Latest news with #Siniakova
NBC Sports
11-07-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Katerina Siniakova and Sem Verbeek win Wimbledon mixed-doubles title
LONDON — Katerina Siniakova added to her collection of major titles by winning the mixed doubles at Wimbledon with Sem Verbeek in a 7-6 (3), 7-6 (3) victory over Luisa Stefani and Joe Salisbury on Thursday. Siniakova, a 10-time Grand Slam women's doubles champion from the Czech Republic, hit a smash on the first match point at a half-full but lively Centre Court. It's a first major title for Verbeek, and the Dutchman celebrated by having the crowd join him in singing 'Happy Birthday To You' to his father. Siniakova is also a two-time Olympic champion. She won gold in mixed doubles with Tomas Machac at the Paris Games last year. She teamed with Barbora Krejcikova to win the women's doubles gold at the Tokyo Games in 2021. Of Siniakova's 10 major women's doubles titles, seven were with Krejcikova, two with Taylor Townsend, and one with Coco Gauff at last year's French Open.
Scottish Sun
11-07-2025
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
‘My heart is bleeding' – Wimbledon champion takes huge swipe at tennis bosses following major rule change
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) WIMBLEDON champions Sem Verbeek and Katerina Siniakova have slammed changes to the US Open mixed doubles - branding them "a shame". It was announced in February that the Flushing Meadows event would be undergoing a number of changes to attract more high-profile singles players to compete in doubles. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 3 Katerina Siniakova and Sem Verbeek won their first Wimbledon title together on Thursday Credit: Alamy 3 But they've had to wave goodbye to the US Open Credit: EPA This included mixed doubles happening in the week before the tournament in "fan week" and not at the same time as the singles, meaning it will be spread over three weeks, unlike the three other Grand Slams. The tournament is also introducing a $1million (£804,000) prize for the mixed doubles champions, in a hope to get bigger names to participate. However the move hasn't gone down with new Wimbledon mixed double champions Verbeek and Siniakova. They are amongst the large number of mixed doubles pairs who will miss out on playing together in New York as a result of the changes. Verbeek, who recorded a 7-6 7-6 win with Siniakova over Britain's Joe Salisbury and Brazil's Luisa Stefani in the final on Thursday, told BBC Sport: 'As two athletes that would love to play it, it's a shame to obviously know that we can't. 'I'm not going to actively root against it for it not to be a success. The positive I can think of is that there's going to be more people that can see the top single stars earlier in the tournament when they are maybe a bit more accessible to the public. 'But as a doubles athlete, my heart is bleeding.' Australian Open 2025 doubles winner Siniakova has also criticised the decision. She said: 'It's a shame they decided to do it. BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK 'I think it's a marketing step, but they are taking [away the] chance of doubles players.' The US Open's mixed doubles competition will run from August 19 to August 20, with nine of the world's top 10 women and nine of the world's top 10 men involved. Angry Aryna Sabalenka opens up on 'hate relationship' with Wimbledon and battling demons telling her to smash racquets Early round matches will be best-of-three sets played to just four games, with a deciding point played at deuce. Only the final will feature a traditional best-of-three sets played to six games, as is usually the case in a Grand Slam. Carlos Alcaraz, who is competing in Friday's Wimbledon semi-final against Taylor Fritz, has teamed up with British No1 Emma Raducanu for the event already. Meanwhile, 24-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic - who was thanked by Queen consort Camilla at Wimbledon - is partnering up with fellow Serbian Olga Danilovic. 3 Alcaraz and Raducanu are set to star in the new-look mixed doubles in New York Credit: Getty Speaking back in February, CEO of the US Tennis Association, Lew Sherr, said he believed the changes will benefit the US Open. After the adjustments were announced, he said: "The reason behind this is to appeal to more fans and grow the fanbase around the world. "But the way to do that is to have the biggest names in the sport participating in doubles, and to showcase them teaming up and playing in a different format, we think is exciting. "In fact, we know it's exciting." Other tennis stars have welcomed the restructure, too. American world singles No3 Jessica Pegula said earlier this year: "As a player who enjoys competing in doubles, I'm excited for the opportunity to play the US Open mixed doubles championship during the first week. "I appreciate the importance of innovation and exploring new ways to engage more fans and grow our sport."
The Irish Sun
11-07-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
‘My heart is bleeding' – Wimbledon champion takes huge swipe at tennis bosses following major rule change
WIMBLEDON champions Sem Verbeek and Katerina Siniakova have slammed changes to the US Open mixed doubles - branding them "a shame ". It was announced in February that the Flushing Meadows event would be undergoing a 3 Katerina Siniakova and Sem Verbeek won their first Wimbledon title together on Thursday Credit: Alamy 3 But they've had to wave goodbye to the US Open Credit: EPA This included mixed doubles happening in the week before the tournament in "fan week" and not at the same time as the singles, meaning it will be spread over three weeks, unlike the three other Grand Slams. The tournament is also introducing a $1million (£804,000) prize for the mixed doubles champions, in a hope to get bigger names to participate. However the move hasn't gone down with new Wimbledon mixed double champions Verbeek and Siniakova. They are amongst the large number of mixed doubles pairs who will miss out on playing together in New York as a result of the changes. Read More Verbeek, who recorded a 7-6 7-6 win with Siniakova over Britain's Joe Salisbury and Brazil's Luisa Stefani in the final on Thursday, told 'I'm not going to actively root against it for it not to be a success. The positive I can think of is that there's going to be more people that can see the top single stars earlier in the tournament when they are maybe a bit more accessible to the public. 'But as a doubles athlete, my heart is bleeding.' Australi an Open 2025 doubles winner Siniakova has also criticised the decision. Most read in Sport She said: 'It's a shame they decided to do it. BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK 'I think it's a marketing step, but they are taking [away the] chance of doubles players.' The US Open's mixed doubles competition will run from August 19 to August 20, with nine of the world's top 10 women and nine of the world's top 10 men involved. Angry Aryna Sabalenka opens up on 'hate relationship' with Wimbledon and battling demons telling her to smash racquets Early round matches will be best-of-three sets played to just four games, with a deciding point played at deuce. Only the final will feature a traditional best-of-three sets played to six games, as is usually the case in a Grand Slam. Meanwhile, 24-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic - who was 3 Alcaraz and Raducanu are set to star in the new-look mixed doubles in New York Credit: Getty Speaking back in February, CEO of the US Tennis Association, Lew Sherr, said he believed the changes will benefit the US Open. After the adjustments were announced, he said: "The reason behind this is to appeal to more fans and grow the fanbase around the world. "But the way to do that is to have the biggest names in the sport participating in doubles, and to showcase them teaming up and playing in a different format, we think is exciting. "In fact, we know it's exciting." Other tennis stars have welcomed the restructure, too. American world singles No3 Jessica Pegula said earlier this year: "As a player who enjoys competing in doubles, I'm excited for the opportunity to play the US Open mixed doubles championship during the first week. "I appreciate the importance of innovation and exploring new ways to engage more fans and grow our sport."
Metro
11-07-2025
- Sport
- Metro
'My heart is bleeding' - Wimbledon champion upset by major tennis change
New Wimbledon mixed doubles champion Sem Verbeek says his 'heart is bleeding' over a radical change in the format of the US Open. The American Grand Slam announced earlier in the year that its mixed doubles tournament will be held as a standalone event before the hard-court major begins. The United States Tennis Association described the move as bold and revolutionary and said it hoped it would attract more high-profile singles players. A number of famous partnerships have already been struck, with two-time Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz teaming up with British number one Emma Raducanu. While more high-profile players will now compete in the mixed doubles event, the vast majority of doubles specialists will miss out on playing on the competition in New York. The change means new Wimbledon champion Verbeek will be unable to play with partner Katerina Siniakova at next month's US Open. Verbeek and Siniakova won the Wimbledon mixed doubles event with a 7-6 7-6 win over Britain's Joe Salisbury and Brazil's Luisa Stefani on Centre Court. 'As two athletes that would love to play it, it's a shame to obviously know that we can't,' said Verbeek after lifting his maiden Grand Slam trophy. 'I'm not going to actively root against it for it not to be a success. 'The positive I can think of is that there's going to be more people that can see the top single stars earlier in the tournament when they are maybe a bit more accessible to the public. 'But as a doubles athlete, my heart is bleeding.' Verbeek's partner Siniakova, the world number one in women's doubles, added to BBC Sport: 'It's a shame they decided to do it. 'I think it's a marketing step, but they are taking [away the] chance of doubles players.' Tournament organisers have been buoyed by the strong entry list for the new US Open mixed doubles tournament. As well as Alcaraz and Raducanu, the likes of Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner and Naomi Osaka have all confirmed their desire to play. Lew Sherr, the USTA's chief executive, said: 'Seeing the teams that have already put their names on the entry list makes us all incredibly excited. 'It shows that the players are behind what we are trying to do, and we know that the fans will love it.' But the new tournament has also faced a fair amount of criticism, with last year's US Open mixed doubles champions Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori describing the move as 'profound injustice'. More Trending The pair said in a statement: 'Making decisions just following the logic of profit is profoundly wrong in some situations. 'In the last few weeks we received the news that the US Open mixed doubles tournament will be completely turned upside down, cancelled and replaced with a pseudo-exhibition focused only on entertainment and show. 'We see it as a profound injustice that disrespects an entire category of players. We don't know at the moment if we'll have the chance to defend our title but we hope this remains an isolated case.' 'Terribly shocking' was how French tennis star Kristina Mladenovic, winner of multiple Slam doubles titles, described the new format. For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. MORE: Iga Swiatek or Amanda Anisimova? Martina Navratilova's prediction for 'close' Wimbledon final MORE: Wimbledon finalist slammed for breaking unwritten tennis rule MORE: Novak Djokovic makes ominous decision before Jannik Sinner clash at Wimbledon
Dubai Eye
11-07-2025
- Sport
- Dubai Eye
Verbeek, Siniakova win Wimbledon mixed doubles title
Czech Katerina Siniakova and Sem Verbeek of the Netherlands claimed the Wimbledon mixed doubles title on Thursday, defeating Britain's Joe Salisbury and Brazilian Luisa Stefani 7-6(3) 7-6(3). Facing home favourite Salisbury and Stefani on Centre Court, the Czech-Dutch duo held their nerve, while Stefani appeared to be hampered by a leg issue in the second set. As Siniakova sealed victory with an overhead smash, the duo celebrated their first title together, Siniakova's maiden mixed doubles Grand Slam and Verbeek's first Grand Slam triumph of any kind. "It's very special, I mean it means a lot - we had a lot of fun on the court and I really enjoyed it, it was a really amazing time here," Siniakova said after lifting the trophy. For the 29-year-old Siniakova, the win added to her 10 Grand Slam women's doubles titles, including the Australian Open crown with American Taylor Townsend in January. "Katerina, thank you so much, it's been an honour to compete next to such a great doubles legend, one of the best to ever do it and thank you for making this a Thursday I will remember for the rest of my life," the 31-year-old Verbeek said. Salisbury, who faced the disappointment of home fans hoping to see a British champion, said margins did not fall in his and Stefani's favour.
