8:33 AM ET NEW YORK — Like many toddlers, Stefanos Tsitsipas, at age 3, had an object he lugged everywhere he went. He was a Greek version of the iconic American comic strip character Linus, but instead of a blanket, Tsitsipas’ totem was a towel. “It was like a toy,” Tsitsipas, the No. 4 seed
Tennis
1:33 PM ET ESPN News Services NEW YORK — Top-seeded Karolina Pliskova has been upset in the second round of the US Open by Caroline Garcia of France on Wednesday. Pliskova failed to convert two set points in the second set and lost 6-1, 7-6 (2). It was the first time since 2008 that the
6:49 AM ET If you’ve watched any of the 2020 US Open so far, you already know this year’s event is like none other. With strict rules and protocols, and the absence of fans due to the global coronavirus pandemic, the scene at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center is almost hard to believe,
11:49 PM ET ESPN News Services NEW YORK — Three players who won matches at the US Open on Tuesday — Richard Gasquet, Gregoire Barrere and Ysaline Bonaventure — and one scheduled to play Wednesday — Kirsten Flipkens — are among the seven entrants placed under stricter COVID-19 protocols after contact with the only athlete
5:06 PM ET ESPN News Services NEW YORK — Serena Williams began her latest attempt to win a 24th Grand Slam singles trophy by beating Kristie Ahn in the first round at the US Open on Tuesday. The two Americans split the first 10 games before Williams pulled away to win 7-5, 6-3. The victory
5:22 PM ET Associated Press NEW YORK — Andy Murray saved a match point and put together his 10th career comeback from two sets down to win his first Grand Slam contest in nearly 20 months. The 2012 US Open champion, still working his way back from a pair of operations on his right hip,
10:32 PM ET D’Arcy MaineESPN.com Serena Williams nearly tripped as she scrambled to get to the ball on match point. She managed to make contact, but the ball sailed into the net and it was over. Bianca Andreescu became the 2019 US Open champion, and Williams became the runner-up in her fourth straight major final.
10:00 PM ET D’Arcy MaineESPN.com Coco Gauff did everything she could. After losing the first set and trailing 4-2 in the second to Anastasija Sevastova, the 16-year-old fought back to force a decider in her first-round match at the 2020 US Open. She staved off three match points in the final game at Louis Armstrong
2:15 PM ET ESPN News Services Top-seeded Karolina Pliskova advanced in straight sets Monday at the US Open. Pliskova surged ahead of Anhelina Kalinina 4-1 in the opening set, lost three games in a row, then took the last eight for a 6-4, 6-0 victory. Pliskova had a 26-7 edge in winners. She is ranked
9:04 AM ET D’Arcy MaineESPN.com Robin Montgomery was hanging out after practice one day in early August at the Junior Tennis Champions Center in College Park, Maryland, when she got the text. It was only a few words, but they changed her life in an instant: “You got the wild card.” The 15-year-old was in
10:04 PM ET NEW YORK — The rubber soles of his shoes squealed like the brakes of a subway car grinding to a halt as Novak Djokovic sprinted, hit, slid and violently changed direction on the hard court in Louis Armstrong Stadium. His grunts were magnified by the echo in the cavernous, nearly empty arena.
11:03 AM ET It has been quite an unusual year of tennis. The US Open, usually the final Grand Slam of the season, is just the second after the coronavirus pandemic canceled Wimbledon and postponed the French Open until September. Gone this year in New York are the fans, the defending women’s and men’s champions,
5:36 PM ET Former US Open champion Andy Murray, well-known for his support for gender equality in various aspects of the game, said Saturday at the National Tennis Center that he would not be signing on to support a rebel ATP faction led by top-ranked Novak Djokovic and journeyman Vasek Pospisil. “I’m not totally against
3:35 PM ET Associated Press NEW YORK — Novak Djokovic tied Rafael Nadal‘s record by winning his 35th title at a Masters 1000 tournament, overcoming a sluggish start to beat Milos Raonic 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the Western & Southern Open final Saturday and remain unbeaten this season. Getting tuned up ahead of the US
9:52 AM ET NEW YORK — Naomi Osaka, who battled through to the Western and Southern Open women’s singles final while navigating an intense degree of attention because of her social activism, has withdrawn from Saturday’s championship match, citing a hamstring injury suffered in her semifinal. Osaka was scheduled to play resurgent former No. 1
4:54 PM ET Associated Press NEW YORK — After two days of little sleep and unexpected stress, Naomi Osaka was up to the moment. The two-time Grand Slam champion returned to the court after bringing the push for racial justice to the forefront on the tennis tour, and she advanced to the finals of the
9:03 AM ET Serena Williams‘ drive to earn Grand Slam singles title No. 24, thereby equaling the all-time record held by Margaret Court, will begin next week at the fan-free US Open. The tournament will be unlike any major that she, or any other tennis pro, has ever experienced. This radical and unexpected development caused
9:09 AM ET Professional tennis is back on one of its biggest stages after a long hiatus caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Get ready for a 2020 US Open unlike any other. There will be no spectators after more than 700,000 attended last year. Also missing? Several top players, including both 2019 champs: Rafael Nadal