WTA roundup: Top seeds roll in Dubai
The top two seeds in the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships lost a combined three games while cruising to second-round wins on Tuesday in the United Arab Emirates.
Belinda Bencic Sport News
Emma Raducanu: British No. 1 'loves tennis too much not to figure it out' says former coach Dmitry Tursunov
Dmitry Tursunov has backed Emma Raducanu to “figure things out” and navigate «bumpy roads» to improve her game, describing her as “fanatical” about tennis. Raducanu burst onto the scene with her shock US Open victory in 2021. Ad She has faced a challenging period since then, struggling with injuries and also not being able to settle on a full-time coach.
Iga Swiatek keeps world No.1 spot after Qatar victory
The French and US Open champion, Swiatek, 21, dropped just five games all week on her way to a second straight Doha title on Saturday by beating Jessica Pegula.Aryna Sabalenka is second and American Pegula moves up to third in the standings despite defeat to Swiatek with Tunisian Ons Jabeur dropping to fourth.Jabeur has been sidelined through injury since January and will miss this week's Dubai WTA event.
Australian Open success whetted Sabalenka’s appetite for more glory
DUBAI: Aryna Sabalenka says her maiden Grand Slam triumph at the Australian Open last month has further fueled her hunger for success, as she looks to add more silverware to her cabinet. The world No.2 is undefeated so far in 2023, having won both tournaments she has contested to accrue a perfect 11-0 record. Sabalenka will put her winning streak on the line in Dubai this week, where she will make her first on-court appearance since lifting the trophy in Melbourne with victory over Elena Rybakina in the final three weeks ago.
Swiatek breezes past Kudermetova and into final at blustery Doha
Doha Open semi-final demolition on Friday.The French and US Open champion triumphed 6-0, 6-1 and will face world number four Jessica Pegula of the United States for the title.Second seed Pegula reached the final by seeing off Greek fifth seed Maria Sakkari 6-2, 4-6, 6-1 in just under two hoursPoland's Swiatek, the top seed, coped with blustery conditions the better of the two in the Qatari capital, hitting 14 winners to five unforced errors and breaking serve five times.
Iga Swiatek breezes into Qatar Open final with dominant win over Veronika Kudermetova to face Jessica Pegula
Iga Swiatek breezed into the Qatar Open final with a dominant 6-0 6-1 win over Veronika Kudermetova. Swiatek had a walkover into the semi-finals after Belinda Bencic withdrew from the tournament due to fatigue on Thursday. Ad She will play Jessica Pegula in Saturday’s final following the American’s much tougher victory against Maria Sakkari.
17 of world’s top 20 female players enter draw for $2.9m Dubai Tennis Championships
DUBAI: With only days to go until the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships get under way, a throng of the elite 64-player field — including last month’s Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka and World No.1 Iga Swiatek — are already arriving in the emirate ahead of Saturday’s main draw when they will discover their pathways to the $2.9 million prize purse.
Veronika Kudermetova stuns Coco Gauff in Doha to set up semis with Iga Swiatek
Russian 25-year-old Kudermetova, ranked eighth, needed just over two hours to complete victory over the world number four.If she is to reach a first WTA final since Istanbul last April, Kudermetova will have to get past a refreshed Swiatek.The reigning French and US Open champion reached the last-four when last weekend's Abu Dhabi title winner Belinda Bencic withdrew from their quarter-final.