Latest news with #Open
New Straits Times
34 minutes ago
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Alcaraz ends Tarvet's Wimbledon adventure, Paolini crashes out
LONDON: Carlos Alcaraz ended Oliver Tarvet's Wimbledon adventure on Wednesday, seeing off the British amateur in straight sets to reach the third round as last year's runner-up Jasmine Paolini joined the exit of stars. A record-breaking number of top seeds crashed out at the All England Club in the first round but Alcaraz and women's world number one Aryna Sabalenka avoided second-round shocks on Centre Court. Defending champion Alcaraz needed two hours and 17 minutes to subdue world number 733 Tarvet, who produced flashes of his emerging talent to delight the partisan crowd. "First of all I have to give big praise to Oliver. In his second match on the tour, I just loved his game to be honest," said the Spaniard after his 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 win. "I knew I had to play my best tennis. I was really happy with my performance but big praise to him as well." Alcaraz has won his past 20 matches, a blistering streak that has brought him titles at the Rome Masters, the French Open and Queen's Club. The 22-year-old, who beat Jannik Sinner in the final at Roland Garros last month, has won 31 of his 34 Tour-level matches on grass – his last defeat at Wimbledon came against Sinner in the fourth round in 2022. The second seed hopes to become the fifth man in the Open era to win at least three consecutive Wimbledon titles after Bjorn Borg, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer and seven-time champion Novak Djokovic. In stark contrast, the unheralded Tarvet is just starting his tennis career and cannot even collect all of his Wimbledon prize money. As a student of the University of San Diego, the 21-year-old has to maintain amateur status and must give up most of his earnings. While Alcaraz is a five-time Grand Slam champion, Tarvet was playing just his second major main draw match after coming through three qualifiers and beating Leandro Riedi in the opening round. "It was just really special. It's not every day that you get to play against maybe the best player in the world. I did a pretty good job of enjoying the moment and trying to play some good tennis," said Tarvet. In the first two days, eight of the top 10 seeded players across the men's and women's singles draws were eliminated, a Grand Slam record in the Open era. Second seed Coco Gauff, third seed Jessica Pegula and fifth seed Zheng Qinwen all lost in the first round. And Italian fourth seed Paolini was next to stumble in the second round on Wednesday. Paolini, beaten by Barbora Krejcikova in the 2024 Wimbledon title match, slumped to a 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 defeat against Russian world number 62 Kamilla Rakhimova. But Sabalenka bucked the trend, out-duelling 48th-ranked Marie Bouzkova 7-6 (7/4), 6-4 in a heavy-hitting contest. The Belarusian, who suffered painful defeats in the finals of both the Australian Open and the French Open this year, lashed an impressive 41 winners in a match lasting one hour and 35 minutes. "Honestly it's very sad to see so many top players losing but you better focus on yourself," said the three-time Grand Slam winner. "I hope it's no upsets anymore in this tournament, if you know what I mean!" Sabalenka's next opponent is Britain's Emma Raducanu, the former US Open champion beating 2023 Wimbledon winner Marketa Vondrousova 6-3, 6-3. Sixth seed and Australian Open champion Madison Keys also advanced, making short work of Serbia's Olga Danilovic in a 6-4, 6-2 win. On the men's side, 13 seeded players lost in the first round, breaking the previous tournament record of 11 and tying the 2004 Australian Open for the most at a Grand Slam. American 12th seed Frances Tiafoe was the latest leading man to suffer the agony of an early defeat, going down 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-5 against British world number 61 Cameron Norrie. But fifth seed Taylor Fritz avoided the same fate, winning a second successive five-set marathon under the Court One roof against Gabriel Diallo to progress. The Eastbourne champion, who has played on all three days of the tournament so far, was pushed all the way by the Canadian but clinched the final set 6-3. "That's an incredibly hard match... tomorrow is going to be a very light hit," said the American.--AFP
The Hindu
34 minutes ago
- Sport
- The Hindu
Alcaraz ends Tarvet's Wimbledon adventure, Paolini crashes out
Carlos Alcaraz ended Oliver Tarvet's Wimbledon adventure on Wednesday (July 3, 2025), seeing off the British amateur in straight sets to reach the third round as last year's runner-up Jasmine Paolini joined the exit of stars. A record-breaking number of top seeds crashed out at the All England Club in the first round but Alcaraz and women's world number one Aryna Sabalenka avoided second-round shocks on Centre Court. Defending champion Alcaraz needed two hours and 17 minutes to subdue world number 733 Tarvet, who produced flashes of his emerging talent to delight the partisan crowd. "First of all I have to give big praise to Oliver. In his second match on the tour, I just loved his game to be honest," said the Spaniard after his 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 win. "I knew I had to play my best tennis. I was really happy with my performance but big praise to him as well." Alcaraz has won his past 20 matches, a blistering streak that has brought him titles at the Rome Masters, the French Open and Queen's Club. The 22-year-old, who beat Jannik Sinner in the final at Roland Garros last month, has won 31 of his 34 Tour-level matches on grass -- his last defeat at Wimbledon came against Sinner in the fourth round in 2022. The second seed hopes to become the fifth man in the Open era to win at least three consecutive Wimbledon titles after Bjorn Borg, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer and seven-time champion Novak Djokovic. Also Read | Jannik Sinner won't say why he fired two team members right before Wimbledon In stark contrast, the unheralded Tarvet is just starting his tennis career and cannot even collect all of his Wimbledon prize money. As a student of the University of San Diego, the 21-year-old has to maintain amateur status and must give up most of his earnings. While Alcaraz is a five-time Grand Slam champion, Tarvet was playing just his second major main draw match after coming through three qualifiers and beating Leandro Riedi in the opening round. "It was just really special. It's not every day that you get to play against maybe the best player in the world. I did a pretty good job of enjoying the moment and trying to play some good tennis," said Tarvet. Seeds tumble In the first two days, eight of the top 10 seeded players across the men's and women's singles draws were eliminated, a Grand Slam record in the Open era. Second seed Coco Gauff, third seed Jessica Pegula and fifth seed Zheng Qinwen all lost in the first round. And Italian fourth seed Paolini was next to stumble in the second round on Wednesday. Paolini, beaten by Barbora Krejcikova in the 2024 Wimbledon title match, slumped to a 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 defeat against Russian world number 62 Kamilla Rakhimova. But Sabalenka bucked the trend, out-duelling 48th-ranked Marie Bouzkova 7-6 (7/4), 6-4 in a heavy-hitting contest. The Belarusian, who suffered painful defeats in the finals of both the Australian Open and the French Open this year, lashed an impressive 41 winners in a match lasting one hour and 35 minutes. "Honestly it's very sad to see so many top players losing but you better focus on yourself," said the three-time Grand Slam winner. "I hope it's no upsets anymore in this tournament, if you know what I mean!" Sabalenka's next opponent is Britain's Emma Raducanu, the former US Open champion beating 2023 Wimbledon winner Marketa Vondrousova 6-3, 6-3. Sixth seed and Australian Open champion Madison Keys also advanced, making short work of Serbia's Olga Danilovic in a 6-4, 6-2 win. On the men's side, 13 seeded players lost in the first round, breaking the previous tournament record of 11 and tying the 2004 Australian Open for the most at a Grand Slam. American 12th seed Frances Tiafoe was the latest leading man to suffer the agony of an early defeat, going down 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-5 against British world number 61 Cameron Norrie. But fifth seed Taylor Fritz avoided the same fate, winning a second successive five-set marathon under the Court One roof against Gabriel Diallo to progress. The Eastbourne champion, who has played on all three days of the tournament so far, was pushed all the way by the Canadian but clinched the final set 6-3. "That's an incredibly hard match... tomorrow is going to be a very light hit," said the American.
Irish Daily Mirror
6 hours ago
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Shane Lowry spotted at site of first tour victory as he prepares for Open
Shane Lowry continued his preparations for the Open Championship by returning on Tuesday to the scene of one of the most famous victories. In a little over two weeks' time, Lowry will return to Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland, where he lifted the Claret Jug in jubilant scenes in 2019. The Offaly man has already been on a scouting trip to the Dunluce Links ahead of the 2025 Open, but he has also found the time to get in a practice round at County Louth Golf Club. County Louth Golf Club, known as Baltray to the locals, played host to the 2009 Irish Open when Lowry sensationally triumphed as an amateur after a thrilling play-off with Englishman Robert Rock. Understandably the Louth venue has always held a special place in Lowry's heart ever since, and the Clara man returned there on Tuesday morning for a round. Happy to take pictures with the locals, including the course's team of greenkeepers, Lowry got in some links practice on one of the finest tests in the country. It has always been common for golf's finest players to take in a trip to Ireland before teeing it up in the Open Championship. During his pomp, Tiger Woods often travelled to Ireland alongside his good friend Mark O'Meara to play our top links courses ahead of the major championship. And many more of the world's top players are expected to turn up at courses around the country in the coming week as they get in some links practice ahead of the mania of Open week. Lowry is set to practice in Ireland for the next two weeks, deciding against competing in the Scottish Open next week, where Rory McIlroy is teeing it up. The Offaly man has enjoyed a consistent season on the PGA Tour but is looking to bounce back from two below par events, first a missed cut at the US Open and then a tied 45th finish at the Travelers Championship last time out.
Belfast Telegraph
6 hours ago
- Sport
- Belfast Telegraph
Portrush native Graeme McDowell ‘gutted' not to qualify for hometown Open
The former U.S. Open champion was one of 288 players in contention for one of 20 final places on the Dunluce Links as he competed in 36 holes of qualifying at Royal Cinque Ports, however he would finish three shots off the mark at the Kent course. McDowell, a Portrush native, was right in the mix after an opening round 70 but he would follow it up with a 73 that ended his chances of teeing it up on home soil in two weeks' time. The LIV Golf star was the best Northern Irishman at The Open in 2019 as he made the cut but will now have to watch this year's action from Portrush on the TV which, unsurprisingly, left him devastated. "Not to be at Open qualifying yesterday," he wrote on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. "Gutted to sit this one out at Royal Portrush. Going to be an amazing week with lots to celebrate for Irish golf. Congrats to all the guys who qualified. It's a grind with such a special reward. My game is trending, so we plow ahead." We need your consent to load this Social Media content. We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. McDowell hasn't played in a Major since the 2020 U.S. Open, when his 10-year exemption for winning the event in 2010 expired, with his move to LIV in 2022 undoubtedly playing a factor in that. There was better news for 52-year-old fellow LIV golfer Lee Westwood, who did qualify for Portrush after a three-year absence from the tournament as he was one of the best five finishers at Dundonald Links. And after sealing his place in the field, the former World No.1 was effusive in his praise for the Dunluce Links as he prepares to return to a course he finished fourth on six years ago, when Shane Lowry triumphed. 'I've always said it's the greatest championship in golf and as a British player you get phenomenal support,' Westwood told reporters after his second round. 'I really enjoyed Portrush last time. I finished fourth and played nicely. 'I'm just looking forward to enjoying the week at Portrush. Seeing a few old friends and enjoying that golf course. For me, it's in the top three links courses in the British Isles.'
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Business Standard
8 hours ago
- Business
- Business Standard
Olive launches AI-native Open Hotels, eyes ₹200 cr revenue in FY26
Bengaluru-based Embassy Group's hospitality arm, Olive, has launched Open Hotels, a fully remote-operated, AI-native hotel brand. The new sub-brand aims to integrate around 130 hotels and generate ₹200 crore in revenue within this financial year. Open claims to have replaced traditional front desks with live video reception, handled centrally. Operational staff remain onsite, but the overall staff-to-room ratio drops from 0.7 to 0.3—a 57 per cent efficiency gain. Commenting on the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) and technology in hospitality, Kahraman Yigit, chief executive officer and co-founder, Olive by Embassy, told Business Standard, 'Hospitality is all about the human touch. Technology is enhancing that by taking over the routine tasks, which frees us to focus more on our guests and the experiences we create for them. It's not replacing hospitality, it is elevating it. We also expect generative AI to play a role in this space.' The newly launched programme offers two types of models under its portfolio. First, the franchise model, where hotel owners manage their own staff while accessing Open's full tech stack. Second, owners can opt for Open to run operations via its remote AI command centre. In both cases, deployment is designed to be plug-and-play and capex-free. Yigit further said, 'We were the first to run hotel receptions through video conferencing. Once we layered in Voice AI and analytics, guest satisfaction and profit margins surged.' Currently, Olive's aggregator programme operates across 12 hotels in five locations—Bengaluru, Chikkamagaluru, Mysore, Hyderabad and Vijayawada. These projects are all brownfield developments. By 2030, the brand aims to be operational in 1,000 hotels across India. It also plans to expand globally in the near future. Open has filed a patent application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office for its Remote Hotel Management System. The brand noted that with 2.5 million existing hotel rooms, India is primed to support a one million-room hotel brand. Open aims to lead that charge—while exporting India's hospitality talent remotely.
