Ex-Wimbledon champion Vondrousova wins Berlin Open

Marketa Vondrousova claimed her first title since winning Wimbledon two years ago after she beat Chinese qualifier Wang Xinyu in the Berlin Open final.The 25-year-old Czech has struggled with injury over the last year but put that behind her to win 7-6 (12-10) 4-6 6-2.She saved six set points in a tight first-set tie-break but came through that to take the opener.Wang, 23, had seen off four top-20 players to reach her first-ever tour final and she showed great resolve to get a break in the second set and level.But Vondrousova dominated the decider, getting the double break to send her on the way to a third career title and ensure she heads into Wimbledon with confidence."It was nice to see a full crowd. I really enjoyed the tennis this week and the support," Vondrousova said.Meanwhile, British doubles number one Olivia Nicholls partnered Tereza Mihalikova of Slovakia to win the doubles final as they beat top seeds Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini of Italy 4-6 6-2 10-6.
'Close to quitting' Bublik wins Halle Open
Alexander Bublik continued his impressive recent form by beating former world number one Daniil Medvedev 6-3 7-6 (7-4) to win the Halle Open.The Kazakhstan player had seen off world number one Jannik Sinner in the last 16 and this victory was his first in seven attempts against Medvedev.It took him one hour and 22 minutes to secure the win, which was his fifth ATP Tour title and his second in Halle after his 2023 win.Russian Medvedev, meanwhile, has now lost his last six Tour-level finals.With the win Bublik will rise to 30th in the world, having been outside the top 75 just one month ago."I had such tough months since last Wimbledon to probably this summer," he said."I was close to calling it quits after Wimbledon because I was not enjoying it anymore. Now this is happening. I don't know. Quarters at the French. Winner here. I have no words."

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Times

4 hours ago

• Times

Carlos Alcaraz credits Ibiza trip for helping him win Queen's title

Two weeks after his French Open victory, Carlos Alcaraz completed part two of his bid for a rare summer treble in men's tennis by winning the HSBC Championships at the Queen's Club. The next stop is Wimbledon. Not only is Alcaraz bidding for a third consecutive title at the All England Club, he has the chance to become only the second man in the open era to win three of the sport's most historic tournaments in the same year, following in the footsteps of the great Rafael Nadal in 2008. Ominously for his rivals, Alcaraz did not need to be at his best in west London to win the Queen's Club trophy for the second time in three years. He was pushed to three sets by Jiri Lehecka, the world No30 from the Czech Republic, before prevailing 7-5, 6-7 (5-7), 6-2 in two hours and eight minutes. 'It's really special this trophy and this tournament,' Alcaraz, the world No2, said. 'I'm happy to lift this trophy once again. It has been an incredible week. I came without expectations and just wanted to play good tennis and to get used to the grass. It's really special playing here every year and I can't wait to come back next year.' The key weapon for Alcaraz here was his serve. Lehecka is renowned for his serve, regularly firing it down and clocking speeds of up to 140mph, but it was Alcaraz who was achieving more success with better accuracy. In total the Spaniard hit 18 aces to Lehecka's seven and did not face a single break point. At the age of 22, Alcaraz is already so accomplished at adjusting between the sport's three surfaces of hard, clay and grass. He is also a bundle of energy, which helps when you are arriving at the Queen's Club only 48 hours after being seen dancing at an Ibiza club in celebration of his fifth grand-slam singles triumph at Roland Garros. 'I'm a player who needs days off to enjoy, days for myself to spend with my friends, with my family, just to turn off my mind,' Alcaraz said. 'The days in Ibiza helped me a lot, just to feel like I'm not a tennis player, just to enjoy life a little bit with my friends, have fun, enjoy those days, and then come back to the court with more energy and be more hungry to play again. 'It's really complicated to switch from clay to grass in just a few days. I came here with no expectations at all. I just came here with a goal to play two, three matches, try to feel great on grass moving, and give myself the feedback of what I have to improve. But I just got used to the grass really quick, and I'm just really proud about it.' A double fault from Alcaraz allowed Lehecka to take the second set after a tie-break, but the world No30 was outclassed in the third set EPA Alcaraz was well aware beforehand of the challenge that Lehecka poses after losing to the 23-year-old in the quarter-finals of the Qatar Open in February. Holding serve is of greater importance against a player who makes it so difficult to hit a clear return, and Alcaraz did a fine job from the outset by cruising through his first four service games without losing a point. When the opportunity came on the Lehecka serve at 5-5, Alcaraz pounced with a break before serving out the first set. Bringing up another chance in the second set, however, proved more difficult as there was not a single break point for either player in 12 games before the tie-break. A double fault by Alcaraz at 5-5 allowed Lehecka to level the match at one set all, but the decider was not as close as the two sets that had preceded it. Alcaraz typically raised his level with some tremendous shot-making to take control and claimed a double break to seal an 18th win in a row. While Jack Draper was not part of finals day after his three-set defeat by Lehecka in Saturday's semi-final, there was at least a British doubles victory for the home crowd to savour. Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool became the first all-British pairing since Pat Hughes and Frank Wilde in 1938 to win the Queen's title, defeating Croatia's Nikola Mektic and New Zealand's Michael Venus 6-3, 6-7 (5-7), 10-6 after a deciding tie-break.

Daily Mail​

5 hours ago

• Daily Mail​

Leeds star leaves the field in tears after being sent off as Germany beat nine-man Italy in thrilling quarter-final at European Under-21 Championship

Wilfried Gnonto left the pitch in tears as Italy suffered a heartbreaking exit from the European Under-21 Championship, losing 3-2 after extra time to Germany despite a heroic display with nine men. The Leeds United forward was sent off for a second bookable offence in the 80th minute with the score at 1-1. Mattia Zanotti followed him down the tunnel 10 minutes later, also dismissed for two yellows, leaving Italy with just nine players heading into stoppage time. Somehow, they still found a way to equalise. In the sixth minute of added time — with virtually the last kick of the game — Giuseppe Ambrosino curled home a superb free-kick to force extra time. Italy then defended doggedly for another 27 minutes, but their resistance was finally broken just short of what would have been a penalty shootout, as Merlin Rohl drilled home from the edge of the box to send Germany into the semi-finals. Burnley 's Luca Koleosho had earlier put Italy in front on 58 minutes with a smart finish. Germany hit back 10 minutes later when Nick Woltemade, the tournament's top scorer, nodded in his fifth goal of the campaign. Gnonto had looked lively and struck the post with a curling effort before picking up two yellow cards in the space of 17 minutes. Nelson Weiper then gave Germany the lead with a well-taken header in the 87th minute, and Zanotti's red card moments later looked to have sealed Italy's fate. But Ambrosino had other ideas. His 96th-minute free-kick sparked wild celebrations and sent the tie into extra time, where Italy's depleted side battled bravely but eventually ran out of steam. Germany will now face France on Wednesday, with England up against the Netherlands in the other semi-final. Italy coach Carmine Nunziata hailed his players' spirit and performance after Sunday's defeat. 'This is the moment to praise these guys,' he said. 'They played a great game. We were two players down and only conceded four minutes from the end. The whole stadium was with us — that means we did something important.' 'It hurts to lose like this. These guys deserved to go through. They were exceptional, united, and gave everything.' Captain Lorenzo Pirola added: 'We showed our quality and played a really big game. We were just unlucky. I'm proud of everyone.' Meanwhile, Germany coach Antonio Di Salvo admitted his side had been rattled by Italy's late equaliser. 'My knees wobbled a bit,' he said. 'Italy defended really well. The goal we conceded at 2-1 must not happen, but we stayed calm. We're happy to be in the semi-finals and now it's time to recover for France.' Gnonto's red card marked a frustrating end to an otherwise strong season. Before going on international duty this summer, the 21-year-old helped Leeds win promotion back to the Premier League, scoring nine goals and registering six assists in 43 Championship games. He will now return to the English top flight, having previously made 24 Premier League appearances in 2022–23, scoring twice and assisting four times.

BBC News

5 hours ago

• BBC News

The Interview Martina Navratilova: 'Women are still judged by a different metric than men'

'Women are still judged by a different metric than men' Amol Rajan speaks to Martina Navratilova, one of the greatest-ever tennis players, about her life and career. The story of her rise to the top of the game is as remarkable as the number of tournaments she managed to win. Born behind the Iron Curtain in Czechoslovakia in 1956, she was 11-years-old when she watched Soviet tanks roll in to the country as Moscow sought to reassert control and quash political reform. Navratilova, who played in her first tennis tournament when she was eight, rose to both national and international prominence in the years that followed. But in 1975, following the Czech government's efforts to control her tennis career, she defected. Aged 18, Navratilova sought asylum in the United States, where she later became an American citizen. During the late 1970s and 1980s she dominated the international tennis circuit, and by the time she retired, she'd won 59 major singles and doubles titles. But throughout her life, Navratilova has generated headlines on the front pages of newspapers, as well as the back. She came out as being gay in 1981, a rare thing for high-profile athletes to do at the time, and quickly became a prominent figure in the gay rights movement. More recently, however, she's found herself at odds with some groups due to her views on transgender athletes. She's also battled cancer on two separate occasions. Thank you to the Amol Rajan Interviews team for their help in making this programme. The Interview brings you conversations with people shaping our world, from all over the world. The best interviews from the BBC. You can listen on the BBC World Service, Mondays and Wednesdays at 0700 GMT. Or you can listen to The Interview as a podcast, out twice a week on BBC Sounds, Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Presenter: Amol Rajan Producers: Ben Cooper, Joel Mapp Sound: Dave O'Neill Editor: Nick Holland Get in touch with us on email TheInterview@ and use the hashtag #TheInterviewBBC on social media. (Image: Martina Navratilova. Credit: Roy Rochlin/Getty)