PARIS: Serbia, without Novak Djokovic, proved no match for Slovakia who surged into the group stage of the Davis Cup finals for the first time, with Germany and Finland among five other countries qualifying on Saturday.
Slovak doubles duo Lukas Klein and Igor Zelenay clinched the decisive point with a 7-6 (7/4), 6-3 win over Nikola Caci and Miomir Kecmanovic to take an unassailable 3-0 lead in the tie.
Lukas Pokorny made it 4-0 after Laslo Djere retired while trailing in the first set of the reverse singles on indoor clay at Kraljevo.
“Too many years we didn’t qualify but finally we made it,” said Zelenay.
Alex Molcan, who won Friday’s second singles, added: “We knew it was going to be tough against Serbians in their home nation. I’m happy we were able to win two matches today.”
Zelenay and Klein had recovered from a break in the first set, digging deep with 31 winners to see off 2010 champions Serbia.
On Friday, Klein got Slovakia off the mark with a 7-6 (7/2), 6-2 win over Kecmanovic, with Molcan rallying past Dusan Lajovic 4-6, 6-2, 6-0.
In Hungary, three-time winners Germany — missing Alexander Zverev due to illness — clinched the first two of Saturday’s matches for an eventual 3-2 victory.
Doubles pairing Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz’s 6-3, 7-6 (7/3) win over Fabian Marozsan and Mate Valkusz pulled the Germans ahead.
Jan-Lennard Struff sealed their ticket with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Valkusz to advance to September’s group stage featuring 16 teams. Zsombor Piros won a dead fifth rubber against Krawietz.
Finland cruised to a 3-1 win over Portugal, while Brazil qualified for a first finals appearance as Thiago Monteiro defeated Elias Ymer in three sets to cement a 3-1 victory of their own.
The Netherlands won a thrilling contest against Switzerland, Botic van de Zandschulp edging Marc-Andrea Huesler 5-7, 7-6 (7/5), 6-3 in the decisive second reverse singles as the Dutch prevailed 3-2 in Groningen.
The Swiss led the tie 2-1 after Huesler and Leandro Riedi won Saturday’s doubles, but Tallon Griekspoor kept the hosts alive by seeing off Riedi in two tie-break sets.
“We had to win and it was up to me to do it,” said Griekspoor. “That is what you have to do as a team leader. I really didn’t feel any tension — I really enjoyed it.”
Canada, the 2022 champions, seized a 3-1 lead over South Korea to clinch victory on Saturday in Montreal when Gabriel Diallo defeated Hong Seong-chan 7-5, 4-6, 6-1.
Two-time winners Croatia are level at 1-1 with Belgium as are Argentina and Kazakhstan.
France hold a 2-0 lead against Taiwan, in one of five qualifiers set to conclude on Sunday. The Czech Republic have a similar advantage over Israel.
Defending champions Italy and last year’s runners-up Australia, as well as Britain and Spain have advanced automatically to the finals.
On Friday, the United States advanced 4-0 with Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram sealing their spot with a doubles win against Ukraine.
Taylor Fritz then eased past Vladyslav Orlov 6-3, 6-4 to complete an American sweep.
“I’m proud of the guys,” said US captain Bob Bryan of the record 32-time winners who have not lifted the trophy since 2007.
Slovakia rout Serbia in Djokovic absence to make Davis Cup finals
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Slovakia rout Serbia in Djokovic absence to make Davis Cup finals
Ruud beats Draper in Madrid Open final to win his first Masters 1000 title
- The 15th-ranked Ruud will return to the top 10 thanks to his campaign in Madrid, reaching No. 7 in the rankings on Monday
- The 13-time tour champion is the first Norwegian to lift a Masters 1000 trophy since the series was introduced in 1990, according to the ATP
MADRID: Casper Ruud became the first Norwegian to win a Masters 1000 title after beating Jack Draper 7-5, 3-6, 6-4 in the Madrid Open final on Sunday.
The former second-ranked Ruud rallied from 5-3 down in the first set and sealed the victory after capitalizing on his lone break at 2-2 in the third.
The 26-year-old Ruud yelled and thrust both arms into the air after clinching the win on his first match point on the Caja Magica clay court.
“It’s been a long time coming,” Ruud said. “(This was) one of the really big goals I dreamed about when I was young, so it’s an incredible feeling to accomplish it. Also the way I did it today, it was a great match. I knew Jack had been playing unbelievable all year, and especially in this tournament, so I knew that if I didn’t bring my A-plus game, I was going to be whooped around the court.”
The 15th-ranked Ruud will return to the top 10 thanks to his campaign in Madrid, reaching No. 7 in the rankings on Monday.
“Luckily, I played really well,” Ruud said. “Jack has become such an incredible player, on any surface now ... This is a really big boost for me, and I would like to keep it going.”
The 13-time tour champion is the first Norwegian to lift a Masters 1000 trophy since the series was introduced in 1990, according to the ATP. It was Ruud’s third such final after losing to Stefanos Tsitsipas in Monte Carlo last year and to Carlo Alcaraz in Miami in 2022.
Ruud has more titles (12) on clay than any other player since the start of 2020, according to the ATP.
Draper won at Indian Wells in March. After his quarterfinal victory in Madrid, he secured a top-five debut in the rankings.
Draper said Ruud was “braver” than him in the key moments on Sunday.
“You deserve this,” he said. “You’ve obviously put in so much hard work and constantly had very good years on the tour ... This sport is brutal, but I think this loss is going to make me better, so I’ll keep trying.”
The tournament in Madrid was disrupted early last week because of a major blackout that brought Spain and Portugal to a standstill on Monday, prompting the postponement of 22 matches in total.
Ruud had needed to take a couple of painkillers during his semifinal win over Francisco Cerundolo after feeling a rib ailment during his warmup, but there were no signs of any injury on Sunday.
Draper, who like Ruud had not lost a set on his way to the final, served for the first set at 5-4 but couldn’t finish it. The 23-year-old British player was visibly upset, and kept talking to himself and to his staff for a while during the changeover.
The men’s side of the draw lost most of its top players early. Home-crowd favorite Carlos Alcaraz had to withdraw from the tournament because of an injury, and Novak Djokovic lost to Matteo Arnaldi in his opening match.
Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka defeated Coco Gauff in the women’s final on Saturday.
Sabalenka eases past Kostyuk into Madrid Open semis
MADRID: Last year’s runner-up Aryna Sabalenka survived a gritty Marta Kostyuk and an untimely rain interruption to complete a 7-6(7/4), 7-6(9/7) win over the Ukrainian and reach the Madrid Open semifinals for a fourth time on Wednesday.
The top-seeded Sabalenka needed 84 minutes to take the opening set before securing the win in cold, breezy conditions.
Kostyuk saved a match point and broke to take the second set into a tiebreak. At 5-4 in the breaker, it started to rain and play was halted briefly to close the roof of the Manolo Santana stadium.
Upon resumption of play, Sabalenka saved three set points and eked out the win, her third over her rival in as many meetings.
“Honestly, that was a battle and conditions were incredibly tough. It wasn’t about tennis, it was about the way you handled your emotions,” said the Belarusian world number one, who hit 48 unforced errors.
“I think I did really well and I’m super proud I was able to handle myself in such a difficult situation.”
Sabalenka next takes on another Ukrainian in the form of Elina Svitolina, who extended her winning streak to 11 consecutive matches with a swift 6-2, 6-1 rout of Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima in just 52 minutes.
A champion in Rouen last week, Svitolina is undefeated on clay this season and is the first Ukrainian woman to reach the semifinals in Madrid.
The 30-year-old has won her last 22 consecutive sets on the red dirt.
Svitolina has a three-year-old daughter, is running a foundation that has taken over the responsibilities of the Ukrainian national tennis team both financially and from a managerial side, and is on an incredible run that will see her re-enter the top 15 in the rankings.
“I have a lot on my plate, but I draw energy and motivation from my people,” said the former world number three.
“When I go back to Ukraine, I just get so much energy from all the people that are right now over there having a tough time. I’m just trying to keep it up and bring some wins for Ukraine.”
Earlier in the day, Iga Swiatek kept her Madrid Open title defense alive, as she avenged her Australian Open defeat to Madison Keys with a 0-6, 6-3, 6-2 win against the American in the quarter-finals.
The second seed will next square off with Coco Gauff, who beat 18-year-old Mirra Andreeva for the third time in as many meetings, 7-5, 6-1.
Searching for her first title of the season, the second-seeded Swiatek recovered from a poor opening set to improve her clean record on clay against Keys to 4-0 and reach a third consecutive Madrid semifinal.
Keys knocked out the Pole on her way to a maiden Grand Slam title in Melbourne three months ago and seemed to have cracked the Swiatek code when she handed her a bagel in the first set on Wednesday.
But Swiatek, who was contesting a 17th consecutive quarter-final on clay, cut down on her errors and struck back to book a last-four clash with Gauff.
On court in the Arantxa Sanchez stadium, Gauff saved two set points while receiving at 4-5 before seizing a one-set lead after 63 minutes of play against Andreeva.
Gauff cruised in the second set to dismiss the seventh-seeded Russian and reach her first semifinal of the year — outside of the mixed team United Cup event.
The fourth-seeded American gave herself a 9/10 grade for her performance, adding: “I think I played really well and stayed composed, even when facing those set points.”
In ATP action, Novak Djokovic’s conqueror Matteo Arnaldi earned multiple top-20 wins in one event for the first time by knocking out 16th-seeded Frances Tiafoe 6-3, 7-5 to move into the Madrid quarter-finals.
The Italian world number 44 will take on Jack Draper, who reached his first Masters 1000 quarter-final on clay with a 6-2, 6-2 result against world number 12 Tommy Paul.
Lucky loser Gabriel Diallo saved three match points to claim the biggest win of his career over world number 16 Grigor Dimitrov 5-7, 7-6(9/7), 6-4 and reach the quarter-finals.
Sinner considered walking away from tennis during doping controversy
- Sinner accepted a three-month ban in February after a settlement with the World Anti-Doping Agency
- “I didn’t feel comfortable and then I said, maybe after Australia, a little bit of free time, in the sense where I take a little break it will do me good,” he said
ROME: World number one Jannik Sinner, who is about to return to action after a three-month doping ban, thought about walking away from tennis even while successfully defending his Australian Open title, but is coming back with a new mentality.
Sinner accepted a three-month ban in February after a settlement with the World Anti-Doping Agency, who had appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport against an independent tribunal’s decision in August to clear him.
The Italian had tested positive for anabolic agent clostebol which Sinner said entered his system from a member of his support team through massages and sports therapy.
Sinner won the Australian Open in January, with the WADA case hanging over him, and was asked during an interview with Italian broadcaster RAI on Tuesday whether he had ever considered giving up tennis.
“Yes, yes. I remember before the Australian Open this year, I was not in a very happy moment because there was still that case of doping,” Sinner said.
“I didn’t feel really comfortable in the locker room, where I ate. It was a bit like some players looked at me differently and I didn’t like it at all. And there I said it’s heavy to live tennis in this way.
“I didn’t feel comfortable and then I said, maybe after Australia, a little bit of free time, in the sense where I take a little break it will do me good.”
Sinner was then forced into a break by the ban, but is now back in training for the upcoming Italian Open next month.
“Slowly, I’m getting back into the rhythm of real training with a goal in front of me,” Sinner said.
“Sometimes it goes very well, sometimes there is a drop and I don’t know why, so I will certainly be very happy to return to the court.
“Especially in Rome, it is a special tournament for me, but I certainly enter with a slightly different mentality. I miss the competition. I am certainly very happy that this phase is now over and we are ready to start again.”
Sinner’s settlement brought plenty of criticism from both current and former players, with Serena Williams saying she would have been banned for 20 years and had her Grand Slam titles taken away had she tested positive in a similar fashion.
“I mean, I don’t even want to answer. Everyone is free to say what they want, everyone can judge, but that’s okay,” Sinner said.
“It’s important to me that I know how that happened, but above all also of what I went through and it was very difficult.
“I don’t wish it on anyone to really pass as innocent something like that because it wasn’t easy, but we are in a world where everyone can say what they want, so it’s okay.”
Djokovic’s Rome pullout a worrying sign, says Courier
- The Serb was expected to jumpstart his clay campaign in Rome before returning to Paris, where he won Olympic gold last year
LONDON: Novak Djokovic’s shock withdrawal from next week’s Italian Open should be a huge worry for the 24-times Grand Slam champion’s fans as he heads to the French Open without winning a match on clay this season, former Roland Garros winner Jim Courier said.
Djokovic, who turns 38 three days before the year’s second Grand Slam begins on May 25, has been woefully out of form and was comprehensively beaten in his opening matches at Masters tournaments in Monte Carlo and Madrid this month.
The Serb was expected to jumpstart his clay campaign in Rome before returning to Paris, where he won Olympic gold last year, but on Tuesday he said he was skipping the Masters 1000 event, without providing a reason.
“That’s troubling. It’s worrying for me as a Novak fan,” Courier, who won back-to-back Roland Garros titles in 1991 and 1992, said on the Tennis Channel.
The American added that Rome would have been the perfect venue for Djokovic to find his rhythm as it had similar conditions to Paris without the challenge of playing at altitude in Madrid.
“If you’re going to play one between Madrid and Rome (then) Rome would be the one you would want to play to get ready for Roland Garros,” he said.
Djokovic, who is chasing a 100th tour-level title and first since his ATP Finals triumph in 2023, said after his loss in Madrid that he was trying to come to terms with a “new reality” in tennis where he is just “trying to win a match or two.”
“I don’t know what to make of it, but I don’t like the way it feels in the gut,” Courier added.
“It’s a very strange thing to announce a pullout now, well in advance of it, and we’ll see what it all means when we get to Roland Garros.”
Iga Swiatek reaches Madrid Open quarterfinals after ‘relaxed’ day during blackout
- Swiatek said she took away food from the tournament site and relaxed at the hotel until the power came back on
- “I just chilled and used that time to not think about what I should do”
MADRID: Power was restored at the Caja Magica tennis complex Tuesday and the Madrid Open resumed with a packed schedule that included second-ranked Iga Swiatek advancing to the quarterfinals after a “more relaxed” day because of the blackout.
Following the major blackout that prompted 22 matches to be postponed on Monday, Swiatek returned to the center court and defeated Diana Shnaider 6-0, 6-7 (3), 6-4 to stay on track to defend her title in the Spanish capital.
“I liked yesterday. I think the whole world was just more relaxed, kind of, obviously the people who didn’t lose because of this,” she said. “I enjoyed the time off, and I tried to just recover, because we need to savor these free days, for sure.”
Swiatek said she took away food from the tournament site and relaxed at the hotel until the power came back on.
“I just chilled and used that time to not think about what I should do,” she said. “There was no signal, so basically no one used their phones. It was nice, I liked it.”
Most parts of Madrid regained power overnight, but the Caja Magica was still without electricity early Tuesday, causing a delay in the opening of the gates for fans.
The power came back quickly, though, and organizers did not have to alter the day’s schedule of matches, although there was the possibility of the night session being delayed because of the high number of matches during the day.
Swiatek to face Keys
Swiatek cruised in the first set but had to save 11 of 13 break points to seal a hard-fought victory against the 13th-seeded Shnaider.
Swiatek has not lost before the quarterfinals in seven tournaments this season but hasn’t gone past the semifinals since Roland Garros last year. She will next face Madison Keys, who defeated Donna Vekic 6-2, 6-3.
It will be Swiatek’s first meeting with Keys since she lost despite having match point in the semifinals of the Australian Open that was won by Keys.
“We played last year here, but I think it was a night session or something,” Swiatek said. “I don’t know, I think it was like colder or a little bit different, so for sure we’ll watch that match.”
Berrettini out with injury
In the men’s side, 31st-ranked Matteo Berrettini withdrew with an apparent abdominal injury after losing the first set 7-6 (2) to sixth-ranked Jack Draper.
“I think he said his abs were pulling,” Draper said. “I’ve had injuries in the past. I believe he might have done it in his last match, so credit to him for coming out here and putting on a good first set. I saw his energy was a bit low in general.”
Sixth-seeded Alex de Minaur tied Carlos Alcaraz with a tour-leading 24th win this season by getting past Denis Shapovalov 6-3, 7-6 (3).
The seventh-ranked De Minaur will next face Lorenzo Musetti, who beat 2019 runner-up Stefanos Tsitsipas 7-5, 7-6 (3).
Americans Tommy Paul and Frances Tiafoe both won their matches. The 11th-seeded Paul defeated Karen Khachanov 6-3, 3-6, 6-2, while the 16th-seeded Tiafoe beat Alexandre Muller 6-3, 6-3.
Paul was among the players having to play doubles on the same day as their singles matches. Another was 19-year-old Jakub Mensik, who defeated Alexander Bublik 6-3, 6-2 before having to play his doubles match on the same court a bit later.
Tuesday’s schedule included second-ranked Alexander Zverev facing Francisco Cerundolo. On the women’s side, the remaining six fourth-round matches were scheduled, including top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka facing Peyton Stearns.
Refunds for ticket holders
There were huge lines outside the complex, and people with tickets for Monday’s matches were not allowed back in on Tuesday.
“Nobody said anything yet,” said Juan Duato, who was denied entry when he arrived on Monday during the power outage. “They said we couldn’t come in and asked us to contact customer support. Apparently they will send us an email.”
Organizers said later Tuesday that anyone who purchased tickets for Monday would receive a full refund for the purchase. That process would be carried out automatically over the next few days.
Fans already inside were asked to leave the Caja Magica a few hours after the outage happened shortly after 12:30 p.m. local time (1030 GMT) on Monday. Two ATP singles matches and one doubles match were underway at the time.
There were longer-than-usual wait times for players to be transported back to the hotel on Monday.
