Latest news with #MubadalaCitiD.C.Open
Canada News.Net
20 hours ago
- Sport
- Canada News.Net
WTA roundup: Leylah Fernandez wins biggest title of career in D.C.
(Photo credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images) Canadian Leylah Fernandez swept to a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Russia's Anna Kalinskaya to win the Mubadala Citi D.C. Open on Sunday in Washington. Fernandez, 22, earned her fourth career WTA title, but her previous victories in 2021, 2022 and 2023 were all at WTA 250-tier events. The D.C. Open marks her first WTA 500 victory. She had to take a challenging path to the final, defeating No. 1 seed Jessica Pegula and No. 3 seed Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan along the way. She needed just 69 minutes to dominate Sunday's final. She saved both break points she faced, won 30 of 40 first-service points (75 percent) and capitalized on Kalinskaya's messy service games. The Russian won less than half of her total service points (18 of 38). Omnium Banque Nationale Spaniard Jessica Bouzas Maneiro pulled out a 5-7, 7-5, 6-4 comeback victory over Louisa Chirico that lasted three hours and six minutes on the first day of action at the WTA 1000 event in Montreal. Bouzas Maneiro fired 11 aces but committed 15 double faults. Both players kept the game going by holding steady on break point: Bouzas Maneiro saved 9 of 13 break points, but Chirico saved 16 of 21. They held serve to begin the third set and Bouzas Maneiro trailed 4-3 before she ripped off the final three games. Other three-set winners Sunday included Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic, Suzan Lamens of the Netherlands, Japan's Aoi Ito and Romanian Jaqueline Cristian. Canadian Victoria Mboko and China's Lin Zhu also advanced.
Canada News.Net
4 days ago
- Sport
- Canada News.Net
ATP roundup: Ben Shelton cruises into D.C. quarterfinals
(Photo credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images) No. 4 seed Ben Shelton needed just 61 minutes to defeat Canadian No. 15 Gabriel Diallo 6-3, 6-2 in the Round of 16 at the Mubadala Citi D.C. Open on Thursday in Washington. Shelton smashed 16 aces and won an impressive 28 of 30 first-service points (93.3 percent) to make the match an open-and-shut case. There were no upsets in the early part of the day, as No. 8 Daniil Medvedev of Russia breezed past Chinese qualifier Yibing Wu 6-3, 6-2, and No. 12 Alejandro Davidovich Fokina of Spain and No. 14 Brandon Nakashima also won in straight sets. French lucky loser Corentin Moutet did stay alive in the draw by beating British wild card Daniel Evans 6-2, 7-6 (4). No. 7 seed Alex de Minaur of Australia pulled out a 7-6 (4), 6-7 (6), 6-4 win over Czech 11th seed Jiri Lehecka, who saved two match points in the second-set tiebreaker to extend the match. The two evening matches pit home-crowd favorite and sixth seed Frances Tiafoe against Italian ninth seed Flavio Cobolli, and No. 1 seed Taylor Fritz against Italy's Matteo Arnaldi. Generali Open No. 1 seed Alexander Bublik won an all-Kazakh battle against Alexander Shevchenko 6-4, 6-2 in 75 minutes to advance to the semifinals in Kitzbuhel, Austria. Bublik saved all five break points he faced and won a whopping 25 of 26 first-service points (96.2 percent). His next opponent will be Botic van de Zandschulp of the Netherlands, who was a 7-6 (2), 6-2 winner over Brazilian Thiago Seyboth Wild. French No. 6 seed Arthur Rinderknech outlasted German qualifier Yannick Hanfmann 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, and his semifinal foe will be countryman Arthur Cazaux, who beat German qualifier Jan-Lennard Struff 6-3, 6-4. Plava Laguna Croatia Open No. 2 seed Luciano Darderi of Italy rallied from a poor opening set to defeat Croatian home favorite Dino Prizmic 1-6, 6-2, 6-3 in the quarters in Umag, Croatia. Darderi hit four aces in the decisive third set and is lined up to face No. 3 seed Camilo Ugo Carabelli of Argentina, who led Pablo Llamas Ruiz 6-4, 5-2 when the Spanish qualifier retired. No. 4 Damir Dzumhur of Bosnia and Herzegovina charged past French qualifier Titouan Droguet 3-6, 7-5, 6-2, and Spaniard Carlos Taberner took down Jesper de Jong of the Netherlands 7-5, 6-3.
Reuters
4 days ago
- Sport
- Reuters
ATP roundup: Ben Shelton cruises into D.C. quarterfinals
July 24 - No. 4 seed Ben Shelton needed just 61 minutes to defeat Canadian No. 15 Gabriel Diallo 6-3, 6-2 in the Round of 16 at the Mubadala Citi D.C. Open on Thursday in Washington. Shelton smashed 16 aces and won an impressive 28 of 30 first-service points (93.3 percent) to make the match an open-and-shut case. There were no upsets in the early part of the day, as No. 8 Daniil Medvedev of Russia breezed past Chinese qualifier Yibing Wu 6-3, 6-2, and No. 12 Alejandro Davidovich Fokina of Spain and No. 14 Brandon Nakashima also won in straight sets. French lucky loser Corentin Moutet did stay alive in the draw by beating British wild card Daniel Evans 6-2, 7-6 (4). No. 7 seed Alex de Minaur of Australia pulled out a 7-6 (4), 6-7 (6), 6-4 win over Czech 11th seed Jiri Lehecka, who saved two match points in the second-set tiebreaker to extend the match. The two evening matches pit home-crowd favorite and sixth seed Frances Tiafoe against Italian ninth seed Flavio Cobolli, and No. 1 seed Taylor Fritz against Italy's Matteo Arnaldi. Generali Open No. 1 seed Alexander Bublik won an all-Kazakh battle against Alexander Shevchenko 6-4, 6-2 in 75 minutes to advance to the semifinals in Kitzbuhel, Austria. Bublik saved all five break points he faced and won a whopping 25 of 26 first-service points (96.2 percent). His next opponent will be Botic van de Zandschulp of the Netherlands, who was a 7-6 (2), 6-2 winner over Brazilian Thiago Seyboth Wild. French No. 6 seed Arthur Rinderknech outlasted German qualifier Yannick Hanfmann 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, and his semifinal foe will be countryman Arthur Cazaux, who beat German qualifier Jan-Lennard Struff 6-3, 6-4. Plava Laguna Croatia Open No. 2 seed Luciano Darderi of Italy rallied from a poor opening set to defeat Croatian home favorite Dino Prizmic 1-6, 6-2, 6-3 in the quarters in Umag, Croatia. Darderi hit four aces in the decisive third set and is lined up to face No. 3 seed Camilo Ugo Carabelli of Argentina, who led Pablo Llamas Ruiz 6-4, 5-2 when the Spanish qualifier retired. No. 4 Damir Dzumhur of Bosnia and Herzegovina charged past French qualifier Titouan Droguet 3-6, 7-5, 6-2, and Spaniard Carlos Taberner took down Jesper de Jong of the Netherlands 7-5, 6-3. --Field Level Media
Newsweek
5 days ago
- Health
- Newsweek
Venus Williams Reveals She Returned to Tennis Over Health Insurance
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Venus Williams has claimed that her return to tennis, after 16 months away from the sport, was because she needed the health insurance. "I had to come back for the insurance," she said in an on-court interview following her Mubadala Citi D.C. Open victory against Peyton Stearns in Washington on Tuesday. "They informed me this year that I'm on COBRA, so it's like, I got to get my benefits on," she said, giggling to interviewer Rennae Stubbs, which prompted a chorus of laughter from those watching in the stands. Williams' victory made her the oldest woman to win a WTA singles match since 2004, when Martina Navratilova, aged 47, triumphed at Wimbledon. Why It Matters Williams confession sheds light on the brutal reality of healthcare costs in America at present. If a professional athlete and a celebrity, with a multi-million net worth, says she needs to continue playing her sport to secure access to health coverage—even if it may have been somewhat tongue in cheek—it begs the question of how those without such hefty assets can possibly afford to pay their medical bills. In a KFF study this year, six in ten Americans were found to be somewhat worried about affording health care services or paying unexpected medical bills for themselves and their families. This was a significantly larger proportion than those who were concerned about affording housing costs, transportation expenses, utilities and food for their families. Venus Williams celebrates her win over Peyton Stearns at the Citi Open tennis tournament in Washington, D.C., on July 22, 2025. Venus Williams celebrates her win over Peyton Stearns at the Citi Open tennis tournament in Washington, D.C., on July 22, 2025. Nick Wass/AP What To Know "I'm always at the doctor, so I need this insurance," Williams said after her victory. In 2023, during a Wimbledon match, Williams badly injured her knee, and she previously shared how challenging her recovery was. She battled through the pain to play in that year's U.S. Open, but was eliminated early, and then took some time out to recover. She also reportedly had to undergo surgery last year to treat uterine fibroids. The Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) enables Americans to continue receiving health benefits, provided by their group health plan, for limited periods of time under certain circumstances. These circumstances might include voluntary or involuntary job loss, a reduction in hours worked, transition between jobs, death, divorce and other life events. In some cases, individuals may receive benefits for 36 months, but if their working hours were reduced, or job terminated, they can only receive COBRA benefits for 18 months. Venus Williams after becoming the oldest WTA match winner since 2004: 'I had to come back for the insurance, because they informed me this year that I'm on cobra. So it's like, I got to get my benefits on' 😭😭😭😭 — The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) July 23, 2025 At the age of 45, Williams would not be able to qualify for Medicare—the federal health program available to those over the age of 65. Given her $95 million net worth, generated via significant income from tournaments and sponsorships, despite her not having a fixed monthly income, she would also not qualify for Medicaid—the federal health program for Americans with limited income and resources. Williams entered the Citi Open on a wild card, after not playing on the WTA Tour since March 2024. Nevertheless she still beat her opponent, Stearns—22 years her junior—6-3, 6-4. What People Are Saying Williams said after her victory: "I think I just attacked the whole time. It's just trying to find the right balance between going too hard and not enough. It's the same because this is what I do, but at the same time, it was imperative for me to do it. Now I don't have to do this, but I have the same fire and the same want to win. In some ways, I'm still getting back into that. When you do it every day, everything is natural. Not as natural feeling now, but I hope I can get back to that." She added: "I think it was a big win for me today. Like I said, it's not easy. It won't be easy. It's not easy for anyone out here. So I know I'll have to fight for every match, but I'm up for that." What Happens Next Williams had already secured a victory on Monday during a doubles match with her partner Hailey Baptiste. She is set to play Magdalena Frech, the Polish fifth seed, in the singles on Thursday.
Canada News.Net
6 days ago
- Sport
- Canada News.Net
ATP roundup: Cameron Norrie knocks out Lorenzo Musetti in D.C.
(Photo credit: Susan Mullane-Imagn Images) Cameron Norrie of Great Britain charged back for a 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 upset of Italian No. 2 seed Lorenzo Musetti in the Round of 32 of the Mubadala Citi D.C. Open on Tuesday in Washington. Norrie, a five-time ATP titlist and former Wimbledon semifinalist, has slipped to No. 41 in the world rankings, but that didn't matter Tuesday, as he saved 9 of 11 break points while converting 4 of 7 chances to break Musetti's serve. Next, Norrie will face No. 14 seed Brandon Nakashima, who beat Ethan Quinn 6-3, 6-4. No. 15 seed Gabriel Diallo of Canada also won 6-3, 6-4 in the Round of 32 against Hungary's Fabian Marozsan. Round of 64 action wrapped up with victories by Aleksandar Kovacevic, Zachary Svajda, Jaume Munar of Spain and China's Yibing Wu and Yunchaokete Bu. Three Round of 32 matches remained Tuesday evening, including one pitting No. 4 seed Ben Shelton against Mackenzie McDonald. Generali Open Austria's Filip Misolic had a 34-19 edge in winners and overcame 43 unforced errors in a 7-5, 5-7, 6-3 upset of Argentine No. 5 seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the Round of 32 in Kitzbuhel, Austria. Misolic will hope to continue his home-soil run when he faces Botic van de Zandschulp in the next round. The Dutchman outlasted Chile's Nicolas Jarry 6-4, 4-6, 6-3. France's Arthur Cazaux also prevailed in three sets, hitting 10 aces and beating Ignacio Buse of Peru 6-3, 3-6, 7-5. Other winners included Brazil's Thiago Seyboth Wild, German qualifier Yannick Hanfmann and Argentina's Thiago Agustin Tirante. Plava Laguna Croatia Open Third-seeded Camilo Ugo Carabelli of Argentina needed two hours and 33 minutes to push past Italy's Francesco Passaro 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-3 in the Round of 16 in Umag, Croatia. Carabelli won 13 of 15 net points and advanced to meet Spanish qualifier Pablo Llamas Ruiz, a 6-3, 6-3 winner over France's Terence Atmane. In a pair of Round of 32 matches, Croatia's Dino Prizmic beat Denmark's Elmer Moller 6-4, 6-2, and the Netherlands' Jesper de Jong prevailed 6-3, 6-3 over Croatian Mili Poljicak.
