LINZ, Austria: Jelena Ostapenko powered past Ekaterina Alexandrova in straight sets in the Linz final on Sunday to secure her second WTA title of the year.
The top seed won 6-2, 6-3 in just over an hour to claim the eighth tournament victory of her career.
Latvia’s Ostapenko also won the Adelaide International in January in the build-up to the Australian Open.
This is the first year Ostapenko has lifted multiple titles since 2017, when she famously won the French Open.
“I’m just happy with the way I’m playing this year,” said Ostapenko, 12th in the WTA rankings.
“I think I feel like I’m more mature and more confident with my game, so it even motivates me more to work hard and get back to the top 10.”
It was the second time Ostapenko had met Alexandrova in a WTA final, after a defeat by the Russian in South Korea in 2022.
Ostapenko eases to second WTA title of season in Linz
https://arab.news/pvf33
Ostapenko eases to second WTA title of season in Linz
- The top seed won 6-2, 6-3 in just over an hour to claim the eighth tournament victory of her career
Fritz wins twice in one day to step up Eastbourne title defense
- Top seeded Fritz prevailed against the world No. 46, winning 7-5, 4-6, 7-5 to book a semifinal date with Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina on Friday
- Alexandra Eala, a 20-year-old Filipino qualifier, won 6-1, 6-2 against Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska to earn a semifinal against Varvara Gracheva
EASTBOURNE, southern England: Taylor Fritz enjoyed two wins in one day as the world NO. 5 beat Joao Fonseca and Marcos Giron on Thursday to move closer to a fourth Eastbourne title.
Fritz’s second round clash with rising Brazilian star Fonseca was suspended at one set all due to bad light on Wednesday.
Defending champion Fritz took the first set 6-3, but the 18-year-old Fonseca, ranked 57th, hit back to win the second 7-6 (7/5).
When play resumed on Thursday morning, Fritz won the deciding set 7-5 to reach the last eight.
The 27-year-old, who won the grass-court tournament in Stuttgart earlier in June, returned to court just hours later and was pushed to the brink by fellow American Giron.
Top seeded Fritz eventually prevailed against the world No. 46, winning 7-5, 4-6, 7-5 to book a semifinal date with Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina on Friday.
Davidovich Fokina, ranked 28th, beat Czech third seed Jakub Mensik 6-4, 7-5 in the quarter-finals.
The other semifinal pits French fourth seed Ugo Humbert against American world No. 149 Jenson Brooksby.
Humbert beat Billy Harris 7-6 (7/4), 6-1, while Brooksby, who entered the tournament as a ‘lucky loser’ after a withdrawal, defeated Dan Evans 6-2, 6-3.
In the women’s event at Devonshire Park, Australian teenager Maya Joint followed her shock second round victory over former US Open champion Emma Raducanu by reaching the semifinals with a 6-4, 7-5 win against Russian Anna Blinkova.
Joint, 19, will face 2021 French Open finalist Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, who beat fellow Russian Kamilla Rakhimova 6-2, 2-6, 6-0.
Alexandra Eala, a 20-year-old Filipino qualifier, won 6-1, 6-2 against Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska to earn a semifinal against Varvara Gracheva.
World No. 74 Eala is an emerging talent on the WTA Tour, having made her breakthrough with a surprise run to the Miami Masters semifinals in March.
French qualifier Gracheva was given a walkover into the last four when Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova pulled out of their quarterfinal with a thigh injury.
Krejcikova, the world No. 17, is awaiting the outcome of a scan before deciding if she can defend her Wimbledon title next week.
“I’m very sorry to have to withdraw from my quarter-final today in Eastbourne as I’m having some soreness in my right thigh,” she said.
“Overnight it just didn’t get any better; it actually got worse. I think it’s better with Wimbledon in the next couple of days just to rest it and to see what’s going on and to resolve that.”
Krejcikova suffers injury scare ahead of Wimbledon defense
- The world number 17 suffered the problem on Wednesday during her second-round victory over Britain’s Jodie Burrage
- The injury worsened overnight and the 29-year-old opted not to risk aggravating it
EASTBOPURNE, UK: Barbora Krejcikova faces a race to prove her fitness in time to defend the Wimbledon title after the Czech pulled out of the Eastbourne Open with a thigh injury on Thursday.
Krejcikova was due to face France’s Varvara Gracheva in the quarter-finals at Devonshire Park, but announced her withdrawal just hours before the match.
The world number 17 suffered the problem on Wednesday during her second-round victory over Britain’s Jodie Burrage.
The injury worsened overnight and, with her Wimbledon first-round tie scheduled for Tuesday, the 29-year-old opted not to risk aggravating it.
Krejcikova is awaiting the outcome of a scan before deciding if she will be fit to chase a second successive title at the All England Club.
“I’m very sorry to have to withdraw from my quarter-final today in Eastbourne as I’m having some soreness in my right thigh,” Krejcikova said.
“Overnight it just didn’t get any better, it actually got worse. I think it’s better with Wimbledon in the next couple of days just to rest it and to see what’s going on and to resolve that.”
Krejcikova has endured a difficult time since defeating Italy’s Jasmine Paolini in the women’s singles final at Wimbledon last year.
She lost in the second round of the recent French Open and also missed January’s Australian Open with a back injury, which kept her sidelined until May.
Krejcikova made a poor start to the grass-court season with a shock loss against Slovakia’s Rebecca Sramkova in the first round at Queen’s Club earlier this month.
The two-time Grand Slam champion had to save two match points before beating Britain’s Harriet Dart in the Eastbourne first round.
The second seed saved three more match points against Burrage.
Wimbledon plan to honor Murray with statue
- Wimbledon hope the statue will be revealed in 2027
- “He’s got to rightly be very involved in that and him and his team will be,” Jevans said
LONDON: Wimbledon organizers are planning to honor two-time champion Andy Murray with a statue at the All England Club.
Murray, who ended a 77-year wait for a British winner of the men’s singles title in 2013 before winning again in 2016, retired after the Paris Olympics last year.
Wimbledon hope the statue will be revealed in 2027 during the championship’s 150th anniversary.
“We are looking to have a statue of Andy Murray here (Wimbledon) and we’re working closely with him and his team,” All England Club chair Debbie Jevans told the ainslie + ainslie Performance People podcast.
“The ambition is that we would unveil that at the 150th anniversary of our first Championship, which was 1877.
“He’s got to rightly be very involved in that and him and his team will be.”
A bronze statue of Fred Perry, the last British men’s champion before Murray, was erected at Wimbledon in 1984 to mark the 50th anniversary of his first singles championship.
Tennis greats John McEnroe and Billie Jean King are among those that have previously called for Murray to be honored in similar fashion at Wimbledon.
Spain’s Alcaraz crowned king of Queen’s for second time
- World No. 2 has now collected 5 trophies this year; Spanish star warms up for Wimbledon
LONDON: Carlos Alcaraz clinched his second Queen’s Club title as the world No. 2 warmed up for Wimbledon with a 7-5, 6-7 (5/7), 6-2 win against Jiri Lehecka in Sunday’s final.
Alcaraz blasted 33 winners and 18 aces to subdue the gritty Czech world No. 30 in two hours and 10 minutes in west London.
Having won titles on clay at the French Open, Rome and Monte Carlo, as well as the hard courts of Rotterdam, Alcaraz has now collected five trophies in 2025.
The 22-year-old has not lost since the Barcelona final against Holger Rune on April 20 and is enjoying the longest winning streak of his career with 18 successive victories.
Top seeded Alcaraz is just the second Spanish man to win Queen’s twice after Feliciano Lopez, who lifted the trophy in 2017 and 2019.
For a player raised on the clay courts of Spain, Alcaraz has developed into a formidable force on grass.
The former world No. 1 signaled his emergence on the surface by winning Queen’s in 2023.
He clinched the Wimbledon title for the first time just weeks later and defended his All England Club crown last year.
Alcaraz, who has an 11-1 career record at Queen’s, will start his bid for a third successive Wimbledon title on June 30.
After his semifinal win over Roberto Bautista Agut on Saturday, Alcaraz fired an ominous message to his Wimbledon rivals, warning that his “grass-court mode” had been activated.
And on the evidence of his relentless display against the obdurate Lehecka, he is in no mood to surrender his All England Club crown.
Playing his first tournament since his epic French Open victory against Jannik Sinner two weeks ago, Alcaraz’s march to the Queen’s showpiece made it five consecutive finals for the Spaniard.
In contrast, Lehecka was playing in his first grass-court final after a shock win against British star Jack Draper in the last four.
The 23-year-old was the first Czech in the Queen’s final since Ivan Lendl in 1990.
Lehecka had come from a set down to stun Alcaraz in the Qatar Open quarterfinals in February.
But there would be no repeat of that upset on the lawns of Barons Court.
In his second Queen’s final, Alcaraz had an early chance to break in the fifth game of the first set.
Lehecka thundered down an ace to get out of trouble of that occasion.
But the five-time Grand Slam champion matched Lehecka’s serve blow for blow, dropping just one point in his first four service games.
Alcaraz’s piercing ground-strokes increased the pressure and Lehecka finally cracked in the 11th game when a badly timed double-fault gifted the first break to the Spaniard.
Alcaraz served out the set in typically ruthless fashion, but Lehecka refused to surrender without a fight.
A tight second set stayed on serve all the way through to the tie-break and, for once, Alcaraz stumbled with a key double-fault, allowing Lehecka to level the match.
Alcaraz was unfazed, breaking for a 3-1 lead in the deciding set when Lehecka netted an off-balance forehand.
Alcaraz had the finish line in sight and he wrapped up his latest title triumph with a flurry of searing winners.
Alcaraz sets up Queen’s final clash with Lehecka
- Alcaraz is one victory away from becoming only the second Spaniard to win Queen’s twice, after Feliciano Lopez’s victories in 2017 and 2019
- Lehecka, who will be playing in his first ATP grass-court final, is the first Czech to reach the men’s title match at Queen’s since Ivan Lendl lifted the trophy in 1990
LONDON: Carlos Alcaraz reached the Queen’s Club final for the second time as the world No. 2 eased to a 6-4, 6-4 win over Roberto Bautista Agut on Saturday.
Alcaraz extended his career-best winning streak to 17 matches in a semifinal played in sweltering conditions at the Wimbledon warm-up event in west London.
The five-time Grand Slam champion hit 36 winners and 15 aces to dispatch his fellow Spaniard in 90 minutes.
Top seeded Alcaraz will face Jiri Lehecka in Sunday’s final after the Czech world No. 30’s shock 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 win against British star Jack Draper in the other semifinal.
Playing his first tournament since his epic French Open victory against Jannik Sinner two weeks ago, the 22-year-old is through to his fifth successive final after lifting titles on clay in Paris, Rome, Barcelona and Monte Carlo.
Alcaraz signalled his emergence as a grass-court force by winning Queen’s in 2023, clinching the Wimbledon title for the first time just weeks later and defending his All England Club crown last year.
He is one victory away from becoming only the second Spaniard to win Queen’s twice, after Feliciano Lopez’s victories in 2017 and 2019.
“I’m playing great tennis. After every match I’m feeling more comfortable. Making the final here is so special once again,” Alcaraz said.
“I love making the crowds enjoy watching my games. Whenever I put a smile on my face I play my best tennis.
“I try to have fun and bring joy on the court. That is why I’m making good results.”
Alcaraz wasted little time taking control against Bautista Agut, unfurling a deft drop-shot to break in the third game of the match.
That was all the encouragement Alcaraz needed as he held serve with ease to close out the first set.
Bautista Agut, 37, enjoyed a surprise win over Danish fourth seed Holger Rune in the last eight.
But Alcaraz never looked like suffering the same fate and he delivered the knockout blow in the second set.
A whipped forehand down the line earned a break-point that he converted to move 3-2 ahead.
The nerveless Alcaraz finished off the win in typically ruthless fashion to the delight of the fans waving Spanish flags to salute their hero.
Earlier, Lehecka ended Draper’s bid for a maiden Queen’s final appearance.
Lehecka, who will be playing in his first ATP grass-court final, is the first Czech to reach the men’s title match at Queen’s since Ivan Lendl lifted the trophy in 1990.
The 23-year-old said: “It means a lot. You don’t meet a player like Jack every day, he’s an amazing competitor.”
Draper was hoping to become the first British singles champion at Queen’s since five-time winner Andy Murray’s most recent victory in 2016.
But the world No. 6 will have to wait at least another year to get his hands on the silverware after claiming a bout of tonsillitis played a role in his defeat.
“I haven’t felt good all week. I’m proud of the way I went about things, considering, but it’s tough,” he said.
“You’re an entertainer, an athlete, and you have no choice. No one cares, you know. So you’ve just got to go out there and do the best you can.
“Today’s probably the worst I’ve felt. Did I think about withdrawing? No, not at all. I’m in the semifinals at Queen’s. I’d probably go on court with a broken leg.”
Lehecka had already ended the hopes of one Briton at Queen’s after beating Jacob Fearnley in the quarter-finals on Friday.
He also defeated world number 12 Alex de Minaur in his opening match of the tournament, but knocking out Draper was his biggest scalp yet.
