeded Sebastian Baez of Argentina 6-3, 7-6 (7/3).

Alcaraz is seeking to defend the title that made him the youngest-ever winner of an ATP 500 tournament last year.

Second-seeded Briton Cameron Norrie booked his semifinal berth with a 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 victory over Bolivian Hugo Dellian.

Norrie, trying to reach his third final of the year, will face Spain’s Bernabe Zapata Miralles, who beat compatriot Albert Ramos Vinolas 6-4, 2-6, 6-4.

Alcaraz improved his perfect record in 2023 to 7-0, but he had to figure some things out along the way.

“It was a very complicated match,” Alcaraz said. “Dusan has a great forehand, a great backhand, a great serve, very good shots, and today he has shown it, he has given a recital.

“But I was solid. In the end, I was very happy to have solved those problems.”

Alcaraz trailed 2-4 in both sets, reeling off the last four games of the first before finding himself in another battle in the second.

He belted 32 winners to Lajovic’s 13 and won 16 of 17 points at the net.

But 25 unforced errors contributed to the difficulties that saw him go down an early break in both sets.

In the second, he broke back with a stinging backhand winner to level the set at 4-4.

He led 40-0 in the 11th game only to surrender his serve and saved a set point on the way to a break in the next game that forced the tiebreaker.

“Those moments are where the very good players differ from the rest of the players, and I try to play at my highest level,” Alcaraz said.

Alcaraz, whose five titles last year included the US Open and made him the youngest-ever world number one, was dominant throughout the decider, putting it away on his first match point with a forehand passing winner.

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LONDON: Tennis legend Novak Djokovic is a week away from another milestone after equalling Steffi Graf’s all-time record for most weeks spent at number one of 377.

The 35-year-old Serbian remains top of the latest ATP rankings released on Monday bringing him level with the amount of weeks that Graf spent as women’s world number one.

Djokovic returned to number one spot for a seventh time after his victory in the Australian Open at the end of January which was a record equalling 22nd Grand Slam singles title.

Two former world number ones enjoyed success at the weekend — Daniil Medvedev claiming the Rotterdam title and Carlos Alcaraz making a winning return to the circuit in Argentina.

Medvedev’s three set victory — his 16th career title — over Italian Jannik Sinner sees him return to the top 10 — he rises three spots to eighth.

The losing finalist’s consolation is a climb of two places to 12th in the rankings.

Alcaraz’s successful return to the tour, after almost four months out, in landing the Argentina Open on Sunday sees him solidify his second place in the rankings.

Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas — whom Djokovic beat in the Australian Open final — rounds off the top three.

Germany’s former world number two Alexander Zverev arrested a decline in his ranking since his comeback after tearing ankle ligaments during last year’s French Open which kept him out of action for the remainder of the year.

The 25-year-old, who also revealed after exiting the Australian Open in the second round he had type 1 diabetes since the age of three, rose one place to 16th after reaching the second round in Rotterdam.

Rankings

1. Novak Djokovic (SRB) 7070 pts
2. Carlos Alcaraz (ESP) 6480
3. Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) 5940
4. Casper Ruud (NOR) 5515
5. Andrey Rublev 3860
6. Rafael Nadal (ESP) 3815
7. Taylor Fritz (USA) 3660
8. Daniil Medvedev 3250
9. Felix Auger-Aliassime (CAN) 3200
10. Holger Rune (DEN) 3161

ROTTERDAM: Canadian titleholder Felix Auger-Aliassime eased past Gregoire Barrere to reach the Rotterdam ATP 500 tournament quarter-finals on Thursday.

The 22-year-old from Montreal dispatched the last French player standing 6-4, 6-3 to set up a meeting with either Daniil Medvedev or home hope Botic van de Zandschulp.

Number three seed Auger-Aliassime secured his place in the last eight on the back of a solid first service, firing over nine aces.

On court later is the intriguing last 16 showdown between Jannik Sinner, fresh from lifting the Montpellier title last weekend, and top seed Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Waiting for the winner is three-time major champion Stan Wawrinka who beat Richard Gasquet 6-3, 6-3 on Wednesday.

In other last 16 action, Australia’s Alex De Minaur faces American serve-and-volleyer Maxime Cressy and fourth seed Holger Rune takes on Gijs Brouwer.

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LONDON: Novak Djokovic reclaimed the top spot in the ATP rankings released on Monday after winning his 22nd Grand Slam title at the Australian Open.

The 35-year-old Serbian rose four places to dislodge Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz, who missed the tournament through injury and dropped to second.

Djokovic’s 10th Australian Open title means he is world number one for the 374th week since July 2011.

Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas, who lost to Djokovic in straight sets in Sunday’s final in Melbourne, overtook Norwegian Casper Ruud in third place, matching a career-best ranking he first achieved in August 2021.

Andrey Rublev of Russia, dominated by Djokovic in the quarter-finals, climbed to a career-best position of fifth.

The shock elimination of Djokovic’s long-time rival Rafael Nadal in the second round saw the Spaniard drop four places to sixth.

Karen Khachanov’s run to the semi-finals in Melbourne propelled the Russian up seven places to 13th.

Tommy Paul of the United States, who also reached the final four, broke into the top 20 for the first time as he soared up the rankings by 16 places to 19th.

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LAHORE: Pakistan’s veteran cricketer Shoaib Malik congratulated her wife Sania Mirza on her retirement from grand slam Tennis after losing in the Australian Open 2023 final in the Mixed Doubles on Friday.

Sania, who paired with compatriot Rohan Bopanna in the ongoing grand slam, failed to finish her glittering career on a high as the duo lost 7-6 (7/2), 6-2 to Brazilian pair Luisa Stefani and Rafael Matos.

Notably, the Indian Tennis star had termed Australian Open 2023 to be her last grand slam as she announced her retirement earlier this month.

Following her retirement from the grand slam, her husband and former Pakistan captain Shoaib took to Twitter and congratulated her on an unbelievable career.

“You are the much-needed hope for all the women in sports. Super proud of you for all you have achieved in your career,” wrote Shoaib.

“You’re an inspiration for many, keep going strong. Many congratulations on an unbelievable career,” he added.

It is worth mentioning that Sania is regarded as her country’s greatest woman to play the sport.

The 36-year-old Tennis star broke into tears during the post-match presentation ceremony.

“Rohan was my first-ever mixed-doubles partner at (aged) 14 and we won the nationals,” said Mirza, a six-time Grand Slam champion, three in doubles and three in mixed.

“It was a long time ago, 22 years ago, and I couldn’t think of a better person — he’s one of my best friends and best partners — to finish my career here and to play the final.

“There’s no better place for me, or person for me, to finish my Grand Slam career.”

Following her grand slam retirement, Sania will now partake in Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships and will call time on her professional career.

The professional tournament is scheduled to take place from February 5 to 12 in Dubai.

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MELBOURNE: A rampant Novak Djokovic surged into a 10th Australian Open final Friday to close in on a record-equalling 22nd Grand Slam crown, with only Stefanos Tsitsipas now standing in his way.

The Serbian fourth seed overcame an early wobble to romp past unseeded American Tommy Paul 7-5, 6-1, 6-2 on Rod Laver Arena in style.

Another title on Sunday will move him alongside Rafael Nadal with 22 Slam wins and see the 35-year-old return to world number one for the first time since last June.

Greek third seed Tsitsipas, who ground past Russian 18th seed Karen Khachanov 7-6 (7/2), 6-4, 6-7 (6/8), 6-3 in the other semi-final, can also become the top-ranked player should he lift the trophy.

Djokovic played the clash without father Srdjan courtside after he was filmed posing with a man holding a Russian flag featuring Vladimir Putin’s face following his son’s quarter-final win on Wednesday.

The incident sparked a backlash from Ukraine and led to calls for Djokovic’s father to be banned from the tournament.

Srdjan issued a statement ahead of the semi-final saying he would stay away, insisting he “wishes only for peace” and never wanted to cause “disruption”.

There was an empty seat next to his mother Dijana during the match.

“I’m really thankful that I have enough gas in my legs to be able to play at this level on one of the biggest tennis courts in the world,” said Djokovic, who is now 11-0 for the season and into a 33rd Grand Slam final.

“Of course, I’m not as fresh as the beginning of the tournament but we put in a lot of hours in the off-season on fitness in order to be in a good condition to play best of five (sets).

“I know what’s expected of me, I’ve been in this situation so many times in my career. Experience helps also,” he added of being in another final.

The win extended his unbeaten streak at the Australian Open to 27 matches to claim sole ownership of the Open-era record at Melbourne Park ahead of Andre Agassi.

Djokovic had never played Paul before and said he was wary of a “very explosive, very dynamic player”, with the American initially refusing to go quietly.

The Serb, a hot favourite, attacked his opponent’s straight away for an early break, then broke again when the 35th-ranked Paul fired a forehand long to race 5-1 in front.

A run-in with the umpire over using his towel between points seemed to rattle Djokovic and he was broken twice in a row as Paul came surging back to 5-5.

Djokovic regrouped to hold serve and break again and take the set in 59 minutes.

After that wobble, it was all business, despite clutching his strapped hamstring several times, romping through the next two sets with minimal resistence.

He will meet Tsitsipas next after the Greek battled into his first Australian final and only second at a Grand Slam.

In the previous one, at Roland Garros in 2021, he fell to Djokovic in five sets after holding a 2-0 lead.

At 24, Tsitsipas is the youngest man to reach the Melbourne final since a 23-year-old Djokovic in 2011.

“I dreamed as a kid to maybe one day get to play in this court against the best players in the world,” said Tsitsipas, who is also unbeaten this season with a 10-0 record.

“I’m extremely happy that I’m in the final now and let’s see what happens.”

Tsitsipas has thrived in Melbourne throughout his career after bursting on the scene at the 2019 event as a 20-year-old when he dethroned defending champion Roger Federer in the last 16.

He went on to reach the semi-finals that year and again in 2021 and 2022.

He came into his clash with Khachanov brimming with confidence.

Despite failing to get over the line when serving for the match at 5-4 in the third set, then with two match points in the tiebreak, he kept his cool to secure the win and a date with Djokovic.

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