Tennis

Sofia Kenin’s maiden major success at the Australian Open has been rewarded with the American moving to a career-high ranking of WTA World No.7. The 21-year-old, who defeated WTA World No.1 Ashleigh Barty en route to victory in Melbourne on Saturday, has leapt up eight spots in the ladder, having previously been ranked at No.15. Indeed, she had never previously ...

Novak Djokovic defended his Australian Open crown and won a 17th Grand Slam after digging deep into his physical and mental reserves to beat Dominic Thiem in a gripping five-set final. The Serbian second seed won 6-4 4-6 2-6 6-3 6-4 for a record-extending eighth title at Melbourne Park. Djokovic, 32, twice called the doctor while trailing before fighting back. ...

American Sofia Kenin fulfilled her potential by winning a first Grand Slam title with victory over Spain’s Garbine Muguruza at the Australian Open. Kenin won 4-6 6-2 6-2 against two-time major winner Muguruza in Melbourne. The 21-year-old was a child prodigy, who started making television appearances from the age of five and hitting with the stars soon after. “My dream ...

Novak Djokovic moved a step closer to retaining the Australian Open title with a straight-set semi-final win over injury-hit rival Roger Federer. Serbia’s Djokovic was 4-1 and 40-0 down in the opening set before recovering to win the tie-break. That laid the platform for the 32-year-old second seed to go on and win 7-6 (7-1) 6-4 6-3. Djokovic, aiming for ...

Top seed Rafael Nadal was denied a place in the Australian Open semi-finals as Austria’s Dominic Thiem rattled the Spaniard with a powerful display to win a four-set thriller. Fifth seed Thiem won 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-4) 4-6 7-6 (8-6) at Melbourne Park. The 26-year-old, beaten by Nadal in the past two French Open finals, missed two match points before ...

Defending champion Novak Djokovic set up an Australian Open semi-final against Roger Federer after producing another clinical performance to beat Canadian 32nd seed Milos Raonic. Djokovic dismantled Raonic’s potent serve to win 6-4 6-3 7-6 (7-1) despite an eye problem late in the third set. The Serb second seed, who is aiming for a record-extending eighth title, has lost just ...

Roger Federer defied age and logic once again to save seven match points before beating unseeded American Tennys Sandgren in a sensational Australian Open quarter-final. The out-of-sorts Swiss fought off form and fitness concerns before winning 6-3 2-6 2-6 7-6 (10-8) 6-3. World number 100 Sandgren looked set to be the lowest ranked player to reach the Melbourne semi-finals since ...

Teenage phenomenon Coco Gauff missed out on her first Grand Slam quarter-final as fellow American Sofia Kenin fought back to win in the Australian Open fourth round. Gauff, 15, lost 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 6-0 to the 14th seed in Melbourne. She showed all her undoubted quality in the first set, but tired in the third as Kenin wore her down. ...

Melbourne:Maria Sharapova is not sure if she will be at the Australian Open next year, with a first-round exit meaning she is set to drop out of the world’s top 350. The five-time Grand Slam champion, who won at Melbourne Park in 2008, lost 6-3 6-4 to Croatian 19th seed Donna Vekic. It was only the Russian’s second competitive outing ...

Serena Williams thrashed fellow American Amanda Anisimova in just 43 minutes to reach the final of the Auckland International. The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion, searching for her first title since the 2017 Australian Open, hammered the 18-year-old 6-1 6-1. Williams, 38, will face Jessica Pegula in the final after the unseeded American overcame Williams’ doubles partner Caroline Wozniacki. Pegula ...