The US Open
Sabalenka storms through with new No. 1 status
Aryna Sabalenka won her debut match since clinching the No. 1 WTA ranking for the first time hours earlier, reaching the US Open quarter-finals 6-1, 6-3 over Daria Kasatkina on Monday.
The second seed ascended to the top spot on the Tour as Iga Swiatek lost in the fourth round here, ending 75 weeks atop the table.
The new top player said she had hoped to face off with her rival in the final with everything at stake.
“I thought Iga would make it to the final, I just hoped that I could also,” she said.,
“I wanted to have a battle and decide it all on court. I’m sad that she lost.
“I was pushing myself so hard today, I really wanted to reach this goal (No. 1)
“It means a lot to me, my family… it’s something crazy and I still can’t believe it.”
Sabalenka wasted no time in imposing her will on Kasatkina, sweeping the opening set and exchanging breaks with her opponent to start the second as her juggernaut gained momentum.
The reigning Australian Open titleholder, who followed up with semi-finals in Roland Garros and Wimbledon, ended a run of three breaks of serve as she claimed a 2-1 lead in the second set.
Sabalenka clinched a double break in the second set, leading 5-2 but threw in some unforced errors to lose serve as she tried to serve out the win.
But a game later Kasatkina sent a return into the top of the net to yield a Sabalenka match point, which the seed pounced on for victory, her 48th of the season against 10 losses.
“It’s always tough matches with Daria,” saba;enka said after winning her fifth from seven meetings.
“I’m happy with the performance. I put her under pressure.”
Sabalenka will face off next against China’s Zheng Quiwen, who shocked 2022 runner-up Ons Jabeur 6-2, 6-4.
The loss by the Tunisian – finalist at three Slams over the past two seasons – came 18 hours after last year’s champion Iga Swiatek was also ushered to the exits in a loss to Jelena Ostapenko.
Jabeur had been suffering here with a virus which seriously impacted her game.
The fifth seed was unable to make an impression in the fourth-round match, taking the loss on Zheng’s fourth match point.
The 20-year-old winner will be playing in her first major quarter-final after defeating a Top 10 player for the fourth time.
“I feel just super-happy and excited to play in the big stadium,” the winner said after victory on the Armstrong court.
“Ons is a fantastic player with a lot of variation in her game – this was an impressive win for me today.
Zheng was successful 10 of the 13 times she went to the net as she followed her game plan in the 81-minute victory with 21 winners and 17 unforced errors.
“I know my game has to be aggressive. A couple of times in the match was was too defensive, she got her chance and broke me.
“I have to take the match on my own. This is an amazing win for me, I want to enjoy it a bit more.”
A disappointed Jabeur explained what went wrong for her.
“It was a tough match, probably she played a good game.
“It was not my day today, being in the fourth round, just a bonus. I wasn’t expecting to even play at the beginning, so.
“We’ll get back to work and hopefully we’ll improve more for sure.”
Rome Masters
Alarm bells ring as Raducanu quits practice
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
Monterrey Open
Vekic needs five match points to win Queen’s
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
ATP
Agassi seeking answers to Alcaraz wrist injury mystery
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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