Ash Barty has announced a shock retirement from tennis at just 25.

The Australian world number one announced the decision via her Instagram feed.

"I am so thankful for everything this sport has given me and leave feeling proud and fulfilled," she said.

"Thank you to everyone who has supported me along the way, I'll always be grateful for the lifelong memories that we created together."

Barty has not played since winning the Australian Open final over Danielle Collins in January.

Shelby Rogers continued her recent good form as she won an all-American clash with Amanda Anisimova in the first round of the Miami Open.

Rogers beat 10th seed Jelena Ostapenko en route to the third round at Indian Wells, where she lost in three sets to last year's US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez.

Both Rogers and Anisimova have experience of going into the second week of a grand slam, yet it was the more experienced Rogers who had the edge in South Florida, prevailing 3-6 6-0 6-3 in a stirring comeback.

Speaking on-court after the win, Rogers highlighted the challenge Anisimova poses when she is in form.

"[Anisimova] can come out and dictate play like nobody else when she is on fire, it's hard to do anything," she said.

"I felt like I had to counter that a little bit better. I was a little passive in the first, just running side to side.

"She played incredible. I'm just really happy I closed it out because I knew she was going to raise her level again at the end."

Round two will see a reunion between Rogers and Ostapenko, while Simona Halep, a two-time semi-finalist in Miami, will face Australia's Daria Saville.

Saville, formerly Daria Gavrilova, was ranked as high as 20 back in 2017, but had surgery on her Achilles last February.

A run to the last 16 at Indian Wells, including a top-10 win over Ons Jabeur, delivered a reminder of her quality and she will have the chance to claim another big-name scalp after beating Greet Minnen 7-5 6-3.

Elsewhere in the first round, there were wins for Marta Kostyuk, Magda Linette and Ekaterina Alexandrova.

Kaia Kanepi booked a second-round meeting with Sara Sorribes Tormo, while Heather Watson ended her six-year losing streak in Miami and will next face 15th seed Elina Svitolina.

Rafael Nadal has been ruled out of action for up to six weeks with a cracked rib suffered during last week's Indian Wells Masters.

The Australian Open champion sustained the injury in his semi-final win against Carlos Alcaraz and visibly struggled to breath during his defeat to Taylor Fritz in the final.

Nadal told reporters that he was "all good" when returning to Spain on Tuesday, but it has now been revealed he has a stress fracture in the third left costal arch.

The timeframe for the Spaniard's recovery is between four and six weeks, which could have a major impact on his preparations for the 2022 French Open.

The second grand slam of the year is scheduled to begin at Roland-Garros on May 22 – around eight weeks' time.

Nadal had won each of his opening 20 matches this calendar year, a run that took him to his second title at Melbourne Park, prior to tasting a shock defeat against Fritz.

And the record 21-time major winner, who endured an injury-plagued 2021, is now facing a battle to be back at peak fitness in time for the French Open.

Providing an update on his personal Twitter page on Tuesday, Nadal posted: "As it turns out, I have a stress crack in one of my ribs and will be out for 4-6 weeks. 

"This is not good news and I did not expect this. I am sunk and sad because after the start of the season I have had such a good time.

"I reached a very important part of the year with very good feelings and good results. 

"But hey, I've always had that fighting and overcoming spirit and what I will do is be patient and work hard after my recovery. Once again thank everyone for the support."

Nadal has won the French Open a record 13 times, with his most recent success in Paris coming in 2020.

He was beaten by eventual champion Novak Djokovic in last year's semi-finals – only his third defeat in 108 matches in the event.

Rafael Nadal is facing new injury concerns, after Taylor Fritz ended his unbeaten streak for 2022 in the Indian Wells Masters final on Sunday.

Having to take a medical timeout during his win in the semi-final against countryman Carlos Alcaraz, the 35-year-old was forced into another injury break against Fritz, before losing 6-3 7-6 (7-5).

Nadal, whose 2021 was halted mid-year due to foot injury after back pain at the start of the season, ultimately rued his inability to fully compete against Fritz.

"I had pain, honestly. I had problems breathing," he said post-match. "I don't know if it's something on the rib, I don't know yet. When I'm breathing, when I'm moving it's like a needle all the time inside. I get dizzy a little bit because it's painful.

"It's a kind of pain that limits me a lot. It's not only about pain, I don't feel very well because [it] affects my breathing."

Nadal's 20-match unbeaten streak for 2022, which saw him claim the Australian Open and Acapulco titles in the process, also came to an end on Sunday. The world number four said the streak ending before coming into the clay season provides particular sadness.

"Honestly, I wanted to make it perfect before clay. [It] has been very, very, very beautiful," Nadal said.

"Honestly, I am sad because the way I was not able to compete. It's tough to have these feelings….but in the final it's very, very ugly. But in sport it's not about talking of the past, we need to talk about today. And today is a difficult day for me. "

Nadal commended Fritz on the victory, however. The 24-year-old claimed his maiden ATP 1000 title despite carrying an ankle injury.

According to the 21-time grand slam winner, it is a sign of things to come from the American, who had to back up from a tough win over Andrey Rublev in the semi-final on Saturday.

"Victories like today help. He played well. He went through some great matches during this week I think, especially yesterday," he said.

"A lot of credit to him on the victory of yesterday. In my opinion, his victory of yesterday is much bigger than his victory of today because he had [a] much tougher opponent in from yesterday.

"He already played great matches in Australia, this year if I'm not wrong, against [Stefanos] Tsitsipas.

"It's obvious that he is improving. With this victory, it's a great start of the season for him. He will have a chance to be very close if not in the top 10 very soon."

Taylor Fritz had never experienced "worse pain in my life before a match" before overcoming an ankle injury to end Rafael Nadal's winning start to the season and win the Indian Wells Masters on Sunday.

The American 20th seed, who has never been further than the fourth round at a major, claimed a breakthrough maiden ATP Masters 1000 title with a 6-3 7-6 (7-5) victory over Nadal in two hours and six minutes.

Fritz, 24, was not sure if he would be able to take his place in Sunday's decider after tweaking his ankle in Saturday's semi-final win over Andrey Rublev which he battled in the lead-up.

The injury was far from ideal preparation coming up against the Spanish fourth seed, who was on a 20-0 run to start 2022 having won January's Australian Open for a record-breaking 21st career major.

"I can't even begin to describe how ridiculous it is that I was able to play how I could play today," Fritz said during his post-match on-court interview. "I've never ever experienced worse pain in my life before a match.

"If I knew it was going to be that bad, I wouldn’t have come out here [beforehand] because I think people saw it. I took a couple of change-of-direction steps and screamed.

"I was trying to act tough as I had cameras on me. It probably looked like I was over-exaggerating the pain with how loud I screamed when I felt it.

"We did a lot of work leading up to the match. I went through a roller-coaster of emotions before the match, from thinking there's no way I could possibly play then to doing so much work on the ankle and going out again hitting on one of the backcourts and being really happy, thinking I can play.

"Really it didn’t affect me out on the court. Unbelievable."

California native Fritz, who reached last year's Indian Wells semi-finals, admitted winning the event was a "childhood dream" and that it did not feel real.

"I'm going to have to hold back tears for every single interview I do and every on-court speech," he said. "This is going to be tough. I'm such a happy crier.

"This is one of those childhood dreams, winning this tournament especially, you never thought would come true. I keep saying 'no way this is real'."

The title is the biggest of Fritz's career to date, triumphing in his first Masters 1000 final, and becoming the first American men's champion at Indian Wells since Andre Agassi in 2001.

Fritz is also the youngest male champion at the event since Novak Djokovic in 2011 and achieved that by ending Nadal's career-best 20-match win streak, denying him a record-tying 37th ATP Masters 1000 title too.

"I've lost these matches against the big guys my whole life," Fritz said. "It's always felt like they're unbeatable. To do it on the biggest stage, there's no other way. To win a big title, I feel like you've got to beat the best."

Taylor Fritz spectacularly claimed his first ATP 1000 trophy on Sunday, defeating Rafael Nadal 6-3 7-6 (7-5) to win the Indian Wells Masters.

Having only won once in his previous five finals, against Sam Querrey at Eastbourne in 2019, the 24-year-old displayed distinct maturity under pressure despite carrying an ankle injury.

The Spanish world number four's undefeated streak coming into Sunday's final ended at 20 with the loss.

For Fritz however, his first Masters title coming in as many finals was difficult to process, especially against an opponent in Nadal in front of his home crowd.

"I've lost these matches against the big guys my whole life," Fritz said in his on-court interview. "It's always felt like they're just unbeatable, so to do it on this stage, you have to beat the best."

"This is just one of those childhood dreams, winning this tournament especially at Indian Wells. This is one of those childhood dreams that you just never think will come true. I just keep saying 'no way this is real'."

Both faced pressure under their respective serves, but Nadal ultimately failed to capitalise on opportunies, converting only twice out of a possible 10 break points.

His 34 unforced errors in comparison to Fritz's 22, in such a closely contested match, contributed to the eventual result.

Fritz overcame his ankle concerns to race to a 4-0 lead in the first set before Nadal, facing his own physical challenges, took a medical time-out after losing the first set.

Nadal saved a championship point to force a tiebreak in the second set. Reflecting the pressure he was under after going down a mini-break, though, the Spaniard's ground strokes teetered dangerously close to the baseline.

The 35-year-old even made rare approaches to the net to turn defence into attack, amid some thrilling exchanges from the baseline, but a scuffed volley from mid-court to set up another Fritz championship point was the last straw despite displaying his trademark doggedness.

Iga Swiatek claimed back-to-back WTA 1000 titles as she captured the Indian Wells Open crown after defeating Maria Sakkari 6-4 6-1.

Winning her 11th successive match, the Pole added to her triumph in Doha last month after prevailing in one hour and 20 minutes.

Swiatek subsequently climbed to a career-high second in the WTA rankings; making her the first Polish player to do so since Agnieszka Radwanska in July 2012.

The 20-year-old also claimed her fifth career title; becoming only the fifth woman to reach that tally before her 21st birthday after Kim Clijsters, Venus Williams, Serena Williams and Svetlana Kuznetsova.

"After playing so well in previous tournaments, I didn’t know it was possible for me to play that well for that long," said the former French Open champion, who claimed her second successive win over Sakkari having also prevailed in the Qatar Open semi-finals.

"I want to congratulate Maria. Every match against her is a great battle. I know that we've already started a cool rivalry. 

"I think it's going to last for 10 more years, so it's going to be exciting, and I’m sure we're going to play many more finals.

"I want to thank my team; they're doing an amazing job calming me down and getting me to the place where I'm more confident and developing my tennis."

The two finalists struggled to settle during the opening set; both hitting five double-faults as six of the first seven games went against the serve.

But 12 unforced errors to her opponent's seven proved crucial for Sakkari, who had only been broken seven times in her five previous matches, as third seed Swiatek drew first blood after 45 minutes.

Losing only her second set of the week, sixth seed Sakkari had been beaten on all three occasions in 2022 when losing the opener.

Meanwhile, Swiatek had not dropped a set since her fourth-round victory over Angelique Kerber, and built on that momentum as she dominated the second.

The former Roland Garros champion broke her opponent twice more, as she only required an additional 35 minutes to wrap up victory; a sweeping forehand sealing the deal.

Rafael Nadal extended his 2022 win streak to 20 matches and clinched a spot in his fifth Indian Wells Masters final after a thrilling three-set victory over compatriot Carlos Alcaraz on Saturday.

The fourth seed lifted in the final set to win 6-4 4-6 6-3 over 19th seed Alcaraz in three hours and 12 minutes, with Nadal to play American Taylor Fritz in Sunday's decider.

The match was played amid blustery conditions, particularly the second set, where debris flew on to the court regularly interrupting or delaying play, which appeared to impact Nadal more.

Alcaraz had more winners (41-24) but also more unforced errors (34-26), with Nadal finding another gear when it mattered in the final set.

Nadal's victory improved his record to 20-0 this season, earning him a fifth Indian Wells Masters final spot and his first since 2013. The Spaniard won the Indian Wells crown in 2007, 2009, 2013 and was runner-up in 2011.

The 35-year-old also clinched a berth in his 53rd Masters final, keeping him on track for a 37th title at this level. 

The 21-time major winner claimed the decisive break in the eighth game of the third set after a physio break for treatment on his back, before serving out to-love for victory.

"In the second, the conditions became crazy, honestly," Nadal said during his on-court interview. "It was not funny playing in this wind. In terms of tennis it was OK but in terms of stopping all the time, it was not good.

"In the third I think I played much better. I played much more aggressive. I am super happy. Being in the final means a lot to me."

Alcaraz had started the better to open up a 2-0 lead in the opening set, before Nadal responded emphatically.

There were five breaks in a row in the second set, including the Spanish teenager going ahead 5-4 after a game lasting almost 20 minutes, converting his seventh break point, before serving out the set.

As the conditions settled, Nadal showed more aggression, coming into the net with regularity before taking the key break in the eighth game.

American 20th seed Fritz reached his first ATP Masters 1000 final with a 7-5 6-4 victory over seventh seed Andrey Rublev in one hour and 50 minutes.

The California native is the first American male to reach the Indian Wells since John Isner in 2012.

"It's just unreal, really. It doesn't even seem real. I'm just trying to take in the moment, regroup and come back tomorrow for the final," Fritz said in his on-court interview. "But it's a dream come true."

"Today I definitely played my best match of the tournament so far. I was so much more aggressive from the ground and so much more solid [with] my ground strokes, whereas [in] other matches I was maybe playing a bit safer.

"I really tried to take it to him and impose my game today. I did it well, so that helped a lot."

Iga Swiatek defeated Simona Halep 7-6 (8-6) 6-4 at the Indian Wells Open on Friday, progressing to the final and extending her winning streak to 10.

The Polish world number four came back from a break down in each set - as well as saving two set points in the first-set tiebreak - to level her head-to-head record with Halep at 2-2.

After taking out the WTA 1000 tournament in Doha last month, Swiatek has not had it all her way this week in California. Aside from a 6-1 6-0 trouncing of Madison Keys, the 20-year-old had to fight from a set down in her opening three matches.

Following a tight first set, Halep won three games in a row to take a 4-2 lead, but it was here Swiatek started to open up on return of serve.

She was ultimately able to capitalise on Halep's second serve, winning 14 of a total 21 points when given a second look, to earn five service breaks for the match.

Swiatek is now at least guaranteed to reach a career-high world number three ranking with, and a win in the final would move her to number two, only behind Ashleigh Barty.

She will meet Maria Sakkari in the final on Sunday, who broke down in tears after her hectic 6-2 4-6 6-1 win over Paula Badosa in the late match.

Despite Badosa having a higher first-serve rate than her opponent in the first set at 53.9 per cent, Sakkari was all over the second serve, winning nine out of a total 12 points.

After powering through the first set with flat hitting, the Greek world number six lost momentum in the second and forced play with rushed shot selection after getting broken early.

She still managed one of the shots of the match in trying to save that break of serve, scrambling across court to hit an underarm pass down the line.

Badosa kept her composure on serve to take the second set, winning 21 out of 29 points at an improved 72.9 per cent. Sakkari regrouped and exhibited her unique court coverage, however, taking the win after getting an early break.

Sakkari immediately broke down in tears afterwards, upon making her first WTA 1000 final and defeating the defending champion at Indian Wells.

Andrey Rublev made his fourth ATP Masters semi-final on Friday, dispatching Grigor Dimitrov in under 90 minutes at Indian Wells in a 7-5 6-2 win.

Dimitrov had only faced two break points for the tournament until this quarter-final, and Rublev capitalised when his opponent’s serve evaded him. Rublev was returning with particular focus, getting 85 per cent of points back across the court on Dimitrov's first serve alone.

Rublev broke in the fifth game of the first set on the back of two double faults, but Dimitrov secured one of his own with a trademark backhand pass. The 24-year-old Russian answered right back to regain breathing room and close out a tight first set.

Securing the break in the third game of the second, that consistent pressure on Dimitrov's serve again forced two double faults in the fifth game. From there at 4-1, Rublev saw the finish line.

The win was the seventh seed’s 13th in a row, adding Indian Wells to semi-final appearances at Miami, Monte Carlo and Cincinnati. A win in the final would equal a career-high 15 matches in a row undefeated.

"I think I played really well. In the beginning, it was more about who will be the first to dictate and play more aggressive, because both of us like to dictate with our forehand," Rublev said afterwards.

"The return [of serve] was one of the most important things. If you can bring as many returns as possible [into the court], and then here with these conditions, in some moments it's tough to serve."

In Friday's other quarter-final, Taylor Fritz did it tough against the unseeded Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic, winning 7-6 (7-5) 3-6 6-1.

While Kecmanovic was content playing defence and grinding from the baseline, Fritz was the more active and it was most apparent at 5-5 in the first set.

Down 0-30, Fritz stood and delivered from the middle of the baseline with a booming forehand, before securing a critical hold.

The difference in tactics showed in the eventual winner differential, with Fritz's 35 in comparison to Kecmanovic's 15. Despite Fritz's relatively low unforced error count, he still gifted Kecmanovic the second set, serving three consecutive double faults to surrender the break at 3-4.

He regrouped and reeled off the opening five games of the third set, setting up his semi-final with Rublev. The other semi-final will see Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz meet in an all-Spanish duel.

Nick Kyrgios should face "severe" disciplinary action after a ball boy was almost struck by the Australian's smashed racket, one of the best-known coaches in tennis has said.

American Brad Gilbert, a former tour player who has worked with stars including Andre Agassi and Andy Murray, was taken aback by the tantrum from Kyrgios after a three-set defeat to Rafael Nadal in Indian Wells.

Kyrgios went to the net to shake hands with Nadal, who won 7-6 (7-0) 5-7 6-4 to reach the semi-finals.

But moments later he thrashed his racket against the ground. It bounced up high, travelling half the length of the court and causing a ball boy to take evasive action, stepping out of the way to avoid being hit and potentially hurt.

Kyrgios scornfully answered reporters' questions about the incident after the match, describing it as "a complete accident".

However, the 26-year-old unmistakably lost control in front of a full stadium and could face punishment as a result.

Gilbert wrote on Twitter: "Ridiculous to do that after such a good match, the penalty should be severe."

Gilbert questioned whether that would happen, given the ATP, which runs the men's tour, only handed a suspended eight-week ban to Alexander Zverev, plus a fine, after the world number three violently hit his racket against an umpire's chair.

"Unfortunately ATP lost the plot with Zverev situation and not a good look for kids and our sport," Gilbert wrote.

The 60-year-old Gilbert, who also coached Andy Roddick, said there was "absolutely no reason to snap on court after the match".

He added: "The stick could have easily gone anywhere like the stands and hit someone, seriously awful to see that in front of great crowd."

Kyrgios posted an exchange of text messages with the ball boy, and said he would give him a racket as a token of apology.

Saying sorry for the incident, Kyrgios wrote: "Didn't want it going anywhere near you to be honest."

After his elimination from the Indian Wells Masters, Nick Kyrgios fired back at a reporter who questioned him about an incident after the match where he launched his racket, almost hitting a ball-kid.

Rafael Nadal ultimately emerged victorious in the match 7-6 (7-0) 5-7 6-4, after shaking hands with Nadal and the match umpire, Kyrgios spiked his racket into the ground as he walked back to his bench.

Speaking with post-match media, Kyrgios was sarcastic and rude when questioned about it.

"That's a question you're going to say after a three-hour battle against Nadal – that's what you've come here with?" he said.

"What would you like me to say about it? Obviously was that my intention? No, because did I throw the racquet anywhere near him originally? It landed a metre from my foot and skidded and nearly hit him. I'm human. 

"Things happen like that obviously, it was a very misfortunate [sic] bounce. What do you want me to say? It was three metres away from the kid. 

After his elimination from the Indian Wells Masters, Nick Kyrgios fired back at a reporter who questioned him about an incident after the match where he launched his racket, almost hitting a ball-kid.

Rafael Nadal ultimately emerged victorious in the match 7-6 (7-0) 5-7 6-4, after shaking hands with Nadal and the match umpire, Kyrgios spiked his racket into the ground as he walked back to his bench.

Speaking with post-match media, Kyrgios was sarcastic and rude when questioned about it.

"That's a question you're going to say after a three-hour battle against Nadal – that's what you've come here with?" he said.

"What would you like me to say about it? 

"Obviously was that my intention? No, because did I throw the racquet anywhere near him originally? It landed a metre from my foot and skidded and nearly hit him. I'm human. 

"Things happen like that obviously, it was a very misfortunate bounce. 

"What do you want me to say? It was three metres away from the kid. 

Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz set up an all-Spanish semi-final at the Indian Wells Masters, after both secured wins on Thursday.

Nadal overcame a strong start and comeback from Nick Kyrgios to eventually win 7-6(6-0) 5-7 6-4 in the opening quarter-final, before Alcaraz beat defending champion Cameron Norrie 6-4 6-3.

The Spaniard extended his unbeaten run in 2022 to a staggering 19-0, but the win was not without its share of controversy against the fiery Kyrgios.

A shutout tie-break to end the first was followed by a fiery resurgence from Kyrgios, before he eventually collapsed in the third set and nearly hit a ball kid at the end of the match, when the 26-year-old smashed his racquet in frustration before it bounced up dangerously.

Similarly to his fourth-round win over Reilly Opelka, Nadal used all of his tactical nous to nullify Kyrgios’ serve and power, frustrating his opponent to eventually claim the victory.

"It's difficult to play against him [Kyrgios], always tough because he changes the dynamic of the point very quick and his serve is huge, especially the first serve," Nadal said afterwards.

"I think I played a good third set. Returning better, I was solid with the serve. I just suffered in one game with my serve.

"Nick is one of these kinds of players that you’re going to have problems when he’s motivated."

It was a carbon copy of recent matches between the two, with Nadal eventually waiting for Kygrios’ collapse and pouncing. He now leads their head-to-head battle 6-3.

The win set up an exciting match-up with Spanish starlet Alcaraz, who was brimming with confidence against Norrie in the night game.

The 18-year-old gave the Indian Wells defending champion problems with his characteristically flat two-handed backhand, before opening up the shoulders on the forehand side as the game progressed.

It made up for the fact he only won 59 percent of points on first serve, converting on five of his nine break point attempts.

His stroke play from the baseline was at times thrilling, particularly to set up 15-30 in the fourth game before immediately breaking Norrie back.

Two top-ten talents have booked a date in the Indian Wells Open semi-final after Maria Sakkari and Paula Badosa won their quarter-finals in straight sets. 

First up, world number six Sakkari took on Ukrainian Elena Rybakina, prevailing 7-5 6-4.

Rybakina won the first three games of the match, working her way to an early 4-1 lead, before her Greek opponent rattled off six of the next seven games to claim the first set.

Sakkari again faced adversity early in the second set, coming back from 40-0 down in the second game to hold serve, before breaking the very next game to pinch the match-winning lead.

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