logo
ATP roundup: Alexander Bublik wins in Gstaad for first title on clay

ATP roundup: Alexander Bublik wins in Gstaad for first title on clay

The Star2 days ago
FILE PHOTO: Tennis - Halle Open - OWL Arena, Halle, Germany - June 22, 2025 Kazakhstan's Alexander Bublik in action during the final against Russia's Daniil Medvedev REUTERS/Leon Kuegeler/File Photo
Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan won his first tournament on clay Sunday, topping Juan Manuel Cerundolo 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 at the EFG Swiss Open Gstaad.
Bublik, the second seed, won his sixth tour title at the ATP 250 event in the Swiss Alps, in his first final on clay courts. It also was his first meeting with Argentina's Cerundolo.
Bublik had 13 aces among his 47 winners in the two-hour, eight-minute match. Cerundolo posted 21 winners against 25 unforced errors.
In June, Bublik won the ATP 500 event in Halle, Germany.
Nordea Open
No. 6 seed Luciano Darderi of Italy captured the championship in Bastad, Sweden, with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 win over unseeded Dutchman Jesper De Jong.
De Jong was in search of his first career ATP Tour title. It was the third for Darderi, all on clay. He won at Marrakech, Morocco, earlier this season and in Cordoba, Argentina, in 2024
Darderi won 81 percent (38-of-47) of the points on his first serve and converted three break points, compared to two for De Jong. In the end, just three points separated the two, with Darderi winning 80 and De Jong 77.
Plava Laguna Croatia Open
The first round in Umag, Croatia, began Sunday with a pair of three-set matches.
Czech eighth seed Vit Kopriva rallied past Belgium's Raphael Collignon 3-6, 6-4, 6-3. Kopriva edged Collignon in aces 7-6 while saving 11 of 16 break points and converting 6 of 12 chances to break his opponent's serve.
Italy's Francesco Passaro also came from behind in a 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 victory over Croatian wild card Matej Dodig. Passaro limited himself to 17 unforced errors to Dodig's 33.
--Field Level Media
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Tennis-Sinner re-appoints former fitness coach Ferrara
Tennis-Sinner re-appoints former fitness coach Ferrara

The Star

timean hour ago

  • The Star

Tennis-Sinner re-appoints former fitness coach Ferrara

FILE PHOTO: Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 28, 2024 Italy's Jannik Sinner poses for a picture with the trophy and fitness coach Umberto Ferrara after winning the final against Russia's Daniil Medvedev REUTERS/Issei Kato/File Photo LONDON (Reuters) -Wimbledon champion Jannik Sinner has re-appointed his former fitness coach Umberto Ferrara with immediate effect, the Italian world number one confirmed on Wednesday. Sinner parted ways with Ferrara and physiotherapist Giacomo Naldi last year following the investigation into his positive tests for banned substance clostebol in March. "The decision has been made in alignment with Jannik's management team as part of ongoing preparations for upcoming tournaments, including the Cincinnati Open and U.S. Open," a statement from Sinner's team said. "Umberto has played an important role in Jannik's development to date, and his return reflects a renewed focus on continuity and performance at the highest level." Sinner received a three-month ban agreed with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) in February. WADA had appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against an independent tribunal's decision last August to clear Sinner of wrongdoing. Sinner, who returned to action in May and lost to Carlos Alcaraz in the French Open final before beating him to win Wimbledon, said clostebol, which can build muscle mass, entered his system after Naldi applied an over-the-counter spray to a cut on his own hand before carrying out treatments on Sinner. The spray had been given to Naldi by trainer Ferrara. Sinner was cleared of fault or negligence by an independent tribunal, which accepted that he had inadvertently been contaminated with the substance. Speaking at last year's U.S. Open, Sinner explained his decision to part ways with Ferrara and Naldi. "Now, because of these mistakes, I'm not feeling that confident to continue with them. I was struggling a lot in the last months. I was waiting for the result. The only thing I need right now is some clean air," he said. Ferrara, who had laid the blame for the incident on Naldi, worked with Sinner's fellow Italian Matteo Berrettini this year. (Reporting by Martyn Herman; Editing by Kate Mayberry)

Rugby-Schmidt, Farrell mull options with Lions series on the line
Rugby-Schmidt, Farrell mull options with Lions series on the line

The Star

time2 hours ago

  • The Star

Rugby-Schmidt, Farrell mull options with Lions series on the line

FILE PHOTO: Rugby Union - Autumn Internationals - England v Australia - Allianz Stadium Twickenham, London, Britain - November 9, 2024 Australia head coach Joe Schmidt before the match Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Boyers/File Photo MELBOURNE (Reuters) -Joe Schmidt will unveil his team for the second test against the British & Irish Lions in Melbourne on Thursday, a lineup that could go a long way to defining his time as coach of Australia. Australia must find a response to the physical dominance the tourists exerted in the opening hour of the first test defeat in Brisbane or risk becoming the first Wallabies team to fail to take a Lions series to a decider. Rob Valetini, Australia's best test player of the last two years, has recovered from a calf injury and will take his place in the back row at the expense of rookie Nick Champion de Crespigny. Lock Will Skelton has also recovered from a similar injury and while his inclusion would certainly beef up the pack, his limitations at the lineout might require a tweak of the back row to add another jumper. Schmidt has had no shortage of helpful suggestions from media pundits this week with most concurring that the hard-running Angus Bell should be promoted to start at loosehead prop instead of 36-year-old James Slipper. Dave Porecki should be available after sustaining a concussion against Fiji two weeks ago and his lineout throwing would help shore up an area of the game where the Wallabies struggled in the first test. Behind the scrum, Tom Lynagh showed enough in his first test start to get another shot, although many would like him to do so in tandem with his Queensland Reds teammate Tate McDermott, who had a fine game off the bench in Brisbane. There have also been calls to shift Joseph Suaalii from centre into the back three after he struggled to make an impact in Brisbane until it was too late. That would also allow Len Ikitau to move to his more favoured outside centre spot with Hunter Paisami, another Queenland Red, slotting into the midfield outside Lynagh. Lions coach Andy Farrell's job is a little easier after the early dominance the tourists showed in Brisbane, although he looks likely to be forced to make a change to his second row. Irish lock Joe McCarthy limped off with a foot injury early in the second half at Lang Park and has not trained this week, leaving the door open for Ollie Chessum to move up from the bench. The head knock suffered by Marcus Smith against the First Nations & Pasikifa XV on Tuesday could open up a spot on the bench for Farrell's playmaker son Owen, who was called up as an injury replacement for his fourth Lions tour. (Reporting by Nick Mulvenney in Sydney, editing by Peter Rutherford)

Tennis-Fire still burns as Venus Williams becomes oldest WTA match-winner since 2004
Tennis-Fire still burns as Venus Williams becomes oldest WTA match-winner since 2004

The Star

time5 hours ago

  • The Star

Tennis-Fire still burns as Venus Williams becomes oldest WTA match-winner since 2004

Jul 22, 2025; Washington, D.C., USA; Venus Williams (USA) hits a backhand against Peyton Stearns (USA)(not pictured) in a women's singles match on day two of the Mubadala Citi DC Open at Rock Creek Park Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images (Reuters) -Venus Williams said she still has fire in her belly after the 45-year-old became the oldest player to win a WTA singles match since 2004 with her 6-3 6-4 victory over Peyton Stearns at the Washington Open on Tuesday. Having returned to competitive action on Monday in the women's doubles following a 16-month absence from the game, Williams defeated world number 35 Stearns to claim her first singles win since 2023 in Cincinnati. The seven-times Grand Slam singles champion is the oldest WTA singles match-winner since a 47-year-old Martina Navratilova won at Wimbledon in 2001. "I think I just attacked the whole time. It's just trying to find the right balance between going to hard and not enough," Williams said after the opening-round win. "It's the same because this is what I do, but at the same time, at the time it was imperative for me to do it. Now I don't have to do this, but I have the same fire and the same want to win. "In some ways, I'm still getting back into that. When you do it everyday, everything is natural. Not as natural feeling now, but I hope I can get back to that." Williams will next face Polish fifth seed Magdalena Frech. "I think it was a big win for me today. Like I said, it's not easy. It won't be easy. It's not easy for anyone out here," Williams said. "So I know I'll have to fight for every match, but I'm up for that." (Reporting by Pearl Josephine Nazare in Goa; Editing by Peter Rutherford)

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store