Tennis

6:26 PM ET Associated Press MIAMI — Top-ranked Ashleigh Barty rallied from a big third-set deficit and overcame a match point Thursday to win her opening match at the Miami Open against qualifier Kristina Kucova, 6-3, 4-6, 7-5. Barty, who won the tournament’s most recent title in 2019, trailed 5-2 in the final set. In

7:46 PM ET Associated Press ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The WTA is setting up a way that eventually will return its women’s tennis rankings to their usual 52-week system after a “freeze” of sorts was put in place to account for a tour hiatus and scheduling changes during the coronavirus pandemic. It is a complicated

11:18 AM ET Assoicated Press LAUSANNE, Switzerland — Three-time Grand Slam winner Stan Wawrinka has undergone surgery for an injury to his left foot. Wawrinka said Thursday that he would be out “for a few weeks,” with the French Open starting May 23. He won at Roland Garros in 2015. “After having some problems in

5:13 PM ET Associated Press MIAMI — Alexei Popyrin built on his recent momentum by beating Feliciano Lopez 6-4, 7-6 (4) Wednesday on the first day of men’s play at the Miami Open. Popyrin, a 21-year-old Australian who won his first ATP Tour title late last month in Singapore, will next play big-serving American Reilly

5:23 PM ET Associated Press MIAMI — It has been 20 years since Venus Williams won her home tournament, and her stay at the 2021 Miami Open was brief. Williams was eliminated on the first day of play Tuesday by 89th-ranked Zarina Diyas of Kazakhstan, 6-2, 7-6 (10). Williams, who is 40 years old and

11:53 AM ET D’Arcy MaineESPN.com Former world No. 1 Andy Murray has withdrawn from the Miami Open due to a left groin injury. It’s the latest setback for Murray, who had received a wild card for the tournament, in his attempt to make a comeback from hip surgery in 2019. “I had no issues while

7:24 PM ET Associated Press BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Former U.S Open champion Juan Martin del Potro will undergo another operation on his right knee this week but said Monday he still hopes to play at the Tokyo Olympics. The Argentine has been sidelined since hurting his knee in the first round at Queen’s Club

7:16 AM ET D’Arcy MaineESPN.com While the first event of the traditional “Sunshine Double” was canceled (or postponed) at Indian Wells for the second straight year, the Miami Open is set to get underway Monday. After not being held in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, players are eager to get back to South Florida

2:53 PM ET Associated Press MIAMI — Serena Williams is the latest Grand Slam champion to withdraw from the Miami Open. Williams pulled out Sunday, citing recent oral surgery. Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer announced earlier they would skip the tournament, which begins Tuesday. Williams, who lives in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, has

3:43 PM ET Associated Press ST. PETERSBURG, Russia — Daria Kasatkina won the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy on Sunday when wildcard Margarita Gasparyan retired from their all-Russian final with a lower back injury. The eighth-seeded Kasatkina was leading 6-3, 2-1 when Gasparyan’s back problems forced her to retire. Kasatkina became the first player to win

8:30 AM ET Russian Aslan Karatsev continued his breakthrough year as he claimed his first ATP Tour title by beating Lloyd Harris 6-3, 6-2 in the Dubai Championships final on Saturday. The 27-year-old wildcard overpowered his South African opponent with a barrage of winners to take his record to 12-2 for the season, having only

6:44 PM ET Associated Press Lloyd Harris continued his run of upsets at the Dubai Championships by beating the third-seeded Denis Shapovalov 6-7 (5), 6-4, 7-6 (6) in the semifinals on Saturday. The 81st-ranked South African saved three of the four break points he faced for his seventh win in as many days, making him

4:49 PM ET Associated Press ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (AP) – Margarita Gasparyan upset the top-seeded Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-2, 7-5 on Friday, when Russian players filled the semifinals of the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy. The 126th-ranked Gasparyan saved three of the six break points she faced and broke Alexandrova six times for a last-four clash with

4:11 PM ET Associated Press MIAMI — No. 1-ranked Novak Djokovic pulled out of the upcoming Miami Open on Friday, citing coronavirus restrictions as he joined Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer on the sideline. The tournament begins Tuesday, with only 750 fans allowed on the grounds per session. The pandemic is also affecting attendance by

6:11 PM ET ST. PETERSBURG, Russia — – Margarita Gasparyan and Daria Kasatkina both won in the round of 16 on Thursday as a record seven Russian players made the quarterfinals of the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy. The eighth-seeded Kasatkina beat Aliaksandra Sasnovich of Belarus 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 (2) and Gasparyan ousted Katerina Siniakova of

6:08 PM ET DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — – Lloyd Harris became the first qualifier to reach the semifinals of the Dubai Championships after beating Kei Nishikori 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 to extend his run of upsets this week. The 81st-ranked South African saved two break points in the third set before breaking Nishikori for a

8:08 AM ET Associated Press LONDON — Wimbledon organizers are expecting to have a reduced number of spectators for this year’s tournament because of coronavirus restrictions. The All England Club said Thursday it was remaining “flexible” as it reacts to changing circumstances amid the pandemic as the British government follows a road map out of

6:58 PM ET Associated Press Russian players continued their dominance at the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy on Wednesday as Ekaterina Alexandrova, Vera Zvonareva and Svetlana Kuznetsova all booked their places in the quarterfinals. The top-seeded Alexandrova won 6-3, 6-4 against Tereza Martincova after twice coming from a break down in the second set. She will