Alcaraz ends Tarvet's Wimbledon adventure; Paolini crashes out
By Steven GRIFFITHS
Carlos Alcaraz spoiled Oliver Tarvet's Wimbledon adventure as the defending champion moved into the third round with a 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 win over the British amateur, while last year's runner-up Jasmine Paolini became the latest star to crash out on Wednesday.
A record-breaking number of seeds crashed out at the All England Club in the first round, but Alcaraz and women's world number one Aryna Sabalenka avoided seismic shocks on Centre Court.
Second-seeded Alcaraz needed two hours and 17 minutes to subdue world number 733 Tarvet, who produced flashes of his emerging talent to delight the partisan crowd.
"First of all I have to give big praise to Oliver. In his second match on the tour, I just loved his game to be honest," Alcaraz said. "I knew I had to play my best tennis. I was really happy with my performance but big praise to him as well."
Alcaraz has won his past 20 matches since losing to Holger Rune in the Barcelona final in April, a blistering streak that has brought him titles at the Rome Masters, the French Open and Queen's Club.
The 22-year-old Spaniard, who fought back from two sets down to beat Jannik Sinner on clay in an epic final at Roland Garros last month, has won 31 of his 34 Tour-level matches on grass.
His last defeat at Wimbledon came against Sinner in the fourth round in 2022.
Having vanquished Novak Djokovic in the past two Wimbledon finals, the world number two hopes to become the fifth man in the Open Era to win at least three consecutive Wimbledon titles after seven-time champion Djokovic, Bjorn Borg, Roger Federer and Pete Sampras.
In stark contrast to Alcaraz's fame and fortune, the unheralded Tarvet is just starting his tennis career and cannot even collect all of his Wimbledon prize money.
As a student of the University of San Diego, the 21-year-old has to maintain amateur status and will have to give up most of his earnings.
While Alcaraz is a five-time Grand Slam champion, Tarvet was playing just his second major main draw match after coming through three qualifiers and beating Leandro Riedi in the opening round.
"It was just really special. It's not every day that you get to play against maybe the best player in the world. I did a pretty good job of enjoying the moment and trying to play some good tennis, Tarvet said.
In the first two days, nine of the top 10 seeded players across the men's and women's singles draws were eliminated, a Grand Slam record in the Open era.
Second seed Coco Gauff, third seed Jessica Pegula and fifth seed Zheng Qinwen all lost in the first round.
And Italian fourth seed Paolini was next to stumble in the second round.
Paolini, beaten by Barbora Krejcikova in the 2024 Wimbledon title match, slumped to a 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 defeat against Russian world number 62 Kamilla Rakhimova.
Sabalenka bucked the trend, out-dueling 48th-ranked Marie Bouzkova 7-6 (7/4), 6-4 in a heavy-hitting contest.
The Belarusian, who suffered painful defeats in the finals of both the Australian Open and the French Open this year, lashed an impressive 41 winners in a match lasting one hour and 35 minutes.
"Honestly it's very sad to see so many top players losing but you better focus on yourself," said the three-time Grand Slam winner.
"I hope it's no upsets anymore in this tournament, if you know what I mean!"
Sabalenka's next opponent is Britain's Emma Raducanu, the former U.S. Open champion beating 2023 Wimbledon winner Marketa Vondrousova 6-3, 6-3.
Sixth seed and Australian Open champion Madison Keys also advanced, making short work of Serbia's Olga Danilovic in a 6-4, 6-2 win.
On the men's side, 13 seeded players lost in the first round, breaking the previous tournament record of 11 and tying the 2004 Australian Open for the most at a Grand Slam.
American 12th seed Frances Tiafoe was the latest leading man to endure a surprise defeat, losing to British world number 61 Cameron Norrie 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-5 in the second round.
© 2025 AFP
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Mainichi
16 minutes ago
- The Mainichi
IG Arena opens with promise to make Nagoya a must-visit city
NAGOYA (Kyodo) -- Japan is making a major push to construct new multipurpose arenas outside Tokyo and Osaka, with IG Arena in Nagoya -- Japan's third largest metropolis -- the latest high-tech addition. Designed by world-renowned architect Kengo Kuma, the oval-shaped hybrid indoor arena opened in the Aichi Prefecture capital on July 13. It hosted the 15-day Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament as its inaugural event. With a maximum capacity of 17,000 people, it is among the largest indoor venues in Japan. Local businesses hope the arena can combat the "bypass Nagoya" phenomenon in which popular touring events skip the city and the broader Chukyo area in central Japan. At the May 31 ceremony commemorating the arena's completion, Aichi Gov. Hideaki Omura stressed that the new venue "will bolster the future" of the prefecture. The main arena has an area of 4,600 square meters and 15,000 seats. The bowl design gives spectators an immersive viewing experience, and it also features a giant eight-sided, center-hanging jumbo screen, visible from every seat in the venue. With a ceiling of roughly 30 meters, one of the highest in the world, the arena can host concerts that feature enormous stage installations. NTT Docomo Inc. is a major shareholder in Aichi International Arena Co., which manages IG Arena. The telecommunications company provides the new facility with technologies such as the Innovative Optical and Wireless Network that will enable performances to be broadcast to people watching in remote locations. Major events have already been scheduled at the arena, including a performance by British musician Sting in September and figure skating's Grand Prix Final in December. Construction of more arena projects under the "Sports Open Innovation" initiative of the Japan Sports Agency and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry is ongoing. The authorities aim to promote economic growth via sport. As of January, the agency reported that 45 construction and renovation projects were under way. Major information technology company DeNA Co. and railway operator Keikyu Corp. are building an entertainment complex featuring a 15,000-seat arena in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture. The complex is set to open in 2030. The B-League, Japan's top professional basketball league, has set requirements for teams to join its new "Premiere" top division, to be launched in 2026. The league mandates that teams must have a home arena with a seating capacity of at least 5,000, driving the current boom in construction. In this competitive environment, facilities must differentiate themselves to thrive. IG Arena should not serve as a "mere venue," but rather have a unique selling point: "If it's this event, IG Arena is the place to hold it," said Eiji Ito, a professor at Chukyo University's School of Health and Sport Sciences. Nagoya already has the Vantelin Dome Nagoya, which has a maximum capacity of 50,000 and is primarily used as the Chunichi Dragons baseball team's home stadium. Opened in 1997 as Nagoya Dome, it has also hosted large music concerts. The absence of a 10,000 to 20,000-seat multipurpose arena has led event organizers to avoid Nagoya in the past. Anschutz Entertainment Group, an American multinational entertainment company in a naming rights partnership with Aichi International Arena, is expected to facilitate the hosting of international sports events and performances by overseas artists at IG Arena. "We will host events unique to Nagoya and draw people into the city," said Hisato Hiroshi, president and chief executive of Aichi International Arena. (By Eri Shinagawa)
Japan Today
an hour ago
- Japan Today
U.S. Open singles champions will get record $5 million in 2025 and total compensation is up 20%
FILE - The U.S. Open logo is shown on the Arthur Ashe Stadium, Thursday, Aug. 27, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II, File) tennis By HOWARD FENDRICH Prize money at the U.S. Open will rise to nearly $85 million across all competitions this year, including a record $5 million each to the women's and men's singles champions, and total player compensation is jumping 20% to $90 million, the most in tennis history. The U.S. Tennis Association announced the payouts Wednesday for the year's last Grand Slam tournament, which begins with the new mixed doubles event and its $1 million top check on Aug. 19-20. Singles competition starts on a Sunday for the first time — Aug. 24 — as those brackets expand from 14 days to 15. The increases at Flushing Meadows — where last year's total compensation was $75 million — come as the sport's leading players have been in discussions with each of the four major tournaments in a bid to receive a higher percentage of revenues at the U.S. Open, Wimbledon, French Open and Australian Open. Novak Djokovic, Coco Gauff and 2024 U.S. Open champions Aryna Sabalenka and Jannik Sinner were among 20 players who signed a letter sent to the heads of the four Grand Slam events in March seeking more prize money and a greater say in what they called 'decisions that directly impact us.' Since then, some players have held talks with the majors. The previous high amount for a U.S. Open singles championship was $3.85 million in 2019, before decreasing during the COVID-19 pandemic. This year's $5 million check represents a 39% hike from last year's $3.6 million. The same percentage increase was applied to the singles runners-up, who get $2.5 million each. Semifinalists will earn $1.26 million, a 26% rise. At Wimbledon, which ended last month, prize money went up about 7% to about $73 million at the exchange rate when the All England Club announced its player payments. The singles champions were paid about $4 million apiece. In New York, the winning teams in women's and men's doubles will receive $1 million, a new high for those events at the U.S. Open, where total prizes for qualifying are going up to $8 million, a 10% increase. The $85 million in 2025 U.S. Open prize money includes singles, doubles, qualifying and wheelchair events. Wednesday's news comes after the USTA said in May that its main arena, Arthur Ashe Stadium, would be overhauled as part of an $800 million project touted as the 'largest single investment' in U.S. Open history. © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Yomiuri Shimbun
16 hours ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Naomi Osaka Powers into Semifinals in Montreal, Will Face Clara Tauson
MONTREAL (AP) — Naomi Osaka powered into her first National Bank Open semifinal, beating No. 10 seed Elina Svitolina 6-2, 6-2 on Tuesday night. Osaka advanced to face No. 16 seed Clara Tauson, who eliminated sixth-seeded Madison Keys 6-1, 6-4 in the first quarterfinal of the night. Osaka, the four-time Grand Slam champion who reached No. 1 in the rankings, continued her best performance in a WTA 1000 tournament since reaching the final in Miami in 2022. She stepped away from tennis for 15 months toward the end of that season and had daughter Shai in July 2023. The native of Japan is seeking her eighth career title and her first since the 2021 Australian Open. 'I'm really happy. I'm also really excited,' Osaka said. 'After Wimbledon (a third-round loss), I was really disappointed, and then I just kind of let go of my expectations. And now we're here. 'I find it kind of ironic, but I'm happy about it.' Osaka got to the final of the ASB Classic final in Auckland to begin this season and faced Tauson but had to retire due to an abdominal injury after winning the first set 6-4. Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko takes on ninth seed Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan in the other semifinal Wednesday. Mboko, who's playing in her first main draw at the National Bank Open, will rise into the WTA's top 50 after beginning the year outside the top 300. The 18-year-old from Toronto has defeated five higher-ranked opponents en route to the semifinals, including top seed Coco Gauff in the fourth round. Tauson dedicated her victory to her grandfather, Peter, during an on-court interview at IGA Stadium. 'I really wanted to win for him today,' she told the crowd before breaking down in tears. 'I really wanted to come out here and show my best tennis for him, and hopefully he's watching.' Tauson said she only found out about her grandfather's death on Monday, a day after she eliminated Wimbledon champion and No. 3-ranked Iga Swiatek 7-6 (1), 6-3. She spoke of him as one of the biggest supporters of her career. 'He used to coach me a little bit playing tennis and drove me to almost every single practice from my school,' the 22-year-old native of Denmark said. 'It was tough news yesterday morning when I woke up, but I think it's for the better. He was not feeling great for a while.' Tauson hasn't lost a set in the tournament. Keys failed to convert two break chances in the first game. After the American held serve, Tauson won the ensuing five games to take the first set. 'Not my best performance out there today,' said Keys, who won this year's Australian Open. 'She played amazing tonight. She played incredibly well, she served really well. It was just one of those things where I felt like I kept trying different things, and she was just beating me. 'When she's serving like that, it's going to be really hard to break her.'
