Ayoola Atitebi

World number one and defending champion Jannik Sinner made a successful return to the Australian Open with a straight-sets victory, expressing satisfaction with the crowd's reception amid his ongoing doping case. Sinner, who won his maiden major title in Melbourne last year, secured a 7-6 (7-2) 7-6 (7-5) 6-1 win over Chile's Nicolas Jarry in his first appearance at the tournament since failing two doping tests in March. The 23-year-old Italian, who faces a Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) hearing in April, acknowledged his uncertainty about the crowd's response: "I was curious to see how it was. You never know what's happening," Sinner said of the reception on Rod Laver Arena. "I was happy about the crowd. It was a very nice crowd. There were some for my opponent and some for me. It was a nice atmosphere." While […]

World number one Novak Djokovic suffered a surprise quarter-final exit at the Brisbane International, losing 7-6 (8-6) 6-3 to Reilly Opelka, ranked 293rd globally. Returning from a two-year injury break, the American defeated Djokovic in 100 minutes. Opelka, seeking his fifth career title, will face Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in the semifinals after the Frenchman's 7-5 7-6 (7-5) win over Jakub Mensik. Opelka acknowledged the advantage of playing without pressure against Djokovic, who was pursuing his 100th ATP title. The other semifinal pairs defending champion Grigor Dimitrov, who advanced via walkover, against Jiri Lehecka, who defeated Nicolas Jarry 6-4 6-4. In women's singles, top seed Aryna Sabalenka reached the semifinals by overcoming Marie Bouzkova 6-3 6-4. She'll face 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva, who defeated Ons Jabeur 6-4 7-6 (7-2). Their previous encounter at the 2024 French Open saw Andreeva become the youngest […]

Great Britain's path to the United Cup semi-finals now requires Katie Boulter to defeat world-class player Iga Swiatek following Billy Harris's competitive loss to Hubert Hurkacz in Sydney. Harris, ranked 125th globally, displayed a strong performance against the 16th-ranked Hurkacz before ultimately falling 7-6 (7-3) 7-5 in the opening match of their best-of-three tie. The 29-year-old Harris, who has shown remarkable improvement over the past two years, aimed to secure Britain's advancement with what would have been his career-defining victory. Following this result, Boulter, 28, must now overcome Swiatek to force a decisive mixed doubles match. Harris stepped into the role of Britain's top male player due to Jack Draper's hip injury and Cameron Norrie's commitment to an ATP event in Hong Kong. Despite strong serving throughout, Harris couldn't break Hurkacz's service games. The first set remained close, with neither […]