Tennis

9:25 PM ET Associated Press Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley has ruled out any change in the best-of-five set format for men’s singles matches at the season-opening tennis major as three more COVID-19 cases — two of them players — were reported among the international arrivals for the tournament. There are 72 players now

10:49 PM ET D’Arcy MaineESPN.com Roberto Bautista Agut, currently the No. 13-ranked men’s tennis player, criticized the Victorian government’s handling of the Australian Open quarantine protocol in an interview on Monday, comparing the experience to prison. “It’s the same, it’s the same, but with Wi-Fi,” he said to Israeli television channel Sport 5 when told

3:27 PM ET Nick Kyrgios joined former Davis Cup player Sam Groth in criticising Novak Djokovic after the Serbian world No. 1 reportedly wrote to Australian Open organisers asking them to ease quarantine restrictions for players. Passengers who arrived on three charter flights have been placed into hard quarantine, including more than 70 players who

8:08 AM ET Associated Press LONDON — The Davis Cup Finals will expand to 11 days from seven in 2021, and the International Tennis Federation is considering holding the competition in three European cities instead of just Madrid. The ITF announced Monday that the international men’s tennis team event will run from Nov. 25 to

7:33 PM ET ESPN staff The Australian summer of tennis is underway. Kind of. Players from around the world have begun to arrive Down Under in preparation for the year’s first Grand Slam, which is due to commence on Feb. 8 [AEDT]. But things aren’t exactly running smoothly, with nine people having tested positive for

5:42 PM ET Alize Cornet apologised on Monday after many social media users hit out at the Frenchwoman for criticising the country’s strict COVID-19 quarantine protocols ahead of next month’s Australian Open. Seventy-two players and their entourages have to isolate for two weeks and cannot leave their hotel rooms in Melbourne to train after infections

9:25 AM ET ESPN News Services MELBOURNE — Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley has confirmed the year’s first Grand Slam will go ahead from Feb. 8 despite anger from players forced into hard quarantine in Melbourne due to positive COVID-19 cases on their charter planes. Seventy-two players and their entourages have to isolate for

9:39 PM ET Two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka is believed to be among a group of players set to be confined to their hotel rooms for the next 14 days after two positive coronavirus tests emerged from their charter flight. The Herald Sun has reported an email has been sent to all players and

1:20 PM ET D’Arcy MaineESPN.com Madison Keys, currently ranked No. 16 in the world, revealed she has tested positive for COVID-19 in a post on her social media accounts Thursday and was unable to make her scheduled flight to Melbourne ahead of the Australian Open. “I unfortunately tested positive for [COVID-19] before I was supposed

5:23 AM ET Former world No. 1 Andy Murray has tested positive for COVID-19, STV said on Thursday, adding that he is still in good health. The Scottish broadcaster said Murray was self-isolating and still had hopes of competing in the Australian Open next month. Murray is a three-time Grand Slam champion who has slipped

8:26 AM ET World No. 2 Rafael Nadal and last year’s Australian Open finalist Dominic Thiem have both suffered setbacks with their coaches unable to make the trip Down Under for the year’s first tennis Grand Slam. Players and officials have to undergo a mandatory 14-day quarantine on arrival in Australia before they participate in

12:16 AM ET Tennys Sandgren was allowed to board a chartered flight from Los Angeles bound for the Australian Open in Melbourne on Wednesday despite recently testing positive for COVID-19, the American tennis player said on social media. Sandgren, a quarter-finalist at Melbourne Park last year and in 2018, said on Twitter that after testing

5:50 PM ET Associated Press DELRAY BEACH, Fla. — Hubert Hurkacz won his second career ATP Tour title Wednesday by beating American Sebastian Korda 6-3, 6-3 in the Delray Beach Open. Hurkacz’s only other title was in 2019 at Winston-Salem, where he became the second Polish tour-level champion in the Open era. Seeded fourth and

Jan 13, 2021 Associated Press ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — – Aryna Sabalenka won her third straight tour title and 15th straight match by beating Veronika Kudermetova 6-2, 6-2 Wednesday in the Abu Dhabi Open final. The fourth-seeded Belarusian, who won indoor tournaments in Ostrava and Linz at the end of last season, last

9:20 AM ET Britain’s Francesca Jones, who suffers from a rare genetic condition, reached her maiden Grand Slam main draw on Wednesday when she beat China’s Lu Jiajing in the final round of Australian Open qualifying in Dubai. Jones suffers from ectrodactyly ectodermal dysplasia syndrome, a condition which meant she was born with three fingers

5:39 PM ET Associated Press DELRAY BEACH, Fla. — No. 4-seeded Hubert Hurkacz advanced to his second career ATP Tour final by beating American qualifier Christian Harrison 7-6 (4), 6-4 on Tuesday at the Delray Beach Open. Hurkacz’s only other final was in 2019, when he won at Winston-Salem to become the second Polish tour-level

9:05 AM ET American tennis player Christian Harrison has been fined $3,000 by the ATP after refusing to take part in a mandatory on-court interview at the Delray Beach Open in Florida as it required him to wear a mask. The qualifier, ranked No. 789 in the world, stunned top seed Cristian Garin of Chile

7:32 AM ET Associated Press ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — Aryna Sabalenka reached the final of the Abu Dhabi Open on Tuesday after winning her 14th straight match and will face Veronika Kudermetova for the first WTA title of the year. Sabalenka had eight aces in her 6-3, 6-2 victory over Maria Sakkari. Kudermetova