One of the better things about tennis is that most events give fans a chance to get very close to the action and the players at tournaments, including a blue-chip one like the Pacific Life Open. As nice as it is to be at a Grand Slam, where you get

The most telling thing about the uncompetitive fifth set of today's quarterfinal between Novak Djokovic and Jo Wilfried Tsonga is that it hardly needed to be played, and both players knew it. That accurately—and cruelly—underscored the fact that despite being a five-setter, this match was truly decided in just one

NEW YORK—They call it Labor Day for a reason. World No. 1 Jannik Sinner got to work Monday evening to put away Tommy Paul, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (5), 6-1 to complete the slate of 2024 US Open quarterfinalists and book an intriguing clash with 2021 champion Daniil Medvedev. The top

Update on Ugandan Davis Cup player Patrick Olobo and photojournalist Rex Miller’s plan to get him to the U.S. to advance his dream of becoming a tennis pro: This morning, with nothing definite yet on the ticket front for Super Saturday, I made my desperation move. I went to see

Going into the 2019 season, no one could have predicted that an 18-year-old from Canada would have been one of the most consistent players on clay at this juncture. And yet, Felix Auger-Aliassime's first-round victory over Cordoba Open champion Juan Ignacio Londero in the first round of the Monte Carlo

LUXEMBOURG (AP) Misaki Doi claimed her first WTA title on Sunday with a 6-4, 6-7 (7), 6-0 win over Mona Barthel in the Luxembourg Open final. The 92nd-ranked Japanese player saved all five break points she faced to deny the big-hitting Barthel a fourth career title. The left-handed Doi, who

Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic met in the 2009 Monte Carlo Masters final. Starting off a season as the world’s top-ranked player for the first time, Rafael Nadal began 2009 with a victory at the Australian Open—his first title there, and third major in his past four events. Shortly after

Both ranked outside the Top 20, Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut and Argentina’s Guido Pella are two names you wouldn’t expect to see at the business end of a Grand Slam, let alone Wimbledon. But on Wednesday, the two surprise quarterfinalists battled for a spot in their first major semifinal, with

NEW YORK—“Here I am, baby!” Stevie Wonder sang over the loudspeakers in Arthur Ashe Stadium during the first set between Maria Sharapova and Simona Halep on Monday night. The words could have been written for Sharapova herself. Here she was, just as we remembered her. There was the stony game

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (AP) — The first step in Serena Williams' comeback underscored how far she has to go after spending over a year away from the game. In Williams' first competition since giving birth five months ago, she and sister Venus lost 6-2, 6-3 to Lesley Kerkhove and Demi Schuurs

All tennis players want to win, but some days they’re willing to do a little more—or a lot more—to make it happen. Saturday was one of those days for Garbiñe Muguruza. Muguruza was facing Karolina Pliskova in the Cincinnati semifinals. The Spaniard was 1-6 against the Czech, and she hadn’t

“Who can stop Aryna Sabalenka?” This is the question that the Mutua Madrid Open’s on-court interviewer has posed to Sabelenka after each of her last two victories this week. It’s not one that players are asked very often; was Sabalenka really expected to name someone who might beat her? But

EASTBOURNE, England (AP) — Marco Cecchinato of Italy is the only seeded male player left in the Eastbourne International after Kyle Edmund and Denis Shapovalov were both eliminated in the quarterfinals on Thursday. Second-seeded Edmund lost 5-7, 6-3, 6-1 to Mikhail Kukushkin of Kazakhstan. Edmund fought back from a break

NEW YORK—In defeating James Blake early this evening on the Grandstand, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4, David Ferrer, the tournament's fifth seed, showed off the skills and mindset that have made him a Top 10 mainstay. The Spaniard might not hit an especially big ball, or be an arrestingly creative player, but

Two of 2011’s breakout stars, Li Na and Victoria Azarenka, kicked off 2012 with a battle in Sydney. Depth was the defining characteristic of the 2011 WTA season: Four different players won Grand Slam titles, with three of them being crowned a major champion for the first time. Li Na,

Do tennis players face one less inevitability than the average human? Age has never seemed as negotiable as it does right now. Cosmetic products and enhancements, nutritional revelations, medical advancements—if 50 is the new 40, then what does it mean to be 50, 60, 70 or older on a tennis

In a move that was described by USA Today sports columnist Christine Brennan as a "stroke of genius,” President Barack Obama has named Billie Jean King, the openly gay former player, to the U.S. delegation to the Winter Olympics in Sochi, even though there is a Russian law on the

Midway through her recent exhibition match with Jessica Pegula at Madison Square Garden, Emma Navarro went swooping in from the baseline to block back a second serve. It was a reprisal of the briefly famous novelty move that Roger Federer invented and aptly named, the SABR (Sneak Attack by Roger).

There were a few moments early in Novak Djokovic’s 6-1, 6-2, 6-7 (6), 6-3 loss to Jannik Sinner on Friday that, in hindsight, should have let us know this match wasn’t going to go according to the Serb’s usual Australian Open script. In the second game, Djokovic snapped off one

Howdy, all, and I hope you had a Merry Christmas and a great holiday break. There will be no Deuce Club post today (Heidi is off to a conference). so this will by an OT thread where you can discuss anything. I am off to the farm in game-rich Andes