9:19 AM ET D’Arcy MaineESPN.com After seven years away from the sport, Kim Clijsters announced her much-hyped return to professional tennis in September. It hasn’t exactly been the comeback year she envisioned. Yet despite the unprecedented and unpredictable circumstances of the 2020 season, she somehow has already has won a title. Following three grueling weeks
Tennis
4:10 PM ET Associated Press PALERMO, Sicily — Fiona Ferro of France upset fourth-seeded Anett Kontaveit of Estonia in the Palermo Ladies Open final on Sunday to win the first tour-level tennis title in five months. Ferro, who is ranked 53rd in the world, won 6-2, 7-5. She had lost just one set on her
1:33 PM ET Associated Press NEW YORK — Alexei Popyrin withdrew from the US Open on Sunday, allowing 2012 champion Andy Murray to move into the main draw. That means Murray can relinquish the wild-card invitation he received from the U.S. Tennis Association, which now will be given to American Mitchell Krueger. Popyrin is a
4:47 PM ET Associated Press LEXINGTON, Ky. — Serena Williams flexed and then kissed a sinewy right biceps to show downtime well spent in training even without bench pressing. “This is God-given, thank you very much,” the 23-time Grand Slam champion said as she thanked her mother, Oracene. Williams now looks to flex her muscles
3:33 PM ET Associated Press PALERMO, Sicily — Fourth-seeded Anett Kontaveit will play 53rd-ranked Fiona Ferro on Sunday for the first tour-level tennis title in five months at the Palermo Ladies Open. Kontaveit beat top-seeded Petra Martic 6-2, 6-4, and Ferro rallied past Camila Giorgi of Italy 2-6, 6-2, 7-5, in the semifinals Saturday. It’s
4:28 PM ET Associated Press A player testing positive for COVID-19 will be dropped from the US Open, but the U.S. Tennis Association has not established how many infected participants would force the Grand Slam tournament to be called off. According to a 10½-page “Player Q&A Update” sent out this week by the USTA, “There
10:19 AM ET Women’s world No. 5 Elina Svitolina and Kiki Bertens, ranked seventh, joined a growing list of players withdrawing from this month’s US Open due to the coronavirus pandemic on Friday. Men’s defending champion Rafael Nadal and women’s world No. 1 Ashleigh Barty have opted against travelling to New York to play the
12:51 PM ET Associated Press NEW YORK — Past US Open champions Kim Clijsters and Andy Murray received wild-card invitations for the Grand Slam tournament Thursday. The U.S. Tennis Association gave all of its other wild cards for singles play to Americans. 2 Related Clijsters is a four-time major champion and former No. 1 who
1:52 AM ET New South Wales deputy premier John Barilaro says his state would be willing to act as a temporary host for major sports events such as the Australian Open tennis Grand Slam if they cannot be held in neighbouring Victoria due to COVID-19. Barilaro told Australian radio on Friday he had written to
6:22 PM ET Associated Press PALERMO, Sicily — Top-seeded Petra Martic rallied past Russian qualifier Liudmilla Samsonova 5-7, 6-4, 6-2 to reach the Palermo Ladies Open quarterfinals Thursday in the first tournament following a five-month break due to the coronavirus. “The struggle was real out there today,” Martic said after the 2.5-hour match. “She’s not
6:19 PM ET Associated Press PALERMO, Sicily — Former French Open finalist Sara Errani showed signs of reviving her clay-court prowess by rallying past Kristýna Plíšková 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 Wednesday to reach the Palermo Ladies Open quarterfinals. It was the second consecutive three-set win for Errani, who received a wild-card entry for the first tour-level
12:25 PM ET Associated Press Despite a loss in revenue from holding its marquee event without spectators amid the coronavirus pandemic, the U.S. Tennis Association announced Wednesday that its overall compensation to players at this year’s U.S. Open will be $53.4 million — which is 93.3% of the roughly $57.2 million awarded in 2019. The
2:36 PM ET Associated Press Defending champion Rafael Nadal will skip the US Open because of the coronavirus pandemic, putting on hold his bid to equal Roger Federer‘s men’s tennis record for Grand Slam titles. Nadal explained his decision in a series of tweets sent in Spanish and English on Tuesday. “The situation is very
1:34 PM ET Associated Press PALERMO, Sicily — Slovenian qualifier Kaja Juvan upset second-seeded Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic 1-6, 7-5, 6-4 Tuesday in the first round of the Palermo Ladies Open, the first official WTA event since March. Vondrousova won the first set in just 29 minutes and then came from 4-0 down
11:47 AM ET Associated Press The Madrid Open, a joint men’s and women’s tennis tournament, has been canceled. Organizers say the tournament will not take place at its rescheduled slot in September “following strong” recommendations made by local authorities “in view of the current situation caused by COVID-19.” The event was originally scheduled to be
12:18 PM ET Associated Press PALERMO, Sicily — Tour-level tennis resumed after a five-month enforced break on Monday, and players at the Palermo Ladies Open had to handle their own towels and not shake hands of opponents. The strict rules because of the coronavirus pandemic included no showers on site, and no autographs or photos
6:16 PM ET Associated Press BUENOS AIRES — Retired tennis player Mariano Puerta has admitted he lied to the Court of Arbitration for Sport to reduce his suspension after a second positive doping test. Four months after the high point of his career — the final of the 2005 French Open — the Argentine tested
2:43 PM ET Associated Press NEW YORK — Three-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray was one of four men given wild-card entries Monday for the Western & Southern Open, the tuneup tournament that will be held at Flushing Meadows before the US Open. Murray won the Western & Southern Open in 2008 and 2011. The