Raducanu stars as women's tennis makes historic return to Queen's
Former US Open champion Emma Raducanu stole the spotlight as women's tennis made a historic return to Queen's Club for the first time in 52 years on Monday.
With the dust barely settled from the thrilling French Open titles won by Carlos Alcaraz and Coco Gauff last weekend, Queen's marks the transition to grass courts and this year's event is a milestone moment in the tennis calendar.
Since 1973, Queen's has been solely an ATP event.
But a ground-breaking deal was struck last year to play a WTA 500 tournament in Barons Court before the men compete from June 16.
Reigning Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova, Australian Open holder Madison Keys, 2022 Wimbledon winner Elena Rybakina and world number five Zheng Qinwen are among the female stars set to feature at Queen's this week.
But Raducanu, who famously won the US Open as an 18-year-old qualifier in 2021, was the headline act on opening day.
Fans queued for an hour to see the British star partnered with Katie Boulter in their 6-4, 6-2 first round doubles win over Jiang Xinyu and Wu Feng-Hsien.
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Daily Tribune
a day ago
- Daily Tribune
Raducanu stars as women's tennis makes historic return to Queen's
Former US Open champion Emma Raducanu stole the spotlight as women's tennis made a historic return to Queen's Club for the first time in 52 years on Monday. With the dust barely settled from the thrilling French Open titles won by Carlos Alcaraz and Coco Gauff last weekend, Queen's marks the transition to grass courts and this year's event is a milestone moment in the tennis calendar. Since 1973, Queen's has been solely an ATP event. But a ground-breaking deal was struck last year to play a WTA 500 tournament in Barons Court before the men compete from June 16. Reigning Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova, Australian Open holder Madison Keys, 2022 Wimbledon winner Elena Rybakina and world number five Zheng Qinwen are among the female stars set to feature at Queen's this week. But Raducanu, who famously won the US Open as an 18-year-old qualifier in 2021, was the headline act on opening day. Fans queued for an hour to see the British star partnered with Katie Boulter in their 6-4, 6-2 first round doubles win over Jiang Xinyu and Wu Feng-Hsien.
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AFP | Paris Carlos Alcaraz saved three championship points as he produced an astonishing fightback from two sets down to beat Jannik Sinner in a French Open final for the ages yesterday. Reigning champion Alcaraz rallied from the brink of defeat to overcome world number one Sinner 4-6, 6-7 (4/7), 6-4, 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (10/2) to clinch his fifth Grand Slam title after five hours and 29 minutes. The 22-year-old Spaniard is now unbeaten in five Grand Slam finals after snapping Sinner's 20-match winning run at the majors. Alcaraz pulled off his first ever comeback from two sets down to stun Sinner in the longest Roland Garros final in history. It easily eclipsed the 1982 final in Paris when Mats Wilander triumphed in four sets over Guillermo Vilas in 4hr 42min. Alcaraz becomes the third youngest man to win five Grand Slams -- after Bjorn Borg and compatriot Rafael Nadal -- following an incredible duel be - tween the two stars of a new generation. Sinner fell agonisingly short of a third successive Grand Slam crown after last year's US Open title and back-to-back Australian Open triumphs. He suffered his fifth straight loss to Alcaraz in what was their first meeting in a Grand Slam final -- and the first championship match at a major between two m e n born i n the 2000s. Alcaraz leads 8-5 overall having also beaten Sinner to win in Rome, where the Italian returned to competition in May after a three-month doping ban. Alcaraz put the pressure on Sinner by carving out three break points to start Saturday's final, but the Italian resisted and soon had a chance of his own. He couldn't take advantage and found himself having to fend off two more break points at 1-1, producing clutch serves to grind out another tough hold. Alcaraz's persistence paid off in the fifth game when he broke to nudge 3-2 ahead, only for the Spaniard to immediately hand the lead back. The unshakeable Sinner threatened to break again at 4-3, with a brief lapse from Alcaraz eventually enabling Sinner to snatch the first set. Sinner hit the accelerator to start the second set, surging 3-0 in front. After facing seven break points in the opener, he tightened up considerably on serve. But Alcaraz brought up his first break point of the second set with Sinner serving for a two-set lead, duly pouncing on the opportunity to check his rival's momentum. With the swagger back in his step at a crucial juncture, Alcaraz sought to bring the crowd into the contest but Sinner remained unflustered in the tiebreak. The first five points went with serve before Sinner whipped a forehand down the line and Alcaraz then steered an attempted drop-shot wide.
