Tennis

Italy won the Billie Jean King Cup for the fifth time as Jasmine Paolini beat Rebecca Sramkova to secure a dominant 2-0 win over Slovakia on Wednesday. World number four Paolini triumphed 6-2, 6-1 in the second singles rubber to follow up Lucia Bronzetti’s 6-2, 6-4 victory against Viktoria Hruncakova. Italy were runners-up to Canada

Open Extended Reactions The King of Clay might have made his final farewell as a pro. Editor’s Picks 2 Related Rafael Nadal played in what could be his last match Tuesday, falling 6-4, 6-4 to Botic van de Zandschulp in the first singles competition of the Davis Cup and potentially capping a career that includes

Rafael Nadal lost his final career match to Botic van de Zandschulp at the Davis Cup on Tuesday. (Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images for ITF) Rafael Nadal’s final match before retirement was Tuesday’s Davis Cup loss to Botic van de Zandschulp of the Netherlands, and he went out exactly the way he should: fighting. The

Retiring tennis superstar Rafael Nadal lost 6-4, 6-4 to Botic van de Zandschulp in a Davis Cup quarter-final singles rubber on Tuesday as the Netherlands took a 1-0 lead against Spain. The 22-time Grand Slam winner will call time on his career in professional tennis at the end of Spain’s participation in the tournament in

Tom Hamilton, Senior WriterNov 18, 2024, 05:10 AM ET Close • Joined ESPN in 2011• Covered two Olympics, a pair of Rugby World Cups and two British & Irish Lions tours• Previously rugby editor, and became senior writer in 2018 Open Extended Reactions MALAGA, Spain —Rafael Nadal said he is unsure what role he will play at the

Alexander Zverev in action© AFP Alexander Zverev secured a spot in the last four of the ATP Finals on Friday with 7-6 (7/5), 6-4 victory over Carlos Alcaraz which leaves the Spaniard’s destiny out of his hands. World number two Zverev ensured he would advance after taking the first set 7-6 (7/5) after more than an hour of battle

D’Arcy Maine, ESPN.com Nov 12, 2024, 10:34 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Coco Gauff opened the 2024 season with the title in Auckland. And while there were ups-and-downs along the way, she finished the season just as she started, with another victory, by winning the WTA Finals at the year-end event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia,

Norway’s Casper Ruud eased to a straight-sets victory over Carlos Alcaraz on Monday as the Spanish star’s bid for a maiden ATP Finals title got off to a poor start. Ruud romped through the opening set before fighting back from 5-2 behind in the second to win 6-1, 7-5 in Turin. World number three Alcaraz,

D’Arcy Maine, ESPN.com Nov 5, 2024, 10:34 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Alexander Zverev claimed the final Masters 1000-level title of the year with a 6-2, 6-2 rout over local favorite Ugo Humbert in Paris on Sunday. It had been an impressive week for the 27-year-old German, who defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas in the quarterfinals and

Germany’s Alexander Zverev won the Paris Masters on Sunday by defeating home hope Ugo Humbert 6-2, 6-2 in a dominant display by the new world number two. Zverev, 27, now boasts seven ATP 1000-level titles over the course of his career, following two wins in Rome and Madrid, as well as victories in Montreal and

Iga Swiatek kicked off her WTA Finals title defence with a hard-fought victory, rallying back from a set and a double-break down to overcome eighth-seeded Barbora Krejcikova in Riyadh on Sunday. The Polish second seed kept her hopes of wrestling back the number one ranking from Aryna Sabalenka alive with a 4-6, 7-5, 6-2 performance

D’Arcy Maine, ESPN.com Nov 1, 2024, 10:34 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Less than an hour after losing in the US Open final in September, Jessica Pegula walked into her news conference with a stoic expression on her face. She quickly sat in her seat, adjusted her ponytail and sighed before giving her initial thoughts

Kalan Hooks, ESPNOct 30, 2024, 05:40 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Tennis star Coco Gauff was referenced in rapper Tyler, the Creator’s recently released album “CHROMAKOPIA.” Her name was dropped in the track titled, “Thought I Was Dead” featuring ScHoolboy Q and Santigold. Gauff picked up on the reference and posted her reaction to TikTok.

Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden in action© X (Twitter) Veteran Indian tennis player Rohan Bopanna and his Australian partner Matthew Ebden advanced to the quarterfinals of the men’s doubles event of the Paris Masters. The Indo Australian pair eked out a 6-4 7-6 win over the Brazilian-German combine of Marcelo Melo and Alexander Zverev in

D’Arcy Maine, ESPN.com Oct 29, 2024, 10:34 AM ET Open Extended Reactions What a season it’s been for Zheng Qinwen. Entering last week’s 500-level Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, the 22-year-old had already won Olympic singles gold and the title in Palermo, and reached the final at the Australian Open and at the 1000-level event