Gauff reaches last eight at Cincinnati Open
"For the most part I played aggressive," said Gauff, who won the Cincinnati Open in 2023 before going on to win the US Open that year."Maybe there were a couple that were a little bit passive in some of those games but it's tough - the balls are super light and she wasn't giving me much pace."I was just trying to play controlled but also aggressive and, for the most part, I think I did well."Gauff will play the winner of the match between Italian Jasmine Paolini and Barbora Krejcikova of the Czech Republic in the next round.
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BBC News
25 minutes ago
- BBC News
Article: published on 20 August 2025
Emma Raducanu has hired a new is a sentence which we have heard several times since the 22-year-old Briton emerged from nowhere to win the 2021 US Open title as a teenage the appointment of Francisco Roig – a wily Spaniard who helped Rafael Nadal win all of his 22 Grand Slam titles - feels like a longer-term bet as Raducanu looks to continue her upward into next week's US Open - their second tournament together - the world number 35 is hoping Roig can take her even higher."Francis is the best coach I worked with by far," former Spanish number two Feliciano Lopez, who worked with Roig for several years, told BBC Sport."He's patient but also demanding. He will push you until whatever he thinks needs fixing is fixed." What can Roig provide? Everyone you speak to about the 57-year-old Catalan says the same thing early in the conversation – that his technical knowledge is after he stopped working with Lopez, Roig linked up with Nadal in 2005 as a second coach behind his uncle Toni and helped the swashbuckling left-hander become an all-time Roig left the team in 2022 for a different challenge, former world number one Nadal hailed the former ATP Tour player for making him "better and better"."Francis is a very good coach and a man who can help Raducanu to improve technically - he puts a lot of attention on this," Toni Nadal told BBC Sport."In today's game every player hits the ball very fast. But in the end tennis is about power and control - when you hit the ball fast without a good technique it is difficult to put five or six balls inside the court in a row."This is what Francis explains to players. I think he can help Raducanu to become a very good tennis player again."Having missed the bulk of the 2023 season following operations on wrist and ankle injuries, Raducanu has steadily rebuilt her revolving door of new coaches has slowed down and another full-time appointment was always a priority after Nick Cavaday stepped back in January because of health reasons. Since Mark Petchey plugged the gap on an informal basis in March, Raducanu has reached a WTA semi-final in Washington, plus the Miami and Queen's relaxed and happy, she has climbed back to the cusp of the world's top 30 and played some of her best tennis since that memorable fortnight in New York four years Raducanu feels Roig can add another layer to complement the increasing resilience she has discovered this year."I can definitely improve on the quality of a lot of my shots," Raducanu said."I've been good at being creative, scrapping, playing the big points well, but the overall quality of my game needs to be better."Lopez says Roig achieves that by using unique coaching drills, which are "practical" and "specific", with his comes after he identifies technical issues by observation rather than the need for forensic video analysis."His eyes are special," close friend Jordi Vilaro, who has known Roig for more than 40 years and co-owns the BTT Academy in Barcelona with him, told BBC Sport."He can see things other coaches can't see in a 1000th of a second - they maybe need video or slow motion."Every player who trains with him for an hour plays better tennis. Win or lose is another thing, but they hit the ball better and cleaner." How's the partnership going so far? With Petchey making it clear he was unwilling to sacrifice his role as a television commentator to coach on a full-time basis, Raducanu continued to assess her availability came to attention over the summer and the pair worked together in a covert trial following likes to learn and once put her high turnover of coaches down to asking "provoking" questions. She found Roig's sessions to be stimulating, challenging and instantly encouraging."Francis is very passionate for tennis," said Vilaro."What's amazing is he can watch a match on TV and he doesn't care about the result - he's checking how they are moving, the positioning and how they are hitting the ball. He's watching many specific things."When we created the academy he said, 'I want to do it but I don't want any paperwork. I just want to be on the court'. The court is his passion."Raducanu has already impressed Roig with her work his first tournament at the helm, the pair had multiple daily practices at the Cincinnati Open, where she confidently breezed past Serbia's Olga Danilovic before – more notably – pushing world number one Aryna Sabalenka to her Raducanu fell short of a shock, it was a promising performance which provides optimism for the US Open."I spoke to Francis after Raducanu beat Danilovic and before she played Sabalenka," said Vilaro."He said, 'It's amazing, I like working with this player a lot because she loves to be on court. We spent two hours training the return, the return plus second shot and what to do when the opponent attacks'."He enjoyed it a lot. The most important thing for him is having a player who loves being on court - and it looks like this is the case." How long will Roig last? In the early part of her career, Raducanu became infamous for hiring and firing a string of full-time the past two years, working with a tight-knit group - led by people she trusts in Cavaday and Petchey - has been a better did not fare well with outsiders entering the inner circle after her US Open title and it feels like building a strong bond with Roig will be imperative to a successful future."Francis is a very good person, he is a man who you can be relaxed with and he is funny," Toni Nadal said."It is important when you are with someone with a good character, I think that is much better."But to change someone who used to do one thing is difficult. What I explain to the players - I explain simple - is that if you are happy with your level and ranking don't change anything."If you are not happy then you have to change something - something emotional, tactical or technical."But normally you need a little time and I think Raducanu has to give a little time to Francis."Judging by the smiles in a mixed doubles practice session with Carlos Alcaraz and his team at Flushing Meadows on Tuesday, Raducanu and Roig look at ease in each other's pair have already spent lots of time together in Cincinnati, where long road trips to the tournament saw Roig taking driving still described Roig as one of his "best buddies", while Roig's bond with Nadal led to the pair going fishing and playing golf and football together away from the court."There are a lot of things which great coaches need to have - to be good technically, a good psychologist and a good person," added Lopez."He has got all these qualities."
Reuters
25 minutes ago
- Reuters
Tigers' age-defying Charlie Morton takes aim at Astros
August 20 - The Detroit Tigers completed a deal for the second-oldest player in the majors just before the trade deadline. Thus far, Charlie Morton has given the rotation a boost. Morton, who will start the finale of a three-game series against the visiting Houston Astros on Wednesday afternoon, has delivered two quality starts in three outings for his new team. On paper, Morton produced his best start of the season on Friday. The 41-year-old right-hander tossed six scoreless innings while allowing just two hits against the Minnesota Twins. However, Morton had to deal with a rain delay and an extended first inning as his teammates staked him to a 5-0 lead. The Tigers won the game 7-0. "We were talking through the first three innings, like, we really weren't on the same page," catcher Dillon Dingler said. "He was trying to find a feel for his curveball but we were able to mix in the other pitches. He's got so many great pitches that move so much." Once Morton was able to control his celebrated curveball, Minnesota batters had no chance. "I need my breaking ball," Morton said. "So whatever we've got to do, whatever we've got to do to get it going. I know we had a lead, but you still have to get through some innings. My glove-side breaking ball, even when I hit guys or if I'm yanking a couple, it's not the end of the world. But (Friday) early, it was trying to get it going for strikes." He will face a Houston offense mired in a deep slump. The Astros were shut out four of the past five games. They haven't scored in 28 innings, including 10 empty frames on Tuesday as the Tigers pulled out a 1-0 win. Morton (8-10, 5.20 ERA) has a 4-6 record and 5.97 ERA in 12 career starts against the Astros. He was also a key member of the Astros during their 2017 championship run, including his four-inning relief stint for the win in Game 7 of the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Framber Valdez (11-6, 3.01 ERA), Morton's mound opponent on Wednesday, cruised through the first four months of the season. It's been a different story in August, during which he is 0-2 with a 5.89 ERA in three starts. Valdez lasted 6 2/3 innings in his most recent outing against the Baltimore Orioles on Friday. The 31-year-old left-hander gave up four runs (three earned) and nine hits while recording six strikeouts and walking one. His pitching opponent that night, Brandon Young, had a perfect game going until there were two outs in the eighth. "I would say 100 percent it affected me," Valdez said. "I felt like I couldn't even sit down and I was already walking up to get out there. Sometimes that's just the game of baseball. Sometimes a pitcher is going to have a better game. Sometimes they're going to throw a perfect game. ... I felt like I couldn't get a drink of water in and I was already out there." Valdez is 2-2 with a 2.49 ERA in eight career outings against the Tigers, including seven starts. --Field Level Media
Reuters
25 minutes ago
- Reuters
Mariners look to end trip on winning note vs. Phillies
August 20 - The Seattle Mariners have not had a pleasant experience on the East Coast over the past 10 days. The slumping Mariners, looking to end a four-game losing streak, will turn to Luis Castillo in the finale of their nine-game road trip Wednesday afternoon against the Philadelphia Phillies. Seattle lost two of three in Baltimore last week before dropping two of three over the weekend against the New York Mets, including a 7-3 defeat on Sunday in the Little League Classic at Williamsport, Pa. The disappointing results have since made their way to Philadelphia, where the Mariners lost 12-7 on Monday and then 6-4 on Tuesday. In the latest setback, Seattle rallied to forge a 4-4 tie on Eugenio Suarez's two-run double in the seventh inning. However, J.T. Realmuto responded with a two-run homer against Matt Brash in the eighth as the hosts prevailed. "A road trip's a road trip. You know, it is what it is," Mariners manager Dan Wilson said. "I think we anticipated that it was going to be a long one. It's been a long one. But there's nothing out of the ordinary here for us. We've just got to continue to come out each day ready to play. And tonight, these guys were ready to fight. They fought and it just didn't go our way." Realmuto, who has homered in both games of the series, was particularly emotional in celebrating with his teammates after the go-ahead blast. "That's a really good team over there," Realmuto said. "That was a pretty intense game with them coming back and tying the game on us. Emotions were definitely high after that swing." Like his team, Castillo (8-6, 3.48 ERA) is hungry for a win. The right-hander is coming off one of his worst outings of the season, when he gave up six runs and nine hits -- including three homers -- in four innings against the Mets on Friday. Castillo is 1-1 with a 2.75 ERA in three career starts against the Phillies. The 32-year-old veteran certainly will be looking to fare better than teammates Logan Gilbert and Bryce Miller, who have surrendered a combined 10 runs over seven combined innings while starting the first two games of the series. "This is where we're at," Wilson said. "This time of the season, we've got to put this one behind us and come out (Wednesday) and be ready to play. Quick turnaround, but we've been here before." Philadelphia will give the ball to Jesus Luzardo (11-6, 4.21 ERA), who took his first loss in more than a month on Thursday against the Washington Nationals. Still, the lefty was effective in that contest, allowing three runs and striking out seven over six-plus innings in an eventual 3-2 defeat. "Being able to land the sweeper has been big all year," Luzardo said. "Being able to throw it for strikes, for chase, throwing it in high-leverage counts, has been a good weapon for me. I went through a rough stretch where I didn't have a good feel for it, and lately it's been good for me." Luzardo has made six previous appearances (three starts) against Seattle, posting a 2-1 record with a 4.15 ERA. --Field Level Media
