Professional Tennis
The International Tennis Federation’s anti-corruption unit has announced that it has suspended two players for violating match-fixing rules. The ITF said that 30-year-old Walter Trusendi of Italy and 25-year-old Elie Rousset of France were handed six-month suspensions and fines for actions at a unidentified tournament last year. Trusendi is currently ranked 425th in the world…
World number two Maria Sharapova was shown an early exit at the Miami Open on Thursday, defeated by fellow Russian Daria Gavrilova, who edged out a first set tie-break on her way to a 7-6(4), 6-3 victory. Ranked 97th in the world, Gavrilova entered her second-round bout with Sharapova having never beaten a player ranked…
Jack Sock continued his excellent, but late, start to 2015 in the opening round of the Miami Open on Wednesday. The Kansas City, Mo. native defeated Japan’s Go Soeda 6-4, 6-3 to advance into the second-round. Sock is playing for more than just himself or wins, he is playing for his brother Eric, who is battling…
Andy Roddick defeated Mark Philippoussis 6-4 at the Galen Center at the University of Southern California on Wednesday night, capturing his third career title on the PowerShares Series champions’ tennis circuit. “I had fun,” said Roddick. “It’s great to come out here and pretend to be a tennis player once in awhile.” Philippoussis won the…
Victoria Azarenka made her way into the second-round of the Miami Open on Wednesday, rolling past Spain’s Silvia Soler-Espinosa 6-1, 6-3. The two-time former champion is playing at the event for the first time since 2012, after capturing titles in 2009 and 2011. “It’s been unfortunate the last couple of years for me, but I…
American teens Claire Liu, 14, and Francis Tiafoe, 17, both won their first professional singles titles on Sunday at USTA Pro Circuit events. Liu, at 14 years, nine months and 25 days old, became the youngest female player to win a USTA Pro Circuit tournament since Anna Kournikova in 1996 and the sixth-youngest to do so since the…
In the opening event of the 2015 PowerShares Series circuit, Australian Mark Philippoussis beat American Andre Agassi 7-6(4) in last night’s final from the Huntsman Center at the University of Utah. The event was groundbreaking in that it was the first pro event to only use Hawk-Eye technology for line calls. Players had to make…
The women’s draw of the Miami Open got underway on Tuesday afternoon, with a few Americans taking to the courts of Crandon Park in Miami. American teen CiCi Bellis captured her second career victory in a WTA main draw, cruising past the Netherlands’ Indy De Vroome 6-2, 6-2 to advance to the second-round. Bellis displayed…
The 2015 PowerShares Series champions tennis circuit gets underway on Tuesday night, as Andre Agassi, Jim Courier, Mark Philippoussis and James Blake will partake in the first-ever pro tennis event where line calls are made solely by the Hawk-Eye system. The PowerShares series is a North American pro tennis tour for champion tennis players north…
Simona Halep fought off a tough first set defeat and rallied to beat former champion Jelena Jankovic 2-6, 7-5, 6-4 and win the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells on Sunday. The title is the 11th of Halep’s career and the biggest up to this point. “First of all I want to congratulate Jelena—you were…