ATP

Auger-Aliassime continues fine run with European Open triumph

By Sports Desk October 23, 2022

Felix Auger-Aliassime clinched the European Open title by beating Sebastian Korda in straight sets in Antwerp, replicating last week's Firenze Open triumph to maintain his strong run of form.

Auger-Aliassime swept aside J. J. Wolf to emerge victorious in Italy a week ago, and was in control from the start on Sunday as he beat another American to win his third ATP title of the year.

The Canadian seized the initiative when he broke Korda's serve to go 4-2 up in the opener, before saving two break points early in the second set.

Korda failed to conjure up another opportunity to break as Auger-Aliassime wrapped up a routine 6-3 6-4 win by holding to love.

Auger-Aliassime has responded brilliantly to his first-round exit at the Astana Open earlier this month, winning eight consecutive matches – six of them in straight sets.

Meanwhile, the 22-year-old has now won three of his past four ATP Tour finals, failing to drop a set in any of those victories after losing each of his first eight final appearances.

Auger-Aliassime's victory also represented a major boost to his hopes of reaching next month's ATP Finals in Turin, strengthening his grip on the final qualification spot for the tournament.

Related items

  • Jadeja and Ashwin boost India hopes of avoiding series whitewash Jadeja and Ashwin boost India hopes of avoiding series whitewash

    India boosted their hopes of avoiding a series whitewash by taking control on day two of the third Test against New Zealand in Mumbai.

    Ravindra Jadeja (4-52) and Ravichandran Ashwin (3-63) led the hosts' charge, as they reduced the tourists to 171-9 at the close.

    Following their late 10-minute collapse on Friday, which left them at 84-4, Rishabh Pant (60 off 59 balls) and Shubnam Gill (90 from 146 deliveries) ensured India made a progressive start to the second day. 

    Washington Sundar also chipped in with 38 from 36 balls, but Jadeja and Sarfaraz Khan went in quick succession as New Zealand claimed three wickets in the space of 10 overs after lunch.

    The Black Caps trailed by 28 after bowling their opponents out for 263, but lost Tom Latham in the opening over, with Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra following soon after to leave them at 44-3.

    Will Young (51 off 100) chalked up his second 50 of the Test, though it proved a false down for the tourists, as Jadeja and Ashwin took a combined seven wickets to keep their side's deficit down to just 143 with one wicket remaining.

    Data Debrief:

    India are desperately trying to prevent New Zealand from inflicting their first-ever home whitewash in a series of three or more Tests.

    Pant certainly did his bit by taking just 36 balls to notch up India's fastest Test 50 against the Black Caps, for whom Patel (5-103) took his second five-wicket haul in the city of his birth, as well as his sixth overall in Test cricket.

    Jadeja was also inspired in the field, though, as he took his wicket tally for the Test to nine.

  • Sabalenka determined to 'do everything I can' to remain world number one ahead of Swiatek Sabalenka determined to 'do everything I can' to remain world number one ahead of Swiatek

    Aryna Sabalenka says she will "do everything I can" to end the year as world number one for the first time in her career.

    The winner of this season's Australian Open and US Open, Sabalenka sits top of the WTA summit ahead of Iga Swiatek, with the pair battling it out to be there come the conclusion of the WTA Finals in Riyadh.

    Sabalenka, who has also triumphed in Cincinnati and Wuhan this term, will hold onto top spot by winning all three of her group-stage matches or reaching the final of the event.

    The 26-year-old was in a similar position last season when she arrived at the WTA Finals in Cancun, but was subsequently displaced by Swiatek.

    And she is desperate not to miss out this time around.

    "That's definitely one of the goals," she said. "I've always been saying that, for me, it's about finishing the year as the world number one. I'll do everything I can to finish the year as world number one.

    "Any time we come to the tournament, we want to win. That's the first goal. I'm trying to be focused on the first part. Then, if I am able to finish the year as number one, it'll be amazing, and I'll be super happy."

    Meanwhile, reigning champion Swiatek must successfully defend the WTA Finals crown - and land her sixth silverware of the campaign - if she is to enter 2025 as world number one.

    Following an impressive start to the season, the French Open champion has tailed off and skipped the recent Asian swing due to fatigue, but is determined to seal her return to the summit.

    "Obviously, we're both fighting for this spot," she said. "It's been us basically, over the past few years.

    "I'm in the tournament. I want to play my best and win. I'm going to focus on my first match and do everything step by step.

    "She's a great player. She also deserves to be number one. For sure, I'm going to fight for me to be in that place."

  • WTA Finals: Sabalenka, Swiatek and the battle for number one WTA Finals: Sabalenka, Swiatek and the battle for number one

    Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek are once again embroiled in a tussle for the year-end number one spot in the WTA rankings.

    Last year, Swiatek finished as the year-end number one, with a flawless display at the 2023 WTA Finals in Cancun seeing her top Sabalenka, who had been in pole position.

    Sabalenka will be out to avoid a similar fate this time around, with the WTA Finals moving to Riyadh.

    Here, we preview the key storylines ahead of the tournament.

    Sabalenka and Swiatek go head-to-head... again

    It has been a fantastic season for both of these players, who have proved their credentials as the standout duo on the WTA Tour.

    Sabalenka has scooped two grand slam titles, triumphing at the Australian Open and the US Open.

    Swiatek, meanwhile, won the French Open and collected bronze at Roland-Garros at the Paris Olympics. Between them, the pair have won nine Tour-level titles in 2024.

    Sabalenka will guarantee her place at the top of the world heading into 2025 should she win her three group-stage matches in Riyadh.

    The Belarusian takes on Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen, world number five Elena Rybakina and Jasmine Paolini, this year's Wimbledon and French Open runner-up, in her group.

    Sabalenka is the first player to make successive WTA Finals appearances as the number one since Serena Williams in 2013 and 2014.

    The 26-year-old has reeled off 46 match wins across grand slams and WTA 1000 events this year, which is one more than Swiatek (45).

     

    Swiatek, on the other hand, has Coco Gauff, US Open runner-up Jessica Pegula and Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova to contend with.

    Since the reintroduction of the round-robin format in 2003, Swiatek has conceded the fewest games of any player to win the WTA Finals, dropping only 20 games en route to the title last year - breaking Williams' record of 32 from 2012.

    Swiatek downed Pegula in last year's final, and dropped just a single game. That made her the player to concede the fewest games in a WTA Finals title match. Martina Navratilova (1983) and Kim Clijsters (2003) previously shared the record, conceding two games in respective finals.

    She is also one of only two players, along with Williams, to win the tournament without dropping a set since the tournament's format was altered 21 years ago.

    Swiatek could become the first player to win the WTA Finals on consecutive occasions as the second seed. Among this year's qualifiers, the 23-year-old (75%, 9-3) holds the highest winning percentage at the WTA Finals.

    Since 2003, the Pole is, however, the only top seed to win all three group matches and not reach the final at that year's WTA Finals, losing to Sabalenka in their semi-final in 2022.

    The key insights for the other contenders

    Since 2003, Gauff (2022-2024) is only the second player to reach three consecutive editions of the WTA Finals before turning 21, after Maria Sharapova (2004-2007). 

    Gauff is aiming to become the fourth American to win the WTA Finals before turning 21 after Chris Evert (1972, 1973 and 1975), Tracy Austin (1980) and Williams (2001).

    Paolini has had a fine year, and will become only the fourth Italian to appear at the WTA Finals after Francesca Schiavone (2010), Sara Errani (2012, 2013) and Flavia Pennetta (2015).

     

    At the age of 28 years and 303 days, she will become the second-oldest player to make their maiden WTA Finals appearance as a top-five ranked player, after Li Na (29 years and 241 days) in 2011 – since the WTA rankings were first published in 1975. Paolini (18) won the joint-most matches at grand slam events in 2024, along with Sabalenka. 

    Meanwhile, only Swiatek (five) and Sabalenka (four) have won more WTA-level titles in 2024 than Rybakina (three).

    At the age of 30 years and 258 days on the day of the final, Pegula could become the oldest maiden-winner of the WTA Finals since the event’s inauguration in 1972, surpassing Jana Novotna (29 years and 52 days) in 1997.

    In Cancun last year, Pegula became the first player to face the WTA's top four players at a single event, since the rankings were first published in 1975.

    Since the event's inauguration in 1972, Zheng will become only the second player from China to appear at the WTA Finals after Li Na (2011-2013).

    Excluding alternates, Krejcikova (13) will be the first player ranked outside the WTA's top 10 to appear at the WTA Finals since Vera Zvonareva (11) in 2004.

© 2024 SportsMaxTV All Rights Reserved.