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Gulf Today
4 days ago
- Sport
- Gulf Today
Top seed Fritz stumbles as Rybakina and Fernandez win at DC Open
US top seed Taylor Fritz dropped an early on Saturday morning marathon to Spain's Alejandro Davidovich-Fokina while Britain's Emma Raducanu and Canada's Leylah Fernandez reached the semi-finals of the ATP and WTA DC Open. World number four Fritz, two points from victory in the ninth game, dropped the last five games in defeat to the 26th-ranked Spaniard 7-6 (7/3), 3-6, 7-5 after three hours and five minutes in a match ending just before 2:00 am. Davidovich-Fokina advanced to the semi-final against US fourth seed Ben Shelton, who beat sixth-seeded hometown hero Frances Tiafoe 7-6 (7/2), 6-4. Fritz, who had 20 aces and six double faults, served for the match in the ninth and was up 30-0 but lost, then failed to take advantage of three double faults by Davidovich-Fokina in the 10th game. The other men's semi-final will send French lucky loser Corentin Moutet against Australian seventh seed Alex De Minaur, who eliminated American Brandon Nakashima 6-4, 6-4. Moutet withstood leg cramps to eliminate eighth seed Daniil Medvedev 1-6, 6-4, 6-4. 'I tried to survive every point because it was hard physically,' Moutet said after fighting off leg cramps. 'I'm just proud of myself.' Raducanu reached the brink of her first WTA final since winning the 2021 US Open, ousting Greece's Maria Sakkari 6-4, 7-5. And Fernandez, whom Raducanu beat in that Flushing Meadows championship match, reached the other semi-final by dispatching American Taylor Townsend 6-4, 7-6 (7/4). Raducanu, who missed most of 2023 after hand and ankle surgery and part of last year with a left foot injury, reached her first WTA semi-final since last year at Nottingham by dispatching Sakkari in sweltering conditions of 95F (35C). 'It was one of the toughest matches conditions-wise I've ever played in,' Raducanu said. 'Those points in the second set, I was getting a bit wobbly I'm just happy I could close it out and it was two sets. 'I think the humidity here, as well, it just makes it feel completely like you have just opened an oven and it just stayed open and your head is in there. That's how it feels.' Left-hander Fernandez overcame leg cramps in the second set in advancing to face third seed Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan, who beat Polish fifth seed Magdalena Frech 6-3, 6-3. Raducanu will next face Anna Kalinskaya, who defeated Danish fourth seed Clara Tauson 6-3, 7-5. Raducanu, Britain's first women's Grand Slam singles champion since Virginia Wade in 1977 at Wimbledon, beat four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka in the second round before downing Sakkari after a medical timeout in the second set. 'Brutal conditions. Right in the peak heat of the day. It was incredibly difficult,' Raducanu said. 'I had to call a doctor on. Wasn't feeling too good in the second set. 'When it's at that stage you know you're going to suffer and you have to just go until you physically can't anymore. It could be a little dangerous but you just leave it all out there on the court as an athlete.' Raducanu rallied to win the final five games of the match, calling it a 'big benchmark' to reach the semis. 'You get to a point where you're so tired that you don't really know what you're doing anymore, and I think maybe that helped,' Raducanu said. Fernandez called it a 'good steppingstone' to reach the semis, fight off leg cramps to break Townsend on her eighth chance in the 10th game to reach 5-5 on the way to victory. 'It was definitely an adventure,' Fernandez said. 'This was the first time I've had to go through this. I'm proud I was able to stay mentally tough.' Agencies
Al-Ahram Weekly
5 days ago
- Sport
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Tennis: Top seed Fritz falls as Raducanu and Fernandez win at DC Open - Omni sports
US top seed Taylor Fritz dropped an early Saturday morning marathon to Spain's Alejandro Davidovich-Fokina while Britain's Emma Raducanu and Canada's Leylah Fernandez reached the semi-finals of the ATP and WTA DC Open. World number four Fritz, two points from victory in the ninth game, dropped the last five games in falling to the 26th-ranked Spaniard 7-6 (7/3), 3-6, 7-5 after three hours and five minutes in a match ending just before 2:00 am. Davidovich-Fokina advanced to a Saturday semi-final against US fourth seed Ben Shelton, who beat sixth-seeded hometown hero Frances Tiafoe 7-6 (7/2), 6-4. Fritz, who had 20 aces and six double faults, served for the match in the ninth and was up 30-0 but lost, then failed to take advantage of three double faults by Davidovich-Fokina in the 10th game. The other men's semi-final will send French lucky loser Corentin Moutet against Australian seventh seed Alex De Minaur, who eliminated American Brandon Nakashima 6-4, 6-4. Moutet withstood leg cramps to eliminate eighth seed Daniil Medvedev 1-6, 6-4, 6-4. "I tried to survive every point because it was hard physically," Moutet said after fighting off leg cramps. "I'm just proud of myself." Raducanu reached the brink of her first WTA final since winning the 2021 US Open, ousting Greece's Maria Sakkari 6-4, 7-5. And Fernandez, whom Raducanu beat in that Flushing Meadows championship match, reached the other semi-final by dispatching American Taylor Townsend 6-4, 7-6 (7/4). Raducanu, who missed most of 2023 after hand and ankle surgery and part of last year with a left foot injury, reached her first WTA semi-final since last year at Nottingham by dispatching Sakkari in sweltering conditions of 95F (35C). "It was one of the toughest matches conditions-wise I've ever played in," Raducanu said. "Those points in the second set, I was getting a bit wobbly I'm just happy I could close it out and it was two sets. "I think the humidity here, as well, it just makes it feel completely like you have just opened an oven and it just stayed open and your head is in there. That's how it feels." Left-hander Fernandez overcame leg cramps in the second set in advancing to face third seed Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan, who beat Polish fifth seed Magdalena Frech 6-3, 6-3. Raducanu will next face Anna Kalinskaya, who defeated Danish fourth seed Clara Tauson 6-3, 7-5. Raducanu, Britain's first women's Grand Slam singles champion since Virginia Wade in 1977 at Wimbledon, beat four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka in the second round before downing Sakkari after a medical timeout in the second set. "Brutal conditions. Right in the peak heat of the day. It was incredibly difficult," Raducanu said. "I had to call a doctor on. Wasn't feeling too good in the second set. "When it's at that stage you know you're going to suffer and you have to just go until you physically can't anymore. It could be a little dangerous but you just leave it all out there on the court as an athlete." 'Benchmark' win Raducanu rallied to win the final five games of the match, calling it a "big benchmark" to reach the semis. "You get to a point where you're so tired that you don't really know what you're doing anymore, and I think maybe that helped," Raducanu said. Fernandez called it a "good steppingstone" to reach the semis, fight off leg cramps to break Townsend on her eighth chance in the 10th game to reach 5-5 on the way to victory. "It was definitely an adventure," Fernandez said. "This was the first time I've had to go through this. I'm proud I was able to stay mentally tough." (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.) Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
National Post
22-07-2025
- Sport
- National Post
Venus Williams returns with doubles win over Eugenie Bouchard at DC Open
WASHINGTON — Seven-time Grand Slam single champion Venus Williams returned to competitive tennis after a 16-month hiatus on Monday with a doubles victory at the WTA and ATP DC Open. Article content The 45-year-old American joined compatriot Hailey Baptiste to defeat Canada's Eugenie Bouchard and US teen Clervie Ngounoue 6-3, 6-1 in a first-round match. Article content 'After the match Hailey asked me, 'How did that feel?' It's probably even harder to play the doubles first because I'm not a doubles player,' Williams said. Article content 'So it's great to have her to kind of hold the team up. She has had the experience. She served first because she has been playing all year and playing well. I think that helped me a lot. Article content 'I think also just to get the feel for the ball. Obviously singles I have a little more experience even though doubles I have had some great results. Article content 'It's just nice to be able to play. Where I am at this year is so much different where I was at last year. It's night and day, being able to be here and prepare for the tournament as opposed to preparing for surgery a year ago.' Article content Article content A crowd of about 3,000 spectators watched the doubles match, including NBA star Kevin Durant, who is from Washington. Article content 'We were both so focused and after the match, I was, like, 'Did you see Kevin Durant walk in?' She was, like, 'Yeah,'' Williams said. Article content Fans chanting 'K-D' made it tough for Baptiste to focus but she was happy to have a famous fan in the stands. Article content 'It's sick that he came out to support us,' she said. 'It's really cool.' Article content 'I was, like, 'I want to show KD what I can do. Hit the ball to me,'' Williams said. 'They hit every ball to you. I was, like, OK, whatever. However we win is fine.' Article content For Williams, who battled health issues during much of her layoff, just being back on the court was a victory. Article content 'I just want to be healthy. You can play all the matches in the world, can you do all the things in the world, but when your health is gone or when your opportunities are being taken away, it just puts a whole new perspective,' Williams said. Article content 'I wasn't even thinking about tennis at that point. Just wanted to have a successful surgery that I lived through. Article content 'Tennis is a game, it's our life, literally our obsession, it's actually a cult, I think. But at the end of the day, it doesn't really matter if your health is not there. Article content 'Definitely put it in perspective for me and maybe made it easier to make the decision to maybe come back out here and maybe play even freer.'
Yahoo
22-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Venus Williams returns with doubles win at DC Open
Seven-time Grand Slam single champion Venus Williams returned to competitive tennis after a 16-month hiatus on Monday with a doubles victory at the WTA and ATP DC Open. The 45-year-old American joined compatriot Hailey Baptiste to defeat Canada's Eugenie Bouchard and US teen Clervie Ngounoue 6-3, 6-1 in a first-round match. "After the match Hailey asked me, 'How did that feel?' It's probably even harder to play the doubles first because I'm not a doubles player," Williams said. "So it's great to have her to kind of hold the team up. She has had the experience. She served first because she has been playing all year and playing well. I think that helped me a lot. "I think also just to get the feel for the ball. Obviously singles I have a little more experience even though doubles I have had some great results. "It's just nice to be able to play. Where I am at this year is so much different where I was at last year. It's night and day, being able to be here and prepare for the tournament as opposed to preparing for surgery a year ago." Williams makes her return to singles on Tuesday in the main court night feature match against American Peyton Stearns. A crowd of about 3,000 spectators watched the doubles match, including NBA star Kevin Durant, who is from Washington. "We were both so focused and after the match, I was, like, 'Did you see Kevin Durant walk in?' She was, like, 'Yeah,'" Williams said. Fans chanting "K-D" made it tough for Baptiste to focus but she was happy to have a famous fan in the stands. "It's sick that he came out to support us," she said. "It's really cool." "I was, like, 'I want to show KD what I can do. Hit the ball to me,'" Williams said. "They hit every ball to you. I was, like, OK, whatever. However we win is fine." For Williams, who battled health issues during much of her layoff, just being back on the court was a victory. "I just want to be healthy. You can play all the matches in the world, can you do all the things in the world, but when your health is gone or when your opportunities are being taken away, it just puts a whole new perspective," Williams said. "I wasn't even thinking about tennis at that point. Just wanted to have a successful surgery that I lived through. "Tennis is a game, it's our life, literally our obsession, it's actually a cult, I think. But at the end of the day, it doesn't really matter if your health is not there. "Definitely put it in perspective for me and maybe made it easier to make the decision to maybe come back out here and maybe play even freer." - 'She's such a legend' - Williams said she enjoys sharing her emotions with spectators after a triumph. "It's so much work," she said. "I've been training for months to get to this moment, and then you train to be prepared to win in this moment, but it's not a guarantee. You don't win until that final point is over. "It's important to share those emotions with the crowd." Bouchard will retire next week in Canada and was pleased for one last meeting with Williams. "To play against her one last time is fun and special," Bouchard said. "I was like kudos to you to keep kicking it. She's 14 years older than me and still plugging away. I have nothing but respect for her. She's such a legend." js/des
Japan Times
22-07-2025
- Sport
- Japan Times
Venus Williams returns with doubles win at DC Open
Seven-time Grand Slam singles champion Venus Williams returned to competitive tennis after a 16-month hiatus on Monday with a doubles victory at the WTA and ATP DC Open. The 45-year-old American joined compatriot Hailey Baptiste to defeat Canada's Eugenie Bouchard and U.S. teen Clervie Ngounoue 6-3, 6-1 in a first-round match. "After the match Hailey asked me, 'How did that feel?' It's probably even harder to play the doubles first because I'm not a doubles player," Williams said. "So it's great to have her to kind of hold the team up. She has had the experience. She served first because she has been playing all year and playing well. I think that helped me a lot. "I think also just to get the feel for the ball. Obviously singles I have a little more experience even though doubles I have had some great results. "It's just nice to be able to play. Where I am at this year is so much different where I was at last year. It's night and day, being able to be here and prepare for the tournament as opposed to preparing for surgery a year ago." Williams makes her return to singles on Tuesday in the main court night feature match against American Peyton Stearns. A crowd of about 3,000 spectators watched the doubles match, including NBA star Kevin Durant, who is from Washington. "We were both so focused and after the match, I was, like, 'Did you see Kevin Durant walk in?' She was, like, 'Yeah,'" Williams said. Fans chanting "K-D" made it tough for Baptiste to focus but she was happy to have a famous fan in the stands. "It's sick that he came out to support us," she said. "It's really cool." "I was, like, 'I want to show KD what I can do. Hit the ball to me,'" Williams said. "They hit every ball to you. I was, like, OK, whatever. However we win is fine." For Williams, who battled health issues during much of her layoff, just being back on the court was a victory. "I just want to be healthy. You can play all the matches in the world, can you do all the things in the world, but when your health is gone or when your opportunities are being taken away, it just puts a whole new perspective," Williams said. "I wasn't even thinking about tennis at that point. Just wanted to have a successful surgery that I lived through. "Tennis is a game, it's our life, literally our obsession, it's actually a cult, I think. But at the end of the day, it doesn't really matter if your health is not there. "Definitely put it in perspective for me and maybe made it easier to make the decision to maybe come back out here and maybe play even freer." Williams said she enjoys sharing her emotions with spectators after a triumph. "It's so much work," she said. "I've been training for months to get to this moment, and then you train to be prepared to win in this moment, but it's not a guarantee. You don't win until that final point is over. "It's important to share those emotions with the crowd." Bouchard will retire next week in Canada and was pleased for one last meeting with Williams. "To play against her one last time is fun and special," Bouchard said. "I was like kudos to you to keep kicking it. She's 14 years older than me and still plugging away. I have nothing but respect for her. She's such a legend."
