Andrew Dampf, Associated Press | Updated May 18 - 1:39 p.m.
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The latest matchup between top-ranked Iga Swiatek and No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka was hardly a contest. Swiatek was in control from the start as she won the Italian Open final 6-2, 6-3 on Saturday. She earned her third trophy on Rome's red clay and established herself as the overwhelming favorite at the French Open again. Roland Garros starts next weekend and Swiatek will be aiming for a third straight title in Paris and fourth overall. Swiatek became the first woman to complete the "dirt double" of winning Madrid and Rome back to back since Serena Williams in 2013. The men's final on Sunday features 2017 champion Alexander Zverev against 24th-ranked Nicolas Jarry.
Andrew Dampf, Associated Press | Updated May 17 - 4:11 p.m.
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Alexander Zverev has rallied to beat Alejandro Tabilo 1-6, 7-6, 6-2 for a spot in the Italian Open final. Zverev will face another Chilean in Nicolas Jarry for the trophy after Jarry beat Tommy Paul 6-3, 6-7, 6-3 on the American's 27th birthday in the other semifinal. Zverev's pinkie on his left hand was bandaged following a fall in his previous match. Top-ranked Iga Swiatek will play No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka in the women's final on Saturday. Rome is the last big wamup before the French Open starts on May 26.
The Associated Press | Updated May 17 - 11:47 a.m.
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Novak Djokovic is a surprise entry for the Geneva Open, the last men's warmup for the French Open. Geneva organizers say the top-ranked Djokovic got the last wild card on Friday to their event that starts on Sunday. Andy Murray also has a wild card and could meet Djokovic in the second round. They have not played against each other in seven years. Djokovic will turn 37 on Wednesday while in Geneva for his first tournament in Switzerland since 2011. Djokovic unexpectedly loss last Sunday in the third round of the Italian Open. It's left Djokovic looking for more games on clay before heading to Paris to defend his title at Roland Garros.
Andrew Dampf, Associated Press | Updated May 16 - 3:44 p.m.
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Tommy Paul has produced the biggest clay-court result of his career at the Italian Open. And he's still going. The American beat ninth-ranked Hubert Hurkacz 7-5, 3-6, 6-3 to earn a spot in the semifinals at the Foro Italico after a straight-set victory over defending champion Daniil Medvedev in his previous match. Paul's semifinal opponent will be Nicolas Jarry after the Chilean rallied past Monte Carlo Masters champion Stefanos Tsitsipas 3-6, 7-5, 6-4. The other semifinal match will feature 2017 Rome champion Alexander Zverev against Alejandro Tabilo. Top-ranked Iga Swiatek will face No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka in the women's final.
The Associated Press | Posted May 16 - 9:25 a.m.
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The Queen's Club will stage a women's tennis tournament next year for the first time in more than a half-century though it may prove to be a one-off. The WTA event will take place the week after the French Open and usher in the start of tennis' short grass-court campaign. It puts it among the warmup tournaments for Wimbledon. The men's ATP Tour event will be held the following week. Male players have raised concerns that the quality of the grass at Queen's Club will be impacted by a women's tournament being staged there first. Lawn Tennis Association director Chris Pollard says the arrangement could end up only being for a year.
Andrew Dampf, Associated Press | Posted May 16 - 5:49 a.m.
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The long-sought upgrade for the tennis tournaments in Madrid and Rome has been a bonanza for the organizers by expanding them from one to nearly two weeks. There are more competition days which means more tickets sold, more TV time and more money. But the players haven't been as enthusiastic. Recent Monte Carlo Masters champion Stefanos Tsitsipas says "You got to be some type of superhero to be consistent back-to-back 10 days in each event getting to the very end of it." Adds former No. 1 Victoria Azarenka, "We stretched the drama a bit too much" and "it kind of becomes like the 'telenova' that was too many seasons."
Andrew Dampf, Associated Press | Updated May 15 - 3:32 p.m.
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Danielle Collins has been nearly unbeatable lately. Even with her announced retirement looming. The 15th-ranked American beat former No. 1 Victoria Azarenka 6-4, 6-3 to reach the Italian Open semifinals and extend her record to 19-1 since early March. Collins' semifinal opponent will be Aryna Sabalenka. Sabalenka eased past Jelena Ostapenko 6-2, 6-4. Advancing in men's action was Alejandro Tabilo who beat Zhang Zhizhen 6-3, 6-4 to follow up his upset victories over Novak Djokovic and Karen Khachanov in the previous two rounds. Tabilo's semifinal opponents will be 2017 champion Alexander Zverev. Zverev beat 11th-seeded Taylor Fritz 6-4, 6-3.
The Associated Press | Posted May 15 - 1:50 p.m.
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The U.S. Open men's final will shift to ABC from ESPN this year but the women's title match will remain on the cable outlet a year after Coco Gauff won the Grand Slam tennis tournament. This will be the first time ABC airs the men's final, ESPN said Wednesday. The match is on Sept. 8. The women's final in Flushing Meadows is the day before. ESPN has shown the tournament played in New York since 2009, including holding the exclusive rights for a decade. Gauff won her first major championship at the U.S. Open last year. Novak Djokovic won his 24th.
Andrew Dampf, Associated Press | Posted May 15 - 11:02 a.m.
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Jannik Sinner is still winning even when he's out injured. The Italian tennis player has a chance to become No. 1 in the rankings even if he misses the upcoming French Open because of a hip injury that has kept him out recently. Unexpected losses for top-ranked Novak Djokovic and No. 4 Daniil Medvedev at the Italian Open mean that the second-ranked Sinner will become No. 1 if Djokovic doesn't reach the final at Roland Garros. But Sinner's rapidly growing fan base in Italy and beyond already consider him No. 1 for his model behavior.
The Associated Press | Posted May 14 - 3:01 p.m.
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Serena Williams is returning to the sports spotlight to host The ESPYS in July. The retired 23-time major tournament winner will be the fourth woman to helm the show honoring the past year's achievements, athletes and moments. The ESPYS will air July 11 from the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. Megan Rapinoe, Sue Bird and Russell Wilson co-hosted the 2020 show, which was virtual because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Danica Patrick was the first woman to host solo in 2018. Williams says the gig is something she's wanted to do for as long as she can remember. She retired from tennis in 2022.
The Associated Press | Updated May 14 - 2:42 p.m.
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Defending champion Daniil Medvedev became the latest top player to crash out of the Italian Open as he lost to American Tommy Paul. The 14th-seeded Paul dominated to triumph 6-1, 6-4 and reach the quarterfinals. Medvedev follows 10-time champion Rafael Nadal and top-ranked Novak Djokovic with early exits in Rome. The third-seeded Alexander Zverev eased past Nuno Borges 6-2, 7-5 and will face Taylor Fritz. Top-ranked Iga Swiatek reached the women's semifinals with a 6-1, 6-3 victory over Madison Keys.
The Associated Press | Posted May 14 - 11:29 a.m.
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French veterans Alizé Cornet and Richard Gasquet have received wild-card invitations to play in the French Open. They were among the eight men's and eight women's wild cards given by the French Tennis Federation for the clay-court Grand Slam tournament starting May 26. The 34-year-old Cornet recently said she would be retiring after playing one last time at Roland Garros. This will be Cornet's 20th consecutive appearance at the French Open. Gasquet is 37 and currently ranked No. 113 and his best was No. 7. He reached the French Open quarterfinals in 2016 but has got past the third round since.
The Associated Press | Updated May 13 - 5:13 p.m.
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Top-ranked Iga Swiatek remains on course for a Madrid-Rome double after beating Angelique Kerber to reach the Italian Open quarterfinals. Swiatek needed eight set points to secure the opener but had no such problems at the end of the second. She sealed a 7-5, 6-3 victory on the first match point. The two-time Rome champion will next face Madison Keys after the American player eased past Sorana Cirstea 6-2, 6-1 in a match that had to be temporarily suspended because of a protest by environmentalists. Both of the Madrid finalists are out of the men's tournament after Andrey Rublev and Felix Auger-Aliassime lost their third-round matches.
The Associated Press | Updated May 12 - 3:58 p.m.
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Novak Djokovic put on one of his worst performances at one of his favorite tournaments as he was upset by 29th-seeded Alejandro Tabilo in the third round of the Italian Open. Djokovic started off with a double-fault and it didn't get much better for the six-time Rome champion. The top-ranked Djokovic lost his first two service games and went on to lose the match 6-2, 6-3 in just 68 minutes amid boos at the Foro Italico. It was Djokovic's first match since accidentally getting knocked on the head by a water bottle while signing autographs after his opening win on Friday.
The Associated Press | Posted May 11 - 2:11 p.m.
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Two-time WNBA MVP A'ja Wilson is getting a Nike signature shoe. The deal was announced Saturday as the two-time defending champion Las Vegas Aces prepared to play a preseason exhibition against the Puerto Rican national team at South Carolina. Wilson starred for the Gamecocks during her college career. The former No. 1 draft pick, five-time WNBA All-Star and Olympic gold-medal winner joins tennis greats Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka, soccer standout Megan Rapinoe and New York Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu on Nike's roster of signature athletes. Wilson says, "I hope when girls wear this shoe, they believe in themselves."
Andrew Dampf, Associated Press | Updated May 11 - 9:10 a.m.
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Fifteen days before he is scheduled to play in what will likely be his final French Open, Rafael Nadal is so unsatisfied with his level of tennis that he's still debating whether or not to go to Roland Garros. Nadal's surgically repaired hip and his 37-year-old legs didn't provide him with the necessary means to be competitive enough on Saturday as ninth-ranked Hubert Hurkacz overwhelmed the 22-time Grand Slam champion on the Spaniard's beloved clay for a 6-1, 6-3 victory in the third round of the Italian Open. It was Nadal's first match against a top-10 player in 1½ years.
Andrew Dampf, Associated Press | Updated May 10 - 4:57 p.m.
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Novak Djokovic needed medical attention after accidentally getting knocked on the head by a water bottle after a win at the Italian Open. A man was leaning over the railing to hand Djokovic a notebook for a signature and an aluminum-type water bottle fell out of his backpack and hit the top-ranked player on the top of his head. Organizers say Djokovic had a bump on his head and was checked by doctors. The incident happened shortly after Djokovic's 6-3, 6-1 win over French qualifier Corentin Moutet in his opening match.
Andrew Dampf, Associated Press | Updated May 10 - 2:40 p.m.
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Novak Djokovic took a little while to get going in his first match in nearly a month. He cleaned up his game after dropping his first two service games with some sloppy play and completed a 6-3, 6-1 win over French qualifier Corentin Moutet in his opening match at the Italian Open. Djokovic then needed medical attention after accidentally getting knocked on the head by a water bottle while leaving the court. Defending women's champion Elena Rybakina withdrew before her opening match against Irina-Camelia Begu because of illness. Also advancing in second-round matches were 2017 Rome champion Alexander Zverev, Grigor Dimitrov and Ben Shelton. Sofia Kenin eliminated eighth-seeded Ons Jabeur 7-5, 2-6, 6-4.