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The Star
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Star
ATP roundup: Alexander Bublik wins in Gstaad for first title on clay
FILE PHOTO: Tennis - Halle Open - OWL Arena, Halle, Germany - June 22, 2025 Kazakhstan's Alexander Bublik in action during the final against Russia's Daniil Medvedev REUTERS/Leon Kuegeler/File Photo Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan won his first tournament on clay Sunday, topping Juan Manuel Cerundolo 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 at the EFG Swiss Open Gstaad. Bublik, the second seed, won his sixth tour title at the ATP 250 event in the Swiss Alps, in his first final on clay courts. It also was his first meeting with Argentina's Cerundolo. Bublik had 13 aces among his 47 winners in the two-hour, eight-minute match. Cerundolo posted 21 winners against 25 unforced errors. In June, Bublik won the ATP 500 event in Halle, Germany. Nordea Open No. 6 seed Luciano Darderi of Italy captured the championship in Bastad, Sweden, with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 win over unseeded Dutchman Jesper De Jong. De Jong was in search of his first career ATP Tour title. It was the third for Darderi, all on clay. He won at Marrakech, Morocco, earlier this season and in Cordoba, Argentina, in 2024 Darderi won 81 percent (38-of-47) of the points on his first serve and converted three break points, compared to two for De Jong. In the end, just three points separated the two, with Darderi winning 80 and De Jong 77. Plava Laguna Croatia Open The first round in Umag, Croatia, began Sunday with a pair of three-set matches. Czech eighth seed Vit Kopriva rallied past Belgium's Raphael Collignon 3-6, 6-4, 6-3. Kopriva edged Collignon in aces 7-6 while saving 11 of 16 break points and converting 6 of 12 chances to break his opponent's serve. Italy's Francesco Passaro also came from behind in a 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 victory over Croatian wild card Matej Dodig. Passaro limited himself to 17 unforced errors to Dodig's 33. --Field Level Media
Straits Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- Straits Times
ATP roundup: Alexander Bublik wins in Gstaad for first title on clay
Find out what's new on ST website and app. FILE PHOTO: Tennis - Halle Open - OWL Arena, Halle, Germany - June 22, 2025 Kazakhstan's Alexander Bublik in action during the final against Russia's Daniil Medvedev REUTERS/Leon Kuegeler/File Photo Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan won his first tournament on clay Sunday, topping Juan Manuel Cerundolo 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 at the EFG Swiss Open Gstaad. Bublik, the second seed, won his sixth tour title at the ATP 250 event in the Swiss Alps, in his first final on clay courts. It also was his first meeting with Argentina's Cerundolo. Bublik had 13 aces among his 47 winners in the two-hour, eight-minute match. Cerundolo posted 21 winners against 25 unforced errors. In June, Bublik won the ATP 500 event in Halle, Germany. Nordea Open No. 6 seed Luciano Darderi of Italy captured the championship in Bastad, Sweden, with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 win over unseeded Dutchman Jesper De Jong. De Jong was in search of his first career ATP Tour title. It was the third for Darderi, all on clay. He won at Marrakech, Morocco, earlier this season and in Cordoba, Argentina, in 2024 Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Priority for singles, higher quota for second-timer families to kick in from HDB's July BTO exercise Singapore Witness stand not arena for humiliation in sex offence cases, judge reminds lawyers Asia Japan's Ishiba vows to stay on despite historic election setback Business Bigger, quieter, greener: High-volume low-speed fans see rising demand in warming Singapore Singapore New home owners in Singapore find kampung spirit on BTO Telegram groups Singapore What would it take for S'pore to shed the dirty image of its blue recycling bins? Business DBS hits record high above $47; CDL up after director Philip Yeo announces resignation World Gaza civil defence says Israeli fire kills 93 aid seekers Darderi won 81 percent (38-of-47) of the points on his first serve and converted three break points, compared to two for De Jong. In the end, just three points separated the two, with Darderi winning 80 and De Jong 77. Plava Laguna Croatia Open The first round in Umag, Croatia, began Sunday with a pair of three-set matches. Czech eighth seed Vit Kopriva rallied past Belgium's Raphael Collignon 3-6, 6-4, 6-3. Kopriva edged Collignon in aces 7-6 while saving 11 of 16 break points and converting 6 of 12 chances to break his opponent's serve. Italy's Francesco Passaro also came from behind in a 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 victory over Croatian wild card Matej Dodig. Passaro limited himself to 17 unforced errors to Dodig's 33. --Field Level Media REUTERS
Hypebeast
30-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Hypebeast
Catching Up with Wimbledon Champion Carlos Alcaraz in an Exclusive Courtside Interview
Wimbledonkicks off at the All England Club today, and defending men's championCarlos Alcarazis chasing a rare third straight title as he looks to add to his already illustrious résumé. The 22-year-old Spaniard has also been announced asevian'slatest ambassador and joins the water brand alongside his and doubles partner,Emma Raducanu. Over the weekend at Wimbledon – before the action started – evian celebrated its new partnership and the pair were spotted in good spirits during a light practice. Known for his boundless energy and positive mindset, Alcaraz is a natural fit for evian's longstanding 'Live Young' campaign, with the brand saying he 'perfectly embodies [its] mission to promote a lifestyle rooted in wellness, vitality, and optimism.' 'Carlitos' – as he's affectionately known to his fans as – turned pro at just 15 and became the youngest ever world No. 1 at 19 years old. He's also the first player to win ATP 500 singles titles on all four of the sport's official surfaces – clay, grass, and indoor and outdoor hard courts – and, with his career still very much in its infancy, he's already seventh on the list of all-time earnings. Hypebeast had a behind-the-scenes tour of the world famous lawn tennis club before the tournament kicked off. We caught up with Carlitos to ask about his style, both on the court and off, how he stays focused, his thoughts on the women's game (and what Emma might think about his), and what he does in his downtime. Watch the interview below, and follow@hypebeaston Instagram.
Indian Express
28-06-2025
- Sport
- Indian Express
Wimbledon preview: Carlos Alcaraz, tour-leading grass courter, vs Jannik Sinner, who has to prove he isn't one-dimensional
It is a good time to be Carlos Alcaraz. The 22-year-old defended his French Open title in epic fashion, producing one of the great comebacks in tennis history, to win a fifth Major title last month. He followed it up by adjusting to grass courts seamlessly, winning the title at the ATP 500 event at Queen's Club to arrive at Wimbledon, which starts Monday, as the two-time defending champion that is the bookmaker's favourite to complete a treble. The same cannot quite be said about Jannik Sinner. The defeat to Alcaraz in Paris, when he held three championship points, still rankles. It played on his mind as he slumped to what was only his fourth defeat since August last year, against the World No. 45 Alexander Bublik, at the Halle Open last week. The best, most dominant player in the world he may be, but a chink in his armour has been exposed by his biggest rival. Add to that the ignominy of having to serve a recent doping ban and that's plenty to play on a young man's mind. While Alcaraz and Sinner are not the only hopefuls at the Championships this month – the wily eight-time former champion Novak Djokovic and the fourth-seeded home favourite Jack Draper being the two main forces of opposition – it is hard not to make the focus of the entire men's draw at Wimbledon around the top two seeds. Sinner is level-headed, methodical and consistent but has shown signs of one-dimensionality. Alcaraz is charismatic, flashy and spontaneous but has shown signs of fragility even against opponents that are not of his calibre. The eye will be drawn magnetically to the two players as they march through the draw and attempt to set up yet another final showdown against one another. One can get insights into what transfers Alcaraz's natural clay strengths, and what makes him such a formidable presence at Wimbledon, from the comments of eight-time Major winner Andre Agassi. While on broadcast for the French Open earlier this month, Agassi said: 'Alcaraz's best surface to me, shockingly, would be between here and Wimbledon … I would say grass. Reason I would say grass has nothing to do with his swings. It has to do with the less diminishing speed that happens to him versus other players.' 'When he gets out there on the grass and then you bring in that UFO movement stuff, I mean, his second step is ridiculous and he believes in it so much he doesn't peel out defensively when you push him into corners,' he added. Agassi's comments stand to reason. Unlike other natural clay courters that have a preference to hit the ball high and deep, Alcaraz hits the ball flatter through the air and therefore feels no need to adjust to the low-bouncing grass. The balls still come right into his strike zone. His natural movement does not deter either. Again, unlike those that play mostly on the crushed brick, he does not merely slide into his shots to create angles, but he can make those instant adjustments and take those small steps on the skidding grass to open up the court for himself. Add to that elements of Alcaraz's playing style that already suit grass. He is adept at mixing in serve and volley, has the best disguised drop shot on tour, can play a good backhand slice, and after ramming big forehands, he likes to finish off points at the net. The sum of these parts creates, perhaps unexpectedly, a tour-leading grass courter. One of the defining losses of Sinner's career – before he became the match-winning machine he has been for the last 18 months – came back in 2022 at Wimbledon. After expertly blowing past Djokovic to create a two-set lead in their quarterfinal, he slumped to a defeat quite meekly. The immediate impression was that a mental fragility had been exposed, but later analysis proved that the Serb was able to slowly wear him down because he simply figured out Sinner's game plan – which, while effective, he does not move away from much. Darren Cahill, Sinner's coach, revealed as much while speaking on Andy Roddick's podcast recently. 'Novak got used to his ball, got used to the shape, got used to the pace and then just locked in, like Novak does, and doesn't miss. And won the last three sets reasonably easily,' he said. When he approached the Serb for feedback on the match, Djokovic would reply: 'Hits the ball great, but there's no variation. So you know, there's no shape on his shot. There's no height over the net. Doesn't come to the net. He's not trying to bring me in, I know that he returns well, but he's not attacking my serve on the return of serve.' In the three years since, there have been marked changes in Sinner's game, and while he has made huge improvements (especially on return of serve), the 'no variation' tag still persists. It explains his recent struggles against the spontaneous spark of Alcaraz (he has lost each of their last five match) and why, for the Italian – a natural hard courter – the shift to grass may be the biggest adjustment. Not just in movement or groundstrokes, but mindset. Attacking variety is the most useful tool on this surface and while the concept of mixing his game up is not alien to Sinner, the execution is often muddled. He approaches the net but without much conviction, he hits the drop shot only at the perfect moments, he throws in the slice only as a rally shot, and he hardly veers from pre-planned serving strategy, never just throwing in a body or a kick serve to surprise an opponent. A little bit of variety will go a long way for the hard-hitting Italian, whose sublime baseline game remains the best in the world, decisively superior than that of even Alcaraz. And his rival is not perfect either, Alcaraz's weaker serve – there have been recent improvements, he hit as many as 18 aces in the Queens final – can be targeted and his tendency to let his focus fall in long matches will always create opportunities. The excitement around this burgeoning rivalry is not just created by the sky-high talents of the two young players, but also that, presently, they are working through their faults too. The expectations for these two to face off will once again fill the air during the most vaunted fortnight of the tennis calendar starting Monday.
Yahoo
24-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Carlos Alcaraz secures second Queen's Club title as Wimbledon preparations continue
Carlos Alcaraz bagged his second title at Queen's Club to follow on from his superb French Open triumph. Alcaraz, the world no2, beat Jack Draper's conqueror Jiri Lehecka in three sets on the Andy Murray Arena - 7-5 6-7(5) 6-2. Advertisement The reigning Wimbledon champion was pushed to the limit by the tricky Czech, who had put together a stunning run to the final of the ATP 500 tournament. Alcaraz struggled to break down his big-serving opponent in the opening set, only earning his first break point opportunity in the seventh game, but Lehecka held firm to deny him. Finally, his resilience was breached by the Spaniard to go up 6-5, and the five-time Grand Slam winner served it out as the west London crowd expected an early ending. That wasn't the case, as Lehecka refused to lie down. He forced a second-set tiebreak, with neither player facing a break point in the set, before Lehecka sped into the ascendancy in the first-to-seven pointer. Advertisement He snagged the mini-break to go up 2-0, and responded immediately to restore his lead at 4-2, and then 6-5. It took Alcaraz, the two-time Wimbledon champion, two break points to move ahead in the decider, and he put his foot down, speeding away from the Czech, who, despite pulling out some superb shot-making, could not compete with Alcaraz's top gear. The Spaniard roared as a final Lehecka backhand was netted to seal the victory, and he will arrive at the All England Club in a week's time full of confidence with his grass-court swing off to the perfect start.
