Latest news with #RafaelNadalAcademy
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Briton Hannah Klugman's historic French Open run ends with defeat in juniors final
Klugman was the first British player in a junior French Open final in nearly 50 years (Getty Images) Hannah Klugman's brilliant run at the French Open came to an end with defeat in the girls' singles final, as Austria's Lilli Tagger secured the junior title. 16-year-old Klugman, a former girls' doubles runner-up in Wimbledon in 2023 and the Australian Open in January, was playing in her maiden grand slam singles final. Advertisement She was aiming to become the first British player since Michelle Tyler in 1976 to seal a junior title at Roland-Garros. But despite an excellent run on an unfamiliar surface, including fighting back from a set down in both her quarter- and semi-final, Klugman had no answer to Tagger and lost 6-2, 6-0 earlier on Saturday. An emotional Klugman, who shot to prominence as the winner of the prestigious Orange Bowl junior tournament aged 14, said, 'It's been a long week but I'm really proud of myself.' Klugman had chances to break in the opening and seventh games of the first set, but could not capitalise on her opportunities and dropped serve in the fourth game. Advertisement Her 17-year-old opponent imposed herself from the baseline and an early break in the second set proved crucial as Klugman's level dropped. She double faulted on break point down to concede another break for 4-0, with the Austrian - the junior world No. 47 compared to Klugman's ranking of 13th - running away with the set to seal the title. Wimbledon-born Klugman is one of Britain's most promising juniors, and excelled in Paris despite having had had little experience on clay until a two-month stint practicing on the surface earlier this year, including a spell at the Rafael Nadal Academy. She told BBC Sport that meeting the 14-time French Open champion had spurred her on. 'He's my idol - I love Rafa. He said some amazing things to me,' she said. 'I struggled a bit last year and he said 'as soon as you've got the level, everything will come. So just trust it and work hard every day'.'
India Today
30-05-2025
- Sport
- India Today
French Open: India's Maaya Rajeshwaran crashes out of Roland Garros qualifiers
Maaya Rajeshwaran made a heartbreaking exit from the French Open after failing to go past the qualifying rounds of the girls singles. On Thursday, May 29, the 15-year-old lost to Great Britain's Brooke Black in straight sets. Black won the match 6-2, 6-3 and will next be up against Australia's Tahlia Kokkinis, who defeated France's Emma Fulvia Wiensfeld 6-2, 6-2 in the opening had troubles with her visa, which was earlier delayed due to the procedures despite her submitting all the documents. She reached the venue hours before the match and would now have to return empty-handed. Maaya also took part in the Australian Open girls singles last year when she lost to Sonja this year, Maaya became the youngest player to break into the top 700 of the current WTA rankings after she advanced to the semifinals of the Mumbai Open. The youngster trains at the Rafael Nadal Academy in Mallorca. In other results in the ongoing French Open, Manas Dhamne went through to the second round of the boy's singles after beating Romania's Alejandro Mateo Berge Nourescu 6-2, 6-2. Manas will look for a berth in the main draw when he faces Kazakhstan's Damir Zhalgasbay. advertisementRethin Pranav Senthil Kumar failed to go through to the second round after the Netherlands' Hidde Schoenmakers beat him 6-4, 6-4. Schoenmakers will next lock horns with Australia's Cruz Hewitt, son of the legendary Lleyton Hewitt. Hitesh Chauhan defeated Italy's Gabriele Crivellaro 6-3, 6-0 in the first round. Chauhan will next lock horns with Brazil's Victor Cunha Winheski de Lima in the second round. Must Watch
India Today
24-04-2025
- Sport
- India Today
Madrid Open: No fairytale for Alexandra Eala as Iga Swiatek avenges Miami shocker
World No.2 Iga Swiatek came back from a set down to beat the young Alexandra Eala from the Philippines in the second round of the Madrid Open 2025. On Thursday, April 24, Swiatek, who's also a defending champion, took two hours and 15 minutes to beat Eala 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 at Manolo month, Eala, who graduated from the Rafael Nadal Academy in 2023, defeated Swiatek 6-2, 7-5 in the Miami Open. It was her third win on the trot against Grand Slam champions after she also defeated Jelena Ostapenko and Madison Keys. The win helped her become the first woman from the Philippines to break into the top Thursday, the current World No.72 won the opening set and then went a break up early in the second. But Swiatek brought forth all her experience to come up trumps. The Pole said that one needs to be smart to play in Madrid, where the clay-courts are uncharacteristically the matchup to 1-1Defending champion @iga_swiatek leaves it all on the court to defeat Eala 4-6, 6-4, 6-2. #MMOpen wta (@WTA) April 24, 2025 "I feel like my topspin will work here. And I feel like the courts are pretty fast. It's not like classic clay where the ball bounce is super slow. I think you need to be smart with tactics. Sometimes, play with spin, sometimes a bit more flat to keep the ball going fast. I'm gonna try to balance that in the next matches,' Swiatek said in the on-court Iga Swiatek stormed backadvertisementEala took a 3-1 lead in the opening set and was also helped by unforced errors from Swiatek. Later, she saved a break point and closed out the set the second set, Eala again broke Swiatek's serve early, but the Pole made a comeback to 2-2. Eala hit back with her second break of the set to go 3-2 up. But Swiatek stormed back with two more breaks after which she didn't look records in Madrid! @iga_swiatek surpasses Serena Williams with the. highest winning percentage at the @MutuaMadridOpen.#MMOpen wta (@WTA) April 24, 2025In the third set, Eala earned a break, but dropped her serve twice to go down. Swiatek took a 3-0 lead and finished the match off in will next be up against Czechia's Linda Noskova, who beat Maria Lourdes Carl of Argentina in straight Reel
Khaleej Times
30-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Khaleej Times
Filipina tennis sensation Eala likely to play in Dubai this year
A proud tennis fraternity in Dubai has converged as one voice to hail the phenomenal rise of Filipina tennis sensation Alexandra Eala on to the global stage. The 19-year-old was all at once looking at tougher tennis battles following her dream run at the Miami Open, late on Saturday. Eala, who also made it to the semifinals of the 2024 season-ending Al Habtoor Tennis Challenge in December, took down three Grand Slam champions in succession — including the scalp of world No.2 Iga Swiatek in the quarterfinals — en route to her maiden WTA 1000 semifinals. 'Wow, this year's Miami Open has left me speechless and so full of emotion, mostly pride and gratitude. I'm proud of myself for pushing through those tough moments, as well as to have been able to make a statement for the Philippines in one of the biggest stages of tennis,' Eala wrote on Instagram on Sunday. Khalaf Al Habtoor, Chairman of the Habtoor Group that organises the annual Al Habtoor Tennis Challenge, was thrilled to see one more player come through while living up to the tournament motto of watching 'bright stars of the future take the next step forward'. 'I look forward to watch players like Alex (Eala), who has been among the few who have played with us in Dubai and now fulfilling their potential on the world stage. I am keenly watching the progress of such players, as this is the main emphasis of our tournament. It gives me a deep sense of satisfaction simply because Dubai has been able to play a small part in their success as top players,' Al Habtoor said. The chairman of the Habtoor Group also expects to see Eala play in Dubai again this year. 'We are proud of what she [Eala] has done in tennis so far. She showed us what she was capable of when she made it to the semifinals of the 27 th Al Habtoor Tennis Challenge in December last year. And now that she has climbed up the rankings, I am certain Alex will be back at the end of this year to continue her unfinished business,' Al Habtoor said. In the week gone by, the 19-year-old was only the second wildcard to snatch three successive wins over Grand Slam champions at a single WTA event. The Rafael Nadal Academy graduate won her first WTA 1000 main draw game against World No.73 Katie Voleynets before going on to win against World No.25 and 2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko and then World No.5 Madison Keys. Eala's performance in Miami will see her leap from her previous career-high ranking of No.134 to around No.75 – a progression that will hand her automatic entry into the main draw of the remaining three Grand Slams starting with the French Open, in May. 'Tennis players who come through our tournaments in Dubai have more than once proved how this competition has proved to be beneficial in their careers. Alex [Eala] is yet another case in point that proves that our tournament, the annual Al Habtoor Tennis Challenge, is on the right path for the career growth of these players,' remarked Noura Badawi, Tournament Director for the Al Habtoor Tennis Challenge. 'Like Dubai, the Al Habtoor Tennis Challenge has earned itself a name in the world of tennis, and it is players like Alexandra who have consistently made us believe that we are doing the right thing for the sport,' she added. The Al Habtoor Tennis Challenge began as a $25,000 (AED 91,250) event that was classified as a $75,000 tournament between 1999 to 2015. In 2016, this was upgraded to a $100,000+H competition on the ITF Women's Circuit. The brainchild of Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor, Founding Chairman of the Al Habtoor Group, the annual tournament has managed to live up to its hype of encouraging the development of women's tennis in the UAE and the region, while raising the profile of the sport across the Arab world. Included in the long list of past champions are former Grand Slam winners and top-class players such as Sorana Cirstea (2020), Ana Bogdan (2019), Peng Shuai (2018), Belinda Bencic (2017), Kimiko Date-Krumm (2012), Sania Mirza (2010), Maria Kirilenko (2007), Kateryna Bondarenko (2006), Marion Bartoli (2005), Jelena Jankovic (2003) and inaugural winner Kyra Nagy (1998). Tournament Co-ordinator Laith Al Ani was pleased about the latest result. 'We are hopeful of the future of tennis based on the results that have been seen since the past few years now,' Al Ani said. 'Players like Alex show us that we are doing the right things for tennis, not just here in the UAE, but in the region as well,' he added. Till date, Eala is the highest-ranked Filipina singles player in WTA Tour history, surpassing Maricris Gentz and becoming the first player to reach the top 100 in the WTA Rankings. Eala was the No.2 ranked junior in October 2020, and she went on to win a junior Grand Slam singles title at the 2022 US Open.
CNN
27-03-2025
- Sport
- CNN
Miami Open: Filipina teenager Alexandra Eala stuns five-time grand slam champion Iga Świątek to reach semifinals
Alexandra Eala continued her stunning run at the Miami Open by beating five-time grand slam champion Iga Świątek in straight sets to reach the first semifinal of her young career. The 19-year-old wild card won 6-2, 7-5 thanks to an accomplished display of power and precision, in particular on her lefty forehand and return of serve. No. 2 seeded Świątek is now the third grand slam champion Eala, the world No. 140, has defeated en route to the last four in Miami, having already taken down Jelena Ostapenko and Madison Keys. Eala has continued making Philippines tennis history in Miami, becoming the first Filipina to reach a WTA semifinal. She will also become the first Filipina to break into the world's top 100. In beating Ostapenko, Eala recorded her and the Philippines' first win over a top-30 player. Both she – and, as a result, her country – now have three. When Świątek hit her backhand long on match point, Eala turned to face her box with a stunned expression on her face. 'I don't know what to say,' the 19-year-old said in her on-court interview. 'I'm in complete disbelief right now, and I'm on cloud nine.' While this was the first time Eala and Świątek had faced off on the court, it wasn't the first time the pair had met. Eala began training at the Rafael Nadal Academy in Spain when she was 13 years old and, at her graduation ceremony in 2023, Świątek was there as a keynote speaker. When shown a photo of the two of them standing next to Nadal, Eala's disbelief only grew. 'It's so surreal,' she said, per the WTA. 'I feel like I'm the exact same person as I was in that photo. But of course, circumstances have changed! I'm so happy and so blessed to be able to compete with such a player on this stage. 'My coach told me to run, to go for every ball, to take all the opportunities I can because a five-time (grand) slam champion is not going to give you the win.' The teenager has long been one of tennis' most exciting prospects, winning the US Open girls' singles title in 2022 and the girls' doubles titles at the 2021 French Open and 2020 Australian Open. Her 2022 victory vaulted her to stardom back home and led to her gracing the cover of Vogue Philippines soon after. Eala will next face No. 4 seed Jessica Pegula, who battled past a resurgent Emma Raducanu 6-4, 6-7(3), 6-2, as she bids for yet more history. 'We are extremely proud of you, Alex,' fellow lefty and 22-time grand slam singles champion Nadal wrote on X. 'What an incredible tournament! Let's keep dreaming!' In the other semifinal, Aryna Sabalenka will face Jasmine Paolini after the Belarusian world No. 1 extended her unbeaten head-to-head record over Zheng Qinwen to 6-0 with a 6-2, 7-5 win.
