Tennis

Serena Williams has withdrawn from this month’s Italian Open, five days after opting out of the WTA event in Madrid. The decision puts in doubt her participation at the French Open, which begins on 27 May. Williams is a four-time winner of the Rome event, which takes place from 14-20 May. She withdrew from the Madrid Open on Thursday, saying ...

Novak Djokovic said his first-round win over Kei Nishikori at the Madrid Open was “exactly” what he needed for his confidence after a run of poor form. The 30-year-old former world number one has failed to reach the quarter-finals in five tournaments since returning from elbow surgery in January. But he impressed in beating Nishikori 7-5 6-4 to set up ...

Petra Kvitova came from a set down against Mihaela Buzarnescu to win the Prague Open on home soil – her third WTA title of the year. The Czech raced into a 3-0 lead but Romania’s Buzarnescu took the opening set after winning five straight games. But world number 10 Kvitova hit back before taking a hard-fought decider to win 4-6 ...

Seven-time champion Serena Williams could still be made the number one seed at Wimbledon this year, even if the American does not climb back into the world’s top 32 before the tournament. Williams, 36, has dropped to 449th in the world since giving birth last year. She believes players returning from pregnancy should have protected seedings as well as protected ...

Dubrovnik:- Marin Cilic has married his longtime girlfriend, Kristina Milkovic, in a ceremony in Dubrovnik. The wedding was in Milkovic’s hometown, and also where the couple first met during a 2008 Davis Cup tie. There was a private ceremony followed by a reception for around 400 guests. Former coach Goran Ivanisevic and WTA player Ana Konjuh were among those invited. Cilic is next scheduled to compete ...

Barcelona:- Rafael Nadal won his 11th Barcelona title on Sunday when he breezed past Greek teenager Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-2, 6-1 in the final. It was world number one Nadal’s 55th career clay-court title while he also extended his winning streak on the surface to 46 consecutive sets. The 31-year-old Spaniard won his 11th Monte Carlo Masters last weekend also without ...

Stuttgart:-CoCo Vandeweghe knocked world number one Simona Halep out of the Stuttgart Grand Prix on Friday with a commanding 6-4, 6-1 win but admitted she wasn’t even aware of the score for large parts of the match. The Californian’s 74-minute demolition of the Romanian top seed follows Maria Sharapova’s loss in the first round and the injury retirements of second ...

BARCELONA: Rafael Nadal booked a place in the Barcelona Open final by breezing past David Goffin 6-4 6-0 on Saturday with his 18th successive claycourt win and 400th overall on the surface. World number one Nadal will meet Greek teenager Stefanos Tsitsipas in Sunday’s showpiece when he will target a record-extending 11th title in Barcelona a week after claiming the ...

Maria Sharapova crashed out in the opening round of the Stuttgart Grand Prix on Tuesday as French sixth seed Caroline Garcia staged a fightback to win 3-6, 7-6 (8/6), 6-4. “This was not the result that I wanted, but I can take a lot out of this match,” Sharapova said. “I’ve not competed for a few weeks, but I played ...

PESHAWAR : Pakistan’s ace tennis player Aqeel Khan lifted the trophy of the 37th Chief of the Air Staff Khyber Cup Open Tennis Championship after defeating Muhammad Abid in the final played at PAF Officers’ Mess Peshawar. Pakistan’s star player Aqeel Khan defeated Muhammad Abid in straight sets with the score 6-0 and 6-1. Aqeel had complete supremacy over his ...