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Brisbane: Aryna Sabalenka overcomes Mirra Andreeva to set up final versus qualifier
Aryna Sabalenka saw off Mirra Andreeva with just five lost games 6-3 6-2 to reach the Brisbane International final but it wasn’t as easy for the Belarusian as the scoreline might suggest. For the majority of the first set, it was the 17-year-old who was applying pressure. But unfortunately for the rising Russian tennis star,…
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WATCH: Mensik is under fire for ‘icy’ handshake with Mpetshi Perricard
Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard is in the semifinals at the Brisbane International, after defeating the Czech tennis player Jakub Mensik, another very young player with a great future, in the rising star challenge – in two sets 7-5 7-6. Anyway it wasn’t so much the match that made the noise, but the moment of the handshake…
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Joao Fonseca wins first trophy of the season in Canberra
Joao Fonseca is making a name for himself at the end of 2024 and the beginning of 2025! The 18-year-old Brazilian wrapped up the previous year with the Next Gen ATP Finals crown in Jeddah. Joao started the 2025 campaign with the Canberra Challenger trophy. The young gun stormed over the field, displaying his rich…
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Auckland: Naomi Osaka makes first final as mom, faces No. 5 seed for title
Naomi Osaka has made her first WTA final in three years and she is a win away from lifting her first title as a mom. On Saturday, the seventh-seeded Japanese ousted world No. 82 Alycia Parks 6-4 6-2 in the semifinal of the WTA 250 tournament in Auckland. On paper, it looks like a routine…
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Pat Cash boldly claims Emma Raducanu is ‘definitely better’ than top-10 Emma Navarro
Pat Cash says Emma Raducanu “certainly has got the talent to compete at the top level” and even thinks the 22-year-old has more potential than world No. 8 and 2024 US Open semifinalist Emma Navarro. Since winning the US Open in 2021, the Briton hasn’t made any finals but constant injuries which resulted in three…
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PGA Tour, the most important dates of 2025
With the arrival of The Sentry in Kapalua (Hawaii), a new year on the PGA Tour begins. The new additions to the tournament are the withdrawals of Scottie Scheffler and Viktor Hovland due to domestic accidents. The former suffered glass cuts on the palm of his hand and the latter broke a little finger after…
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Mirra Andreeva pulls off Maria Sharapova’s impressive teenage feat
Mirra Andreeva defeated Ons Jabeur 6-4 7-6 (2) to reach the Brisbane International semifinal in style and also emulated one of Maria Sharapova’s impressive feats. When the 17-year-old takes on world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka on Saturday, she will be appearing in her fourth WTA semifinal. And when that happens, she will join the Russian…
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Sloane Stephens issues ice-cold response to critics telling her to retire
Sloane Stephens has a pretty blunt message for those calling on her to retire as the former world No. 3 says there is no need for that since she is still earning pretty good money. After becoming a Grand Slam champion eight years ago and also winning her first WTA 1000 title at the 2018…
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Iga Swiatek shuts down claims that she tried to pull tricky stuff on Katie Boulter
Iga Swiatek says it is absolutely not true that her intention was to throw Katie Boulter off her game when she called a medical timeout early in the third set of their United Cup thriller. On Thursday, the Polish tennis star and the top-ranked British tennis player were in the midst of a grueling battle and…
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Alexander Shevchenko worried about brutal weather conditions at United Cup
Alexander Shevchenko, who starred with Kazakhstan in the United Cup, has raised concerns about the extreme conditions players are playing in on occasion. Heat was a feature on Day 4 of the mixed team competition, with temperatures in Perth exceeding 35 degrees during the Kazakhstan-German clash. The 24-year-old took the deciding point by coming from…
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WTA drama unfolds: Rybakina’s comeback coach Vukov under fire
Just days after Elena Rybakina made the surprising announcement that she was reinstating Stefano Vukov as her coach—despite ongoing controversy surrounding their professional relationship—a new twist has emerged. The WTA has provisionally suspended Vukov amid an investigation into alleged misconduct. Vukov, who played a pivotal role in guiding Rybakina to her 2022 Wimbledon victory, now…
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Opelka stuns Djokovic, sets up Brisbane semifinal against Mpetshi Perricard
Reilly Opelka is back with a vengeance. Continuing his comeback from a two-year absence, Opelka stunned Novak Djokovic 7-6(6), 6-3 in the quarterfinals of the Brisbane International on Friday evening. The American struck 16 aces, served at 77 percent, won 13 of 15 second-serve points, double-faulted only once, and saved the lone break point he…
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Nick Kyrgios reveals why his wrist will never be the same
Nick Kyrgios has made his come back to the ATP Tour after 18 long months of absence from competition. For him, his return to the court was bittersweet. His defeat in his first round match at the Brisbane International against one of the fastest growing tennis players on the Tour – Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard – cannot be read…
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Reilly Opelka confesses simple secret behind shock win vs Novak Djokovic
Reilly Opelka kept it straight honest following his shock win over Novak Djokovic, admitting that he played freely and didn’t feel any pressure because he was playing “the greatest player of all time” and didn’t have any expectations. On Friday, the former world No. 17 clinched his biggest victory since returning from wrist surgery after…
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Brisbane International Draws and Order of Play for Saturday, January 4, 2025
Mirra Andreeva faces world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in a Brisbane rematch of the 2024 Roland Garros quarterfinals. Photo by Mateo Villalba/Getty Images Brisbane International Queensland Tennis CentreBrisbane, AustraliaDecember 28, 2024-January 5, 2025 Surface: Hard Court Novak Djokovic Returns, Stars Align in Brisbane Grand Slam king Novak Djokovic makes his long-awaited singles return at the…
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Novak Djokovic brought rivalry with Gael Monfils into a new tennis dimension
There is no longer any doubt (and perhaps there never was!) that Novak Djokovic is Gael Monfils’ worst nightmare, during the Frenchman’s entire career. The data is unequivocal: Gael has suffered 20 defeats – from 2005 to 2025, in twenty years – in 20 matches played in his career on the ATP Tour against the…
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Coco Gauff and Taylor Fritz are the USA’s standard-bearers in the United Cup
The United States of America have reached the semifinals in the United Cup, and now await the winning team of the challenge between Italy and the Czech Republic. The Italians will take to the court against the Czechs today, Friday 3 January 2025, with the USA on the horizon as an obstacle for a possible final.…
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ATP Brisbane: Reilly Opelka stuns Novak Djokovic!
Did anyone expect Novak Djokovic’s comfortable victory over Reilly Opelka in Brisbane? Certainly not! However, the Serb was the massive favorite in the quarter-final. Still, Reilly stunned Novak 7-6, 6-3, securing a place in the semi-final! World no. 293 toppled the legend after a flawless performance, reaching his first ATP semi-final since Newport last July.…
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Giovanni Mpetschi Perricard is a Top-20 ‘Slayer’ with an impressive date
Giovanni Mpetschi Perricard – winner of two titles in Lyon and Basel – was one of the happiest of the season just ended, establishing himself among the most interesting young promises of men’s tennis. And he did it above all thanks to his impressive power and efficiency in service. The 21-year-old Frenchman, who ended the…
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Elena Rybakina reintegrates Vukov into the team: is it a right choice?
Elena Rybakina has announced the comeback of Stefano Vukov into her team. The coach she separated from in recent months has been reintegrated into the team and he will therefore work together with the new coach of the Kazakh, Goran Ivanisevic. Elena will be able to count on several important and caliber people starting this…