Latest news with #Queen'sClubChampionships
The Star
20 hours ago
- Sport
- The Star
Tennis-Moutet downs Michelsen to reach first ATP final in over five years
FILE PHOTO: Tennis - Queen's Club Championships - Queen's Club, London, Britain - June 19, 2025, France's Corentin Moutet in action during his round of 16 match against Britain's Jacob Fearnley Action Images via Reuters/Peter Cziborra/File Photo (Reuters) -Corentin Moutet booked his place in the Mallorca Open final with a 6-4 7-6(3) win over third seed Alex Michelsen on Friday, reaching his first ATP showpiece match in over five years. The Frenchman will face Tallon Griekspoor in Saturday's showdown after the Dutchman secured a 6-4 6-4 win over Canadian second seed Felix Auger-Aliassime. The unseeded Moutet, whose only previous appearance in an ATP final was in Doha in 2020, broke twice in the opening set and remained solid on serve to take it 6-4. Moutet's court craft kept his American opponent off balance throughout, with his lefty angles and slice disrupting Michelsen's rhythm. The second set was a tighter affair, with both players trading early breaks. Michelsen created five break points at 4-3 but 26-year-old Moutet saved them all in a gutsy hold. The American edged ahead 6-5, but Moutet responded with a composed service game to force a tiebreak. Moutet went ahead 4-3 in the breaker and never looked back, sealing the match on his first opportunity and will now be biding to win his maiden ATP title. Fourth seed Griekspoor secured a break in each set and held firm on serve to reach the final. Auger-Aliassime made a few errors but mostly struggled to challenge Griekspoor's serve, falling short in key moments. (Reporting by Shifa Jahan in Bengaluru, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
Straits Times
20 hours ago
- Sport
- Straits Times
Moutet downs Michelsen to reach first ATP final in over five years
FILE PHOTO: Tennis - Queen's Club Championships - Queen's Club, London, Britain - June 19, 2025, France's Corentin Moutet in action during his round of 16 match against Britain's Jacob Fearnley Action Images via Reuters/Peter Cziborra/File Photo REUTERS Moutet downs Michelsen to reach first ATP final in over five years Corentin Moutet booked his place in the Mallorca Open final with a 6-4 7-6(3) win over third seed Alex Michelsen on Friday, reaching his first ATP showpiece match in over five years. The Frenchman will face Tallon Griekspoor in Saturday's showdown after the Dutchman secured a 6-4 6-4 win over Canadian second seed Felix Auger-Aliassime. The unseeded Moutet, whose only previous appearance in an ATP final was in Doha in 2020, broke twice in the opening set and remained solid on serve to take it 6-4. Moutet's court craft kept his American opponent off balance throughout, with his lefty angles and slice disrupting Michelsen's rhythm. The second set was a tighter affair, with both players trading early breaks. Michelsen created five break points at 4-3 but 26-year-old Moutet saved them all in a gutsy hold. The American edged ahead 6-5, but Moutet responded with a composed service game to force a tiebreak. Moutet went ahead 4-3 in the breaker and never looked back, sealing the match on his first opportunity and will now be biding to win his maiden ATP title. Fourth seed Griekspoor secured a break in each set and held firm on serve to reach the final. Auger-Aliassime made a few errors but mostly struggled to challenge Griekspoor's serve, falling short in key moments. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
The Star
a day ago
- Sport
- The Star
Tennis-Alcaraz seeks Wimbledon hat-trick as Sinner, Djokovic plot dethroning
FILE PHOTO: Tennis - Queen's Club Championships - Queen's Club, London, Britain - June 22, 2025 Spain's Carlos Alcaraz celebrates with the trophy after winning his final against Czech Republic's Jiri Lehecka Action Images via Reuters/Peter Cziborra/File Photi BENGALURU (Reuters) -Carlos Alcaraz will aim to reinforce his status as the new all-court monarch of men's tennis with a third successive Wimbledon title while his chief challenger Jannik Sinner heads to London for revenge after coming off second best in an epic French Open final. Seven-time champion Novak Djokovic must defy age and the odds in what may be the 38-year-old's best opportunity to claim an elusive 25th Grand Slam crown after losing to Alcaraz in the previous two title clashes at the All England Club. Jack Draper will shoulder the burden of British expectations following Andy Murray's retirement while other contenders led by Alexander Zverev and Taylor Fritz continue their bid for a first major to end the recent duopoly of Alcaraz and Sinner. Victory this month in the longest French Open final since tennis turned professional in 1968 meant Alcaraz kept his title while he and Italian Sinner have now lifted seven of the last eight majors to assert their supremacy. A Wimbledon hat-trick will put Alcaraz in elite company as the fifth man in the Open Era to lift three straight titles at the famous manicured lawns, with the 22-year-old set to join Bjorn Borg, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer and Djokovic. TRADEMARK FLAIR Adapting to grass after a long clay season is crucial to any player's chances but Alcaraz has managed it with trademark flair even if the five-time major champion describes the jarring gear shift as "enjoyment and suffering" in equal measure. "It's a bit of everything," said Alcaraz, who improved his career win-loss record on the sport's slickest surface to 29-3 with a magnificent run to the Queen's Club title. "Ultimately it's a surface we don't play many matches on each year, and you have to learn from every experience on it, from every match you play. "Every player is different with a different style on grass. You have to keep learning and getting to know yourself ... even when the numbers are in your favour." Sinner is a little more accomplished than former U.S. Open winner Alcaraz in terms of hardcourt Grand Slam success but the New York and Melbourne champion sometimes slips up on grass and fell early to Alexander Bublik in the Halle tune-up event. A premature end to the world number one's title defence in Germany leaves him somewhat undercooked for Wimbledon, where his best display is a run to the semi-finals in 2023. The 23-year-old, who served a three-month ban this season for doping violations, said he would benefit from another short break ahead of the Championships that begin on Monday. "I gave it my all after the Roland Garros defeat, it wasn't easy. Despite everything, I'm happy enough," said Sinner, who squandered three championship points during his five-set defeat by Alcaraz in Paris. "I played two matches before Wimbledon, if there had been more, it would have been better. Now I've got to boost myself both mentally and physically, that takes a little time." LACKLUSTRE YEAR Refreshed by his charge to the Roland Garros semi-final in an otherwise lacklustre year, Djokovic will bid to reach another Wimbledon final without playing any tune-up tournaments but few will write him off in his bid for more glory. While Djokovic will be motivated by the chance to match his now retired rival Roger Federer's eight Wimbledon titles and go joint top of that list, surpassing Margaret Court's haul of 24 majors will be foremost on his mind. "I'm going to do everything possible to get myself ready," Djokovic said, looking ahead to Wimbledon after losing at the French Open to Sinner. "My best chances maybe to win another Grand Slam are Wimbledon, or a faster hard court, maybe Australia." Hoping to flip the script at Wimbledon will be world number three Zverev, who has lost three Grand Slam finals in his career and is running out of time to add his name to honour roll, while Fritz will fancy his chances after winning the Stuttgart title. Also in the reckoning are Halle runner-up Daniil Medvedev and his conqueror Bublik, whose unorthodox ways can cause some problems for the big names in the next fortnight. (Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
Straits Times
a day ago
- Sport
- Straits Times
Alcaraz seeks Wimbledon hat-trick as Sinner, Djokovic plot dethroning
FILE PHOTO: Tennis - Queen's Club Championships - Queen's Club, London, Britain - June 22, 2025 Spain's Carlos Alcaraz celebrates with the trophy after winning his final against Czech Republic's Jiri Lehecka Action Images via Reuters/Peter Cziborra/File Photi REUTERS BENGALURU - Carlos Alcaraz will aim to reinforce his status as the new all-court monarch of men's tennis with a third successive Wimbledon title while his chief challenger Jannik Sinner heads to London for revenge after coming off second best in an epic French Open final. Seven-time champion Novak Djokovic must defy age and the odds in what may be the 38-year-old's best opportunity to claim an elusive 25th Grand Slam crown after losing to Alcaraz in the previous two title clashes at the All England Club. Jack Draper will shoulder the burden of British expectations following Andy Murray's retirement while other contenders led by Alexander Zverev and Taylor Fritz continue their bid for a first major to end the recent duopoly of Alcaraz and Sinner. Victory this month in the longest French Open final since tennis turned professional in 1968 meant Alcaraz kept his title while he and Italian Sinner have now lifted seven of the last eight majors to assert their supremacy. A Wimbledon hat-trick will put Alcaraz in elite company as the fifth man in the Open Era to lift three straight titles at the famous manicured lawns, with the 22-year-old set to join Bjorn Borg, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer and Djokovic. TRADEMARK FLAIR Adapting to grass after a long clay season is crucial to any player's chances but Alcaraz has managed it with trademark flair even if the five-time major champion describes the jarring gear shift as "enjoyment and suffering" in equal measure. "It's a bit of everything," said Alcaraz, who improved his career win-loss record on the sport's slickest surface to 29-3 with a magnificent run to the Queen's Club title. "Ultimately it's a surface we don't play many matches on each year, and you have to learn from every experience on it, from every match you play. "Every player is different with a different style on grass. You have to keep learning and getting to know yourself ... even when the numbers are in your favour." Sinner is a little more accomplished than former U.S. Open winner Alcaraz in terms of hardcourt Grand Slam success but the New York and Melbourne champion sometimes slips up on grass and fell early to Alexander Bublik in the Halle tune-up event. A premature end to the world number one's title defence in Germany leaves him somewhat undercooked for Wimbledon, where his best display is a run to the semi-finals in 2023. The 23-year-old, who served a three-month ban this season for doping violations, said he would benefit from another short break ahead of the Championships that begin on Monday. "I gave it my all after the Roland Garros defeat, it wasn't easy. Despite everything, I'm happy enough," said Sinner, who squandered three championship points during his five-set defeat by Alcaraz in Paris. "I played two matches before Wimbledon, if there had been more, it would have been better. Now I've got to boost myself both mentally and physically, that takes a little time." LACKLUSTRE YEAR Refreshed by his charge to the Roland Garros semi-final in an otherwise lacklustre year, Djokovic will bid to reach another Wimbledon final without playing any tune-up tournaments but few will write him off in his bid for more glory. While Djokovic will be motivated by the chance to match his now retired rival Roger Federer's eight Wimbledon titles and go joint top of that list, surpassing Margaret Court's haul of 24 majors will be foremost on his mind. "I'm going to do everything possible to get myself ready," Djokovic said, looking ahead to Wimbledon after losing at the French Open to Sinner. "My best chances maybe to win another Grand Slam are Wimbledon, or a faster hard court, maybe Australia." Hoping to flip the script at Wimbledon will be world number three Zverev, who has lost three Grand Slam finals in his career and is running out of time to add his name to honour roll, while Fritz will fancy his chances after winning the Stuttgart title. Also in the reckoning are Halle runner-up Daniil Medvedev and his conqueror Bublik, whose unorthodox ways can cause some problems for the big names in the next fortnight. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
The Star
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Star
Tennis-Moutet reaches first grasscourt semi-final after tense win over Tien
FILE PHOTO: Tennis - Queen's Club Championships - Queen's Club, London, Britain - June 19, 2025, France's Corentin Moutet in action during his round of 16 match against Britain's Jacob Fearnley Action Images via Reuters/Peter Cziborra/File Photo (Reuters) -France's Corentin Moutet defeated American Learner Tien 6-2 7-5 in a tense encounter at the Mallorca Open on Thursday, while Dutch fourth seed Tallon Griekspoor cruised past Canadian sixth seed Gabriel Diallo 6-4 6-4 to reach the semi-finals. Moutet charged through the first set against Tien, winning 6-2, but the start of the second set saw a heated exchange between the Frenchman and the chair umpire over a disputed point awarded to the American. Tien was given the point after Moutet fell into the net before the ball's second bounce, which Moutet contested. He initially refused to restart the match before returning visibly frustrated, smashing rackets and expressing his anger. Despite the setback, he regained composure to seal his first ever grasscourt semi-final berth. "I was trying to stay aggressive. He's very good, he's not missing a lot, very solid player," said Moutet, who will next face American third seed Alex Michelsen. "I lost earlier this year against him, so I knew that I had to be more aggressive today, serve better, and I managed to do it." Griekspoor, who withdrew from the French Open in the fourth round due to an abdominal injury, controlled the match against the in-form Diallo and secured an early break in the second set before wrapping up victory. He will next meet Canadian second seed Felix Auger-Aliassime. Auger-Aliassime was outplayed in the opening set against Serbian Hamad Medjedovic but staged a comeback and secured a 3-6 6-1 6-4 win to reach the last four. Spanish hopes were dashed as home favourite and seventh seed Roberto Bautista Agut fell 6-4 7-6(4) to Michelsen in a tight quarter-final. (Reporting by Suramya Kaushik in BengaluruEditing by Toby Davis)
