Billie Jean King Cup Qualifier: Marino/Cross vs. Shibahara/Aoyama
Watch Canada's Rebecca Marino and Kayla Cross take on Japan's Ena Shibahara and Shuko Aoyama in the doubles match at the 2025 Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge Qualifier Group A event in Tokyo.
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Winnipeg Free Press
18-05-2025
- Winnipeg Free Press
Italian Open organizers want to make the tournament a 5th Grand Slam
ROME (AP) — Top-ranked Jannik Sinner is dominating men's tennis and Italy swept both the Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup team titles last year. Jasmine Paolini just became the first home player to win the Italian Open in 40 years and is about to move up to No. 4 in the women's rankings. Players like Lorenzo Musetti, Federico Cinà and Tyra Caterina Grant provide the potential for Italy to dominate tennis for years to come. Still, Italian Tennis and Padel Federation president Angelo Binaghi wants more. Much more. Binaghi has the grandiose aim to make the Italian Open a fifth Grand Slam tournament alongside the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open — upending a century of tennis history. 'In what other part of society is there a monopoly that lasts for more than 100 years?' Binaghi said Sunday, the final day of the Italian Open. 'Why are there always four and always the same four? … It's absolutely unfair and doesn't help tennis grow.' The Italian Open is a Masters Series event that is one rung below the Slams in the hierarchy of tennis tournaments. But the event at the Foro Italico now runs for two weeks like the majors and is booming thanks to the successes of Sinner, Paolini and many other Italian players. Italy has also hosted the ATP Finals in Turin since 2021 and recently extended its hosting contract for the year-ending tournament featuring the top eight men's players through 2030. Also, the Davis Cup Final 8 will begin a three-year run in Italy this November, starting in Bologna. 'We're now the world champion both on the court and at the organizational level,' Binaghi said. Earlier this year, Binaghi expressed interest in acquiring the license for the Madrid Open, which immediately precedes Rome in the tennis calendar. The idea was that eliminating Madrid and making Rome bigger could constitute a fifth Slam. 'We need to be attentive on the international market and try to take advantage of every opportunity that arises, from the smallest ATP 250 all the way up to the biggest tournaments,' Binaghi said. A request for comment sent to the Grand Slam board, which represents the four majors, was not immediately answered. Retractable Roof After years of delays, organizers announced new plans to build a retractable roof over the Italian Open's main stadium, Campo Centrale. At a cost of 60 million euros ($67 million), the roof is slated to be ready for the 2028 tournament and will also result in 2,000 extra seats being added — increasing the capacity to 12,500. Larger grounds Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. For this year's tournament, the event grounds at the Foro Italico were increased from 12 to 20 hectares (30 to 50 acres) and another statue-lined competition arena was added. The Stadio dei Marmi hosted three courts: a 3,000-seat arena and two courts each featuring seating for 800. The 3,000-seat arena became the tournament's third-largest show court after Campo Centrale and the Grand Stand Arena, making the Pietrangeli court — which also features an array of statues — the fourth largest. ___ AP tennis:
Winnipeg Free Press
17-05-2025
- Winnipeg Free Press
Paolini beats Gauff to become first home player in 40 years to win the Italian Open
ROME (AP) — Jasmine Paolini took advantage of the crowd's support and beat Coco Gauff 6-4, 6-2 to become the first home player to win the Italian Open in 40 years on Saturday. With top-ranked Jannik Sinner to play Carlos Alcaraz in the men's final on Sunday, Italy could earn its first sweep of the Rome singles titles. The last Italian woman to win the open was Raffaella Reggi in 1985 in Taranto. The last local man to raise the trophy was Adriano Panatta in 1976. Paolini and partner Sara Errani are also in the women's doubles final and will play Veronika Kudermetova and Elise Mertens for that trophy on Sunday. With the country's tennis boom in full force, Italy President Sergio Mattarella attended the woman's final at the Foro Italico. Numerous fans held aloft Italian flags and they constantly shouted 'Vai Jasmine' ('Go Jasmine'). The fifth-ranked Paolini was the runner-up at the French Open and Wimbledon and led Italy to the Billie Jean King Cup title last year. She'll move up to No. 4 in the rankings on Monday — which will improve her position in the draw for the French Open next weekend. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. Gauff, the 2023 U.S. Open champion who was ranked No. 3, struggled with unforced errors and double faults. It's the second time in two clay-court tournaments that Gauff has finished runner-up. She lost the Madrid Open final two weeks ago to Aryna Sabalenka. Paolini also beat Gauff at a clay-court event in Stuttgart, Germany, in April. Monica Seles in 1990 was the last woman to sweep Rome's singles and doubles titles in the same year. ___ AP tennis:
Winnipeg Free Press
05-05-2025
- Winnipeg Free Press
Jannik Sinner's doping ban has expired and the Italian Open is welcoming him back in style
ROME (AP) — The conclave to elect a new pope isn't the only international event attracting visitors to Rome this week. The return of top-ranked Jannik Sinner from a three-month doping ban at the Italian Open tennis tournament just up the road from the Vatican is stirring up so much attention that local headlines are declaring 'Habemus Sinner' — a variant of the Latin words 'Habemus Papam!' that are announced from the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica when a pope is elected. It will mark the first time that Italy has had a No. 1 player for its home tournament. Every move that Sinner makes is being documented with the same sort of detail reserved for cardinals moving around the Vatican before the conclave starts on Wednesday. The ban, which was agreed on in a settlement with the World Anti-Doping Agency, expired on Monday morning and Sinner was scheduled to hold an open practice session later on Campo Centrale that is expected to attract a soldout crowd of 10,500 spectators. It will be broadcast live on Italian TV. Before the practice session, Sinner is to be honored alongside his Davis Cup teammates and the Billie Jean King Cup players after Italy swept both of tennis' biggest team titles last year. Sinner hasn't played a match since he won his second straight Australian Open title in January. The settlement in the doping case was made in February, after WADA appealed a decision last year by the International Tennis Integrity Agency to fully exonerate Sinner for what it deemed to be an accidental contamination by a banned anabolic steroid in March, 2024. The settlement raised questions, since it conveniently allows Sinner to return at his home tournament and not miss any Grand Slams. The Italian Open is the last big clay-court tournament before the French Open — the year's second Grand Slam — starts on May 25. Many fellow pros feel that Sinner was treated too lightly. But there likely won't be much criticism of Sinner in Rome. Especially since his main detractor, Nick Kyrgios, is not competing. Kyrgios hasn't played the Italian Open since he threw a chair onto the red clay in a fit of rage during a 2019 match and was defaulted from the tournament. Sinner, who has a first-round bye, will be play his opening match Friday or Saturday. The last Italian man to win the title in Rome was Adriano Panatta in 1976. Italian tennis is booming It's not just Sinner that the locals are hoping to see. Italian tennis is booming. Lorenzo Musetti joined Sinner in the top 10 of the rankings at No. 9 on Monday after reaching the Monte Carlo Masters final and the semifinals of the Madrid Open. Rome-born Matteo Berrettini has shown signs of rediscovering the form that took him to the Wimbledon final in 2021. Matteo Arnaldi beat Novak Djokovic in Madrid and 18-year-old Federico Cina has won matches at his first two Masters 1000 events. With six-time champion Djokovic having withdrawn from Rome and record 10-time champion Rafael Nadal retiring last year, even more attention is being directed to Sinner. Alexander Zverev is the defending champion in Rome and No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz is expected back after withdrawing from Madrid due to muscle injuries. Tyra Grant switches from US to Italy Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. On the women's side, Jasmine Paolini reached the final of both the French Open and Wimbledon last year, then led Italy to the Billie Jean King Cup trophy. Also, 17-year-old Tyra Grant, a three-time junior Grand Slam doubles champion, announced that she was switching nationalities from the United States to Italy — the country where she grew up as the daughter of American basketball player Tyrone Grant and Italian mother Cinzia Giovinco, who taught her to play tennis. Grant was given a wild card to play the Italian Open. ___ AP tennis:
