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The US Open

Wimbledon 2025 Women’s Day 10

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Iga Swiatek broke through to set up a battle of first-time Wimbledon semi-finalists  posting a 6-2, 7-5 defeat of Liudmila Samsonova on Wednesday and lining up to take on Belinda Bencic.

The Swiss who became a mother 15 months ago, defeated teenaged talent Mirra Andreeva 7-6 (3), 7-6 (2) to claim her own debut final four spot at the All England club.

Five-time grand Slam champion Swiatek owns four clay titles at Roland Garros and has now surpassed her quarter-final here two years ago.

She led Samsonova a set and 3-0 before needing to fight to hold onto her margin; swiatek won seven straight games before her opponent stopped the rot for 1-3 in the second.

The former world No. 1 saved eight of 10 break points and got the last word on Court No. 1 as she broke in the final game to secure victory with a return winner after nearly two hours.

Swiatek said that her appreciation of grass is growing with each victory as she breaks new ground on the surface.

“It feels great, I’m getting goosebumps,” the winner said. “I’m super happy and proud of myself/ I want to keep going.”

Swiatek, a former Wimbledon junior champion, said her preparation is paying off.

“I’m enjoying grass this year, hopefully I can keep this up as long as possible. We worked hard to prepare on this surface, I feel I can work with it.”

Bencic became the first Swiss to get this far here since Martina Navratilova in 1997 as she out-hit Andreeva in their tight quarter-final.

The Swiss served for victory but was broken, though she doubled down to earn victory in a second tiebreaker with an overhead winner at the net.

From a ranking of near 500 at the start of this comeback season, Bencic will return to the top 20 as a result of her success here.

Her only other Grand Slam semi came at the US Open six years ago.

“We made a game plan and it worked out well,” the winner said. “Two tiebreaks were not easy  but there was a small edge for me.

“At some point your instincts kick in, you have to put pressure on your opponent.

“I’m just happy I won today. To be in the semi-finals is unbelievable, a dream come true. I tried not to think about it at match point.”

Bencic added: “I’m very proud of my return, we’ve worked so hard on it. To play this great is amazing, I’m speechless.

“I’m just happy to be playing again.”

Main photo:- Iga Swiatek celebrates quarter final win – by Roger Parker International Sports Fotos

Rome Masters

Alarm bells ring as Raducanu quits practice

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Emma Raducanu’s Wimbledon participation was flashing red on Saturday as the Briton quit a practice session while delaying her media availability by a day.

The Queen’s club finalist a fortnight ago stopped a training session with Anna Kalinskaya 10 minutes early while trailing 0-4 in a practice set.

The ove sparked frenzied British speculation about her fitness after the 2021 US Open winner was seen wearing a support cast on a foot earlier in the week.

Reports indicated that Raducanu might have been trying to avoid a mistake she made last month in Rome, where she did pre-event media and then withdrew injured from the Masters 1000 tournament.

Raducanu is due to begin her tournament in the first round against Croat Antonia Ruzic.

Main photo:- Emma Raducanu practices with her ankle strapped – by Roger Parker/ISF Ltd

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Monterrey Open

Vekic needs five match points to win Queen’s

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Donna Vekic dominated the opening set but had to come from a double break down in the second to win the Queen’s club title on Sunday 6-0, 7-6 (6)  over Emma Raducanu.

The victory denied the British runner-up her first trophy since winning the US Open as a teenaged qualifier half a decade ago.

The one and three-quarter hour victory for the Croat lucky loser from qualifying round was  match of two halves, with Vekic unchallenged in the first but made to battle before finally lifting victory with a second-set tiebreaker.

Raducanu was playing in her third career final and won her only title at the 2021 US Open. Vekic won her first trophy since Monterrey three years ago.

The 29-year-old Vekic, ranked 76th, was thwarted on her first four match point chances late in the second set.

Raducanu, cheered by a home crowd in west London, took the second set into a tiebreaker as Vekic drove long as the fight went into a decider.

The Brit rallied from 4-1 down  before Vekic set up her fifth match point with a down-the-line winner and Raducanu’s shot landed wide a point later

The winner revealed that she had called upon her longtime coach from childhood to come join her team for the summer.

“Growing up and playing on the Tour, I was always jealous that the boys got to play on this grass,” she said of an event which only brought back the women’s event a year ago after a pause of half a century.  .

“But since last year, we have the opportunity also.”

Vekic explained her coaching situation: “The coach that I worked with from age 12 agreed to come back and help this grass season.

“Without him, I would have not know about grass – my favourite surface. And without you I would not be here with this trophy.”

Raducanu made vast improvements this week which should aid her Wimbledon buildup.

“What a week it’s been,” the finalist said. “It was incredible for me to make the fina, playing in my home city where I feel the buzz.

“The crowd support was incredible and helped me to fight back in the second set.

“Today was a really tough match, Donna played well from start to finish.”

Raducanu will travel north for next week’s WTA event in Nottingham.

Main photo:- Lucky loser qualifier Donna Vekic wins Queens Title – by Mark Greenwood/ISF Ltd

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ATP

Agassi seeking answers to Alcaraz wrist injury mystery

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Andre Agassi is keen to unravel the mystery of the alleged wrist injury which has kept Carlos Alcaraz off court for nearly two months.

The 56-year-old Agassi asked the hard question during a tennis podcast, suggesting that the Spaniard owed the world an explanation on what is actually bothering him.

Alcaraz has not competed since April 14 in Barcelona, a day before handing in a second-round injury walkover, reportedly with a wrist problem

“It would be really helpful if he or someone close to him could clearly explain the exact nature of his injury, because at this point we can only speculate,” Agassi said.

Since his spring home pullout on home clay, Alcaraz has missed the Madrid and Rome Masters plus Roland Garros.

He is also out for Queen’s and Wimbledon with his availability for the North American summer hardcourt run a complete mystery.

“If it’s a form of tendonitis, is it a specific inflammation like dorsal capsulitis or a carpal tunnel syndrome-type issue? What exactly are we talking about, and what are the treatment options? I don’t know precisely what he has,” Agassi said.

The former world No. 1 American added: “If he only needs to manage pain or inflammation and opts for conservative treatment before considering surgery, then it’s a smart decision, even if it means missing some Grand Slam tournaments.

“If the situation is more serious and requires more complex interventions, the right decisions must be made very carefully, and the best specialists must be consulted. It is essential to allow the injury time to heal properly, because he still has many years of his career ahead of him.”

Despite his growing doubts, Agassi is able to look on the bright side of the situation.

“We could see an even more determined and aggressive Carlos Alcaraz upon his return, provided he manages to solve his only real problem right now.”

Main photo:- Carlos Alcaraz will miss Wimbledon this year – by Roger Parker ISF Ltd

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