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The US Open

Sabalenka completes her Slam SF matched set

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Aryna Sabalenka hammered China’s Zheng Qinwen 6-1, 6-4 on Wednesday to book the US Open semi-finals for a third straight year.

The player who will take over the No. 1 ranking from Iga Swiatek on Monday also completed a matched set of Grand Slam semi-final spots all in the same season.,

The last to do that was Serena Williams in 2016. 

Sabalenka will wait for a Thursday opponent as American Madison Keys plays Wimbledon winner Marketa Vondrousova.in the last of the quarter-final matches.

Second-seed Sabalenka needed just 74 minutes to advance into the final four, sending over three aces and breaking three times. She ended with 17 winners and a dozen unforced errors against her promising 20-year-old opponent.

“I definitely played great tennis today,” she said. “I’m happy with the win against an unbelievable opponent.

“I’ve now got another opportunity to do better in the semi-finals.”

The winner said that the enormity of reaching the top WTA ranking for the first time has yet to sink in – and is something she will deal with later.

“I have things still to do here, I’m trying to focus on the tournament. I’ll think about No. 1 when this is over.”

The 25-year-old who worked with a biomechanics specialist to improve what had been a dodgy serve in recent seasons, said that she has much more confidence now in her delivery,

“I used to be worried and put pressure on myself. But now I’m ready to do whatever I need to win the game. I just tell myself that I’m ready to play.”

Australian Open champion Sabalenka stands a perfect 7-0 in career Grand Slam semi-finals after defeating a Chinese opponent for the 13th time in 15 meetings.

Zheng was playing her first quarter-final at a major and earned  Top 10 win as she beat Ons Jabeur this week.

Main photo:- US Open Day 10 Aryna Sabalenka (xxx) wins quarter final match by Roger Parker International Sports Fotos Ltd

ATP

Positive vibes after RG takes player crisis meeting

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The peace talks came after a Friday interview boycott by most top players, who limited their pre-event interactions with media to 15 minutes while snubbing TV broadcasters.

Players are asking for a larger share of Grand Slam prize money, aiming for a rise from 15 to 22 per cent, a figure well below payouts in other spots.

French federation (FFT) officials promised a response to the demands in the immediate future. Confrontations with Wimbledon and the US Open are also likely to proceed during the Paris fortnight.

The Australian Open has already sided with the players when the issue first arose earlier this season.

The FFT “has committed to responding to the players’ proposals in the coming weeks,” the ruling body said.

Players are seeking a closer involvement in the big decisions of the sport along with increased health insurance and retirement benefits.

Sinner, with USD 56 million already in career prize money at age 24, might do well to follow the example of retired icon Roger Federer, who earned 130 million on court and much more off it,

The Swiss, reportedly now a tennis billionaire, often said he would not be needing his ATP pension but was happy to work on behalf of other  players.

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Strasbourg

Raducanu plays coaching lottery with return to her OG

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Emma Raducanu has gone back to the future with her latest choice of coach, choosing to re-group with the mentor who helped her to a US Open title five long years ago.

The Briton whose career has been a patchwork of changing coaches and near-constant injuries and illness since her 2021 big day in New York, revealed she has re-employed Andrew Richardson, her OG coach.

The pair split not long after then-teenaged Raducanu won the Open title from an unprecedented qualifying start.

She has since struggled and wil head to Roland Garros from next Sunday with only one clay tournament, a late wild-card entry into Strasbourg.

“Grateful to have reconnected with someone who has known me for over a decade now and looking forward to building together one iteration at a time,” she posted on social media.

The WTA no. 30 has played just 15 matches this season – none on clay – with her last one more than two months ago.

Main photo:- Emma Raducanu with her coach, Andrew Richardson at the 2021 US Open

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The Australian Open

Wimbledon goes modern with electronic reviews

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Wimbledon will bow to the high-tech future by introducing limited electronic reviews of line calls on major courts at the Championships, the club revealed on Saturday.

The All England Club will allow the technology on showcourts including Centre Court, No. 1 and four others. During controversial moments, competitors will be allowed to ask the chair umpire for a review of the point in question.

The wizardry is coming late to Wimbledon having been used at the US Open since 2023 and later adapted by the Australian Open. Roland Garros relies on marks in its clay surface to determine line calls.

Under the rules, players can ask for the review any number of times, with electronic line-calling now in effect at the grass-court major for a second year after the 2025 elimination of human line judges.

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