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Murray & Soares knocked out in Paris in last tournament together

Published in Tennis

Tuesday, 28 May 2019 07:32

Jamie Murray says it is the right time "to do something different" after ending his successful doubles partnership with Bruno Soares.

Murray will partner fellow Briton Neal Skupski for the grass-court season.

Scot Murray, 33, and Brazilian Soares, 37, won two Grand Slam titles since teaming up in 2016,

They played their last match on Tuesday, a 4-6 7-5 7-6 (7-4) French Open first-round defeat by Italians Lorenzo Sonego and Matteo Berrettini.

Murray told BBC Sport it was his decision to split.

"We had an amazing three and a half years together, a lot of great memories, won a lot of big tournaments and had a lot of fun along the way," he said.

"We had a great partnership, there is no disputing that.

"Bruno is one of my best friends on the tour but it felt like it was time for something different. That's life.

"Obviously, it was a difficult conversation to have with Bruno. It is not an easy thing to do but it had to be done."

Murray and Soares won the Australian Open and US Open on their way to ending 2016 as the world's number one doubles pair.

They won 10 ATP titles and reached another nine finals.

"I don't take it personally," said Soares, who will team up with Croat Mate Pavic.

"We are good friends but it is our job and if he thinks it is best for him to change things up and play with a different partner then you have to respect that."

I couldn't turn down this chance - Skupski

Murray had dismissed suggestions he could play alongside his brother - former world number one singles player Andy - in the doubles at Wimbledon.

Skupski, 29, said he could not turn down the chance to work with six-time Grand Slam champion Murray, who approached him recently in Rome about working together until at least the end of the year.

But he said it was a difficult decision to split up his partnership with older brother Ken.

"Obviously, I had to think about it, because if my brother wasn't involved then it's an easy 'yes'," said Skupski.

"There are opportunities that can come from playing with Jamie - maybe Davis Cup, Olympics - and it will help me progress through the rankings.

"Ken and I have had our best year so far this year, so it's an unfortunate time. But you can't turn the number six guy in the world down."

Murray and Skupski have entered the grass-court tournament at s-Hertogenbosch in the Netherlands which starts on 10 June.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Skupski brothers beat fellow Britons Jonny O'Mara and Luke Bambridge 6-1 6-2 win to reach the second round, where they will face 16-time Grand Slam champions Bob and Mike Bryan.

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French Open: Victoria Azarenka through to second round

Published in Tennis

Tuesday, 28 May 2019 07:03

Two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka beat Latvian former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko in the first round in Paris.

Azarenka, 43rd in the world, won 6-4 7-6 (7-4) in a match full of twists.

Neither player managed to hold serve until the ninth game, when Azarenka moved 5-4 up in the opening set.

The Belarusian had two match points saved in the second and was broken for a second time before she won the deciding tie-break.

Latvian world number 39 Ostapenko, who won the title at Roland Garros in 2017, has now been knocked out in the first round for the third time in four years.

It is also the second successive Grand Slam tournament at which she has failed to make the second round.

Azarenka, who has beaten Czech fourth seed Karolina Pliskova and Ukrainian fifth seed Elina Svitolina on clay in the past month, could face world number one Naomi Osaka in the next round.

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Zverev pulls through - via five sets & a smashed racquet

Published in Tennis

Tuesday, 28 May 2019 06:43

German fifth seed Alexander Zverev came through a frustrating first-round match against world number 56 John Millman after dropping two sets in Paris.

Zverev, 22, won 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 2-6 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 in over four hours but smashed his racquet several times.

He was two sets up before being pegged back by Australian Millman but broke late in the deciding set to seal a win.

Meanwhile, Argentine eighth seed Juan Martin del Potro came through a scare to beat Nicolas Jarry 3-6 6-2 6-1 6-4.

Del Potro, 30, lost the first set to the Chilean world number 58 but recovered to win in just over two hours on Suzanne Lenglen.

The racquet smashing continued

Zverev, who reached the quarter-finals in Roland Garros last year, has struggled for form since stunning world number one Novak Djokovic to win the ATP Finals in November.

He lost to Canadian world number 18 Milos Raonic in the fourth round of the Australian Open.

And his racquet-smashing display on Philippe Chatrier was a familiar sight for fans who had seen Zverev become frustrated in that defeat by Raonic back in January.

A spectacular meltdown while seated at a changeover in Melbourne was not quite replayed in Paris on Tuesday but there were several racquet smashes and roars of frustration in another underwhelming performance.

The German went two sets up but was broken twice in the third and was dominated in a fourth-set tie-break. He also had a break point saved at 3-2 up in the fifth before eventually getting the job done.

Zverev was lucky to avoid the same fate as Roger Federer, who was shocked by Millman in the the fourth round of the US Open.

The 22-year-old will face Swedish qualifier Mikael Ymer in the second round.

Del Potro survives scare

Eighth seed Del Potro will face either Japan's Yoshihito Nishioka or the USA's Mackenzie McDonald in the next round after also coming through a scare in his first-round tie.

The Argentine, who is seeking a first Grand Slam win since becoming US Open champion 10 years ago, went on to dominate after falling a set behind.

Del Potro, who reached the Italian Open quarter-finals this month, broke Jarry's serve five times to seal the win.

He reached the French Open semi-finals last year, where he lost in straight sets to eventual champion Rafael Nadal.

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Elina Svitolina column: Beating Venus Williams & facing childhood friend at French Open

Published in Tennis

Tuesday, 28 May 2019 00:53

World number nine Elina Svitolina, who has won 13 singles titles on the WTA Tour, will be writing columns for the BBC Sport website during the French Open, which runs from 26 May to 9 June.

The Ukrainian, seeded ninth, is hoping for a successful run in Paris, having become known as one of the WTA's leading players on clay, twice reaching the quarter-finals at Roland Garros.

The 24-year-old, who was at a career-high ranking of three last year, has struggled with a knee injury in recent months, but earned her first win of the clay-court season by beating seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams 6-4 6-4 in the opening round.

Beating Venus Williams in straight sets was a good sign that I'm mentally strong enough to overcome the challenges I've been facing this year.

Playing one of the all-time greats in the first round after losing my past four matches was mentally very tough and my main emotion after winning was happiness.

But after my injury troubles, and not winning a match in Madrid or Rome, I was also relieved to get the victory.

On the one hand, it can be good to have a tough opponent like Venus at the beginning of the draw because it puts you straight into 'tournament mode'.

But on the other hand it is also a little draining. Your mind has to be sharper than perhaps it usually has to be in the opening round.

Against such a great champion, I had to step up my game, be focused from the very beginning and take my chances.

As I said before the tournament, I don't have any expectations about how far I can go at Roland Garros, so now I just want to be ready for the second round and compete well.

I'm happy I haven't lost my confidence with that run of losses - when things aren't going well it has to be part of your personality and mindset as a tennis player that you don't lose confidence.

But I was pleased to have two days off before I play in the second round on Wednesday. Now I have time to recover mentally.

'The small details matter when fighting injury'

As well as resting mentally, the two days off will be important for my knee's recovery. I didn't feel any pain on Sunday but we try to take one day at a time.

The small details really matter, especially with injury when you are playing such a big event - with this level of pressure, you can snap any time.

We will do recovery and treatments - we have a machine that has the same effect on an injury as an ice bath or cryotherapy but that uses oxygen. It looks like a spray but is actually oxygen with ice effect.

So you 'spray' this to the place it hurts and the body reacts like it is a burn. So the blood starts to move quickly and the recovery speeds up.

This type of stuff, along with lots of massage and exercises to strengthen the muscles around the knee, is very important for recovery.

I will watch my boyfriend Gael Monfils' match on Tuesday, of course - then I will be ready and fresh for Wednesday.

'Important to share your off-court life with fans'

As well as our Instagram account, Gael and I had plans for a behind-the-scenes documentary.

I think it's important to share your lives with fans, and there aren't many documentaries made about life off the court. I think it will help aspiring tennis players growing up to see what they will have to deal with in the future.

People see what's going on when you're playing a match but don't see what's going on behind the scenes, not only in the good moments but also the tough ones.

Anyway, we did a little bit of filming but then had to stop because there were issues about access at some tournaments. The prices for filming were super high - we would have spent almost all our prize money on it!

So we've stopped filming for a while and we will see how it goes - maybe we'll keep the footage and try to start the documentary again in the future.

Playing childhood friend at a Slam is 'amazing'

On Wednesday I will play Kateryna Kozlova, another Ukrainian, in the second round.

I've known Kateryna since we were about eight. She was born in a city close to my own, and is only seven months older than me, so we grew up playing against each other in junior tournaments.

We were very good friends and just having fun - that's all it was about at that age. We didn't really talk too much about the future.

We have played each other many, many times but never on the WTA Tour so it's amazing we're now here in a Grand Slam facing each other.

But although we are still friends, and talk a little bit from time to time, I have my team around me and she has her team so it is very tough to connect all the time.

It is very rare to maintain strong friendships on tour like normal girls. I mean, I speak with all the girls and we're very friendly, but is tough to keep the same relationship with friends as you had before because you are all so busy travelling and competing.

But it is great to be playing an old friend - and it is great for Ukrainian tennis to know there will definitely be someone from Ukraine in the third round!

Elina Svitolina was speaking to BBC Sport's Jonathan Jurejko at Roland Garros.

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French Open: Kyle Edmund into second round but Cameron Norrie out at Roland Garros

Published in Tennis

Tuesday, 28 May 2019 04:12

British number one Kyle Edmund needed just seven minutes to book his place in the French Open second round as he wrapped up victory in his interrupted match against Jeremy Chardy.

They resumed at 5-5 in the fifth set after bad light stopped play on Monday and they played only two more games.

Edmund won 7-6 (7-1) 5-7 6-4 4-6 7-5.

But British number two Cameron Norrie lost 6-3 6-0 6-2 to French qualifier Elliot Benchetrit after an erratic display.

Compatriot Dan Evans begins his campaign later on Tuesday against Spaniard Fernando Verdasco.

Edmund made to battle in patchy performance

Edmund has dropped to 30th in the rankings, down from 14th at the start of the year, after five successive defeats on the clay which he once described as his preferred surface.

His form on the red dirt this year has been a far cry from 12 months ago.

After losing in the third round at Roland Garros, when he was knocked out by clay-court expert Fabio Fognini in a five-setter, he was able to reflect on a swing in which he reached his first ATP final in Marrakech and beat 12-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic in Madrid.

This year he went into the clay Grand Slam having only beaten 63rd-ranked Frenchman Ugo Humbert in Marrakech, although his defeats did come against players with plenty of pedigree - Fognini, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Diego Schwartzman and Fernando Verdasco.

The Yorkshireman's attitude to his form has been rather stoic, saying there was no need to panic because he knew he was a good player.

He showed glimpses of it on Court One throughout the opening set - finishing in style with a dominant tie-break - but his feathers started to get ruffled by Chardy, who was buoyed by the home crowd.

The Frenchman capitalised on a fourth break point when Edmund double-faulted in the second set and added a sucker-punch with another break late on.

Edmund's unforced errors' count increased to 34 in the third set as he let a 4-2 lead slip but he recovered, showing guile and composure to snatch it back.

The light began to fade in Paris and the danger of play being suspended grew as Chardy broke twice in the fourth and Edmund could not prevent it going to a gruelling decider despite a spirited late comeback.

The British number one then crucially held off two break points at 2-2 in the fifth before the match was suspended at 5-5.

Edmund came out fired up when it resumed on Tuesday, quickly holding serve then breaking to claim victory and book a meeting with Uruguayan world number 47 Pablo Cuevas.

The British 28th seed has now made it past the opening round in all five of his appearances in Paris.

Norrie out after dismal display

British number two Norrie's hopes of joining Edmund in round two were ended when he was out-powered by world number 273 Benchetrit.

The 23-year-old Briton, ranked 49th, looked devoid of belief and failed to muster a break point until the final game, losing serve six times.

Benchetrit, 20, needed only one hour 27 minutes to earn his first Grand Slam main-draw win, taking control by claiming nine games in a row from the back end of the first set.

By that time Benchetrit was already causing problems for the Briton with his hefty serve and potent forehand.

The Frenchman ended up hitting 29 winners as Norrie produced 33 unforced errors in a dismal display.

Analysis

BBC tennis correspondent Russell Fuller

Fuelled by six hours sleep, and a breakfast of cereal, chocolate croissant and scrambled eggs, Edmund played a near perfect seven minutes of tennis.

It was all that was required.

The British number one says "mental engagement" was the most important part of his warm-up. He ran through the scenario in his mind, anticipating plenty of noise, and telling himself he needed to be "on it from the word go."

A first win for 50 days sets up a second-round match with Pablo Cuevas. If there's a clay-court tournament on somewhere in the world, the chances are the Uruguayan will be there.

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How to catch the Seamaster 2019 ITTF World Tour China Open

Published in Table Tennis

Tuesday, 28 May 2019 01:01

Day 1 of the Seamaster 2019 ITTF World Tour China Open starts on 28th of May (Tues) at the Shenzhen Bao’an District Sports Center Gymnasium, China! A total of 4 tables of LIVE streaming on itTV will satisfy your every table tennis need.

The qualification stages will take place from 28th-29th of May while the main draw action starts from the 30th of May all the way till the 2nd of June. The finals of the Doubles events will be held on 1st June (Sat) while the Singles finals will be held on 2nd June (Sun). Wondering where to catch it all? Check out your local listings below:

You can also keep up-to-date with all the action via LIVE updates on ITTF’s social platforms: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Weibo. Head to the event page HERE for more information.

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James Gaskell: Wasps lock extends contract with Premiership club

Published in Rugby

Tuesday, 28 May 2019 03:44

James Gaskell has signed a contract extension with Premiership team Wasps.

The 29-year-old lock, who has represented England Saxons and played international youth rugby, is heading into his sixth season with the club.

He made 20 appearances in the 2018-19 campaign and has played a total of 108 times for Wasps.

Speaking about his contract extension, the 6ft 7in second row said: "I'm really enjoying my time here and it's been a fantastic five years."

Wasps have not disclosed the length of his new deal.

Director of rugby Dai Young said: "Jammer is a fantastic bloke and he's always someone you can rely on.

"What's extremely important for us is building some continuity and stability within the squad and with 13 guys having signed new deals in the last six months, we've got a core group of players who are now set to be here for the next couple of seasons or so."

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Addison and McCloskey omitted from Ireland World Cup training squad

Published in Rugby

Tuesday, 28 May 2019 05:18

Ulster's Player of the Year Stuart McCloskey and team-mate Will Addison have not been named in Ireland's 44-man training squad for the Rugby World Cup.

Connacht lock Quinn Roux also misses out, although head coach Joe Schmidt has not ruled out further additions to the squad.

There are call-ups for uncapped Munster pair Jean Kleyn and Mike Haley while Leinster's Dave Kearney returns.

Flankers Sean O'Brien and Dan Leavy have been ruled out through injury.

Ireland will play four warm-up matches between 10 August and 7 September before travelling to Japan, where they will face Scotland in their Pool A opener on 22 September.

Utility back Addison, who joined Ulster from Sale last summer, has not featured since January after undergoing a back operation.

The 26-year-old made an impressive start to his Ulster career before making his Ireland debut against Italy in November.

"Some players have missed out through injury and there are one or two guys that may be added into the squad at a later stage," said Schmidt on Tuesday.

"There were some very close calls in selection and it's always a challenging process because the coaching group are very conscious of how hard the players work."

Addison's Ulster teammate McCloskey misses out despite enjoying an impressive campaign which earned him a place in the Pro14 dream team.

The centre, 26, has found his international opportunities limited since debuting against England in 2016 largely due to the ferocious competition for places in Ireland's midfield.

South Africa-born lock Kleyn is eligible for selection through the three-year residency rule having joined Munster in 2016.

His provincial teammate Haley has impressed since arriving at Thomond Park from Sale last summer and will hope to make his Irish debut in the team's summer fixtures, which begin at home to Italy.

Ireland training squad

Forwards: Finlay Bealham (Connacht), Rory Best (Ulster), Tadhg Beirne (Munster), Jack Conan (Leinster), Sean Cronin (Leinster), Ultan Dillane (Connacht), Tadhg Furlong (Leinster), Cian Healy (Leinster), Iain Henderson (Ulster), Rob Herring (Ulster), Dave Kilcoyne (Munster), Jean Kleyn (Munster), Jack McGrath (Leinster), Jordi Murphy (Ulster), Tommy O'Donnell (Munster), Peter O'Mahony (Munster), Andrew Porter (Leinster), Rhys Ruddock (Leinster), James Ryan (Leinster), John Ryan (Munster), Niall Scannell (Munster), CJ Stander (Munster), Devin Toner (Leinster), Josh van der Flier (Leinster).

Backs: Bundee Aki (Connacht), Ross Byrne (Leinster), Joey Carbery (Munster), Jack Carty (Connacht), Andrew Conway (Munster), John Cooney (Ulster), Keith Earls (Munster), Chris Farrell (Munster), Mike Haley (Munster), Henshaw (Leinster), Dave Kearney (Leinster), Rob Kearney (Leinster), Jordan Larmour (Leinster), Kieran Marmion (Connacht), Luke McGrath (Leinster), Conor Murray (Munster), Garry Ringrose (Leinster), Rory Scannell (Munster), Jonathan Sexton (Leinster), Jacob Stockdale (Ulster).

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Kyle Steyn & Scott Cummings added to Scotland World Cup training squad

Published in Rugby

Tuesday, 28 May 2019 02:38

Uncapped Glasgow Warriors duo Scott Cummings and Kyle Steyn have been added to Scotland's World Cup training squad by head coach Gregor Townsend.

Townsend initially named 42 players and said Toulouse lock Richie Gray could still claim one of two vacant spots.

But Cummings has been preferred after a strong finish to the term, culminating in a Pro14 final appearance.

Steyn has shone for Glasgow at centre, but Townsend said he is being primarily considered as a winger.

"Kyle has made an excellent impact since his debut for Glasgow earlier this season and has displayed strong defensive capabilities as well as a providing go-forward when carrying ball," Townsend said.

"We have others in our squad that we view more as centre/wings but I'm sure over the course of the summer Kyle will get the opportunity to show what he can do in both positions.

"Scott's selection is a testament to how well he has performed throughout the season and in particular over the past few weeks."

Scotland will play home and away summer Tests against Georgia and France before the autumn World Cup in Japan.

There the Scots will face the hosts as well as Ireland, Russia and Samoa.

Scotland training squad

Forwards

John Barclay (Edinburgh), Simon Berghan (Edinburgh), Jamie Bhatti (Glasgow Warriors), Magnus Bradbury (Edinburgh), Fraser Brown (Glasgow Warriors), Scott Cummings (Glasgow Warriors) Allan Dell (Edinburgh), Matt Fagerson (Glasgow Warriors), Zander Fagerson (Glasgow Warriors), Grant Gilchrist (Edinburgh), Gary Graham (Newcastle Falcons), Jonny Gray (Glasgow Warriors), Stuart McInally (Edinburgh), Willem Nel (Edinburgh), Gordon Reid (London Irish), Jamie Ritchie (Edinburgh), Sam Skinner (Exeter Chiefs), Grant Stewart (Glasgow Warriors), Josh Strauss (Sale Sharks), Blade Thomson (Scarlets), Ben Toolis (Edinburgh), George Turner (Glasgow Warriors), Hamish Watson (Edinburgh), Ryan Wilson (Glasgow Warriors).

Backs

Darcy Graham (Edinburgh), Nick Grigg (Glasgow Warriors), Chris Harris (Newcastle Falcons), Adam Hastings (Glasgow Warriors), Stuart Hogg (Glasgow Warriors), George Horne (Glasgow Warriors), Pete Horne (Glasgow Warriors), Rory Hutchinson (Northampton Saints), Huw Jones (Glasgow Warriors), Sam Johnson (Glasgow Warriors), Blair Kinghorn (Edinburgh), Greig Laidlaw (Clermont Auvergne), Sean Maitland (Saracens), Byron McGuigan (Sale Sharks), Ali Price (Glasgow Warriors), Henry Pyrgos (Edinburgh), Finn Russell (Racing 92), Tommy Seymour (Glasgow Warriors), Kyle Steyn (Glasgow Warriors), Duncan Taylor (Saracens).

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Rob Kearney: Ireland and Leinster full-back signs one-year deal

Published in Rugby

Tuesday, 28 May 2019 03:02

Ireland and Leinster full-back Rob Kearney has signed an extension to his IRFU contract until the end of the 2019-20 season.

The 33-year-old is Irish rugby's most decorated player with his honours including two Grand Slam triumphs.

Kearney has won four four Heineken Cups, a Challenge Cup and five league titles with Leinster.

"There are goals I still want to achieve with both Leinster and Ireland next season," he said.

Kearney, who has won 90 caps, represented Ireland at two Rugby World Cups and is a two-time British and Irish Lions tourist (2009 and 2013), playing in all three Tests on the South Africa tour.

His latest success with Leinster came with victory over Glasgow Warriors in the Pro14 final.

He added: "I am feeling pretty good about where I am physically and mentally after a long season which has contained a few lows but also some massive highs.

"I will enjoy a couple of weeks off now before getting stuck into what will be a hugely exciting season for Irish rugby."

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I Dig Sports

I couldn't turn down this chance - Skupski

The racquet smashing continued

Del Potro survives scare

'The small details matter when fighting injury'

'Important to share your off-court life with fans'

Playing childhood friend at a Slam is 'amazing'

Edmund made to battle in patchy performance

Norrie out after dismal display

Analysis

Scotland training squad

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