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Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
'Really special.' Here are the local products to watch in the 2025 Cincinnati Open
Part of the star-studded fields for the 2025 Cincinnati Open include a few players with local ties. There are 16 overall players with college experience competing in the Cincinnati Open. That includes Peyton Stearns, a Mason native who won NCAA singles and team titles for the University of Texas. Stearns is currently ranked in the top 40 in the WTA Rankings after changing coaches in the spring. The 23-year-old is now working with Slovenian Blaz Kavcic, a former professional player on the ATP tour. "Blaz is positive on and off the court," Stearns told The Enquirer. "It's helped me with confidence going into Rome. I didn't have many wins but had been putting a lot of hours on court and the positivity has helped a lot." In May, Stearns charged to the semifinals of the Rome Open, a 1000-level event, with victories over two Grand Slam tournament champions Naomi Osaka and Madison Keys. It led to a career-high ranking (No. 28). Stearns is still searching for her first main draw victory in her hometown tournament after bowing out in the Round of 64 of the Cincinnati Open in back-to-back years. She had a first-round qualifying victory in Mason in 2022. Caty McNally set to return to Cincinnati Open after elbow injury Madeira native Caty McNally will make her first on-court appearance at the Cincinnati Open since 2022 after being awarded a main draw wild card. This time last year, McNally was on campus in Mason but still recovering from elbow surgery. It was the same elbow issue that caused her to withdraw from the tournament in 2023 before ultimately opting to go under the knife in March 2024. "It's crazy to think it's been that long since I've played in Cincinnati," McNally told The Enquirer. "Getting to play there would be incredibly rewarding." One year ago, McNally had just been cleared to begin hitting the ball again. She had to tame her passion to get back to the player she was before the injury, which meant conquering the stressful and mentally exhausting weeks of rehab. "I think a big part of it was the mental side of things," McNally said. "Being able to be positive with myself, give myself time and be patient with the heeling. I had to know my elbow was OK. It's that mental hurdle I had to face. It was a long progression. I remember some points in my rehab that I would walk in and just start crying. To be able to face those demons and prove them wrong has been really nice." In November 2024, she made her return in the Dow Tennis Classic in Midland, Michigan and won her first match. Since then, McNally has steadily improved her ranking and had a strong showing at Wimbledon, where she won in the first round over Jodie Burrage. In the Round of 64, McNally was the only player to win a set against Iga Swiatek, who would roll to the Wimbledon title. "I had a great experience there. I said, 'I think I want to go to Newport. I'm playing really good tennis,'" McNally said. "I want to try to keep this momentum." McNally did just that in the Hall of Fame Open in Newport, Rhode Island in July. In the first WTA event in 35 years in Newport, McNally upset top-seeded Tatjana Maria for her second career title on tour. "Being able to test myself physically and mentally like that is always good," McNally said. "It gives me a lot of confidence being able to prove to myself that I can play multiple matches in a day or five matches in a week. It gave me confidence in my body. Just nothing but good things over that week." McNally is 1-4 all-time in the Cincinnati Open, picking up a main draw victory in her last appearance in 2022. A pair of University of Kentucky products will play in Cincinnati Open Cincinnati Country Day product J.J. Wolf underwent surgery for a torn labrum in February and will miss the Cincinnati Open. However, there are a few players in the ATP field of local interest, including two former UK Wildcats. Gabriel Diallo, a three-time All-American at UK from 2020-2022, is currently ranked in the top 40 in the ATP Tour. He captured his first career ATP Tour title in June by winning the Libema Open Grass Court Championships. Liam Draxl, the ITA National Player of the Year in 2021 while at UK, is in the Cincinnati Open qualifying field. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Here are the local products to watch in the 2025 Cincinnati Open
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
French Open 2025: Aryna Sabalenka wins quickly in straight sets; Ben Shelton survives marathon
Aryna Sabalenka looked every bit like the world's No. 1 player as she began the 2025 French Open with a dominant win over Kamilla Rakhimova in straight sets, 6-1, 6-0. Sabalenka finished off Rakhimova in one hour, putting her recent defeat to Qinwen Zheng at the Italian Open in the distance. She served up five aces and broke serve five times during the match. With the win, Sabalenka became the first top seed to lose just one game in her opening match of the tournament since Serena Williams did so in 2013 versus Anna Tatishvili. Williams went on to win the French Open that year, and Sabalenka would love to follow that path. Sabalenka has never made it to the finals at Roland-Garros, getting as far as the semifinals in 2023, when she lost in three sets to Karolina Muchová. Sabalenka joked after her match that she would ask for advice from 14-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal, who was being honored at Roland-Garros following his retirement. 'He is such an inspiration to young players," Sabalenka said, via The Tennis Gazette. "I will try and stick around to watch the ceremony, and ask him, please do you have advice on how to win this tournament?' Up next for Sabalenka is Jil Teichmann on Wednesday. The United States' brightest young tennis star needed a little more time than expected Sunday, but is on to the second round. Roland Garros' No. 12 seed defeated Italy's Lorenzo Sonego 6-4, 4-6, 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 in the night session. Time of match: three hours and 31 minutes. The 22-year-old Shelton reached the third round at the French Open last year and is coming off his second career Grand Slam semifinal at the 2025 Australian Open. He also had his girlfriend, Washington Spirit and USWNT star Trinity Rodman, in the stands supporting him while she recovers from a back injury. NWSL and USWNT forward Trinity Rodman was in the audience to support boyfriend Ben Shelton during his Round 1 win at Roland Garros 🫶 — Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) May 25, 2025 Tommy Paul made news recently off the court by having his truck repossessed in Florida while he played in the Rome Open. Paul lost to Jannik Sinner in that tournament, but earned enough prize money to get his truck back. Presumably, he'll have no such concerns preoccupying him in Paris. The No. 12 seed defeated Elmer Moller in four sets, 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-3, 6-1. After the losing the first set, a rain delay allowed Paul an opportunity to reset. Paul will face Márton Fucsovics in the second round. Fucsovics beat Tristan Schoolkate in straight sets in his first-round match. Following a first-round defeat at the Rome Open, No. 15 seed Frances Tiafoe rebounded with a win over Roman Safiullin, 6-4, 7-5, 6-4. Tiafoe seemed to have difficulty maintaining focus during the second set and Safiulli nearly made him pay for it. The American has struggled so far this year, losing five of nine matches heading into Paris. Roland-Garros has been rough on Tiafoe, where he's won only four career matches. Tiafoe moves on to play Pablo Carreño Busta in the second round on Wednesday. He lost in the first round in his first six French Opens, but has now gotten to the second round in four consecutive years. Tiafoe has only advanced to the third round at Roland-Garros once, where he lost to Alexander Zverev in 2023.
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
French Open 2025: Aryna Sabalenka wins quickly in straight sets; Tommy Paul, Frances Tiafoe also advance
No. 1 seed Aryna Sabalenka needed only one hour to dispatch Kamilla Rakhimova at the French Open on Sunday May 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson) Aryna Sabalenka looked every bit like the world's No. 1 player as she began the 2025 French Open with a dominant win over Kamilla Rakhimova in straight sets, 6-1, 6-0. Sabalenka finished off Rakhimova in one hour, putting her recent defeat to Qinwen Zheng at the Italian Open in the distance. She served up five aces and broke serve five times during the match. Advertisement With the win, Sabalenka became the first top seed to lose just one game in her opening match of the tournament since Serena Williams did so in 2013 versus Anna Tatishvili. Williams went on to win the French Open that year, and Sabalenka would love to follow that path. Sabalenka has never made it to the finals at Roland-Garros, getting as far as the semifinals in 2023, when she lost in three sets to Karolina Muchová. Sabalenka joked after her match that she would ask for advice from 14-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal, who was being honored at Roland-Garros following his retirement. 'He is such an inspiration to young players," Sabalenka said, via The Tennis Gazette. "I will try and stick around to watch the ceremony, and ask him, please do you have advice on how to win this tournament?' Up next for Sabalenka is either Jil Teichmann. Advertisement Tommy Paul wins first-round match Tommy Paul made news recently off the court by having his truck repossessed in Florida while he played in the Rome Open. Paul lost to Jannik Sinner in that tournament, but earned enough prize money to get his truck back. Presumably, he'll have no such concerns preoccupying him in Paris. The No. 12 seed defeated Elmer Moller in four sets, 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-3, 6-1. After the losing the first set, a rain delay allowed Paul an opportunity to reset. Paul will face Márton Fucsovics in the second round. Fucsovics beat Tristan Schoolkate in straight sets in his first-round match. Frances Tiafoe endures through sluggish second set Following a first-round defeat at the Rome Open, No. 15 seed Frances Tiafoe rebounded with a win over Roman Safiullin, 6-4, 7-5, 6-4. Tiafoe seemed to have difficulty maintaining focus during the second set and Safiulli nearly made him pay for it. Advertisement The American has struggled so far this year, losing five of nine matches heading into Paris. Roland-Garros has been rough on Tiafoe, where he's won only four career matches. Tiafoe moves on to play Pablo Carreño Busta in the second round on Wednesday. He lost in the first round in his first six French Opens, but has now gotten to the second round in four consecutive years. Tiafoe has only advanced to the third round at Roland-Garros once, where he lost to Alexander Zverev in 2023. This post will be updated throughout the day's tournament play.
The Hindu
24-05-2025
- Sport
- The Hindu
French Open 2025: Preview and analysis of the Men's and Women's Draw
The French Open, the only Grand Slam played on clay, kicks off this Sunday in Paris. This is a historic French Open also because it's the first one to be held after the retirement of Rafael Nadal, the undisputed GOAT on Clay. On the men's side, there is tremendous anticipation over the growing rivalry between world No 1 Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. Another exciting narrative revolves around Novak Djokovic, who would be looking for one last hurrah in the form of a 25th Grand Slam before hanging up his boots. On the women's side, the draw is wide open, with four-time champion Iga Swiatek not in the best of form, while Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff and Jasmine Paolini (fresh from her Rome Open triumph) would all be fancying their chances. What does the draw say? What are the match-ups to look out for? Who are the dark horses that could spring a surprise? Guest: N Sudarshan from The Hindu's sports bureau. Host: G Sampath, Social Affairs Editor, The Hindu Edited by Jude Francis Weston
See - Sada Elbalad
19-05-2025
- Sport
- See - Sada Elbalad
Carlos Alcaraz Wins 2025 Rome Open Title
Rana Atef On Sunday, Spanish tennis star Carlos Alcaraz claimed the Italian Open title with a straight two-set victory over world No. 1 Jannik Sinner. The game results were 7-6(5) 6-1 and lasted for an hour and 45 minutes. Rome Open was Alcaraz's first tournament since withdrawing from the Madrid Open with muscle injuries. The 22-year-old said after his victory: "I'm just really, really happy to get my first Rome [title]. "I hope it's not going to be the last one. I'm really happy to see Jannik back at this amazing level. It wasn't easy for him, coming from three months without playing, and in the first one he plays, making the final for a Masters 1000 here in Rome is something insane. "I have to congratulate him for a great week. I'm just super happy to see him around again. I'm proud; proud of myself, about the way that I approached the game mentally. Tactically, I did pretty well. I didn't [want] a rollercoaster, so I maintained my good level during the whole match. I'm really, really proud about everything I've done today." read more Japan Stun Spain 2-1 to Qualify for World Cup Last 16 World Cup 2022: Get to Know Confirmed Line-ups of Japan and Spain Group E Decider Saudi Arabia Bid Farewell to World Cup after 2-1 Loss to Mexico Tunisia Achieve Historic Win over France but Fail to Qualify Tunisia to Clash against France in World Cup Sports Get to Know Squad of Group D Teams in World Cup Sports Al Ahly Gift EGP 70,000 to Players After Claiming Egyptian Super Cup Title Sports Bencharki Hits First 2 Goals with Al Jazira Since Leaving Zamalek Sports Arsenal Possible Line-up for Nottingham Forest News Egypt confirms denial of airspace access to US B-52 bombers News Ayat Khaddoura's Final Video Captures Bombardment of Beit Lahia News Australia Fines Telegram $600,000 Over Terrorism, Child Abuse Content Arts & Culture Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban's $4.7M LA Home Burglarized Sports Former Al Zamalek Player Ibrahim Shika Passes away after Long Battle with Cancer Sports Neymar Announced for Brazil's Preliminary List for 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers News Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly Inaugurates Two Indian Companies Arts & Culture New Archaeological Discovery from 26th Dynasty Uncovered in Karnak Temple Business Fear & Greed Index Plummets to Lowest Level Ever Recorded amid Global Trade War Arts & Culture Zahi Hawass: Claims of Columns Beneath the Pyramid of Khafre Are Lies
