Tennis

4:47 PM ET Associated Press Top-ranked Carlos Alcaraz pulled out of the Australian Open on Friday because of an injured right leg. The 19-year-old from Spain wrote on social media that he got hurt “through a chance, unnatural movement in training.” The year’s first Grand Slam tournament begins Jan. 16 at Melbourne Park. The draw

7:48 AM ET ESPN News Services ADELAIDE, Australia — Novak Djokovic beat Denis Shapovalov 6-3, 6-4 at the Adelaide International on Friday to set up a semifinal with Daniil Medvedev. The combined ATP-WTA event is a warmup for this year’s Australian Open, which the top-seeded Djokovic missed last year after being barred from the country

1:14 AM ET Associated Press AUCKLAND, New Zealand — Top-seeded Coco Gauff has beaten Lin Zhu of China 6-3, 6-2 to reach the semifinals of the ASB Tennis Classic in a tournament that has been dogged by bleak weather and diminished by waning star power. Venus Williams, second-seeded Sloane Stephens and former US Open champion

5:05 AM ET Emma Raducanu left the court in tears after retiring from her round of 16 match at the ASB Classic with an ankle injury just 11 days before the start of the Australian Open. The British No. 1 was competing against Viktoria Kuzmova, with the score at 6-0, 5-7 when she appeared to

4:44 AM ET WTA Finals winner Caroline Garcia said she struggled with bulimia as she looked to “fill a void” when things were not going her way on court. The French player, who won top tier titles in Wuhan and Beijing in 2017, said the last couple of years had been marked by “tears and

12:18 AM ET Associated Press MELBOURNE, Australia — Australian Open officials say Reilly Opelka has withdrawn from the first Grand Slam tennis tournament of the year. Although no reason was given for the withdrawal on Wednesday, Opelka, a 25-year-old native of St. Joseph, Michigan, has been troubled by hip and ankle injuries over the last

9:55 AM ET The return of WTA tournaments to China in 2023 will hinge on a resolution to the Peng Shuai issue, with the governing body of the women’s game telling Reuters on Wednesday it had still not met the Chinese former doubles world number one personally. Peng had accused Chinese former Vice-Premier Zhang Gaoli

2:59 AM ET Associated Press SYDNEY — Two of the three city finals at the mixed teams United Cup tennis tournament were level at 1-1 Wednesday with two singles matches and potentially a mixed doubles decider to follow. Madison Keys gave the United States an early lead in its Sydney City Final over Britain after

1:52 AM ET Associated Press AUCKLAND, New Zealand — Spanish qualifier Rebeka Masarova defeated second-seeded Sloane Stephens 6-3, 7-5 (5) at the ASB Classic on Wednesday as organizers of the WTA Tour event contended with a backlog of singles matches caused by persistent rain. Matches had to be played indoors and without spectators to ensure

7:16 AM ET Associated Press Novak Djokovic maintained his winning streak in singles matches in Australia, beating Constant Lestienne of France 6-3, 6-2 Tuesday in the first round of the Adelaide International. It was the top-seeded Djokovic’s 30th straight singles victory on Australian soil in a streak that dates to 2018. It was Djokovic’s first

2:07 AM ET Associated Press AUCKLAND, New Zealand — Former US Open champion Emma Raducanu overcame wind and rain in a match which stretched over almost four hours to beat Linda Fruhvirtova 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 Tuesday in her first singles match of 2023 at the ASB Classic. The match twice was interrupted by rain and

12:39 AM ET Associated Press World No. 1 Novak Djokovic kept up his winning streak in singles matches in Australia, beating Constant Lestienne of France 6-3, 6-2 Tuesday in the first round of the Adelaide International. It was Djokovic’s 30th straight singles victory on Australian soil in a streak that goes back to 2018. Tuesday’s

10:04 AM ET Associated Press NEW YORK — Tennis great Martina Navratilova said Monday that she has been diagnosed with throat cancer and breast cancer. In a statement released by her representative, the 18-time Grand Slam singles champion and member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame said her prognosis is good and she will

10:01 AM ET Associated Press AUCKLAND, New Zealand — Venus Williams is back in the win column. Williams, 42, beat 21-year-old American qualifier Katie Volynets 7-6 (4) 6-2 in the first round at the ASB Classic on Monday for her first singles victory since Wimbledon in 2021. The seven-time major champion has been awarded a

12:45 AM ET ESPN News Services SYDNEY — Taylor Fritz and Madison Keys fueled a critical day for Team USA on Monday, posting victories over Germany at the United Cup mixed teams event, securing the Americans a berth in the tennis tournament’s quarterfinals. The competition vs. Germany continues Tuesday, when Jessica Pegula faces Laura Siegemund

12:12 PM ET Britain stormed into the knockout stage of the United Cup mixed team tournament on Sunday as Dan Evans came through a gruelling match against Spain’s Albert Ramos-Vinolas with a 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 win that gave his team an unassailable 3-1 lead. Britain began the day with a 2-0 advantage in the tie

7:04 AM ET Wimbledon’s decision to ban Belarusian players from last year’s tournament “changed nothing,” world No. 5 Aryna Sabalenka said on Sunday, adding that she hoped to return to the grass-court Grand Slam in 2023, having missed its fans and atmosphere. Wimbledon organisers banned players from Russia and Belarus last year after Moscow’s invasion

1:54 AM ET Associated Press SYDNEY — Casper Ruud has taken up in 2023 where he left off in 2022, beating Brazil’s Thiago Monteiro 6-3, 6-2 in the first men’s singles match of the New Year to boost Norway at the United Cup mixed teams championship in Brisbane. Ruud had a successful 2022, rising as