Tennis

MELBOURNE  – World number five Venus Williams and US Open champion Sloane Stephens were high-profile casualties on day one of the Australian Open Monday, but Roland Garros winner Jelena Ostapenko survived. Williams, who lost in the final to sister Serena last year, was stunned by Swiss star Belinda Bencic, fresh from winning the Hopman Cup with Roger Federer. The seven-time ...

Last November Angelique Kerber was reduced to tears after losing to Ashleigh Barty in China, willing a terrible 2017 to be over. Skip forward two months and the German former world No.1 believes she’s well on the way back to her best, after turning the tables on Barty to win the Sydney International. Saturday’s 6-4 6-4 victory at Sydney Olympic ...

If Johanna Konta wants to win her first grand slam title in the country where she was born – and she is among a slew of contenders hoping the absence of the title holder, Serena Williams, will open up the draw over the next fortnight – she may have to beat the 2008 champion, Maria Sharapova, to reach the final. ...

MELBOURNE :Former champion Victoria Azarenka, who has been locked in a custody battle over her young son, pulled out of the Australian Open on Monday. The two-time winner had been handed a wildcard into the opening Grand Slam of the year in Melbourne, starting on January 15, but will not be making the trip. “It’s unfortunate that Azarenka is unable ...

Nick Kyrgios beat Ryan Harrison 6-4 6-2 in the Brisbane International final on Sunday to clinch his maiden tour title on home soil and gain a big confidence boost ahead of the Australian Open. Carrying a niggling knee injury, the mercurial Australian made a slow start and was forced to save five break points before he managed to carve out ...

BRISBANE, Australia – World No.6 Elina Svitolina became the first champion of the 2018 season on Saturday evening, defeating qualifier Aliaksandra Sasnovich to win the Brisbane International, 6-2, 6-1. The Ukrainian No.3 seed claimed the first Premier-level title of her career, after winning three Premier 5 titles in 2017 – the first player to ever do so in a single ...

SHENZHEN, China – World No.1 Simona Halep won her first title of 2018 on Saturday, coming through a delayed three-set final against Katerina Siniakova to win the Shenzhen Open 6-1, 2-6, 6-0. The final was moved indoors after repeated rain delays and began six hours after its scheduled start time. The two players were squaring off to see who would ...

Switzerland’s Roger Federer and Belinda Bencic beat Germany’s Alexander Zverev and Angelique Kerber to win the Hopman Cup for the first time since 2001. Federer went a set down to Zverev in the opener, but the 19-time Grand Slam champion recovered to win 6-7 (4-7) 6-0 6-2 and give Switzerland a 1-0 lead. Kerber then beat Bencic 6-4 6-1 to ...

LAHORE: Provincial Sports Minister Jahangir Khanzada inaugurated the first ever Sports Board Punjab Tennis Academy at the newly-constructed state of the art Tennis Complex here at Nishtar Park on Wednesday. Secretary Sports Punjab Muhammad Aamir jan, Director Sports Anis Sheikh, Deputy Director Mohammad Hafeez Bhatti, Secretary Punjab Lawn Tennis Association Rasheed Malik and a large number of junior tennis players ...

BRISBANE: Former world number one Andy Murray has withdrawn from the season-opening Brisbane International in a major setback to his Australian Open preparations. He suffered a right hip injury in 2017 and has not played on the ATP tour since losing a tough five-setter to American Sam Querrey in the quarter-finals at Wimbledon. Murray said on Sunday he felt in ...