As it sometimes turns out in pro tennis, this time the wrong guy had the second-set letdown. Andy Murray, the No. 4 seed in this Rome Masters, easily rolled through a first-set tiebreaker against Richard Gasquet (7-1), after which we were entitled to think the fragile Frenchman would quietly go

STANFORD, Calif. (AP)—Dominika Cibulkova did a whole lot more than just win a game against Agnieszka Radwanska this time. She won the tournament. Cibulkova avenged one of the worst losses ever in a WTA Tour final, rallying to beat Radwanska 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 in the Bank of the West Classic

Roger Federer owns a home in Dubai, but looked like a man locked out of the house, wandering around the baseline in frustration while Tomas Berdych displaced the Swiss with deep drives and disruptive returns. Down a set and a break, Federer found his serve, reclaimed the real estate in

Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina maintained their collision course towards the 2024 Roland Garros semifinals, each winning their fourth-round matches in straight sets on Monday. Sabalenka, the No. 2 seed and reigning Australian Open champion, booked her seventh straight major quarterfinal with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over No. 22 seed

Part of Mylan World TeamTennis co-founder Billie Jean King’s vision for her revolutionary pro league was an increased emphasis on doubles. Diverging from the sport’s typical measure of individual success, 60% of a Mylan WTT match is decided by men’s, women’s and mixed doubles. "You have more angles in doubles.

by Pete Bodo 'Noon, everyone. I'm finally emerging from the writing bunker, after finishing my Nick Bollettieri piece for Tennis magazine. I had never expected that a "day-in-the-life" story with Nick could end up so complex and choc-a-bloc with material that I felt was truly compelling - so much so,

PicMornin', faithful readers. You'll notice the somewhat unusual headline above, which is the first in what I envision as a series of relatively brief, targeted, opinion-driven, daily posts providing commentary on news items as well as general issues and themes in tennis. We all know that tennis isn't exactly racquet

Hc by Pete Bodo Well, day one is in the books, folks. And day two will begin with some talk about books. First, though, note that this is a Crisis Center post, which means it will be the place for you to discuss all the U.S. Open action of day

by Pete Bodo It's funny how some gifted players destined to make a mark on the pro tour advance in relative obscurity, especially when compared to more well-known if ultimately less successful peers. Some of this can be explained by the "right place-right time" theory, as in the case of

PARIS—Rafael Nadal's back is giving him more trouble than his opponents so far at the French Open. After pushing his winning streak at Roland Garros to 31 matches with a 6-2, 7-5, 6-2 victory over 65th-ranked Leonardo Mayer of Argentina in the third round Saturday, eight-time champion Nadal said his

NEW YORK (AP) -- Instead of Novak Djokovic vs. Roger Federer for the U.S. Open title, first-time Grand Slam finalists Kei Nishikori and Marin Cilic will vie for the championship after a pair of semifinal surprises Saturday. First, Japan's Nishikori became the first man from Asia to reach a major

WASHINGTON -- With a red-and-white maple leaf flag draped on the table in front of him, and a crystal trophy nearby marking his victory in the first all-Canadian ATP final, Milos Raonic already was thinking about what's up ahead. Thanks to a dominant serve and an increasingly versatile game, the

PARIS (AP) -- Andrea Petkovic and Simona Halep completed the French Open semifinal pairings with straight-set wins Wednesday, and one of them will be in a Grand Slam final for the first time. Petkovic, a 28th-seeded German, beat 2012 French Open runner-up Sara Errani of Italy 6-2, 6-2. The fourth-seeded

SHANGHAI (AP) -- Two-time defending champion Novak Djokovic avoided being the latest seed to lose at the upset-hit Shanghai Masters, rallying to defeat No. 85-ranked Mikhail Kukushkin 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 in the third round Thursday. Roger Federer also advanced to the quarterfinals with a routine 6-4, 6-2 win over Roberto

NEW YORK—Absorbing an evening of punishment, Diego Schwartzman finally had Novak Djokovic right where he wanted him—completely off the court and stretched out on the defensive. Then the world No. 1 conjured magic on the move. Djokovic curled a running forehand around the net post, scorching an eye-popping drive down

NEW YORK (AP) Novak Djokovic's U.S. Open quarterfinal was suddenly tied at a set apiece, and he tore off his shirt as he headed to the sideline. He sat, halfheartedly tried to smash his racket, then began screaming. Hardly the first time, nor likely to be the last, that Djokovic

MONACO (AP) Does Rafael Nadal remain the King of Clay? That's the big question surrounding the 14-time Grand Slam winner as the world's best players gather in Monte Carlo this week for the first Masters of the season played on clay. Relaxed, tanned and smiling, the former top-ranked Nadal looks

PARIS (AP) At the outset, Serena Williams was grimacing and cursing and, worst of all, losing by a lot. Then, suddenly, the 19-time Grand Slam singles champion was putting shots right where she wanted, imposing her will as only she can. And the only anger Williams displayed was directed at

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) Angelique Kerber felt the same old, rhythm as last year at the Volvo Car Open. Venus Williams wished that she did, too, instead of bowing out of the tournament Thursday. The top-seeded Kerber, the defending champion, advanced to the quarterfinals with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Slovakia's

MONACO (AP) — Andy Murray blew a 4-0 lead in the deciding set and lost to Albert Ramos-Vinolas 2-6, 6-2, 7-5 in the third round of the Monte Carlo Masters on Thursday. Former French Open and Monte Carlo champion Stan Wawrinka followed Murray out after losing to Pablo Cuevas of