Elena Rybakina defeated Marta Kostyuk 6-2 6-2 to win the 2024 Porsche Stuttgart Open. “Thank you so much. I want to congratulate Marta for a great tournament. You’re playing really amazing. Hopefully, we play many more finals,” Rybakina commented after her victory.

Rybakina’s road to the final was a difficult one, as she defeated top seed Iga Świątek 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 to advance from the semi-finals. She hit 10 aces to defeat her Polish opponent in a grueling match of 2 hours and 49 minutes. While the top-ranked Świątek earned 13 break points against Rybakina, the Kazakhstani successfully managed to defend 11 of them to maintain her lead.

The final proved to be a one-sided affair, with Rybakina winning the first set in just 30 minutes. She clinched the match from an emotional Kostyuk without conceding a single break point. This is Rybakina’s third WTA title of the current season, in addition to her Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open and Brisbane International victories.

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ATP world number six Casper Ruud has won a tour-leading 27th match this season, trumping Matteo Arnaldi of Italy 6-4 6-3 in the quarter-finals of the Barcelona Open on Friday. The Norwegian won 67 points compared to Arnaldi’s 51, winning four of his six break points of the match.

Ruud defeated Jordan Thompson of Australia 6-1 6-4 in the Round of 16 in order to move past Jannik Sinner with the most ATP wins in 2024 for the season to date. He came close to winning the Monte Carlo Masters last week, eventually falling 6-1 6-4 to Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final.

During his runup to the final, Ruud found himself in scintillating form, defeating world number one Novak Djokovic in the semi-final. Now, Ruud will hope to do one better at the Barcelona Open, where he will face Tomás Martín Etcheverry of Argentina in the semi-final on Saturday.

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Carlos Alcaraz, the world’s No. 3 tennis player, announced on Tuesday that he will not play at the 2024 Monte Carlo Masters. According to a statement shared by Alcaraz on X (former Twitter), he was forced to withdraw from the tournament due to a right arm injury.

Alcaraz has been practicing in Monte Carlo in recent days and was scheduled to face Felix Auger-Aliassime in the Round of 32. Now, Italian Lorenzo Sonego will take his place as a lucky loser.

“I have been working in Monte Carlo and trying to recover until the last minute from an injured pronator teres in my right arm, but it was not possible, and I cannot play!” Alcaraz wrote while adding that he was “really looking forward to playing”.

Alcaraz has had an up-and-down 2024 season so far. He made it to the quarterfinals of the Australian Open before being forced to withdraw from the Rio Open in February due to an ankle injury. The Spaniard recovered in time to take part at the BNP Paribas Open, where he managed to defend his title from 2023 before reaching the quarterfinals at the Miami Open.

Alcaraz will now likely turn his focus on trying to recover in time to play at the Barcelona Open, a tournament he won for two years straight. The Barcelona Open is scheduled to start on April 15.

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Two-time Wimbledon champion Andy Murray doesn’t see himself playing tennis for much longer. Speaking with reporters at the Dubai Tennis Championship earlier this week, Murray hinted that he is planning to retire at some point in 2024.

“I probably don’t have too long left, but I’ll do as best as I can these last few months,” said Murray after a 4-6, 7-6, 6-3 win over Denis Shapovalov in the first round of Dubai Tennis Championship.

According to Murray, he hasn’t lost his love for playing tennis but believes he can’t compete at the same level anymore.

“I still love competing and still love the game, but it gets harder and harder to compete the older you get, to keep your body fit and fresh,” he added.

The 2024 tennis season started poorly for Murray, as he lost his first four matches of the year. This included a straight-sets loss to Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the opening round of the Australian Open. At the time, he said there was a possibility it was his last appearance at the tournament.

Andy Murray was once considered to be among the best players in tennis, alongside Rodger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic. He won the US Open in 2012 and followed that up with Wimbledon wins in 2013 and 2015. However, a series of injuries derailed Murray’s career, and he hasn’t made it past the third round of any Grand Slam tournament since 2017. 

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Aryna Sabalenka is the Australian Open champion once again. Sabalenka beat Zheng Qinwen in straight sets (6-3, 6-2) to claim her second consecutive title in Melbourne.

Sabalenka has been on a tear during the 2024 Australian Open, making her way to the finals without losing a single set. Qinwen put up a great effort to stop Sabalenka’s dominant run, but even she proved powerless against the Belarusian’s powerful serve.

Sabalenka is the first woman to win back-to-back Australian Open titles since her compatriot Victoria Azarenka did it in 2012 and 2013.

Speaking after the match, Sabalenka praised Qinwen while saying that she is happy to add another Grand Slam title to her collection. 

“[Zheng is] a great player and very tough opponent. I’m super happy that I was able to get this win today,” Sabalenka said. “I wanted to show that I’m able to be consistently there and I’m able to win another [Grand Slam]. I really hope that [I can win] more than two right now, but for me was really important.

Sabalenka has further solidified her status as one of the best tennis players in the world. It came after a strong run in 2023, which saw her win the Australian Open, play in the US Open finals, and reach the semi-finals at the French Open and Wimbledon. The 25-year-old player will remain the world’s No. 2 player, but if she continues to play like this, it is only a matter of time before she replaces Iga Swiatek at the top.

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ATP world number one Novak Djokovic defeated 20th seed Adrian Mannarino 6-0, 6-0, 6-3 to progress to the last eight of the Australian Open quarterfinals. He matches Roger Federer’s record of progressing to 58 Grand Slam quarterfinals.

Djokovic’s victory came in a swift hour and 44 minutes, with the Serb hitting 31 winners and serving 17 aces. “The first two sets were some of the best sets I’ve played in a while,” Djokovic remarked, not dropping a single game. “I played great from the first to the last point.”

Should the number one seed emerge victorious in his 14th quarterfinal clash, he could be on course to win a record-extending 25th Grand Slam title. He next faces 12th seed Taylor Fritz, who defeated the seventh-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas 7-6 (3), 5-7, 6-3, 6-3.

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Seeded stars Taylor Frits, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Jannik Sinner all won their matches to progress to the fourth round of the Australian Open.

Fourth-seeded Jannik Sinner swept aside Sebastian Baez 6-0, 6-1, 6-3 on Friday morning to secure his spot in the fourth round. “I loved the conditions today because there was no wind and no sun,” Sinner commented. “I felt great on the ball. I made the right decisions, and I used every chance I had.” The Italian finished with six aces and 34 winners.

Number seven seed Stefanos Tsitsipas signaled his intention as well, soundly defeating Luca Van Assche 6-3, 6-0, 6-4. He’ll face a tough challenger in the next round in the form of 12th seed Taylor Fritz, who defeated Fabian Marozsan 3-6, 6-4, 6-2, 6-2. The previous day saw second seed Carlos Alcaraz secure a 6-4 6-7 (3) 6-3 7-6 (3) victory over Lorenzo Sonego. The reigning Wimbledon champion will be looking to unseat Australian Open title holder Novak Djokovic as he looks to become the number one ATP men’s singles player this season.

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ATP world number two Carlos Alcaraz got his Australian Open title challenge off to a fiery start as he saw off veteran Richard Gasquet in a 7-6 (5), 6-1, 6-2 straight sets victory. While the 20-year-old Spaniard took an hour and 12 minutes to clinch the first set in a tiebreaker, he brushed his 37-year-old opponent aside in the next two sets, taking just another hour to wrap up the win.

“Every set, I played better and better,” Alcaraz remarked following the match. “In the end, I played at quite a good level.” Gasquet put up a strong fight in the final game of the match, taking Alcaraz to deuce five times as he served for the match.

Last year’s Wimbledon champion, Alcaraz is seeking his first Australian Open triumph, looking to unseat reigning champion Novak Djokovic, who won his first-round match against Dino Prižmić 6-2 6-7 (5) 6-3 6-4. Alcaraz next faces Lorenzo Sonego on Thursday.

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Naomi Osaka, the former No. 1 tennis player in the world, had a disappointing return to the Grand Slams. Osaka was eliminated in the first round of the 2024 Australian Open by 16th-seeded Caroline Garcia.

Osaka, playing just her third match after a 15-month break, delivered a solid performance, but Garcia ultimately proved too much of a strong opponent, securing a win in straight sets (6-4, 7-6 (2)). Osaka failed to get a single break point while uncharacteristically committing double faults and misplacing key shots.

Osaka took a lengthy break from tennis in late 2022 to focus on her “wellbeing.” During that time, she also gave birth to her daughter Shai. The 26-year-old made a comeback at this year’s Brisbane International, where she reached the Round of 32.

Osaka’s elimination in the first round is her earliest exit from the Australian Open in eight appearances. She won the tournament twice, in 2019 and 2021.

“I felt like I did the best that I could possibly do. It was just really nice to be on Rod Laver again, hear the audience, how much they interacted with the match,” Osaka told ESPN after the match. “I have to tell myself, ‘Hey, like six months ago you were pregnant,’ stuff like that. Of course, there’s a voice in my head that is, ‘Who are you to think you can come back and immediately start winning matches?’”

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Rafael Nadal was eliminated from the Brisbane International after losing 5-7, 7-6 (6), 6-3 to local talent Jordan Thompson in the quarterfinals. This was the 22-time Grand Slam champion’s first tournament since returning from a hip flexor injury after a year-long absence.

“I hope to have the chance to be practicing next week and to play in Melbourne,” Nadal commented after his loss, referring to this year’s Australian Open. It was during this grand slam that Nadal suffered his injury, forcing him out of the tournament and resulting in him undergoing a season-ending surgery.

While the 37-year-old breezed through his first two matches with straight-set victories over Dominic Thiem and Jason Kubler, his match against Thompson was a grueling one, lasting three hours and 25 minutes. The length of the match took a toll on Nadal’s body, with the former ATP world number one being assessed by a trainer during the third set for an upper left leg injury. Following his medical timeout, he saw out the match.

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Elena Rybakina defeated Marta Kostyuk 6-2 6-2 to win the 2024 Porsche Stuttgart Open. “Thank you so much. I want to congratulate Marta for a great tournament. You’re playing really amazing. Hopefully, we play many more finals,” Rybakina commented after her victory.

Rybakina’s road to the final was a difficult one, as she defeated top seed Iga Świątek 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 to advance from the semi-finals. She hit 10 aces to defeat her Polish opponent in a grueling match of 2 hours and 49 minutes. While the top-ranked Świątek earned 13 break points against Rybakina, the Kazakhstani successfully managed to defend 11 of them to maintain her lead.

The final proved to be a one-sided affair, with Rybakina winning the first set in just 30 minutes. She clinched the match from an emotional Kostyuk without conceding a single break point. This is Rybakina’s third WTA title of the current season, in addition to her Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open and Brisbane International victories.

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ATP world number six Casper Ruud has won a tour-leading 27th match this season, trumping Matteo Arnaldi of Italy 6-4 6-3 in the quarter-finals of the Barcelona Open on Friday. The Norwegian won 67 points compared to Arnaldi’s 51, winning four of his six break points of the match.

Ruud defeated Jordan Thompson of Australia 6-1 6-4 in the Round of 16 in order to move past Jannik Sinner with the most ATP wins in 2024 for the season to date. He came close to winning the Monte Carlo Masters last week, eventually falling 6-1 6-4 to Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final.

During his runup to the final, Ruud found himself in scintillating form, defeating world number one Novak Djokovic in the semi-final. Now, Ruud will hope to do one better at the Barcelona Open, where he will face Tomás Martín Etcheverry of Argentina in the semi-final on Saturday.

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Carlos Alcaraz, the world’s No. 3 tennis player, announced on Tuesday that he will not play at the 2024 Monte Carlo Masters. According to a statement shared by Alcaraz on X (former Twitter), he was forced to withdraw from the tournament due to a right arm injury.

Alcaraz has been practicing in Monte Carlo in recent days and was scheduled to face Felix Auger-Aliassime in the Round of 32. Now, Italian Lorenzo Sonego will take his place as a lucky loser.

“I have been working in Monte Carlo and trying to recover until the last minute from an injured pronator teres in my right arm, but it was not possible, and I cannot play!” Alcaraz wrote while adding that he was “really looking forward to playing”.

Alcaraz has had an up-and-down 2024 season so far. He made it to the quarterfinals of the Australian Open before being forced to withdraw from the Rio Open in February due to an ankle injury. The Spaniard recovered in time to take part at the BNP Paribas Open, where he managed to defend his title from 2023 before reaching the quarterfinals at the Miami Open.

Alcaraz will now likely turn his focus on trying to recover in time to play at the Barcelona Open, a tournament he won for two years straight. The Barcelona Open is scheduled to start on April 15.

The post Carlos Alcaraz Withdraws From Monte Carlo Due to Arm Injury appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Two-time Wimbledon champion Andy Murray doesn’t see himself playing tennis for much longer. Speaking with reporters at the Dubai Tennis Championship earlier this week, Murray hinted that he is planning to retire at some point in 2024.

“I probably don’t have too long left, but I’ll do as best as I can these last few months,” said Murray after a 4-6, 7-6, 6-3 win over Denis Shapovalov in the first round of Dubai Tennis Championship.

According to Murray, he hasn’t lost his love for playing tennis but believes he can’t compete at the same level anymore.

“I still love competing and still love the game, but it gets harder and harder to compete the older you get, to keep your body fit and fresh,” he added.

The 2024 tennis season started poorly for Murray, as he lost his first four matches of the year. This included a straight-sets loss to Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the opening round of the Australian Open. At the time, he said there was a possibility it was his last appearance at the tournament.

Andy Murray was once considered to be among the best players in tennis, alongside Rodger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic. He won the US Open in 2012 and followed that up with Wimbledon wins in 2013 and 2015. However, a series of injuries derailed Murray’s career, and he hasn’t made it past the third round of any Grand Slam tournament since 2017. 

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Aryna Sabalenka is the Australian Open champion once again. Sabalenka beat Zheng Qinwen in straight sets (6-3, 6-2) to claim her second consecutive title in Melbourne.

Sabalenka has been on a tear during the 2024 Australian Open, making her way to the finals without losing a single set. Qinwen put up a great effort to stop Sabalenka’s dominant run, but even she proved powerless against the Belarusian’s powerful serve.

Sabalenka is the first woman to win back-to-back Australian Open titles since her compatriot Victoria Azarenka did it in 2012 and 2013.

Speaking after the match, Sabalenka praised Qinwen while saying that she is happy to add another Grand Slam title to her collection. 

“[Zheng is] a great player and very tough opponent. I’m super happy that I was able to get this win today,” Sabalenka said. “I wanted to show that I’m able to be consistently there and I’m able to win another [Grand Slam]. I really hope that [I can win] more than two right now, but for me was really important.

Sabalenka has further solidified her status as one of the best tennis players in the world. It came after a strong run in 2023, which saw her win the Australian Open, play in the US Open finals, and reach the semi-finals at the French Open and Wimbledon. The 25-year-old player will remain the world’s No. 2 player, but if she continues to play like this, it is only a matter of time before she replaces Iga Swiatek at the top.

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ATP world number one Novak Djokovic defeated 20th seed Adrian Mannarino 6-0, 6-0, 6-3 to progress to the last eight of the Australian Open quarterfinals. He matches Roger Federer’s record of progressing to 58 Grand Slam quarterfinals.

Djokovic’s victory came in a swift hour and 44 minutes, with the Serb hitting 31 winners and serving 17 aces. “The first two sets were some of the best sets I’ve played in a while,” Djokovic remarked, not dropping a single game. “I played great from the first to the last point.”

Should the number one seed emerge victorious in his 14th quarterfinal clash, he could be on course to win a record-extending 25th Grand Slam title. He next faces 12th seed Taylor Fritz, who defeated the seventh-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas 7-6 (3), 5-7, 6-3, 6-3.

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Seeded stars Taylor Frits, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Jannik Sinner all won their matches to progress to the fourth round of the Australian Open.

Fourth-seeded Jannik Sinner swept aside Sebastian Baez 6-0, 6-1, 6-3 on Friday morning to secure his spot in the fourth round. “I loved the conditions today because there was no wind and no sun,” Sinner commented. “I felt great on the ball. I made the right decisions, and I used every chance I had.” The Italian finished with six aces and 34 winners.

Number seven seed Stefanos Tsitsipas signaled his intention as well, soundly defeating Luca Van Assche 6-3, 6-0, 6-4. He’ll face a tough challenger in the next round in the form of 12th seed Taylor Fritz, who defeated Fabian Marozsan 3-6, 6-4, 6-2, 6-2. The previous day saw second seed Carlos Alcaraz secure a 6-4 6-7 (3) 6-3 7-6 (3) victory over Lorenzo Sonego. The reigning Wimbledon champion will be looking to unseat Australian Open title holder Novak Djokovic as he looks to become the number one ATP men’s singles player this season.

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ATP world number two Carlos Alcaraz got his Australian Open title challenge off to a fiery start as he saw off veteran Richard Gasquet in a 7-6 (5), 6-1, 6-2 straight sets victory. While the 20-year-old Spaniard took an hour and 12 minutes to clinch the first set in a tiebreaker, he brushed his 37-year-old opponent aside in the next two sets, taking just another hour to wrap up the win.

“Every set, I played better and better,” Alcaraz remarked following the match. “In the end, I played at quite a good level.” Gasquet put up a strong fight in the final game of the match, taking Alcaraz to deuce five times as he served for the match.

Last year’s Wimbledon champion, Alcaraz is seeking his first Australian Open triumph, looking to unseat reigning champion Novak Djokovic, who won his first-round match against Dino Prižmić 6-2 6-7 (5) 6-3 6-4. Alcaraz next faces Lorenzo Sonego on Thursday.

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Naomi Osaka, the former No. 1 tennis player in the world, had a disappointing return to the Grand Slams. Osaka was eliminated in the first round of the 2024 Australian Open by 16th-seeded Caroline Garcia.

Osaka, playing just her third match after a 15-month break, delivered a solid performance, but Garcia ultimately proved too much of a strong opponent, securing a win in straight sets (6-4, 7-6 (2)). Osaka failed to get a single break point while uncharacteristically committing double faults and misplacing key shots.

Osaka took a lengthy break from tennis in late 2022 to focus on her “wellbeing.” During that time, she also gave birth to her daughter Shai. The 26-year-old made a comeback at this year’s Brisbane International, where she reached the Round of 32.

Osaka’s elimination in the first round is her earliest exit from the Australian Open in eight appearances. She won the tournament twice, in 2019 and 2021.

“I felt like I did the best that I could possibly do. It was just really nice to be on Rod Laver again, hear the audience, how much they interacted with the match,” Osaka told ESPN after the match. “I have to tell myself, ‘Hey, like six months ago you were pregnant,’ stuff like that. Of course, there’s a voice in my head that is, ‘Who are you to think you can come back and immediately start winning matches?’”

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Rafael Nadal was eliminated from the Brisbane International after losing 5-7, 7-6 (6), 6-3 to local talent Jordan Thompson in the quarterfinals. This was the 22-time Grand Slam champion’s first tournament since returning from a hip flexor injury after a year-long absence.

“I hope to have the chance to be practicing next week and to play in Melbourne,” Nadal commented after his loss, referring to this year’s Australian Open. It was during this grand slam that Nadal suffered his injury, forcing him out of the tournament and resulting in him undergoing a season-ending surgery.

While the 37-year-old breezed through his first two matches with straight-set victories over Dominic Thiem and Jason Kubler, his match against Thompson was a grueling one, lasting three hours and 25 minutes. The length of the match took a toll on Nadal’s body, with the former ATP world number one being assessed by a trainer during the third set for an upper left leg injury. Following his medical timeout, he saw out the match.

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