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Taylor Fritz and Coco Gauff are moving on to the second round of the 2025 United Cup‘s mixed-doubles tournament and he’s giving her all the credit.

The American duo defeated Leylah Fernandez and Felix Auger-Aliassime of Team Canada during day three of the tournament on Sunday (December 29) at Rac Arena in Perth, Australia.

Earlier in the day, Coco won her first round singles match while Taylor lost his.

“After losing my singles match the way I lost my singles match it would’ve been really tough to go home today with a mixed-doubles loss as well,” Taylor said after the matches. “Thank you, Coco for carrying the team today, and we got it done.”

We also have photos of Coco and Taylor at the beach in Perth after arriving in town last week.

Umag (Croatia), July 30 (Ians) Stan Wawrinka produced a commanding performance to beat Lorenzo Sonego 6-3, 6-4 at the Croatia Open to advance to his first Atp Tour final since he reached two in 2019, here.

Through to his 31st tour-level final (16-14), and his 14th on clay (7-6), Wawrinka is seeking his first title since he won Geneva in 2017.

The Swiss will meet Alexei Popyrin in the title match. Sunday’s final will be Wawrinka’s first since he underwent two left-foot surgeries in 2021 and fell out of the Top 300 of the Atp Rankings.

“I’m happy with the match. I think I played really well, the best match of the week,” said Wawrinka, who has moved up 23 places to No. 49 in the Atp Rankings behind his four straight-set wins this week.

“I’m really happy to be in the final tomorrow,” he added.

On Saturday, Wawrinka showed his full range in the victory,...

London, June 30 (Ians) Top seed Carlos Alcaraz of Spain will begin his Wimbledon campaign against Frenchman Jeremy Chardy and could meet 20-year-old Dane Holger Rune in a blockbuster quarterfinal clash as the draw for the grass-court major was announced here on Friday.

The Spaniard defeated Alex de Minaur to lift his first grass-court trophy at the Queen’s Championships last week and could play the Australian again in the fourth round.

Second seed Serbian Novak Djokovic will start his quest for a record-equalling eighth Wimbledon crown against Pedro Cachin and could face Andrey Rublev, Nick Kyrgios or Felix Auger-Aliassime in the quarterfinals.

Australian Kyrgios, who reached the title match last year, opens against wild card David Goffin, while Rublev plays Max Purcell.

Germany’s Alexander Zverev is also in the top quarter and is seeded to meet De Minaur in the third round. Former finalist Matteo Berrettini starts against countryman Lorenzo Sonego.

Netflix’s Break Point is a superb documentary series created by Paul Martin and James Gay-Rees, which takes us into the world of professional tennis through its most promising aspirants.

The second part of this documentary series arrives in June, applying formulas seen in other sports documentaries like “Drive to Survive” and successfully bringing it to the world of tennis.

The first part was a huge success, and we expect no less from this second installment, which features a few privileged tennis players such as Nick Kyrgios, Thanasi Kokkinakis, and Matteo Berrettini, putting the world of tennis in the palm of our hands.

This documentary aims to take us beyond a television broadcast and make us truly part of the frenetic world of professional sports through aspirants who aim to dethrone the three great legends who have reigned in the last decade.

The best part of the documentary is how...

Paris, May 29 (Ians) Former Champion Novak Djokovic started his campaign to capture a record 23rd Grand Slam title and the World No.1 ranking with a comprehensive win in the men’s singles first round at the French Open here on Monday.

Two-time French Open champion Djokovic, who also has a chance of becoming the first man in the history of Open Era tennis to achieve the triple career Grand Slam, dispatched Aleksandar Kovacevic 6-3, 6-2, 7-6(1) in the first round on Court Philippe Chatrier at the Roland Garros here.

However, things were quite difficult for Canadian Denis Shapovalov and British star Cameron Norrie as they were both taken the distance before emerging unscathed from the first round.

Italian world No.130 Fabio Fognini knocked out No.10 seed Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 to reach the second round for the 12th time in his career.

Playing against the legend Djokovic, Kovacevic made...

Paris, May 25 (Ians) World No.1 Carlos Alcaraz and No.3 Novak Djokovic were on Thursday drawn in the same half of the French Open men’s singles draw.

The Spaniard, who has captured three trophies on clay this season, could meet third seed Djokovic in the semi-finals, with 2021 finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas drawn in the 20-year-old’s quarter.

Alcaraz is making his third appearance at the clay-court Grand Slam, having advanced to the quarter-finals in 2022. The top seed will open against a qualifier and is seeded to play 14th seed Cameron Norrie in the fourth round.

Fifth seed Tsitsipas, who is in the same section as Felix Auger-Aliassime, is a potential quarter-final opponent for Alcaraz.

Canadian Denis Shapovalov and Italian Lorenzo Musetti are also in a stacked top quarter of the draw. Shapovalov is a potential third-round opponent for Alcaraz, while Musetti, who pushed Djokovic to five sets in Paris in 2021, is...

New Delhi, May 22 (Ians) Carlos Alcaraz of Spain has returned to the top spot while Novak Djokovic slipped to third in the latest Atp Rankings released on Monday.

Before rising to the top spot in tennis rankings again, Alcaraz held the world No.1 ranking for 22 weeks with his 23rd week starting after the Italian Open.

The 20-year-old will be the top seed at this year’s French Open with Djokovic being the third seed, so they could land in the same half of the draw in Paris.

Djokovic, who was at the top of the rankings heading into the Italian Open, dropped to his lowest position on the Atp Tour since January after a surprise quarterfinal loss.

Fresh off his win at the Italian Open, Daniil Medvedev, ascended to the 2nd spot in the Rankings and is slated to be the second seed at the clay-court major.

Medvedev fell out...

New Delhi, April 24 (Ians) Novak Djokovic of Serbia maintained his top spot in the Atp rankings this week despite his early exit from the Banja Luka Open tennis tournament. The 35-year-old lost in the quarterfinals in Banja Luka and as a result, his total points dropped by 105.

Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz, who lifted the trophy in Barcelona, remained at No. 2 after and is just 365 points behind the Serb, who has pulled out of this week’s Madrid Masters.

Russia’s Daniil Medvedev, who has won more matches than any other player on the tour in 2023 with 31 victories, returned to the Top-3 for the first time since October 31 last year. The Russian swapped places with Norway’s Casper Ruud, who suffered an early exit in Barcelona.

There is no change in the rest of the top 10 with Stefanos Tsitsipas at No. 5, Banja Luka finalist Andrey Rublev at No. 6, Munich champion Holger Rune at No.

Indian Wells (USA), March 19 (Ians) India’s Rohan Bopanna and his Australian partner Matthew Ebden won the Indian Wells Masters men’s doubles title, defeating World No.1 Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski 6-3, 2-6, 10-8 in the final, here on Sunday.

The victory marks Bopanna and Ebden’s first Masters 1000 title as a team, and their second in their first season as a pairing.

Indian veteran Bopanna, who turned 43 on March 4, became the oldest man to ever win a Masters 1000 doubles title, surpassing his former partner Daniel Nestor. He is also the first Indian man to claim the Indian Wells Masters doubles title since Leander Paes in 2007.

“I’d like to thank my partner. It’s his first Masters title, and it’s my first Masters here at Indian Wells. It’s a big moment. Every year we keep coming back and I pass the locker room near the restaurant...

Indian Wells (USA), March 17 (Ians) Top-seeded Carlos Alcaraz of Spain surged past Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime, 6-4, 6-4 to book his spot in the Indian Wells Masters semifinals for the second consecutive season.

Alcaraz continued to gain steam in his bid for a maiden Indian Wells title as he marched to his first victory in four tries against the 10th-ranked Canadian.

“Today, the goal was to stay there. I knew that I was going to have my chances. I had to try to take it. Probably I played one of my best matches this season, in 2023. I’m really happy and want to keep going,” Alcaraz was quoted as saying by the Atp Tour.

In his last meeting with Auger-Aliassime, Alcaraz only saw one break point and wasn’t able to convert. He flipped the script on that narrative on Thursday, earning 12 break points and converting three to keep his 22-year-old rival at bay.

Indian Wells, March 15 (Ians) Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada fought off six match points to edge American player Tommy Paul 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(6) and set up a quarterfinal clash with world no. 2 Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz in the Indian Wells Open here.

With the stunning victory, Auger-Aliassime has now reached the quarters at each of the past six Atp Masters 1000 events, including his current run. He has advanced to that stage at seven of the nine Masters 1000s on the calendar, with Monte Carlo and Shanghai the lone exceptions.

“I always stayed positive, I kept my hopes up, I kept thinking, ‘Ok, I’m not that far, I can come back’,” Auger-Aliassime was quoted by Atp tour website. “At the end, when you’re down 0/40 on your serve, you know that…’Ok if I win this first one, serve well, then again, then again, we’re back on even terms.’

“You just...

Indian Wells (USA), March 15 (Ians) Top seed Carlos Alcaraz moved into the quarterfinal of the Indian Wells Masters after his British opponent Jack Draper retired midway with an injury.

The Spaniard led Jack Draper 6-2, 2-0 when the Briton was forced to retire with an abdominal injury that first affected him late in his Monday win against Andy Murray.

In the pair’s second Atp Head-to-Head meeting, both men produced highlight-reel shots early, but Alcaraz had more success in the routine points as he took an early lead, escaping 0/40 in his opening service game with timely power plays on Tuesday night.

As the match wore on, Draper’s abdominal issue hampered his serve and his movement. After a visit from the physio in between sets, he won just one point in the first two games of the second set before retiring to give Alcaraz his 101st tour-level win.

After a...

Indian Wells (USA), March 8 (Ians) Two months after the inaugural United Cup, the mixed-gender team event won by the United States in January, the Atp Tour and Wta Tour again joined forces on the court Tuesday night in Indian Wells for Mixed Doubles Exhibition event.

On the eve of main-draw play at the Indian Wells Masters, stars from both circuits thrilled the desert crowd in the third annual Eisenhower Cup, a mixed doubles exhibition as a fundraiser for local charities.

The one-night tournament was won by Taylor Fritz and Aryna Sabalenka, who defeated the Polish pairing of Hubert Hurkacz and Iga Swiatek 10-8 in the final. Fritz, who hit an ace with a trick serve in the semi-finals, fired a service winner on championship point.

Also competing in Tuesday night’s exhibition event were: Paula Badosa and Cameron Norrie, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Leylah Fernandez, Ons Jabeur and Casper Ruud, Tommy Paul and Jessica Pegula,...

Dubai, March 5 (Ians) Daniil Medvedev completed an Atp Tour hat-trick on Saturday when he overcame Andrey Rublev 6-2, 6-2 to win the Dubai Tennis Championships, here.

The third seed produced a consistent performance throughout the 68-minute clash to extend his winning streak to 14 matches.

Having lifted trophies in Rotterdam and Doha in February, Medvedev is the third player to win three titles in as many weeks since 2021, joining Casper Ruud (July 2021) and Felix Auger-Aliassime (October 2022).

“It is amazing because at the start of the year, it was not perfect. In tennis when you don’t win matches you have doubts. Now it just feels better.I was really happy with these three weeks and I am looking forward to the next ones,” Medvedev said.

The 27-year-old’s strong hard-court form has lifted him to No. 6 in the Atp Live Rankings, rising above Rublev, who drops to No. 7. With his Tour-leading 19th win of the season,...

Doha, Feb 23 (Ians) Jiri Lehecka earned the biggest win of his career by Atp Ranking on Thursday at the Qatar Open, where he upset World No. 5 Andrey Rublev 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 to reach his second tour-level semifinal, here.

The 21-year-old Czech entered the clash off the back of straight-set wins against Damir Dzumhur and Emil Ruusuvuori and he demonstrated his confidence levels in a heavy-hitting performance against the top seed.

Lehecka timed the ball cleanly off both wings, causing damage with his flat forehand to hit through a frustrated Rublev. He broke twice, sealing his victory after one hour and 41 minutes to improve to 1-1 in his Atp head-to-head series against Rublev.

“These past two months have been very great for me. I was very much looking forward to playing here in Doha on this beautiful centre court, so I am very happy with the win and looking forward to tomorrow,...

Melbourne, Jan 18 (Ians) Felix Auger-Aliassime was already upset once by Alex Molcan, less than one year ago in Marrakech. On Wednesday at the Australian Open, the Canadian narrowly avoided falling to 0-2 in the pair’s Atp Head2Head with a comeback victory.

The sixth seed stormed back from two sets down for a 3-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 win in Margaret Court Arena, staying alive as he bids to improve upon his quarter-final run from last year in Melbourne, reports atptour.com.

Molcan dominated the first two sets and much of the third with his variety and precision, with Auger-Aliassime hitting 39 unforced errors in the first three sets. But the Canadian’s booming serve bought him time to recover, and he sparked into life after breaking for the first time in the match to lead 5-3 in the third set. Prior to that pivotal game, he had not seen a break point.

Formula 1: Drive to Survive is one of my favorite oddball word-of-mouth Netflix success stories — an unscripted show that got no particular critical attention when it premiered in 2019, only to reliably pop up in casual conversations and unexpected contexts, almost always with a preamble resembling, “I wasn’t interested in Formula 1 racing before, but…”

That series, which has now aired four seasons, found traction beyond racing aficionados with its high-octane photography and intimate access to drivers who, in the course of any given race, would normally be masked enigmas driving serpentine courses in exotic locales. While much of the world is obviously obsessed with Formula One as a sport, the Drive to Survive team passed an array of barriers of entry when it came to capturing American interest, and did it with aplomb.

For their follow-up, producers Paul Martin and James Gay-Rees have set a seemingly “easier” task with the...

Melbourne, Jan 11 (Ians) With U.S Open winner Carlos Alcaraz of Spain withdrawing due to an injury, his compatriot Rafael Nadal has been given the top billing in the men’s singles draw in the Australian Open, starting in a few days.

In women’s singles, Poland’s Iga Swiatek, the World No. 1 in the Wta Rankings, was expectedly named the top seed with Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur as the second-ranked player.

Nadal is the second highest-ranked player in the Atp Rankings and will be the top seed in the Australian Open with Norway’s Casper Ruud as the second seed. The 22 Grand Slam titles winner is gunning for his 23rd title in the Majors to further widen the gap with Novak Djokovic (21).

In the men’s section, Nadal and Rudd are followed by Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece (3rd seed) while Djokovic is seeded fourth as he returns to Australia...

"It's not easy to manage all the pressure." Netflix has unveiled a full official trailer for the sports doc series Break Point, about the next generation of tennis superstars on the rise. Debuting in January with half of the episodes, then more in the summer. Any big tennis fans out there? "Following a golden age of greatness, tennis' next generation is ready to take over." Exec produced & showrun by two acclaimed doc filmmakers - Paul Martin and James Gay-Rees also known for their recent popular F1 doc series "Formula 1: Drive to Survive". Break Point follows a select group of top tennis players on and off the court as they compete in gruelling Grand Slams and tournaments. Featured players include Felix Auger-Aliassime, Casper Ruud, Matteo Berrettini, Ons Jabeur, Thanasi Kokkinakis, Nick Kyrgios, Aryna Sabalenka, Maria Sakkari, Ajla Tomljanovic, Sloane Stephens, and Stefanos Tsitsipas. Break Point gets up close & personal with...

Adelaide, Dec 31 (Ians) Top seed Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev are among four 2022 Atp Finals participants in the loaded men’s singles draw for Adelaide International 1, which begins on Sunday, here.

Back in action Down Under for the first time since he won the 2021 Australian Open, the World No. 5 leads the field in Adelaide, where he won his third Atp Tour title in 2007.

The Serbian finished the 2022 season by winning a record-tying sixth Atp Finals crown, and lifted the title in four of his past five Atp Tour tournaments dating back to Wimbledon.

Djokovic has a big opportunity to rise up the Atp Rankings in the coming months, having played just one tour-level event in the first quarter of 2022. He enters this season with 4,820 Atp Rankings points, exactly 2,000 points shy of World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz.

After reaching the pinnacle of the Atp Rankings in February 2022, Medvedev finished the season with...

Netflix has revealed a first look teaser for a documentary sports series coming in 2023, one of their major sports offerings next year. Break Point is the official title of this docu-series, which includes 10 episodes in total. "Following a golden age of greatness, tennis' next generation is ready to take over." It's exec produced and showrun by two acclaimed doc filmmakers - Paul Martin and James Gay-Rees also known for their recent popular F1 doc series "Formula 1: Drive to Survive". Break Point follows a select group of top tennis players on and off the court as they compete in gruelling Grand Slams and tournaments. Featured players include Felix Auger-Aliassime, Matteo Berrettini, Ons Jabeur, Thanasi Kokkinakis, Nick Kyrgios, Aryna Sabalenka, Maria Sakkari, Ajla Tomljanovic, Sloane Stephens, and Stefanos Tsitsipas. Break Point gets up close & personal with top players on the tennis circuit through an entire year traveling across the globe for...

It’s been quite a year.

This week, Google revealed its top searches in Canada, revealing what was on people’s minds as the big events of 2022 went down.

Read More: Drake, Taylor Swift, The Weeknd Are Spotify’s Most-Streamed Artists In Canada For 2022

Topping the list of search trends was the viral puzzle game Wordle, which had social media users sharing their little green squares. The game was soon bought by The New York Times. A very Canadian take on the game, Canuckle, also made the list.

Following behind that was Ukraine, which was invaded earlier in the year by Russian forces and continues to be embroiled in a war.

The World Cup, one of the biggest sporting events in the world, also made It on the list at no. 3.

Also on the list was Johnny Deep, whose defamation trial against ex-wife Amber Heard over her claims to...

Malaga (Spain), Nov 27 (Ians) Felix Auger-Aliassime fired Canada to their first Davis Cup Finals title on Sunday when he defeated Alex de Minaur 6-3, 6-4 to give his country an unassailable 2-0 lead against Australia, here.

The World No.6 won his singles and doubles match to secure Canada a place in the final and he backed that up with a dominant display against de Minaur.

Auger-Aliassime fired 22 winners and held his nerve at crucial moments, saving all eight break points he faced to triumph after one hour and 42 minutes.

“The emotions are tough to describe. Denis [Shapovalov] and I grew up together, dreaming of these types of stages, dreaming of winning the Davis Cup. It’s a great moment for myself and the country,” Auger-Aliassime was quoted as saying by daviscup.com.

It is the first time Canada have won the Davis Cup Finals after they reached the championship match for...

Turin (Italy), Nov 17 (Ians) Rafael Nadal finished his Atp Finals campaign with a win after he downed Casper Ruud 7-5, 7-5 at the prestigious season-finale, here on Thursday.

The top seed raised his level in his third round-robin match in Green Group, using the fast conditions to his advantage with some trademark clean ball striking. The Spaniard hit 37 winners to Ruud’s 19 and won 93 percent (38/41) of points behind his first serve to seal a one-hour, 43-minute victory and round out his 2022 season on a winning note.

“I have been practising well. Just probably not enough matches to be at the level that I needed to be. Not enough confidence, probably, after six tough months. That’s how it is. I accept that the season didn’t end the way that I wanted, [but] at least I finished with a positive victory,” a philosophical Nadal said after his win.

“It’s important,...

Turin (Italy) For his maiden victory in the Atp Finals, Felix Auger-Aliassime could not have chosen a better victim. The Canadian, whose red-hot streak may have hit a recent blip stunned top seed, Rafael Nadal, in straight sets here on Tuesday.

The fifth seed bounced back impressively from his opening defeat to Casper Ruud at the season finale in Turin, where he defeated Nadal 6-3, 6-4 to notch his maiden victory in the prestigious season finale.

Auger-Aliassime said having played at the same court earlier helped him overcome Nadal.

“I think having one match here, I got used to the conditions on centre court,” Auger-Aliassime was quoted as saying in a report on the Atp Tour’s official website. “It helped me a lot. I felt my game was better today. My serve was great and return and backhand was much better. I was hitting it with my more consistency and quality.

Turin (Italy), Nov 13 (Ians) In a battle between two of the biggest forehands on the Atp Tour, Casper Ruud downed Felix Auger-Aliassime 7-6(4), 6-4 on Sunday to kick-start his 2022 Atp Finals campaign with a win.

Ruud arrived at the Pala Alpitour for his second appearance at the prestigious season finale off the back of a tough run of form. The 23-year-old won just two matches across four tournaments prior to Turin, but he was sharp from the first game as his consistent heavy hitting kept Auger-Aliassime under constant pressure.

“I think this is some of the best level that I have played since the U.S. Open. The last couple of months have been a little bit of a struggle, I have to honestly say that, but you have to accept it as well,” said Ruud after the match.

“You will face difficult moments in your career, and maybe these...

Turin (Italy), Nov 10 (Ians) Tennis legends Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic will not be in the same Atp Finals group, it was revealed at the draw on Thursday.

Nadal is the top seed at the year-end championships for the fifth time. The Spaniard, this year’s Australian Open and Roland Garros champion, will try to lift the season finale trophy for the first time. The lefty leads Green Group alongside Casper Ruud, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Taylor Fritz.

Seventh seed Novak Djokovic will try to make history at the Pala Alpitour. The five-time champion can tie Roger Federer’s record of six Atp Finals titles. Stefanos Tsitsipas tops the Red Group with Djokovic, Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev.

Three former Atp Finals titlists are in the field: Djokovic, Medvedev and Tsitsipas. The draw was held at Intesa Sanpaolo Headquarters in Turin.

The doubles draw was also revealed Thursday. Top seeds Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski,...

Paris, Nov 6 (Ians) Holger Rune’s rapid rise hit a new milestone on Sunday at the Paris Masters, where the 19-year-old staged a stunning comeback to down six-time winner Novak Djokovic 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 and clinch men’s singles title and his maiden Atp Masters 1000 crown.

Having dropped the first set, Dane recovered from 0/40 in the opening game of the second and a 1-3 deficit in the third, saving six break points in the final game as he dug deep to defeat Djokovic and claim the biggest title of his young career in dramatic fashion.

“It means everything to me, a perfect way to finish the week. It’s a privilege to share the court with Novak,” said Rune.

Rune was playing in his fourth consecutive Atp Tour final and has now won 19 of his past 21 matches. The Dane’s title run in Paris will also lift him to No.

Paris, Nov 5 (Ians) Holger Rune took his stellar late-season form to another level on Saturday at the Paris Masters, where he snapped Felix Auger-Aliassime’s 16-match winning streak with a 6-4, 6-2 victory to reach his maiden Atp Masters 1000 final, here.

Rune took control early in a meeting between two of the in-form players on the Atp Tour, using his aggressive groundstrokes to dictate play wherever possible and heap pressure on the Auger-Aliassime serve.

Both players were competing for a spot in their fourth consecutive Atp Tour final, but the 19-year-old Rune converted three of eight break points to wrap up a comprehensive 88-minute win.

“It was an unbelievable match from my side today. I really was sticking to the game plan for the whole match and just taking every chance I got. Putting Felix under pressure, that’s what my game plan was all about, and I managed to do it almost perfectly.

Paris, Nov 4 (Ians) Holger Rune advanced to his maiden Atp Masters 1000 semifinal on Friday at the Paris Masters after Carlos Alcaraz was forced to retire deep into the pair’s quarter-final clash, here.

After charging to the opening set, Rune held firm to force a tie-break as World No.1 Alcaraz stepped up his level in the second. Having had treatment on an abdominal muscle at 6-5, however, Alcaraz was forced to retire with Rune leading 3/1 in the second-set tie-break at 6-3, 6-6.

“I thought it was a great match. [It’s] unlucky for him. I think we both played very well and I was super focused. It was an amazing crowd, amazing tennis, so I’m super pleased with how I handled everything today,” said Rune.

Prior to Alcaraz’s injury, Stockholm champion Rune had given another demonstration of the recent strides he has made with his game. He rode a fast...

Paris, Nov 4 (Ians) Felix Auger-Aliassime added another dominant win to his remarkable winning streak on the indoor hard courts of Europe on Friday as he raced to the Paris Masters semi-final with a 6-1, 6-4 quarterfinal win against Frances Tiafoe, here .

The eighth seed was clinical behind serve and sharp on return to down Tiafoe and seal his 16th consecutive tour-level win. He struck 26 winners to Tiafoe’s 14 and won 86 per cent (31/36) of points behind his first delivery to clinch a Tour-leading 27th indoor win in 2022.

Auger-Aliassime cruised to the first set as Tiafoe, playing in just his second Masters 1000 quarter-final, struggled to find his best level. The Canadian found rhythm behind his heavy forehand and dropped just two points behind serve in the opening set, and he made it nine of the first 11 games won with an early break in the second.

Although Tiafoe dug deep to save five...

Paris, Nov 3 (Ians) The singles field for the 2022 Atp Finals is completed after Felix Auger-Aliassime and Andrey Rublev on Wednesday claimed remaining two spots for the season finale, which will be played at the Pala Alpitour in Turin from November13-20.

Four of this year’s singles competitors – Alcaraz, Nadal, Djokovic and Medvedev – have reached No. 1 in the Atp Rankings. Djokovic, Tsitsipas and Medvedev have previously won the Atp Finals. Five-time champion Djokovic can tie Roger Federer’s record of six season finale triumphs.

There is also a surge of rising stars at the year-end championships, with six of the eight competitors – excluding only Djokovic and Nadal – aged 26 or younger. All six of those players have previously qualified for the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen Atp Finals.

Tsitsipas is the only player who has won the 21-and-under season finale and the Atp Finals in back-to-back years (2018-2019). Alcaraz will attempt to match the feat this year.

Paris, Oct 31 (Ians) Swiss qualifier Marc-Andrea Huesler did not hold back on his Atp Masters main draw debut and delivered a high-quality performance to beat 11th seed Jannik Sinner 6-2, 6-3 in the first-round of Paris Masters, here on Monday.

The 26-year-old Huesler lifted his maiden tour-level title on indoor hard courts in Sofia at the beginning of October but had gone 0-3 since.

After defeating Hugo Gaston and Laslo Djere in qualifying in Paris, however, the lefty brought his big-serving, aggressive best to the clash against Sinner. He fired 20 winners, including six aces, to down the World No. 12 in 68 minutes.

“(It feels) really big. I’ve had a great season… I had two good matches in the qualies, I came out here and had nothing to lose today. That helped me play very aggressively. It was not his best match, for sure, but I had to be ready to...

Paris, Oct 31 (Ians) Taylor Fritz dug deep to overcome a typically resilient Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in a Paris Masters first-round clash here on Monday.

Fritz trailed by a break in the first set and let slip a 2-0 lead in the second as Davidovich Fokina threatened an early upset against the 2021 quarterfinalist at the Atp Masters 1000 event. The ninth seed raised his level at key moments to resist the Spaniard’s charge, however, converting five of 10 break points to clinch a 7-5, 6-2 victory in 90 minutes on Court Central.

“Right now I’m just focused on kind of playing myself into the tournament,” said Fritz. “I feel like any time this year that I’ve won a couple of matches into a tournament, then I’ve done well. So I’ll just try to focus on these early rounds.

“Turin is still in the picture, obviously, but there’s not...

Basel (Switzerland), Oct 28 (Ians) World No.1 Carlos Alcaraz moved to within two wins of capturing his sixth tour-level title of the season on Friday when he overcame Pablo Carreno Busta 6-3, 6-4 to reach the semi-finals of the Swiss Indoors, here.

The 19-year-old Spaniard looked in control throughout the one-hour, 38-minute clash at the Atp 500 event, opening his shoulders to hit through his countryman on the indoor courts.

Alcaraz overpowered Carreno Busta during the backhand exchanges and showed good touch around the net to efficiently win points and triumph.

“It is difficult to play against a friend like Pablo. Every day we go and have dinner, and lunch together. Every week we train together, so it is difficult to play against him. I also support him and want him to win every match,” Alcaraz said in his on-court interview.

“On court, there are no friends. You have to be focused...

Basel (Switzerland), Oct 28 (Ians) Felix Auger-Aliassime extended his winning streak to 11 matches on Friday when he moved past Alexander Bublik 6-2, 6-3 to reach the semi-finals at the Swiss Indoors, here.

In a dominant display, the Canadian fired 28 winners and committed just four unforced errors to advance after 73 minutes.

Auger-Aliassime now leads the 25-year-old Bublik 2-1 in the pair’s Atp head-to-head series and will next play top seed Carlos Alcaraz or fifth seed Pablo Carreno Busta.

“It was a good match. It is so important for me to stay disciplined and focus on my serve. I haven’t been broken in the whole tournament and today was a good effort on staying focused on my serve. I was able to seize a few opportunities,” Auger-Aliassime said.

“The first break was important. To take that pressure off myself from the beginning. It is the best way to start the match.

Antwerp (Belgium), Oct 19 (Ians) British tennis player Daniel Evans advanced to the quarterfinals of the European Open after beating Frenchman Constant Lestienne 6-2, 6-1, here on Wednesday.

The fifth seed looked in control throughout the 75-minute match, winning 82 per cent (18/22) of his first-serve points and breaking five times to earn his 27th tour-level win of the season.

The Briton now leads Lestienne 2-0 in their Atp Head to Head series, after winning their previous meeting in San Diego in September.

Evans, who is currently No 24 in the Atp Live Rankings, will next face second-seeded Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime or Frenchman Manuel Guinard. Guinard defeated countryman Geoffrey Blancaneaux 3-6, 6-3, 7-5.

The 32-year-old is making his second appearance at the Atp 250 event, having reached the semi-finals in 2020. Earlier this season, Evans enjoyed runs to the last four in Sydney, San Diego and an Atp Masters 1000 event in Montreal.

–Ians

avn/inj...

Florence (Italy), Oct 16 (Ians) Canadian tennis player Felix Auger-Aliassime defeated American J.J. Wolf 6-4, 6-4 in the final to win the Firenze Open title, here on Sunday.

The top seed lost just one set en route to the trophy, defeating World No 75 Wolf in one hour and 41 minutes to claim the crown.

It was a critical week for Auger-Aliassime’s hopes of qualifying for the Atp Finals, which will be played in Turin from November 13-20. One week after Taylor Fritz moved into the final qualifying position by triumphing in Tokyo, Auger-Aliassime surged past the American into seventh in the Atp Live Race To Turin. He now has a 180-point lead over the American.

Tenth-placed Novak Djokovic has claimed his spot in Turin under the Grand Slam champion provision, which awards entry to a current-year major winner who finishes between eighth and 20th in the Live Race.

Auger-Aliassime arrived...

Florence (Italy), Oct 15 (Ians) American JJ Wolf charged into his first Atp Tour final after a power-hitting 6-4. 6-4 win over Swedish qualifier Mikael Ymer at the Firenze Open, here on Saturday.

Rising to a career-best No 56 in the Atp Live Rankings, the 23-year-old will play the winner of top seed Felix Auger-Aliassime and third-seeded home favourite Lorenzo Musetti.

“Tomorrow. as I haven’t been in a final before, I’m just going to keep working on the things I’ve been working on and not worry about the result,” Wolf said.

“I definitely had to keep my nerve and wait for my chance. He’s sneaky-aggressive and can turn defense into offense in a second. I’m not sure what to expect,” he added.

Wolf, who upset fourth-seeded countryman Maxime Cressy in the second round and seventh-seed Alexander Bublik in the quarter-finals, improved to 16-16 on the year.

Wolf began the year at No.

Florence (Italy), Oct 15 (Ians) American JJ Wolf charged into his first Atp Tour final after a power-hitting 6-4. 6-4 win over Swedish qualifier Mikael Ymer at the Firenze Open, here on Saturday.

Rising to a career-best No 56 in the Atp Live Rankings, the 23-year-old will play the winner of top seed Felix Auger-Aliassime and third-seeded home favourite Lorenzo Musetti.

“Tomorrow. as I haven’t been in a final before, I’m just going to keep working on the things I’ve been working on and not worry about the result,” Wolf said.

“I definitely had to keep my nerve and wait for my chance. He’s sneaky-aggressive and can turn defense into offense in a second. I’m not sure what to expect,” he added.

Wolf, who upset fourth-seeded countryman Maxime Cressy in the second round and seventh-seed Alexander Bublik in the quarter-finals, improved to 16-16 on the year.

Wolf began the year at No.

Florence (Italy), Oct 15 (Ians) American JJ Wolf charged into his first Atp Tour final after a power-hitting 6-4. 6-4 win over Swedish qualifier Mikael Ymer at the Firenze Open, here on Saturday.

Rising to a career-best No 56 in the Atp Live Rankings, the 23-year-old will play the winner of top seed Felix Auger-Aliassime and third-seeded home favourite Lorenzo Musetti.

“Tomorrow. as I haven’t been in a final before, I’m just going to keep working on the things I’ve been working on and not worry about the result,” Wolf said.

“I definitely had to keep my nerve and wait for my chance. He’s sneaky-aggressive and can turn defense into offense in a second. I’m not sure what to expect,” he added.

Wolf, who upset fourth-seeded countryman Maxime Cressy in the second round and seventh-seed Alexander Bublik in the quarter-finals, improved to 16-16 on the year.

Wolf began the year at No.

Florence (Italy), Oct 15 (Ians) American JJ Wolf charged into his first Atp Tour final after a power-hitting 6-4. 6-4 win over Swedish qualifier Mikael Ymer at the Firenze Open, here on Saturday.

Rising to a career-best No 56 in the Atp Live Rankings, the 23-year-old will play the winner of top seed Felix Auger-Aliassime and third-seeded home favourite Lorenzo Musetti.

“Tomorrow. as I haven’t been in a final before, I’m just going to keep working on the things I’ve been working on and not worry about the result,” Wolf said.

“I definitely had to keep my nerve and wait for my chance. He’s sneaky-aggressive and can turn defense into offense in a second. I’m not sure what to expect,” he added.

Wolf, who upset fourth-seeded countryman Maxime Cressy in the second round and seventh-seed Alexander Bublik in the quarter-finals, improved to 16-16 on the year.

Wolf began the year at No.

Florence (Italy), Oct 15 (Ians) American JJ Wolf charged into his first Atp Tour final after a power-hitting 6-4. 6-4 win over Swedish qualifier Mikael Ymer at the Firenze Open, here on Saturday.

Rising to a career-best No 56 in the Atp Live Rankings, the 23-year-old will play the winner of top seed Felix Auger-Aliassime and third-seeded home favourite Lorenzo Musetti.

“Tomorrow. as I haven’t been in a final before, I’m just going to keep working on the things I’ve been working on and not worry about the result,” Wolf said.

“I definitely had to keep my nerve and wait for my chance. He’s sneaky-aggressive and can turn defense into offense in a second. I’m not sure what to expect,” he added.

Wolf, who upset fourth-seeded countryman Maxime Cressy in the second round and seventh-seed Alexander Bublik in the quarter-finals, improved to 16-16 on the year.

Wolf began the year at No.

Florence (Italy), Oct 14 (Ians) Italian Lorenzo Musetti lit up the Firenze Open on Friday when he produced a stunning display to beat Mackenzie McDonald 6-3, 6-2 and reach the semifinals on home soil, here.

In front of a packed Italian crowd, the 20-year-old opened his shoulders to fire an array of winners against the American, striking 23 winners to earn his 26th tour-level win of the season in 77 minutes at the Atp 250 event.

The third seed, who has already qualified for the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen Atp Finals, will next face top-seeded Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime or eighth-seeded American Brandon Nakashima in the semi-finals on Saturday.

Musetti is aiming to win his second tour-level title this week at the hard-court event, having triumphed on clay in Hamburg in June.

In other action, Swedish qualifier Mikael Ymer defeated Spaniard Roberto Carballes Baena 6-4, 6-2 to reach his third tour-level semifinal of the season.

Florence (Italy), Oct 14 (Ians) Italian Lorenzo Musetti lit up the Firenze Open on Friday when he produced a stunning display to beat Mackenzie McDonald 6-3, 6-2 and reach the semifinals on home soil, here.

In front of a packed Italian crowd, the 20-year-old opened his shoulders to fire an array of winners against the American, striking 23 winners to earn his 26th tour-level win of the season in 77 minutes at the Atp 250 event.

The third seed, who has already qualified for the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen Atp Finals, will next face top-seeded Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime or eighth-seeded American Brandon Nakashima in the semi-finals on Saturday.

Musetti is aiming to win his second tour-level title this week at the hard-court event, having triumphed on clay in Hamburg in June.

In other action, Swedish qualifier Mikael Ymer defeated Spaniard Roberto Carballes Baena 6-4, 6-2 to reach his third tour-level semifinal of the season.

Florence (Italy), Oct 13 (Ians) Lorenzo Musetti put on a show for his home fans on Thursday at the Firenze Open, where the Italian dispatched Bernabe Zapata Miralles 6-3, 6-0 in the second-round clash, here.

The third seed displayed confidence in all facets of his game, delighting a vocal home crowd with an array of classy winners to close out victory against Zapata Miralles in just 69 minutes at the indoor Atp 250 event.

Musetti hit 21 winners to the Spaniard’s eight in the pair’s first tour-level meeting. With the win, the Italian is into his sixth tour-level quarter-final of the season and his third on indoor hard courts (after Rotterdam and Sofia).

The 20-year-old, whose excellent season has also included his maiden Atp Tour title in Hamburg, has already qualified to compete at November’s Next Gen Atp Finals in Milan for the second consecutive year.

Musetti will meet Mackenzie McDonald...

Astana (Kazakhstan), Oct 6 (Ians) World No 4 Daniil Medvedev defeated big-hitting Emil Ruusuvuori of Finland 6-3, 6-2 to reach the quarterfinals at Astana Open, moving closer to a blockbuster semifinal showdown with Novak Djokovic, here on Thursday.

The second seed Medvedev, who denied Djokovic’s quest for a calendar-year Grand Slam in the 2021 US Open final, has not lost more than three games in a set through two matches in Kazakhstan.

“I’m trying to be consistent. That was a little bit of a goal this week. But the further you go, the more just [being] consistent is not going to be enough. Emil is a really tough player, he can bring a lot of tough matches to top opponents from what I feel like. I’m sure he’s going to climb the rankings throughout his career,” Medvedev said.

“So I’m happy that today I managed to win pretty confidently...

Tel Aviv, Sep 30 (Ians) The 88-time tour-level titlist Novak Djokovic cruised past Spaniard Pablo Andujar 6-0, 6-3 to reach the quarterfinals of the Tel Aviv Watergen Open here on Thursday.

He has wasted no time finding his top form after more than two months away and it was the fewest games Djokovic has lost in any match this season.

“Fantastic atmosphere here tonight, thank you very much,” Djokovic said in his on-court interview. “I like the court, it’s very intimate and it’s very loud. The crowd here is very passionate about the sport, about tennis and I’m really, really happy to be here and to perform here in front of you, so thank you for your support.”

In his first match back at the Laver Cup, Djokovic performed at a similarly high level in a straight-sets victory against US Open semifinalist Frances Tiafoe, before suffering an upset loss to Felix Auger-Aliassime.

London, Sep 25 (Ians) Frances Tiafoe clinched the Laver Cup title for Team World on Sunday, saving four match points to edge Team Europe’s Stefanos Tsitsipas 1-6, 7-6(11), 10-8 and give his side a 13-8 victory, here.

John McEnroe’s side entered the final day of the three-day event in London trailing four-time champions Team Europe 4-8. However, with each win worth three points on Sunday, Team World turned the tables in style to win the Laver Cup for the first time.

“I don’t want to talk too much because I want the party to begin very soon. But I want to thank my players. They brought energy, belief and intensity. I want to especially thank my brother Patrick, my right hand,” McEnroe said during the trophy ceremony.

In front of an electric crowd at The O2, Tiafoe saved four match points in the second-set tie-break as he produced...

London, Sep 25 (Ians) Felix Auger-Aliassime moved Team World to within one win of capturing its first Laver Cup title on Sunday, when he upset Team Europe’s Novak Djokovic 6-3, 7-6(3) to give his side a 10-8 lead, here.

The Canadian played aggressively throughout the one-hour, 35-minute clash to earn his first win against the Serbian. The 22-year-old hit his spots on serve, while he opened his shoulders to push the former World No. 1 back and triumph.

“I’ve been close a few times and in recent times to win against these great champions, so it feels great to get the win.Especially in front of the fans in this arena and for Team World,” Auger-Aliassime said in his on-court interview.

If American Frances Tiafoe defeats Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas in the third match of the day, Team World will capture the title for the first time, with each clash on Sunday worth three points.