Latest news with #TPX
Straits Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- Straits Times
Paul becomes first American man to reach French Open quarters in 22 years
Tennis - French Open - Roland Garros, Paris, France - June 1, 2025 Tommy Paul of the U.S. shakes hands with Australia's Alexei Popyrin after winning his fourth round match REUTERS/Lisi Niesner Tennis - French Open - Roland Garros, Paris, France - June 1, 2025 Australia's Alexei Popyrin in actiob during his fourth round match against Tommy Paul of the U.S. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner Tennis - French Open - Roland Garros, Paris, France - June 1, 2025 Tommy Paul of the U.S. in action during his fourth round match against Australia's Alexei Popyrin REUTERS/Lisi Niesner TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY Tennis - French Open - Roland Garros, Paris, France - June 1, 2025 Australia's Alexei Popyrin in actiob during his fourth round match against Tommy Paul of the U.S. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner Tennis - French Open - Roland Garros, Paris, France - June 1, 2025 Tommy Paul of the U.S. in action during his fourth round match against Australia's Alexei Popyrin REUTERS/Lisi Niesner Paul becomes first American man to reach French Open quarters in 22 years PARIS - World number 12 Tommy Paul blitzed Australian Alexei Popyrin 6-3 6-3 6-3 on Sunday to become the first American male player to reach the French Open quarter-finals in 22 years. Paul matched Andre Agassi's run from 2003 after Americans on Saturday equalled a 40-year-old record with five women and three men in round four of the clay court Grand Slam. Paul also became the only active American player to reach the last eight on all three surfaces after his 2023 Australian Open semi-final and 2024 Wimbledon quarter-final runs. "I am very happy to get a straight sets win. I have been playing some very long matches so that felt really good," Paul, who spent almost 11 hours on court in his previous three rounds, which included two five-setters, said in a post-match interview. "Shorter matches like this help a lot." The 28-year-old found himself a break down after the first game, before immediately resetting the match's trajectory, breaking straight back to correct his early setback. Popyrin, a former junior champion in Paris like Paul, had not lost a set in his run to the fourth round but found himself a set down when he was broken again, with Paul's superior movement and clinical shot-making handing him the first set. The Australian, constantly turning to his box to express his frustration, was clearly rattled with Paul attacking at every chance and with Popyrin's second serve proving a weakness. He was broken again at the start of the second set with Paul now firing on all cylinders and hitting winners at will. The American added another break to land the set before going 3-0 up in the third and finishing off his 25th-seeded opponent in less than two hours. He will now face either second seed and defending champion Carlos Alcaraz or fellow American Ben Shelton. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
3 days ago
- Sport
- Straits Times
Sabalenka, Alcaraz face US challengers in French Open round four
Tennis - French Open - Roland Garros, Paris, France - May 30, 2025 Spain's Carlos Alcaraz in action during his third round match against Bosnia's Damir Dzumhur REUTERS/Denis Balibouse TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY FILE PHOTO: Tennis - French Open - Roland Garros, Paris, France - May 30, 2025 Belarus' Aryna Sabalenka in action during her third round match against Serbia's Olga Danilovic REUTERS/Lisi Niesner/File Photo The French Open fourth round starts on Sunday with women's top seed Aryna Sabalenka and men's defending champion Carlos Alcaraz both facing American opponents, while Iga Swiatek continues her quest for a fourth straight women's singles title. TOP WOMEN'S MATCH: ARYNA SABALENKA V AMANDA ANISIMOVA Three-times Grand Slam champion Sabalenka has built up to her latest push for a maiden French Open title with a solid run of form in the clay season, winning the Madrid Open and reaching the finals of Stuttgart and Italian Opens. The 27-year-old is yet to drop a set and did not make a single double fault during Friday's win over Olga Danilovic. Her toughest test yet comes in the form of American 16th seed Anisimova, who has won five of their seven previous meetings. Former semi-finalist Anisimova is looking to become a top contender again after taking a break from tennis in 2023 over burnout and mental health concerns. "We're both pretty big hitters, so I'm sure we're going to be going at it back and forth a bit," the 23-year-old said. "She is number one.... I really enjoy the fight and the challenge that she brings on." TOP MEN'S MATCH: BEN SHELTON V CARLOS ALCARAZ American 12th seed Ben Shelton said he never played a match on red clay before 2023. The next year, he won his first title on the ATP tour on the surface, and now he has reached the French Open fourth round for the first time, against defending champion Carlos Alcaraz. "This is a challenge. Not my natural surface that I grew up playing on, but a surface I want to become great on," the 23-year-old Shelton said. No American has reached the French Open men's singles final since Andre Agassi in 1999. "This is a tournament that Americans have not had huge success in... I think this is a really cool opportunity for Americans. You do something big in an event like this, it really means something," he said. Shelton, who reached the Australian Open semi-finals this year, may prove to be a tough test for Alcaraz, who has dropped a set each in his last two matches. IGA SWIATEK FACES ELENA RYBAKINA TEST Four-times French Open champion Iga Swiatek could not keep a straight face when asked if she would prefer her fourth-round opponent to be Jelena Ostapenko, who beat the Polish fifth seed in all six of their previous matches, or Elena Rybakina. "Am I a good liar? Let's say it doesn't matter, really," Swiatek told reporters, smiling. "Oh, my God. I couldn't play poker." While Swiatek has avoided another clash with Ostapenko, her quest for a sixth Grand Slam title could face its biggest challenge yet against Kazakhstani 12th seed Rybakina. Rybakina beat Swiatek both times they met on clay, in 2023 and 2024, in the middle of Swiatek's dominant reign on the surface where she won successive French Open titles. Overall, they are tied on head-to-head after eight meetings. "Of course, she is very comfortable on these courts. But I think every day, every match is different," Rybakina said. FRENCH OPEN ORDER OF PLAY ON SUNDAY (prefix number denotes seeding): COURT PHILIPPE-CHATRIER (Play begins at 0900 GMT) 4-Jasmine Paolini (Italy) v 13-Elina Svitolina (Ukraine) 12-Elena Rybakina (Kazakhstan) v 5-Iga Swiatek (Poland) 13-Ben Shelton (U.S.) v 2-Carlos Alcaraz (Spain) 8-Lorenzo Musetti (Italy) v 10-Holger Rune (Denmark) COURT SUZANNE-LENGLEN (Play begins at 0900 GMT) 25-Alexei Popyrin (Australia) v 12-Tommy Paul (U.S.) 19-Liudmila Samsonova (Russia) v 8-Zheng Qinwen (China) 1-Aryna Sabalenka (Belarus) v 16-Amanda Anisimova (U.S.) 15-Frances Tiafoe (U.S.) v Daniel Altmaier (Germany) REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
The Star
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Star
Tennis-Kasatkina dodges burnout, says packed tour schedule takes toll on players
Tennis - French Open - Roland Garros, Paris, France - May 31, 2025 Australia's Daria Kasatkina in action during her third round match against Spain's Paula Badosa REUTERS/Christian Hartmann TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY PARIS (Reuters) -Daria Kasatkina saw signs of burnout in recent weeks amid a packed tour schedule, and her French Open run into the fourth round has helped her get back on track, she said on Saturday. The Russian-born 17th seed, who now represents Australia, beat Paula Badosa in straight sets to reach the last 16 in Paris at the French Open. It was her best result in months after losing in early rounds in each of her last seven tournaments this year. "I would say I felt little signs of burnout or something like that," Kasatkina told a press conference. "The last couple of weeks were a bit rough for me. I couldn't find myself on court. I felt a little bit flat, like with emotions and stuff. "I'm really happy that I got back on track here in Roland Garros. Playing much better, feeling much better on court. I think that's the most important, especially now." The world number 17 said the busy tour schedule left little time for recovery throughout the year, echoing the views of fellow Australian Alex De Minaur. The top Australian player this week called for a shorter season and said he felt drained after his second round five-set loss earlier in the week. The season kicked off with the United Cup mixed team tournament in December, 33 days after the Davis Cup Finals ended in Spain, and the gruelling nature of the circuit has repeatedly come under a harsh spotlight in recent years. "I agree with Alex, because our schedule is pretty rough. I mean we have a completely packed schedule. There's no spot for anything," Kasatkina said. "I think everyone can relate that sometimes you don't want to wake up to go to your job. It's normal. We are all humans. This can happen," she added. "It can happen that the person who is travelling all around the world all the time giving their best, living the life of tennis player, sometimes can feel this feeling that he's tired. That sometimes you are just not super excited to go on court." (Reporting by Karolos GrohmannEditing by Christian Radnedge)
Straits Times
4 days ago
- Sport
- Straits Times
Alpine skiing-Shiffrin faced PTSD in recovery from Killington crash
Mar 27, 2025; Sun Valley, ID, USA; Mikaela Shiffrin of the United States during the first run of the slalom alpine skiing race in the 2025 FIS Ski World Cup at Sun Valley. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Creveling-Imagn Images TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY REUTERS NEW YORK - Twice Olympic champion Mikaela Shiffrin was diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder after a grisly crash during a giant slalom race in Killington, Vermont, in November left her with a puncture wound in her abdomen and severe muscle damage. The American wrapped up her season in March with a record-extending 101st World Cup win but wrote in the Players' Tribune on Friday that the crash in Killington - and another suffered at the beginning of 2024 in Cortina - took a mental toll. "Those two crashes maybe built on one another. I talked with my therapist about that, and she let me know that past trauma, or a history of traumatic events, can sometimes affect your reaction to new traumatic events," wrote Shiffrin, who lost her father suddenly in an accident in 2020. "Maybe when I crashed and got that puncture wound, maybe that was kind of a perfect-storm situation for PTSD to take hold. But who knows, really. With all this stuff, there's just a ton of nuance, and so much that we don't know for certain." Shiffrin, who is loved by American fans and praised by her fellow athletes for her upbeat attitude and resilience, said that getting back in the starting gate has helped the most in overcoming "the visions and the images I kept seeing." She wrote that after putting in the work on her mental health, she felt like herself again. "It was just continuing to get back up to the start gate. Just literally the process of going up the mountain and doing the thing I know how to do, again and again," wrote Shiffrin. "I just needed to keep doing it. Needed to keep reminding myself — proving to myself, really — that the vast majority of times when I am training or racing … nothing terrible happens." REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
27-05-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
Australia floods recovery could take several months, PM says
Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese shakes hands with a local woman Lyn Latimore on the day he visits flood affected area, in Wingham, Australia, May 27, 2025. REUTERS/Hollie Adams Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visits flood affected area, in Wingham, Australia, May 27, 2025. REUTERS/Hollie Adams TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY Australia floods recovery could take several months, PM says SYDNEY - Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Tuesday flooding in the southeast posed "massive challenges" and the recovery would take several months. Incessant rain over three days triggered major flooding in several rural towns in the Hunter and Mid North Coast regions of New South Wales, Australia's most populous state, as fast-rising rivers cut off more than 50,000 people last week. "There are still massive challenges ... this is not something that will go away in a matter of days or weeks or even months," Albanese told reporters from the flood-hit town of Taree, more than 300 km (186 miles) north of Sydney. "This will take some time, the recovery, but Australians are resilient." Taree received just over 600 mm (24 inches) of rain over four days from May 20, roughly half its annual average, official data showed. Australia has been hit with increasing extreme weather events that some experts say are the result of climate change. Following droughts and devastating bushfires at the end of last decade, frequent floods have wreaked havoc since early 2021. Albanese said the flooding severely hurt the dairy industry, which "will have an impact right throughout Australia." Dead and lost livestock had washed up on the coast after the floods inundated several farms and homes. A one-off disaster recovery payment of A$1,000 ($648) for adults and A$400 for children will be rolled out from Wednesday, while the ongoing 13-week income support allowance will be expanded to cover more residents, Albanese said. Insurance Australia Group, the country's largest general insurer, said it had received around 2,500 claims as of Tuesday related to the floods, with most claims for property damage. Nearly 800 properties have been deemed uninhabitable after conducting more than 7,300 damage assessments, a spokesperson for the New South Wales state emergency services said. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
