Associated Press Feb 21, 2025, 04:15 PM ET Open Extended Reactions DOHA, Qatar — Andrey Rublev defeated Félix Auger-Aliassime 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (5) to reach another Qatar Open final on Friday. He will face Jack Draper in the decider Saturday. The 10th-ranked Rublev needed four match points to close out No. 23 Auger-Aliassime for the
Tennis
Associated Press Feb 21, 2025, 02:08 PM ET Open Extended Reactions DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Teenager Mirra Andreeva became the youngest player to reach the Dubai Championships final after beating Elena Rybakina 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 on Friday. The 17-year-old Andreeva trailed 3-1 in the third set before winning the last five games to reach
Associated Press Feb 20, 2025, 02:07 PM ET Open Extended Reactions DOHA, Qatar — Top-seeded Carlos Alcaraz lost for just the second time this year on Thursday when 25th-ranked Jiri Lehecka beat him 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 in the quarterfinals of the Qatar Open. Alcaraz’s only other defeat in 2025 was to Novak Djokovic in the
Associated Press Feb 20, 2025, 02:36 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Jannik Sinner has been dropped from an exhibition event in Las Vegas next month while the No. 1-ranked men’s tennis player is serving a three-month ban connected to a pair of failed doping tests. Instead of Sinner, Casper Ruud is now slated to join
Feb 20, 2025, 11:25 AM ET Dubai Police detained a tourist who had engaged in behaviour that caused Emma Raducanu distress during her match at the Dubai Tennis Championships, the government of Dubai said on Thursday. Britain’s Raducanu was visibly distressed and reduced to tears early in her match against Karolina Muchova as she stood
ESPN News Services Feb 20, 2025, 07:50 AM ET Open Extended Reactions No. 2-ranked Iga Swiatek lost to a player younger than 18 for the first time on tour when she was stunned by Mirra Andreeva in the Dubai Championships quarterfinals Thursday. Andreeva, 17, won 6-3, 6-3 to become the youngest semifinalist in Dubai’s 24-year
Associated Press Feb 19, 2025, 03:22 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Tennis participation in the United States rose to 25.7 million players in 2024, the sport’s fifth consecutive year of growth, the U.S. Tennis Association said Wednesday, citing an analysis of numbers drawn from two studies not yet fully released. The jump of 1.9 million
D’Arcy Maine Feb 19, 2025, 02:21 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Venus Williams has been awarded a wild card to play in next month’s BNP Paribas Open, which would mark her first tournament play in a year. The Indian Wells, California, tournament announced Wednesday that Williams, a former world No. 1 and seven-time major singles
ESPN News Services Feb 19, 2025, 12:45 AM ET Emma Raducanu lost to Karolina Muchova after an emotional first set in which a spectator was ejected at the Dubai Championships. Raducanu, the 2021 US Open champion, appeared to be in tears as she went to the umpire’s chair after the second game Tuesday and her
Associated Press Feb 18, 2025, 10:09 PM ET Open Extended Reactions RIO DE JANEIRO — Teenage tennis sensation João Fonseca frustrated his home fans at the Rio Open in a first-round loss Tuesday, two days after winning his first ATP title. Fonseca lost 6-1, 7-6 (4) to No. 60-ranked Alexandre Muller of France, making 34
Feb 18, 2025, 11:00 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Novak Djokovic has said that Andy Murray will continue as his coach for an “indefinite” period. Two-time Wimbledon champion Murray worked with Djokovic in the build-up to and during this year’s Australian Open, but after the Serb was forced to retire with an injury in his
Feb 18, 2025, 05:20 AM ET Open Extended Reactions British tennis player Liam Broady has said that Jannik Sinner‘s three-month doping ban has been timed in order to impact the world No. 1’s career “as little as possible.” Sinner accepted a three-month ban in a settlement with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and said on
Associated Press Feb 17, 2025, 07:34 PM ET Open Extended Reactions DOHA, Qatar — Novak Djokovic says a majority of tennis players have lost faith in the anti-doping authorities following Jannik Sinner‘s three-month ban, and there’s a widespread feeling that “favoritism” is being shown to the sport’s biggest stars. The 24-time major winner called on
Associated Press Feb 17, 2025, 01:55 PM ET Open Extended Reactions DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Former No. 1 Victoria Azarenka rallied from a set and a break down to beat Anhelina Kalinina 2-6, 7-6 (4), 6-4 Monday and reach the second round of the Dubai Open. The 35-year-old Azarenka trailed 5-2 in the second
Feb 17, 2025, 03:47 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Emma Raducanu ended her four-match losing streak on Sunday as she earned a convincing victory over world No. 29 Maria Sakkari that the 22-year-old Brit said had made her “really proud.” Raducanu took one hour and 20 minutes to overcome her Greek opponent in the first
Associated Press Feb 16, 2025, 08:03 PM ET Open Extended Reactions BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Rising tennis star Joao Fonseca finished “an unbelievable week” with a straight-sets victory over Francisco Cerundolo in the Argentina Open final on Sunday to claim his first tour-level title. The 18-year-old Brazilian, who won the Next Gen ATP Finals last
Associated Press Feb 16, 2025, 01:24 PM ET Open Extended Reactions MARSEILLE, France — Ugo Humbert enjoyed a perfect service game when he hit four straight aces on his way to winning the Open 13 Provence final Sunday. The second-seeded Frenchman achieved the feat in the fourth game of the first set and went on
ESPN News Services Feb 15, 2025, 12:11 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Jannik Sinner‘s deal with the World Anti-Doping Agency to accept a three-month ban for positive doping tests has been criticized by Australian player Nick Kyrgios, with the Professional Tennis Players Association citing a “lack of transparency” in the system. Sinner, the top-ranked men’s