Tennis

WADA’s 3-month ban on Sinner is a transparent decision, says VP Yang Yang

Yang Yang says World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) will stay open-minded and welcome public scrutiny New Delhi: The settling of Jannik Sinner’s doping case was “open and transparent” despite the public reaction, and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) will stay open-minded and welcome public scrutiny, said its vice president Yang Yang. Tennis men’s world No.1 Sinner twice tested positive for anabolic clostebol in March last year, which he claimed entered his system after his masseur treated a cut on his finger with a product containing clostebol and gave Sinner full body massages. After a review of the case, WADA agreed Sinner’s explanation was scientifically plausible and well evidenced by the facts. Sinner had been initially found by an Independent Tribunal to bear…

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44-year-old Venus Williams to make comeback at BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells

Williams hasn’t competed anywhere on tour since a first-round loss at the Miami Open on March 19, 2024 Indian Wells: Venus Williams received a wild-card entry Wednesday for the BNP Paribas Open, which would make next month’s tournament in Indian Wells, California, the seven-time Grand Slam singles champion’s first event in nearly a full year. The 44-year-old Williams hasn’t competed anywhere on tour since a first-round loss at the Miami Open on March 19, 2024. That was less than two weeks after she lost her opening match at Indian Wells. Her first appearance at Indian Wells came in 1994. Williams won five titles at Wimbledon and two at the US Open in singles, along with 14 Grand Slam doubles titles with…

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Madison Keys stuns 2-time champion Sabalenka to win Australian Open women’s title

Keys, ranked 14th and seeded 19th, was playing in her second major final after being the runner-up at the 2017 US Open Melbourne: When Madison Keys stepped into Rod Laver Arena at 7:37 p.m. on Saturday night ahead of the Australian Open final, she strode right past the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup, the trophy that goes to the women’s champion and was placed on a pedestal near the entrance to the court. Keys didn’t break stride. Didn’t stop to stare. That bit of hardware then was placed near the net for the pre-match coin toss, close as can be to where the American stood. Close enough to touch. Close enough to feel real. Also right there was her opponent, No. 1-ranked…

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Tennis Australia warns against competing in Russia

Kokkinakis defied advice from Tennis Australia not to play in the Nov 29 to Dec 1 exhibition Melbourne: Tennis Australia says it has advised its players against competing in Russia following reports that Davis Cup team member Thanasi Kokkinakis featured in an exhibition event in St Petersburg nearly two months ago. The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper reported Friday that Kokkinakis defied advice from Tennis Australia not to play in the Nov 29 to Dec 1 exhibition. It was reportedly sponsored by state-owned Russian gas and oil giant Gazprom, which has been the subject of financial sanctions imposed by Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade since April 2022 soon after Russia invaded Ukraine. “For several years, Tennis Australia has … abided by federal…

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Novak Djokovic quits Australian Open semifinals against Alexander Zverev

An injured Novak Djokovic quits after dropping the first set of his Australian Open semifinal Melbourne: An injured Novak Djokovic quit after dropping the first set of his Australian Open semifinal against Alexander Zverev on Friday. Djokovic lost the opener 7-6 (5) in a tiebreaker and immediately walked around the net to concede the match to Zverev. Fans booed as Djokovic walked off toward the locker room, and he responded by giving two thumbs-up. Djokovic, who was bidding for an 11 championship at the Australian Open and record 25th Grand Slam title overall, hurt his left leg during his quarterfinal victory against Carlos Alcaraz. The No. 2-seeded Zverev reached his first title match at Melbourne Park and will face the winner of Friday’s second semifinal…

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Swiatek powers into Australian Open semifinals, to face Madison Keys next

The No. 2-seeded Swiatek not only has not dropped a set so far in the tournament but also has lost a grand total of only 14 games as she seeks her first title at Melbourne Park and sixth Grand Slam trophy overall Melbourne: Iga Swiatek is dominating her Australian Open opponents the way no one has at Melbourne Park since Maria Sharapova in 2013. Swiatek’s latest lopsided win came via a 6-1, 6-2 score in the quarterfinals against No. 8 seed Emma Navarro on Wednesday. The No. 2-seeded Swiatek not only has not dropped a set so far in the tournament but also has lost a grand total of only 14 games as she seeks her first title at Melbourne Park…

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Novak Djokovic battles past Carlos Alcaraz, advances to Australian Open semifinals

The 33-stroke exchange was the longest of the evening, and when it ended with Djokovic sailing a forehand long, the capacity crowd at Rod Laver Arena went wild Melbourne: Novak Djokovic refused to let anything stop his pursuit of a record 25th Grand Slam trophy in the Australian Open quarterfinals. Not a problem with his left leg. Not an early deficit. And not the kid across the net, Carlos Alcaraz, who was making things difficult and eyeing his own bit of history. Djokovic overcame it all, just as he has so often along the way to so many triumphs, moving into the semifinals at Melbourne Park for the 12th time with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 victory over Alcaraz in a…

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Jannik Sinner powers past Holger Rune to reach Australian Open quarterfinals

A second Italian joined Sinner in the quarterfinals when 55th-ranked Lorenzo Sonego got that far at a major tournament for the first time by ending the run of American qualifier Learner Tien 6-2 6-3 3-6 6-1 Melbourne: First came the medical timeouts, one each for Jannik Sinner and Holger Rune with the temperature above 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 Celsius) at the Australian Open. Then came the unusual sight of a 20-minute delay because the net at Rod Laver Arena detached from the court after being hit by a big Sinner serve. In the end, Sinner put his physical struggles aside and emerged with the victory — as he keeps doing, no matter the site or the circumstances — and the defending…

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World No. 3 Coco Gauff loses to Paula Badosa in Australian Open

Ranked world No. 11, Paula Badosa of Spain now heads to her first Grand Slam semifinal at age 27 MELBOURNE: Coco Gauff’s forehand and serve abandoned her in the worst way and at the worst time at the Australian Open on Tuesday, and the No. 3-seeded American was eliminated in the quarterfinals by No. 11 Paula Badosa of Spain 7-5, 6-4. Gauff entered the match at Rod Laver Arena with a 9-0 record in 2025 and on a 13-match winning streak that dated to her title at the WTA Finals in November. Using tweaks to some key strokes to great effect in the hopes of earning a second Grand Slam title at age 20, the 2023 US Open champion had only dropped one…

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Australian Open: Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic renew rivalry, face off in quarterfinals

This meeting between the both will be the first at the Australian Open — and the first in the quarterfinals of a tournament; each of the others came in either a semifinal or final Melbourne: It’s time for the eighth installment of the riveting, intergenerational rivalry between Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz. This one, though, will be the first at the Australian Open — and the first in the quarterfinals of a tournament; each of the others came in either a semifinal or final. “Well, this is not the right player to play in a quarterfinal, I guess,” a grinning Alcaraz said, looking ahead to Tuesday’s encounter. “But facing Novak, for me, it’s not going to change anything if I’m playing…

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