11:41 AM ET Associated Press ROME — If there were any lingering questions about who is the new dominant force in women’s tennis, Iga Swiatek put that to rest with a 7-6 (2), 6-0 victory over 2019 US Open champion Bianca Andreescu on Friday to reach the Italian Open semifinals and extend her winning streak
Tennis
1:22 PM ET ESPN News Services Top-ranked Novak Djokovic faced little resistance Thursday at the Italian Open, posting a 6-2, 6-2 win over Stan Wawrinka, who was playing only his second tournament after undergoing two surgeries on his left foot. Djokovic needed just 1 hour, 14 minutes to finish off the match. Djokovic, a five-time
10:00 AM ET Associated Press ROME — Top-ranked Iga Swiatek was tested before pulling out a 6-4, 6-1 victory over former No. 1 Victoria Azarenka to reach the Italian Open quarterfinals on Thursday and extend her winning streak to 25 matches. Azarenka took a 3-0 lead before Swiatek won five straight games in a grueling
1:26 AM ET Associated Press PARIS — Elina Svitolina can vividly recall her struggles as an anxious young player on the international tennis circuit, and is now campaigning for better mental health protection for juniors starting out in their careers. The former No.3-ranked Svitolina remembers how tough the weight of expectation was, the loneliness and
3:27 PM ET Associated Press PARIS — Ukrainian tennis player Elina Svitolina wants Russian and Belarusian players to say whether they oppose the war in her nation. “For us, for Ukrainians, it’s very important that they speak out, that they choose which side they take. We want to know, we want to feel safe about
1:09 PM ET Naomi Osaka has left IMG to start her own agency, she told Sportico. Osaka’s sports agency, Evolve, will be stylized in all capital letters as EVOLVE. She is forming the agency with agent Stuart Duguid, who also is leaving IMG. Osaka’s contract with IMG expired at the end of last year and
9:21 AM ET Associated Press ROME — Once is enough when it comes to beating Rafael Nadal on a clay court. Throughout his career, Nadal has never lost consecutive matches on his favorite surface and the Spaniard extended that perfect record on Wednesday by beating John Isner 6-3, 6-1 to reach the third round of
4:43 PM ET ESPN News Services ROME — In a women’s matchup at the Italian Open of two US Open champions, Bianca Andreescu advanced Tuesday when Emma Raducanu retired due to a lower back injury with Andreescu ahead 6-2, 2-1. “Definitely disappointed with how today went. But I guess I wanted to give it a
2:02 PM ET Associated Press PARIS — Veteran French players Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Gilles Simon have been handed wild cards to play in the main draw at the French Open, organizers said Tuesday. A former Australian Open runner-up, Tsonga announced earlier this season that he will retire after the clay-court Grand Slam event. Play begins
12:42 PM ET Associated Press ROME — Still attempting to get his nearly unbeatable form back following his time away from the tour, Novak Djokovic took another step in the right direction with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Aslan Karatsev in his opening match at the Italian Open on Tuesday. The top-ranked Djokovic, who is