Paula Badosa Outlasts Marie Bouzkova to Win Mubadala Citi DC Open

Posted on August 5, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Paula Badosa is celebrating her first post-injury title…

The 26-year-old Spanish tennis player won the Mubadala Citi DC Open on Sunday for her first victory following a back injury, beating Marie Bouzkova of the Czech Republic 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 in a rain-interrupted match.

Badosa, ranked as high as No. 2 in the world, was sidelined six months last year because of a stress fracture.

“One year ago I was on the couch, so it’s a big difference now,” Badosa said. “Now I’m an athlete again.”

She has four WTA Tour victories, also winning in 2021 at Belgrade and Indian Wells and in January 2022 in Sydney.

“I was really, really nervous because I really wanted it really bad,” Badosa said.

The match was delayed for about 40 minutes early in the first game of the third set.

On Saturday in the semifinals, Bouzkova rallied to beat top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 after a long weather delay in the third set.

Bouzkova was playing her first WTA 500 final. She won her lone career WTA Tour title in 2022 in Prague.

Carlos Alcaraz Takes Home Silver in Men’s Singles Tennis at 2024 Paris Games

Posted on August 4, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

It’s a silver lining for Carlos Alcaraz…

Despite his loss in the men’s singles final to Novak Djokovic in the men’s singles tennis final on Sunday, the 21-year-old Spanish tennis star claimed the silver medal at the 2024 Paris Games.

Alcaraz, who was gunning to become the youngest men’s tennis Olympic champion in his Olympic debut, lost a close match in straight sets, with both decided by a tiebreaker.

In the end, Alcaraz lost 6-7 (3), 6-7 (2).

Despite his disappointment at his defeat on Court Philippe-Chatrier, the Olympic flame inside the Spaniard remains well and truly alight.

“I always want to win, that’s for sure, but taking the silver medal, I have to be really proud,” said Alcaraz in post-match comments made to NBC. “I’m building a really great career and I hope it’s going to keep going.

“Honestly, I’m pretty proud to be in this position, I’m pretty proud to bring a medal to Spain. I’m pretty sure that my moment will come, and I will bring the gold medal to Spain one day. So I’m going to wait for that moment and I’m going to work for that moment, but right now I have to enjoy lifting the silver medal, it’s pretty amazing as well.”

Alcaraz has good reason to feel confident about the future. Sunday’s loss was a rare low moment in what has otherwise been a largely stellar year for the Spaniard.

He lifted his third and fourth major titles at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, respectively, while he also lifted his fifth ATP Masters 1000 crown in Indian Wells in March.

The No. 3 in the ATP Rankings also knows how close he was to Djokovic in Sunday’s high-level encounter.

Alcaraz forced the Serbian to fend off eight break points en route to victory, and he’ll leave Paris satisfied he gave his all in pursuit of Olympic glory.

‘It is painful to lose the way that I lost this match. I had my opportunities… I couldn’t take them,” said Alcaraz. “Novak is playing great, he really settled in his position, in the difficult moments he increased his level, he played unbelievable. I’m really disappointed but honestly, I’m going to leave the court with my head really high. I gave everything that I had fighting for Spain, it was everything to me so I’m proud the way that I played today.”

The next few months also promise plenty for Alcaraz, who is currently 38-7 for the season and second in the ATP Live Race To Turin. He’s next set to compete at the Cincinnati Open later this month, when he’ll resume his pursuit of rival and current Live Race leader Jannik Sinner. Alcaraz is bidding to finish the season as ATP Year-End No. 1 for the second time.

Paula Badosa Rallies to Upset Daria Kasatkina & Reach Third Round at Wimbledon

Posted on July 5, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Paula Badosa has pulled off a special upset…

The 26-year-old Spanish professional tennis player rallied from a break down in the final set to snap Daria Kasatkina‘s seven-match win streak and advance to the Round of 16 at Wimbledon.

The former World No.2 came back from 4-2 down in the third set to win 7-6 (6), 4-6, 6-4 in 2 hours and 51 minutes.

“I know it’s not my first time in the second week of a Grand Slam,” Badosa said on court, “but for me it’s a special one because a few months ago I didn’t know if I could play tennis anymore. So to be here is very special.”

Badosa did not hold back tears after the hard-fought win, which put her into Wimbledon’s second week for the third time in her career and first since the debilitating back injury that has plagued her since the start of 2023. It was the same stress fracture that forced her retirement from Wimbledon 12 months ago and shut down the remainder of her season.

Badosa choked back the tears as the crowd gave her a rousing ovation for her efforts.

“One of the reasons I come back on the court is for you guys,” Badosa told the crowd. “Hearing my name and cheering for me, it’s really for you guys. I really feel the love.”

Badosa returned to competition in January but the struggles were evident. In the first four months of the year, she won back-to-back matches just once, exacerbated by three in-match retirements.

“In Indian Wells, the doctors told me it would be very complicated to continue my career,” Badosa said on the WTA Insider Podcast.

“I said, ‘A few more years? I’m still 26.’ For me that was very tough.”

But with the help of cortisone shots and a refusal to let her career whittle away, Badosa quietly built up belief in her body and her tennis once again. Her run to the Round of 16 in Rome, where she beat Mirra Andreeva, Emma Navarro and Diana Shnaider before taking Coco Gauff to a third set, was a huge catalyst. Then came two wins over Katie Boulter and Yulia Putintseva at Roland Garros.

She came into Wimbledon after making her first quarterfinal of the season, on the grass at Bad Homburg. That run put her back in the Top 100 at No.93.

Badosa has played like a woman renewed at SW19. It began with clinical wins over Karolina Muchova and Brenda Fruhvirtova. That set up a true gut-check against Rothesay International champion Kasatkina, who was bidding to extend her win streak to a personal-best eight matches.

After a delayed start due to rain, Badosa raced to a 3-0 lead before Kasatkina slowly and methodically reeled her in. After trailing 5-2, Kasatkina won three consecutive games and saved three set points to keep the set in the balance, but Badosa surged from 5-5 in the tiebreak to take the set.

Kasatkina struck back in the second set with a timely break in the 10th game to take the set and rode that momentum to a 4-2 lead in the decider. But the Eastbourne champion failed to consolidate the break and Badosa was off and running. With more aggressive, disciplined hitting, the Spaniard won the last four games to seal her first Top 20 win in over a year.

“I’ve always been very tough mentally and a fighter, so I was going to do it anyway,” Badosa said. “So for me, I’m very proud that I’ve been through all of this. And now that I’m, again, in the fourth round and playing good level again, because sometimes also when I came back at the beginning of the year and struggling so much, my level wasn’t there. I feel myself so far away. Now seeing myself back at it, it means a lot.”

Carlos Alcaraz Defeats Daniil Medvedev to Successfully Defend Indian Wells Title

Posted on March 18, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Carlos Alcaraz is celebrating a special repeat..

The 20-year-old Spanish tennis player, who arrived at Indian Wells full of doubt about his twisted right ankle, has left a two two-time champion.

Alcaraz defeated Daniil Medvedev 7-6 (5), 6-1 for the second straight year in the men’s final on Sunday, earning his first title since winning Wimbledon last year.

Alcaraz sprained his ankle at the Rio Open in late February. His first practice at Indian Wells lasted 30 minutes without any movement. His first practice with his fellow pros “was really tough for me,” he said in a Tennis Channel interview.

Alcaraz outlasted Jannik Sinner in a three-set semifinal after needing three sets to get out of his second-round match.

“After every match I was feeling better,” Alcaraz said. “I was getting more confident after every match. Winning a Master 1000 again, a really important tournament to win, gives you motivation to keep going.”

Alcaraz became the first man to defend his Indian Wells title since Novak Djokovic won three in a row from 2014 to 2016. He beat Medvedev 6-3, 6-2 last year in the Southern California desert.

“It’s definitely your court, you like it here,” Medvedev told Alcaraz during the victory ceremony. “Hopefully you can one day let me play a little bit better here.”

Medvedev led 3-0 in the first set while Alcaraz had eight unforced errors over those games. The Spaniard won three games in a row to tie it 3-3.

The players held serve the rest of the set, with Alcaraz serving a love game to get into the tiebreaker. He led 3-0 and 5-2 before Medvedev tied it 5-5. Alcaraz won the next two points to close it out.

Alcaraz got the only two breaks in the second set, when Medvedev had one winner and nine errors.

For the match, Alcaraz hit 25 winners and had 26 unforced errors, while Medvedev had 11 winners and 23 unforced errors.

Alcaraz is the second player to win five or more ATP Masters 1000 titles before their 21st birthday since the series began in 1990. The other is Rafael Nadal.

Alcaraz earned $1.1 million for his win. That’s less than the $1.26 million the men’s champion received in 2023. This year more prize money was allocated to the earlier rounds, reducing the champions’ prize money by nearly 13%.

Carlos Alcaraz Defeats Jannik Sinner to Reach Indian Wells Men’s Final

Posted on March 16, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Carlos Alcaraz is one step closer to defending his title…

The 20-year-old Spanish professional tennis player outlasted Jannik Sinner 1-6, 6-3, 6-2 to end the Italian’s 19-match winning streak and advance to the Indian Wells Open final on Saturday night.

Alcaraz retained his world No. 2 ranking with the victory and extended his winning streak to 11 matches at Indian Wells, where he’ll play fourth-seeded Daniil Medvedev in Sunday’s title match.

It’s a rematch of last year’s final, won by Alcaraz in straight sets.

Sinner led 2-1 in the first set when the match was suspended for more than three hours because of rain in the Southern California desert.

Sinner went on to dominate the first set before Alcaraz changed his tactics. The Spaniard started coming to the net more and moving Sinner up and back.

“I had to change my game a little bit in the second set, that was a good thing for me, to change my style a little bit,” Alcaraz said. “I changed the return position, and that’s why I gave myself a chance to put more balls in play so I could wait for my chances (to attack).”

Sinner could have knocked Alcaraz out of the second spot with a win. He had won 19 matches in a row dating to last year, including 16 straight this year.

Alcaraz earned the only break of the second set in the fourth game with a forehand drop volley winner. He faced a break point on his serve in the seventh game, but shook it off eventually served out the set.

Alcaraz broke Sinner in the third and fifth games of the third. The players were blasting the ball from both sides and attacking the net, which made for several entertaining and sharply angled volley exchanges.

Alcaraz led 40-love on his serve for his first match point when he netted a backhand. Sinner’s smash dashed Alcaraz’s second match point before the Spaniard closed it out with a forehand crosscourt winner.

Sinner had 38 unforced errors to 24 for Alcaraz and the Italian had 21 winners to 19 for Alcaraz.

“I was too predictable at some points,” Sinner said. “I think that’s the lesson for today. We will work on certain things, and hopefully I will get better.”

Carlos Alcaraz Defeats Rafael Nadal to Win Inaugural Netflix Slam

Posted on March 4, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Carlos Alcaraz has earned another type of Slam victory.

The 20-year-old Spanish tennis phenom defeated 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal 3-6 6-4 (14-12) at the inaugural Netflix Slam in Las Vegas on Sunday.

Nadal, who spent almost a year on the sidelines with a hip flexor injury before suffering a muscle injury at the start of this season, said he felt “much better than expected” during the exhibition match in front of a sell-out crowd of 9,489, including Michael Douglas, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Charlize Theron, Danai Gurira, Logan Lerman and Manu Rios.

The showdown, the latest in Netflix‘s push for live streaming events, pitted two superstar Spaniards in an exhibition match which was rescheduled from last year due to Nadal’s injuries and arrived just in time as the two players head to Indian Wells this week.

Nadal is returning to the tour after months away due to injury, while the match was also a bit of a physical test for Alcaraz, who suffered an injury to his right ankle at the Rio Open.

“It’s a good thing that as a player I will not face him many times,” said Nadal.

“As a fan, I will enjoy watching him for many years hopefully. In Spain, we should be very, very happy about having someone like Carlos coming.

“He’s an amazing player. He’s only 20-years-old and he’s already won two Grand Slams and a couple of important tournaments.”

Marcos Giron Stuns No. 1 Seed Frances Tiafoe to Reach Dallas Open Semifinals

Posted on February 10, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Marcos Giron has taken down the top seed…

The 30-year-old Colombian American tennis player, ranked 67th in the world, stunned Frances Tiafoe, the No. 1 seed, 6-1, 6-4 on Friday night to reach the semifinals of the Dallas Open.

It’s the the second time in three years that Giron has advanced to the semifinals at the hardcourt event, which takes places on the SMU campus.

Giron, unseeded in the tournament, stunned Tiafoe early and rolled a win over the highest-ranked player in the field at No. 14.

It’s Giron’s 12th win over a top-20 opponent.

He’s still seeking his first ATP Tour title.

He’d lost to Tiafoe 6-2, 6-2 at Indian Wells almost a year ago.

“I was excited to play him again,” said Giron, who won the first three points on each of Tiafoe’s first two service games on the way to a 5-0 lead. “Margins are thin. I knew that I was playing well.”

Carlos Alcaraz Defeats Jan-Lennard Struff to Win Second Consecutive Madrid Open Title

Posted on May 7, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Carlos Alcaraz is one match away from a return to the top of the world rankings.

The 20-year-old Spanish tennis player beat Jan-Lennard Struff 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 in the Spanish capital on Sunday to win a second straight Madrid Open title and guarantee his return to the No. 1 spot by playing at least one match at the upcoming Italian Open in Rome.

Alcaraz converted on his first match point after a hard-fought battle against Struff to secure his fourth title of the year and 10th of his impressive young career. He had also successfully defended his title in Barcelona two weeks ago.

“To defend the title here in Madrid, on the verge of regaining the No. 1 ranking, these are very big achievements for me,” Alcaraz said. “I feel very proud of the work that I’ve put in and of what I’ve been achieving. I’m an ambitious guy and I’m going for more in Rome.”

It was Alcaraz’s 29th win of the season, and 21st straight in Spain going back to a loss to Rafael Nadal in Madrid on his 18th birthday two years ago.

He joined Nadal as the only consecutive Madrid champion in tournament history and is the youngest player to successfully defend a Masters 1000 title since Nadal at Monte Carlo and Rome in 2005-06.

“For me it is so, so special,” Alcaraz said. “To lift the trophy here in Madrid. In my country. In front of my home crowd, my family, my friends. Everyone close to me. For me it is a special feeling that I will never forget.”

Alcaraz’s other titles this year came in Buenos Aires and Indian Wells. He is the first player to win two Masters 1000 trophies this season. It was the fourth Masters 1000 title overall for last year’s US Open champion.

“It was a really tough match,” Alcaraz said. “Jan was playing great, really aggressive. In the second set I had a lot of chances to break his serve and I didn’t take it and it was tough for me to lose it. I told myself that I had to be positive all the time and that I would have my chances and I think I did it in the third set.”

The big-serving Struff was the first lucky loser to reach an ATP Masters 1000 final, having earned an unexpected spot in the main draw after another player had to drop out.

The 33-year-old German, ranked 65th in the world, was playing in his second tour-level final and trying to become just the fourth player and first in more than 20 years to win his first tour-level trophy at a Masters 1000.

He called it “a best-career achievement so far.”

“Of course, I wanted to go all the way to win today, but I would definitely say if someone told me two weeks ago ‘You’re gonna play the finals,’ I would take it, definitely,” he said. “I was in the game. Had my chances. But he was too good at the end and congrats to him.”

Struff had lost in the final round of qualifying to Aslan Karatsev, the player he eventually beat in the semifinals after upsetting fourth-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas in the quarterfinals. The final was his ninth match at the clay-court tournament in Madrid, compared to six for the top-seeded Alcaraz.

Struff beat Alcaraz on clay at the French Open in 2021, while Alcaraz needed five sets to down Struff at Wimbledon last year.

Carlos Alcaraz Outlasts Karen Khachanov to Reach Madrid Open Semifinals

Posted on May 3, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Carlos Alcaraz is playing on at the Madrid Open…

The 19-year-old Spanish tennis player and defending champion overcame a tough test from Karen Khachanov on Wednesday, rallying late in the second set for a hard-fought 6-4, 7-5 win that set up a semifinal against Borna Coric.

It was Alcaraz’s 150th tour-level match, and his 117th victory to leave him with a winning percentage (78%) currently better than the likes of Pete Sampras, Boris Becker and Andre Agassi.

“My dream in tennis right now is to become one of the best tennis players in history,” Alcaraz said. “I know that this is a big dream, (it) probably is too big. But in this world, you have to dream big and you have to think big, as well. I want to be part of the the best tennis players in history. And I will work for it.”

Alcaraz was down 4-1 and 5-2 in the final set before winning the final five games to secure his fourth straight-set victory in Madrid.

The top-seeded Spaniard improved to 27-2 this year, having dropped only one set in his last 19 victories. He will be playing in his third Masters 1000 semifinals of the season.

“I knew I had to keep fighting no matter what,” Alcaraz said. “I had to stay strong because I knew that I would have my opportunities, and gladly I took advantage of the first one that I had to close out the match.”

Alcaraz converted on his first match point after the 10th-seeded Khachanov had taken control of the second set with an early break. The Russian had two break opportunities to go up 5-1 before Alcaraz rallied for the victory. The Spaniard, who finished with 31 winners, had converted on his first break opportunity to go up 4-3 and win the first set.

Alcaraz had cruised past last year’s runner-up Alexander Zverev in the previous round, while Khachanov – a semifinalist at the Australian Open this year and at the U.S. Open last year – had beaten fifth-seeded Andrey Rublev.

Alcaraz is trying to become the first player this season to win two Masters 1000 titles, after having already lifted the trophy in Indian Wells. He successfully defended his title in Barcelona and also won in Buenos Aires.

If Alcaraz wins the title again in Madrid, he will regain the No. 1 spot in the world rankings if he plays at least one match in Rome.

Carlos Alcaraz Defeats Stefanos Tsitsipas to Repeat as Barcelona Open Champion

Posted on April 23, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Carlos Alcaraz has successfully defended his title…

Playing dominantly, the 19-year-old Spanish tennis player defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3, 6-4 on Sunday to become the first player since Rafael Nadal to repeat as Barcelona Open champion.

In the process, Alcaraz has secured his third title of the year and ninth of his impressive young career.

“Me and my team were talking before the match about staying relaxed,” Alcaraz said. “To want to play the tough moments. Staying relaxed is the most important part for me. To forget the mistakes, everything, and be myself on court. Not to think about all the people watching, but just me, the court, the racket and the final.”

It was the fifth consecutive straight-set win for the second-ranked Alcaraz at his home tournament this year. He is now 10-1 in Barcelona and has won his last 14 tour matches on Spanish soil.

“It’s incredible to feel this energy, to lift the trophy here in Barcelona in front of all my people,” said Alcaraz, who used to watch the tournament in the stands as a kid. “My family and my friends are here as well. To lift the trophy here in front of all of them is a great feeling.”

Alcaraz had not successfully defended a title in his career before Sunday. Nadal was the last player to win consecutive titles in Barcelona with three straight from 2016-18. Alcaraz will also try to defend his title at the upcoming Madrid Open.

He is now 23-2 for the year. His other titles this season came at Buenos Aires and Indian Wells.

Alcaraz was playing in his fourth final in five tournaments this year, winning it with 26 winners and seven unforced errors.

He and Tsitsipas exchanged breaks early in the first set but Alcaraz eventually took control to comfortably secure his fourth consecutive win over the fifth-ranked Greek. He had also beaten Tsitsipas in the Barcelona quarterfinals last year.

“I had the opportunity to see you a few years ago for the first time, I saw you play a little bit,” Tsitsipas said of Alcaraz. “Some of us guys who were on the tour a little bit earlier than you, I think most of us were fascinated by your tennis … we see you as an example even though we are slightly older than you. We see your achievements as something that will hopefully push us to to do better.”

Tsitsipas, the Australian Open finalist earlier this year, was trying to win his first title in Barcelona after twice losing the final to Nadal in 2018 and 2021. He was looking for his first title of the year, and 10th of his career.

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