Hobbled Daniil Medvedev limps to 3rd-round win at Miami Open
Daniil Medvedev, of Russia, walks gingerly to the net after defeating Alexei Popyrin, of Australia, during the Miami Open tennis tournament, Sunday, March 28, 2021, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)MIAMI – Daniil Medvedev could barely walk, much less run. The top-ranked Medvedev held his final two service games despite being hobbled by cramps and beat Alexei Popyrin 7-6 (3), 6-7 (7), 6-4 in the third round at the Miami Open. “Winning a Grand Slam final in straight sets doesn’t feel the way I felt after the match point today,” he said with a grin. Medvedev failed to convert three match points in the second set after taking a 5-2 lead. When Popyrin misfired on a backhand on the final point, Medvedev shuffled to the net with a smile that turned into a wince.
Djokovic holds off Tiafoe; Venus hobbles out in Australia
Serbia's Novak Djokovic makes a forehand return to United States' Frances Tiafoe during their second round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2021. 1, had never beaten anyone in the Top 5, and now he'd just won a tiebreaker against Novak Djokovic to level their second-round match at the Australian Open. So did another U.S. Open champion, Naomi Osaka, who needed only an hour to sweep Caroline Garcia 6-2, 6-3. AdFormer U.S. Open champion Bianca Andreescu, coming back from 15 months out with injury, became the latest top-10 player to be beaten by Hsieh Su-wei of Taiwan. 11 Denis Shapovalov beat Australian qualifier Bernard Tomic 6-1, 6-3, 6-2, advancing along with two other Canadians, Milos Raonic and Felix Auger-Aliassime.
Serena Williams through easily in Australian Open tuneup
United States' Serena Williams makes a backhand return to Australia's Daria Gavrilova during a tuneup tournament ahead of the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Monday, Feb. 1, 2021. (AP Photo/Hamish Blair)MELBOURNE – Serena Williams found a silver lining in the delayed start to the Australian Open, the season-opening Grand Slam tournament that is starting three weeks later than usual because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Williams is playing in the Yarra Valley Classic, along with top-ranked Ash Barty and defending Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin. “So I definitely was pushing the limits, but I’m here.”Williams has been stalled on 23 major singles titles since the 2017 Australian Open, when she was two months pregnant with now-3-year-old daughter Olympia. AdFrances Tiafoe, an Australian Open quarterfinalist in 2019, lost to Corentin Moutet 3-6, 6-4, 6-4.
Who is Taylor Townsend, the 23-year-old who upset Simona Halep?
Photo by Elsa/Getty Images(CNN) - Taylor Townsend has created a seismic impact in the US Open women's singles draw. 4 seed Simona Halep 2-6, 6-3, 7-6(4) at Arthur Ashe Stadium, the largest stadium in the world for tennis. "This means a lot," Townsend said through tears on court to ESPN. I didn't really know why it was bothering me. On court after Thursday's win, Townsend gestured toward her player box, giving credit to her coach, Donald Young Sr."Every person says they've been through a lot," Townsend said.