News 11 // 18 Jun 2019, 18:53 IST SHARE Jelena Ostapenko had one of her best results that had been missing from her game for quite some time. The Latvian performed well in the first round of the Nature Valley Classic that allowed her to dominate Poland’s Iga Swiatek 6-0, 6-2 on Court One at the Edgbaston Priory Tennis Club Tuesday.This was a first time meeting for the two but an important one for the Latvian who was on an uncontrollable slide. Through her last ten matches, Ostapenko lost seven during the clay court season which suddenly became her weakness. With the grass court season underway, the 22-year-old and her 7-2 record last year gave her confidence going in against a qualifier who made her first appearance at the tournament.The nerves were in play for the Polish teen as she lost control on serve handing Ostapenko the early break. She launched a strong service game before she managed to earn the double break for a 3-0 lead. The … [Read more...] about Nature Valley Classic: Ostapenko routs in first round win
Tennis
Osaka feeling free for Wimbledon challenge
News 6 // 18 Jun 2019, 14:24 IST SHARE Naomi Osaka hopes a sense of freedom will pay dividends as she gets her grass court season underway in the Birmingham Classic on Tuesday.Reigning US Open and Australian Open champion Osaka faces the dangerous world number 33 Maria Sakkari in her opening match of the tournament.The 21-year-old's quest for a third consecutive major ended in the third round at the French Open where she fell in straight sets to Katerina Siniakova, having come from a set down to overcome Anna Karolina Schmiedlova and Victoria Azarenka in the earlier rounds at Roland Garros.Nevertheless, Osaka is keen to take the positives from a clay campaign that saw her reach the quarter-finals in Madrid and Rome, with improving on her previous best of round three at Wimbledon something of a lower bar than she has been aiming for of late."It's the best clay court season I've ever had, if I take aside the disappointing French," Osaka told WTA.com. … [Read more...] about Osaka feeling free for Wimbledon challenge
‘I’d almost pay to watch Andy Murray,’ says Nick Kyrgios
Such is the clamour around Andy Murray’s return to a tennis court on Wednesday, even Nick Kyrgios admits that he might pay to watch. Given the Australian’s sometimes contemptuous attitude to his own craft, which has surfaced recently in remarks that he “can’t stand” world No 1 Novak Djokovic and that the French Open “absolutely sucks”, that is quite some claim. But when the two-time Wimbledon champion road-tests his resurfaced hip at Queen’s, in a doubles pairing with Feliciano Lopez, there will be no keener observer than his ever-mercurial friend. “Andy was the first person I saw here, doing his drills,” he said. “I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.” The relationship between Murray and Kyrgios is a bromance that knows no bounds. While Kyrgios has outraged the sport’s establishment with his adolescent shtick, incurring a £13,000 fine here at Queen’s last year for simulating a lewd act with … [Read more...] about ‘I’d almost pay to watch Andy Murray,’ says Nick Kyrgios
Queen’s Club tennis 2019
'I don’t know how I’ll play but I feel lucky to be here' Andy Murray may not have stepped on to a court competitively since a painful and emotionally charged five-set defeat at January’s Australian Open, after which he underwent hip surgery. … [Read more...] about Queen’s Club tennis 2019
Bertens makes first grass final on home soil
News 4 // 16 Jun 2019, 01:24 IST SHARE Kiki Bertens reached her first WTA Tour final on grass with a straight-sets victory over Elena Rybakina at the Rosmalen Grass Court Championships on Saturday.World number four Bertens triumphed 6-4 6-4 to reach the showpiece without dropping a set on home soil and Alison Riske is up next for the Dutchwoman. Bertens secured a break in Rybakina's opening service game but found herself 3-2 down at the end of game five after the Kazakh got back on serve and then held to love.However, Bertens stepped up her game and eased to the first set, before surviving a wobble when she was broken to love in her first chance to serve out the match.Riske reached the final courtesy of a 6-4 3-6 7-6 (7-5) victory over Veronika Kudermetova.The American fell 3-1 behind in the third-set tie-break but won the last five points of the match to set up a meeting with Bertens.In Nottingham, Donna Vekic reeled off 12 straight … [Read more...] about Bertens makes first grass final on home soil