NEW YORK (AP) -- Trailing against a woman trying to become the first qualifier in the U.S. Open quarterfinals since 1981, Victoria Azarenka needed every ounce of experience and skill to advance. Twice a major champion, and twice a runner-up at Flushing Meadows, Azarenka took four of the last five

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Not every tennis player quotes from Goethe on Twitter, keeps a journal and visits art exhibitions during tournaments. Milos Raonic, though, has taken a slightly different path in life. He grew up playing tennis in snowy Canada, not sunny Florida. And his parents, immigrants from Montenegro,

Dominic Thiem is known for playing a heavy schedule, but the 27-year-old Austrian is allowing himself to take a break these days. After missing Monte Carlo, Thiem withdrew from this week's ATP event in Belgrade with a knee problem, though reassures the setback is not severe. "There are small problems,

Say what you want about Nick Kyrgios, but his return to action is good for the sport. The Australian brings a lot of energy and drama to the ATP Tour, and with that comes some extra eyeballs. He’s like tennis’ CM Punk. Well, Kyrgios is set to face world No.

“Sometimes it feels like a little bit of Russian roulette (smiling). Sometimes you're a spectator on your own court.” That was the description Belinda Bencic gave to press Monday evening about facing Jelena Ostapenko. The No. 16 seed, one of the streakiest players on tour and toughest to sustain a

Gael Monfils and Elina Svitolina are as captivating as anyone in the sports world. When they began their relationship and quickly became the it-couple of tennis, fans couldn't get enough of their content, which shines on social media (if you somehow haven't, check out G.E.M.S. Life). Svitolina is a fighter

A small cloud of blue dust rose behind the service line as Victoria Azarenka's second double fault of the game gave Andrea Hlavackova a set point at 5-6 in the second set. Azarenka's scatter-shot serve gave Hlavackova hope; her commanding ground strokes erased it. Swooping forward to save the set

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) -- John Isner admitted the Winston-Salem Open final wasn't the best tennis he's played this season. Still, the end result was just what Isner hoped for - another momentum-building victory heading into the U.S. Open. Isner won his second straight Winston-Salem title Saturday, battling through a third-set

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) China's most successful tennis player is just ``three more steps'' from making tennis history, a prospect that makes her mother very nervous. Li Na's mother supports her career, but can't bring herself to follow it. `She can't watch me play tennis. I'll ask her many times, 'Please

MADRID (AP) Rafael Nadal will take on Roger Federer at the Madrid Open for the third straight year after both men came through their quarterfinal matches in straight sets Friday. Nadal scored a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Michael Llodra, while Federer held off Robin Soderling 7-6 (2), 6-4. In women's

PARIS (AP) — LOOKAHEAD TO TUESDAY Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal will be meeting for the 59th time when they meet in the French Open quarterfinals. No two men have played each other more often in the professional era of tennis. Djokovic leads the head-to-head series 30-28, but Nadal leads

FLASHBACK: Azarenka edges Zheng in Adelaide

Former top-20 tennis player and U.S. Olympian Varvara Lepchenko’s doping suspension for use of a banned stimulant was reduced from four years to 21 months as part of an agreement with the International Tennis Federation. The agreeement was reached after Lepchenko appealed her suspention to the Court of Arbitration for

HIGHLIGHTS: Fritz's win over Nadal in last year's Indian Wells final

It was a perfect day for tennis in New York, as notable champions eased their way into the second week and budding stars continued to shine. These are the Top 5 photos from Day 5 at the US Open. 1. A wild card tandem had a packed crowd watching their

Naomi Osaka has always done things her own way. And now at this year’s Roland Garros, she’ll be stepping on court in a completely unique style—thanks to a purposely “mismatched” shoe designed by Nike. The Japanese player has recently unveiled her new Zoom GP Challenge 1 shoes, which besides being

1 How did the first men’s singles gold medalist, John Pius Boland of Ireland, come to enter the 1896 Athens Games? A) He was ranked No. 1 B) He was the reigning Wimbledon champion C) He was visiting a friend in Greece D) Nobody else played tennis in Ireland then

BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — Angelique Kerber predicted that 2017 was going to have a different feel for her, considering her phenomenal breakout season last year. It certainly started differently, with the top-ranked German losing to sixth-seeded Elina Svitolina 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 in the Brisbane International quarterfinals on Thursday. Kerber reached

The tennis season reached one early crescendo in Australia. Now it’s time for the music to begin gathering again, week by week, until we reach a second summit in Indian Wells and Miami in March. While the women join their Fed Cup teams this coming weekend, the men will start

Each day during the Australian Open, Steve Tignor will look ahead to three of the most compelling matches in each draw. This is turning into an annual event. Sloane and Vika have played in Oz each of the last two years. In 2013, Azarenka won a controversial semifinal; last year