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Adelaide International

Australian Open Women’s Day 6

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On-form Swiss Belinda Bencic won her ninth match of the season less than a month into 2023 as she booked an Australian Open fourth-round place for the second time in her career on Saturday.

The 12th seed who played the mixed teams United Cup and then won the Adelaide title before coming to Melbourne, defeated Italy’s Camila Giorgi 6-2, 7-5.

She reached the fourth round here in 2016 as a teenaged prospect but has never since advanced out of the third round.

Bencic put on a masterclass on the Laver showcourt against an opponent she had not faced since 2019; she finished with 18 winners while Giorgi had 32 unforced errors.

She will bid for an unprecedented quarter-final here in the next round against  fifth seed Aryna Sabalenka, who hammered Belgium’s Elise Mertens 6-2, 6-3.

The pair split two previous matches, in 2018 and 2019.

Sabalenka credited her “calmness on the court” for three straightforward victories this week.

“I was just ready for everything. Whatever is going to happen on court, I’m ready for that. I think this is the key.”

The Adelaide titleholder from a fortnight ago added: “Belinda is a great fighter, a great player, moving well, hitting the ball quite clean. 

“She’s in good shape, as well; I’m really looking forward to this battle.” 

Bencic is profitting from her new coach Dmitry Tursunov, whom she hired last October after he split with Emma Raducanu.

“I stayed mentally there on court today,” the winner said. “I’m happy I got a second chance to serve it out – overall it was a great match.” 

The seed served for victory up 5-4 in the second set but was broken; she got the job done on her second opportunity two games later an hour and 40 minutes.

Bencic said she tried to relax as she went for victory on her make-up chance.

“It can get tense, sometimes it’s better to keep doing what has worked. I’m changing somethings in my game, getting out of my comfort zone

“I’m trying to be more disciplined on court. I’m really happy with the start of the season.”

Bencic is riding a wave and looking ahead to further success next week:

“It’s three wins now. But still, I’m going further. I’m ready for that.

“I feel very good with my tennis so far. This is the way to go, just stay strong during these kind of matches.

“But still I have more in front of me, so…”

Karolina Pliskova returned to the second week in Melbourne for the first time since her 2019 semi-final thanks to a 6-4, 6-2 defeat of Varvara Gracheva.

The Czech winner – finalist at the US Open seven years ago – needed just over an hour and a quarter to advance to the fourth round.

Pliskova has had a poor run of luck in Australia since her semi, halting twice in the third round while not competing here a year ago.

“The last couple of years were tough, especially missing it last year,” the No. 31 said. “Conditions here can be quite good for me.

“I’ve been playing quite well early in this year. I’m just happy to be back on the center court with a two-sets victory.” 

Croat Donna Vekic duplicated her fourth round showing from two years ago as she defeated Nuria Parrizas Diaz of Spain 6-2, 6-2.  

Main photo:- Belinda Bencic wins thirds round match – by Roger Parker International Sports Fotos Ltd

Adelaide International

Ex-Wimbledon champion slammed with anti-doping ban

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2023 Wimbledon winner Marketa Vondrousova’s career is effectively over after the Czech was banned for four years for failing to allow s tester into her home for an anti-doping test.

The December incident means the 26-year-old cannot compete again until 2030 after the sanction came down.

Vondrousova said when the case became public that she had refused to allow what she considered to be unidentified officials into her home for the obligatory surprise test.

She has not played since Adelaide during the first week of 2026 and is currently ranked 122 after several seasons of injury and personal troubles.

The player said during her hearing that a combination of mental stress and fears for her personal safety led her to refuse entry to the testers, whom anti-doping officials say were carrying ID.

Vondrousiva said the incident occurred “late at night without properly identifying themselves or following protocol.” 

She said her intention was not to evade a test  but to stay safe in the circumstances.

The peculiar case can be appealed to the Swiss-based Court for the Arbitration of Sport.

Top anti-doping boss CEO, Karen Moorhouse showed little sympathy to the situation: 

“We understand that the testing process is uncomfortable, and acknowledge that it is an additional burden for players whose jobs already come with a high level of pressure and scrutiny, but it is essential to protect fair competition.

“Safety and welfare of players and our testers is really important to us. Our testers are well-trained, professional, and the gender of our testing witness always matches the player. 

“They carry ID at all times, and players are able to verify their identity in other ways if they are ever unsure.”

Main photo:- Wimbledon Championships 2023 Marketa Vondrousova becomes the first unseeded player to win Ladies Singles Title at Wimbledon by Roger Parker International Sports Fotos Ltd

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Adelaide International

Roland Garros 2026 Men’s Day 2

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Eighth seed Alex de Minaur, who produced his best clay tennis just days ago with a Hamburg semi-final, began his French Open campaign 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 on Monday over Brit qualifier Toby Samuel, the No. 159.

“Happy to get my campaign started, it’s never easy starting the first match of a
tournament… but to get the win in straight sets, I thought I played a very consistent match. I did what I needed to do,” the Aussie said.

 Rising Spanish hope Rafael Jodar raced through a five-set match in 96 minutes as he hammered out a 6-1, 6-0, 6-4 defeat of American Aleksandar Kovacevic.

The 19-year-old has won 16 or his last 19 matches and is playing in only his second Grand Slam.

Thansis Kokkinakis joined his seeded compatriot with an opening win, requiring nearly four and a half hours to defeat Frenchman Terrance Atmane 6-7 (5), 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5.

The Aussie was playing his first Tour match in more than four months after injuries forced walkover at events in Adelaide and at a Croat Challenger this month.

One-time top 10 player Matteo Berrettini earned his first win here since 2021 as the former Wimbledon finalist defeated Marton Fucsovic 6-7 (2), 7-5, 6-1, 6-2.

The 105th-ranked Italian was competing in Paris after missing four editions through injury and earned his ninth win of the season.

Former champion Stan Wawrinka bowed out of his final Roland Garros edition as he hangs up his racquet at season’s end afr a two-decade-plus career at age 41.

The three-time Grand Slam champion Swiss lost to Dutchman Jesper de Jong, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 and said goodbye to the Roland Garros crowd.”This was amazing, more than what I could expect and what I could do enough, finishing
with so much support, so much love from the people.

“It was exactly the reason why I kept playing for so long.

“I’ve been on Tour for more than 20 years.
For me, when I was young, my dream was to be a professional tennis player, to be in the top 100, to have the opportunity to play those tournaments.

“But I never expected to achieve so big in the tennis. I never put any limit in my career.

“I always wanted more.I always walk out to get more, push myself, push my own limits, and try to find my own way to get there.

“So I’m happy and proud of what I achieved all those years, of course.

“Today it was really tough. It’s never easy to say good-bye to something you love so much.”

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Adelaide International

Vondrousova launches defence in dope-test incident

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Former Wimbledon winner Marketa Vondrousova said that an unexpected  night-time door knock from a stranger was enough to prevent her from allowing what turned out to be a drug-test official from administering an out-of-competition test.

As a result, the Czech lifted the All England Club trophy in 2023 is now facing up to a four-year ban for failing to allow a mandatory player drug test.

Vondrousova, ranked 46th, last played in Adelaide in January and has since been dealing with injury and mental stress, said she was fearful of letting the unknown official into her home, citing the case of fellow Czech Petra Kvitova.

The fellow Wimbledon champion suffered knife wounds on her hands and arms during a 2020 home invasion, leaving her compatriot fearful of a similar situation.

Tennis anti-doping bosses suggest that Vondrousova could face a hefty ban if found guilty of avoiding the testing regime during the incident last December.  

Vondrousova laid out her defence in a social media post:

“For a long time, I’ve been dealing with injury, constant pressure, and ongoing sleep issues that left me feeling exhausted and fragile.

“It slowly wore me down more than I probably realised at the time. And on top of that, years of hateful messages and threats have affected how safe I feel in my own space.

“When someone rang my door late at night without properly identifying themselves or following protocol, I reacted as a person who felt scared.

“In that moment, it was about feeling safe, not about avoiding anything. Experts confirmed I suffered an Acute Stress Reaction (F43.0) and Generalised Anxiety Disorder (F41.1).

“In that moment, fear clouded my judgement and I just could not process the situation rationally. After what happened to Petra, we don’t take strangers at our door lightly.”

Main photo:- Marketa Vondrousova won Wimbledon 2023 – by Roger Parker ISF Ltd

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