Tennis

Billie Jean King Cup 2024 Postponed in Malaga Due to Severe WeatherThe highly anticipated Billie Jean King Cup 2024, scheduled to commence in Malaga, Spain, has been postponed due to a severe weather alert issued by local authorities. The tournament was set to kick off on Wednesday, November 13, with hosts Spain facing Poland.However, on Tuesday night, local authorities issued an alert warning of torrential rain, thunderstorms, and potential flooding. As a result, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) made the difficult decision to cancel all play on Wednesday. The suspension also affected schools, sporting activities, and local transportation.The ITF prioritized the safety of all participants and attendees, stating in a statement: "This decision has been made based on guidance from the relevant authorities to ensure the health and safety of all participants and attendees. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your understanding and cooperation."The postponement comes just two weeks after devastating flash floods in the Spanish region of Valencia claimed over 200 lives. The ITF, along with the Billie Jean King and Davis Cups, had previously appealed for donations to the Spanish Red Cross in the wake of the disaster.The revised schedule has been announced, with Spain's match against Poland rescheduled for Friday, November 15, at 10 am local time. All tickets purchased for the original date remain valid.The first match of the Billie Jean King Cup is now set to be Japan against Romania at 10 am on Thursday, November 14. However, official confirmation of the schedule is still pending.The postponement serves as a reminder of the unpredictable nature of weather and the importance of prioritizing safety in such situations. The ITF and the organizers of the Billie Jean King Cup are committed to ensuring the well-being of all involved and will continue to monitor the weather conditions closely.

Ons Jabeur, the trailblazing Tunisian tennis star, has raised concerns over the unexplained cancellation of several pro tournaments in Monastir, Tunisia, scheduled for December. In an open letter to the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and its president, David Haggerty, Jabeur expressed shock and disappointment at the absence of these events from the calendar.The letter, signed by over 60 players, highlights the importance of these tournaments for players' rankings, development, and the promotion of tennis in the region. Monastir's pleasant climate and quality infrastructure make it an ideal location for tournaments, which could attract players from diverse backgrounds and boost the local economy.Jabeur emphasized the need for additional competitive opportunities for players, especially during the off-season. These events would provide a platform for rising juniors and Challenger veterans to showcase their skills and gain valuable experience.The ITF has yet to respond to Jabeur's letter, and no official statement has been issued regarding the cancellations. The Tunisian Tennis Federation has also remained silent on the matter.Ahmad Nassar, executive of the Professional Tennis Players Association, expressed support for Jabeur and the players, criticizing the "unexplained and inexplicable whims" of tennis authorities. He emphasized the importance of player representation and advocacy for fair opportunities.In 2023, Monastir hosted numerous ITF tournaments, including M15, W25, and W15-level events. However, the 2023-2024 national calendar only lists events through September, and the provisional 2024-2025 calendar does not include any December events in Monastir.Jabeur's concerns highlight the need for transparency and accountability in tennis governance. Players deserve clear explanations for tournament cancellations and a voice in decisions that affect their careers. The ITF must address these concerns and ensure that the interests of all players are considered.

The International Tennis Federation's (ITF) recent decision to officially implement off-court coaching in Grand Slams and all ATP and WTA events has sparked a heated debate among players. The rule change, effective from 2025, allows coaches to provide brief verbal or hand signal advice to players between points, with longer conversations permitted during breaks in play.The ITF's rationale for the change is to standardize coaching practices across tennis governing bodies and reduce the burden on chair umpires in policing the practice. However, several top ATP players have expressed their disapproval, arguing that it undermines the sport's traditional "one-on-one" nature.Denis Shapovalov, a former world No. 10, lamented the loss of tennis's "beauty" as a solitary sport. Taylor Fritz, a US Open finalist, echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the importance of the mental and strategic aspects of the game. John Millman criticized the rule for widening the gap between players with access to coaching teams and those without.On the women's side, former world No. 1 Jennifer Capriati suggested providing players with tablets displaying live match stats instead of coaching access. Proponents of the rule change, however, argue that it brings into the open the covert coaching that was already prevalent. They also point to the potential benefits of providing players with expert advice during crucial moments of a match.Andrey Rublev's victory in the Mutua Madrid Open final is often cited as an example of the effectiveness of off-court coaching. His team's advice helped him anticipate his opponent's serve and ultimately secure the title.Despite the resistance from some players, the ITF maintains that the rule change has been met with overall support from players, coaches, and chair umpires. ITF Senior Executive Director of Integrity Stuart Miller believes it will enhance the sport by improving player development, reducing umpire subjectivity, and making tournaments more engaging.

Amelia Honer Triumphs in Bakersfield ITF QuarterfinalsAmerican tennis star Amelia Honer has advanced to the semifinals of the $25,000 ITF women's tournament in Bakersfield, USA, after a hard-fought victory over Sahaja Yamalapalli.Honer, the tournament's top seed, faced a stern challenge from Yamalapalli in the quarterfinals. The Indian player took the first set in a tiebreaker, but Honer rallied back to win the next two sets 6-2, 6-2.The victory marks Honer's second consecutive win in the tournament. In the pre-quarterfinals, she defeated Makenna Jones of the United States in three sets.In the semifinals, Honer will face Eryn Cayetano of the United States, who defeated Rutuja Bhosale of India in straight sets.Other Notable Results:* In the men's $25,000 ITF tournament in Kampala, Uganda, Corentin Denolly of France defeated Dev Javia of India in the quarterfinals.* In the doubles final of the same tournament, Guy Iradukunda of Burundi and Aziz Ouakaa of Tunisia defeated Noah Schachter of the United States and Niitn Kumar Sinha of India.* In the $15,000 ITF men's tournament in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, Egor Agafonov and Ilia Simakin of Russia defeated Yurii Dzhavakian of Ukraine and Sidharth Rawat of India in the doubles semifinals.

Indian tennis star Shrivalli Bhamidipaty continued her impressive run in the $60,000 ITF women's tennis tournament in Perth, Australia, by dominating eighth seed Melisa Ercan of Australia 6-1, 6-1 in the pre-quarterfinals.Bhamidipaty, ranked 334th in the world, displayed her superior skills and court coverage throughout the match. She broke Ercan's serve early in both sets and maintained her dominance, winning the first set in just 20 minutes.In the second set, Bhamidipaty continued to apply pressure on Ercan, forcing her into unforced errors. The Indian player broke Ercan's serve twice more to seal the victory in 50 minutes.Bhamidipaty's victory sets up a quarterfinal clash against another Australian, Naiktha Bains, who defeated Great Britain's Ankita Raina 6-2, 6-4.In other matches, Ankita Raina and Naiktha Bains advanced to the quarterfinals in the doubles event, defeating Chelsea Stergiopoulos and Bellle Thompson of Australia 7-6(0), 3-6, [10-4].Indian players also made their mark in other ITF tournaments around the world. In the €148,625 Challenger in Bad Waltersdorf, Austria, Guido Andreozzi of Argentina and Sriram Balaji of India reached the pre-quarterfinals in the doubles event.In the €148,625 Challenger in Saint-Tropez, France, Romain Arneodo of Monaco and Theo Arribage of France defeated Anirudh Chandrasekar and Niki Poonacha of India 7-6(2), 6-3 in the pre-quarterfinals of the doubles event.In the $15,000 ITF tournament in Monastir, Tunisia, Tanisha Kashyap of India lost in the first round of the women's singles to Zou Ruirui of China 6-2, 6-1.In the $25,000 ITF men's tournament in Guiyang, China, Rishab Agarwal of India lost in the pre-quarterfinals to Kris Van Wyk of South Africa 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.In the $15,000 ITF men's tournament in Tehran, Iran, Raghav Jaisinghani of India lost in the pre-quarterfinals to Ali Yazdani of Iran 6-3, 6-2.In the $15,000 ITF men's tournament in Bali, Indonesia, Yuvan Nandal of India advanced to the quarterfinals after defeating Tomohiro Masabayashi of Japan 2-6, 7-6(6), 6-4.

Yuki Bhambri and Albano Olivetti of France emerged victorious in the doubles pre-quarterfinals of the $1,269,245 ATP tennis tournament in Chengdu, China, on Wednesday. The duo defeated Toshihide Matsui of Japan and Adam Walton of Australia 6-3, 6-3.In other results from the tournament:* $1,081,395 ATP, Hangzhou: * Doubles: Pre-quarterfinals: Rinky Hijikata (Aus) & Mackenzie McDonald (USA) bt Rithvik Bollipalli & Arjun Kadhe 6-3, 7-5.* $60,000 ITF women, Perth: * First round: Shrivalli Bhamidipaty bt Alexandra Bozovic (Aus) 6-3, 6-0. * Doubles: Pre-quarterfinals: Naiktha Bains (GBR) & Ankita Raina bt Isabelle Criddle & Karin Hiramatsu (Aus) 6-1, 6-0.* $25,000 ITF women, Kyoto: * First round: Honoka Kobayashi (Jpn) bt Ashmitha Easwaramurthi 6-0, 2-0 (retired).* $15,000 ITF, Monastir: * Women: First round: Milana Maslenkova (Uzb) bt Jennifer Luikham 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-3. * Men: First round: Karan Singh bt William Hsieh (USA) 6-2, 6-1.* $25,000 ITF men, Darwin: * First round: Preston Brown (USA) bt Suraj Prabodh 6-1, 6-2.* $25,000 ITF men, Guiyang, China: * Doubles: Pre-quarters: Rishab Agarwal & Kim Min Seong (Kor) bt Cao Yitao & Pan Weiwen (Chn) 6-4, 6-2.* $15,000 ITF men, Bali: * Pre-quarterfinals: Andre Ilagan (USA) bt Sidharth Rawat 6-3, 6-0; Yuvan Nandal bt Nathan Barki (Ina) 6-4, 6-3. * Doubles: Pre-quarterfinals: Claudio Lumanau & Renaldi Salim (Ina) bt Aldhito Kurniawan (Ina) & Abhinav Sanjeev Shanmugam 6-4, 6-3.* $15,000 ITF men, Tehran: * First round: S.D. Prajwal Dev bt Kiarash Hanifi (IRI) 6-3, 6-7(4), 6-3; Parth Aggarwal bt Samyar Elyasi (IRI) 7-6(6), 6-3; Raghav Jaisinghani bt Aliaksandr Shymanovich 6-4, 6-4; Denis Kiok bt Maan Kesharwani 7-6(4), 6-2; Dev Javia bt Dmitry Dolzhenkov 6-0, 6-0; Lorenzo Bocchi (Ita) bt Jagmeet Singh 6-2, 6-2.

Eighth-seeded Indian tennis star Vaishnavi Adkar showcased her dominance on Saturday, cruising past third-seeded Rina Saigo of Japan 6-0, 6-3 in the semifinals of the $15,000 ITF women's tennis tournament in Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand.Adkar's impressive performance earned her a spot in the final, where she will face fourth-seeded Patcharin Cheapchandej of Thailand. The Indian player's victory was a testament to her exceptional skills and determination.Meanwhile, in the $867,750 ATP event in Winston-Salem, USA, Indian wild cards Dhakshineswar Suresh and Luca Pow narrowly missed out on a spot in the doubles final. The Indo-British pair fought valiantly but ultimately fell to fourth seeds Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow of the USA 6-4, 6-2 in the semifinals.Despite the setback, Suresh and Pow earned valuable ATP points and prize money, amounting to 90 ATP points and $12,470. The tournament marked a significant breakthrough for Suresh, who also reached the final qualifying round in singles.In other results from the $15,000 ITF men's tournament in Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thai duo Jirat Navasirisomboon and Pawit Sornlaksup defeated Markos Kalovelonis of Greece and Nitin Kumar Sinha of India 7-6(4), 7-6(5) in the semifinals.

Fifth-seeded Indian tennis star Ankita Raina displayed resilience and determination in her pre-quarterfinal match at the $40,000 ITF women's tennis tournament in Ourense, Spain. Facing Maria Vaquero of Spain, Raina fought back from a set down to secure a hard-fought 6-1, 3-6, 6-2 victory.Raina started the match with a dominant performance, taking the first set with ease at 6-1. However, Vaquero responded strongly in the second set, leveling the match with a 6-3 win. Undeterred, Raina regained her composure in the decisive third set. She broke Vaquero's serve twice and held her own service games comfortably to seal the victory.With this win, Raina advances to the quarterfinals, where she will face top seed Valentina Ryser of Switzerland. Ryser, ranked 150th in the world, will pose a significant challenge for Raina. However, the Indian star has shown great form throughout the tournament and will be confident of putting up a strong fight.In other matches involving Indian players, Sriram Balaji and Fernando Romboli of Brazil received a walkover in the pre-quarterfinals of the $164,000 Challenger in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Meanwhile, Anirudh Chandrasekar and Niki Poonacha bowed out of the $133,250 Challenger in Cary, USA, losing 4-6, 7-6(9), [10-8] to Federico Gomez of Argentina and Petros Tsitsipas of Greece.Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan and Vijay Sundar Prashanth advanced to the quarterfinals of the $74,825 Challenger in Grodzisk Mazowiecki, Poland, with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Benjamin Bonzi and Harold Mayot of France.In the $25,000 ITF men's tournament in Muttenz, Switzerland, Sddhant Bantha and Eric Vanshelboim of Ukraine defeated Nicolas Kuepfer of Switzerland and Patrick Zahraj of Germany 7-6(5), 6-2. Alexander Merino of Peru and Christoph Negritu of Germany also progressed to the quarterfinals with a 6-2, 6-0 win over Axel Cabrera of Mexico and Chinmaya Dev Chauhan.In the $15,000 ITF men's tournament in Bielsko Biala, Poland, Aryan Lakshmanan and Przemyslaw Michocki of Poland reached the quarterfinals with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Jakub Jedrzejczak and Pawel Juszczak of Poland.In the $15,000 ITF women's tournament in Xiamen, China, Riya Bhatia and Michika Ozeki of Japan advanced to the quarterfinals with a 2-6, 6-2, [10-8] win over Ren Ke and Zou Ruirui of China.

Indian tennis star Yuvan Nandal made a strong start to the $25,000 ITF men's tournament in Brazzaville, Congo, on Tuesday, defeating Mehluli Sibanda of Zimbabwe in the first round.Nandal, ranked 1034th in the world, faced a tough challenge from Sibanda, who is ranked 1144th. However, the Indian player displayed his superior skills and experience to secure a hard-fought 5-7, 6-0, 6-4 victory.In the first set, Sibanda started strongly and took an early lead. Nandal fought back, but Sibanda held on to win the set 7-5. Undeterred, Nandal regrouped in the second set and dominated his opponent, winning it 6-0.The third set was a closely contested affair, with both players trading blows. Nandal eventually broke Sibanda's serve in the eighth game and held on to his own serve to seal the match 6-4.Nandal's victory sets him up for a second-round clash against Isaac Bokungu of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Bokungu, ranked 1200th in the world, advanced to the second round with a 6-1, 6-3 win over Aditya Balsekar of India.In the doubles competition, the Indian pair of Anurag Agarwal and Kacper Szymkowiak of Poland defeated Parth Aggarwal and Abraham Asaba of Ghana 7-5, 6-4 in the pre-quarterfinals. Another Indian duo, Rishab Agarwal and Eric Vanshelboim of Ukraine, also advanced to the pre-quarterfinals with a 6-1, 6-3 win over Prakaash Sarran and Drona Walia.