Latest news with #JelenaOstapenko
News18
2 days ago
- Sport
- News18
Bengaluru To Host Billie Jean King Cup Playoffs From November 14 To 16
The playoffs will involve 21 nations divided into seven groups of three teams each. Every group tie will be hosted by a different nation, with the venues officially announced after a draw held on Thursday in London. India recently qualified for the playoffs for only the second time in its history, following a remarkable performance in the Asia/Oceania Group I tie held in Pune. India advanced alongside New Zealand after securing a 2-1 win over Korea. Both New Zealand and India had four wins each in the six-team competition. The first time India qualified for the playoffs was in April 2021 when it competed in Latvia, where Jelena Ostapenko led her team to a 3-1 victory. In other groups, Canada, Mexico, and Denmark will feature in Group A, while Group B includes Poland, New Zealand, and Romania. Group C features Slovakia, Switzerland, and Argentina. Group D will include Czechia, Colombia, and Croatia, while Group E will have Australia, Portugal, and Brazil. Germany, Belgium, and Turkey are in Group F. Sunil Yajaman, Hon. Joint Secretary of KSLTA and Tournament Director of the event, said, 'We were absolutely thrilled when India qualified for the playoffs, and their performance was outstanding. There is a lot of promise with young tennis players performing exceptionally well, and a home playoff tie can significantly boost the growth of the sport, particularly at the grassroots level, and inspire potential talent. 'We are very delighted to be chosen as one of the host countries for the playoffs. We also feel that it is a great opportunity for the Indian team to perform at its best, as all the players are well adapted to the conditions here."
Hans India
2 days ago
- Sport
- Hans India
Bengaluru to host prestigious Billie Jean King Cup play-offs
Bengaluru: In a historic first, Karnataka State Lawn Tennis Association (KSLTA) will host Group G ties of the prestigious Billie Jean King Cup Playoffs at the SM Krishna Tennis Stadium in Bengaluru on 14, 15 and 16. This will be the first time ever that the Billie Jean King Cup Playoffs will be held on Indian soil. The Playoffs will feature 21 nations split into seven groups of three teams each. In a unique format, every group tie will be hosted by a nation, and the venues were formally announced following a draw held on Thursday in London. India recently qualified for the Playoffs, only for the second time in its history, following a spectacular performance in the Asia/Oceania Group I tie held in Pune. India qualified along with New Zealand for the playoff, following its 2-1 win over Korea. Both New Zealand and India had four wins each in the six-team competition. The only other time India qualified for the playoffs was in April 2021 when they played in Latvia which saw Jelena Ostapenko lead her team to a 3-1 victory over India. India are in Group G along with Slovenia and the Netherlands and the five-member Indian team will feature Ankita Raina (rank 292), a top singles player from the country along with Sahaja Yamalapalli (rank 301), Shrivalli Bhamidipaty (rank 313), Vaidehi Chaudhari (rank 405) and Prarthana Thombare, the top-ranked Indian doubles player ranked No.136, the KSLTA informed in a release on Thursday. In other groups, Canada, Mexico, and Denmark will feature in Group A, and Group B includes Poland, New Zealand, and Romania while Group C features Slovakia, Switzerland, and Argentina. Group D will have Czechia, Colombia, and Croatia, and Group E will have Australia, Portugal, and Brazil. Germany, Belgium, and Turkiye are in Group F. The KSLTA has been at the forefront of hosting international tennis events and have been a host to Davis Cup ties, ATP World Doubles Championships, WTA Tour Events, ITF Women's $100K, ATP Challengers, ITF World Tennis Tour events, and this would also be a first for KSLTA to host the prestigious Billie Jean King Cup. In their endeavour to provide invaluable exposure to young players and fans across the country, the leadership at KSLTA bid to host the Billie Jean King Cup play-offs when India qualified last month. 'Hosting the prestigious BJK Cup playoffs at the SM Krishna Tennis Stadium will be a historic moment for us at KSLTA and we believe it will elevate India's profile in the global women's tennis. It has always been our endeavour to host top international tennis events in Bengaluru, and we have world-class facilities here which equip us to host an event of this repute,' expressed Priyank Kharge, Senior Vice President of KSLTA and Minister of IT & BT & RDPR, Govt of Karnataka. Sunil Yajaman, Joint Secretary of KSLTA and Tournament Director of the event said, 'We were absolutely thrilled when India qualified for the playoffs and their performance was outstanding. There is a lot of promise with young tennis players performing exceptionally well and a home playoff tie can be a huge fillip in boosting the growth of the sport particularly at the grassroots and also inspire potential talent. "We are very delighted to be chosen as one of the host countries for the playoffs and we look forward to welcoming the players and officials to Bengaluru. I believe this would be a rare opportunity for sports-loving citizens of Bengaluru to witness this prestigious event happening for the first time in India. We also feel this would be a great opportunity for the Indian team to perform at its best as all the players are well-adapted to the conditions here. We thank the International Tennis Federation (ITF) for choosing Bengaluru to host this exciting event,' he added.
The Hindu
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Hindu
Billie Jean King Cup play-off draw on Thursday
The draw for the Billie Jean King Cup World Group play-off women's tennis event is scheduled to be made in London on Thursday. Unlike the last time when India played Latvia in the play-off in April 2021 that saw Jelena Ostapenko lead her team to a 3-1 victory, it will be a three-nation competition this time, spread over seven groups. Seven nations, Canada, Poland, Slovakia, Czechia, Australia, Germany and the Netherlands have been seeded. The next bunch will have Romania, Switzerland, Belgium, Slovenia, Mexico, Brazil and Colombia. India and New Zealand which qualified from the Asia-Oceania zone will be along with Argentina, Turkey, Denmark, Croatia and Portugal. Each of the seven pool of three teams will have one country drawn from each of the three groups. The host will also be decided by the ITF. The three teams in each group will compete on a league basis. The topper of each of the seven groups will make it to the World Group qualifier. The rest will return to group-1 in their zones.
BreakingNews.ie
31-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BreakingNews.ie
Iga Swiatek's bid for fifth French Open boosted by win and Jelena Ostapenko exit
Iga Swiatek remains on course for a fifth French Open title after a major obstacle was removed from her path. Swiatek swept into the fourth round and has yet to drop a set after beating Romanian Jaqueline Cristian 6-2 7-5. Advertisement The defending champion feared she would meet her nemesis, Jelena Ostapenko, who has remarkably beaten Swiatek in all six of their career meetings. But Latvian Ostapenko, the 2017 winner in Paris, was beaten 6-2 6-2 by Elena Rybakina to rob Roland Garros of a grudge match for the ages in the last 16. Asked if she had a preference about who to play, while the Ostapenko match was still in progress, Swiatek smiled: 'No. Am I a good liar? Let's say it doesn't matter, really. Oh my God. I couldn't play poker!' Swiatek is without a title since this time last year and has slipped to number five in the world. Advertisement But the Pole has yet to run into any difficulty as she stretched her winning streak at Roland Garros to 24 matches. Aryna Sabalenka, the top-ranked player by some distance, is many people's favourite to win her first French Open title. But the Belarusian was keen to heap the pressure on to Swiatek's shoulders after beating Olga Danilovic 6-2 6-3. 'It's tough to predict in woman's tennis, you know,' she said. Advertisement 'Let's just leave it on Iga since she won it, what, three times in a row, right? I will just leave it for her.' Sabalenka will face American Amanda Anisimova, the 16th seed, on Sunday. Last year's runner-up Jasmine Paolini, the fourth seed from Italy, is through after a 6-4 6-1 win over Ukrainian Yuliia Starodubtseva Aryna Sabalenka celebrates beating Serbia's Olga Danilovic (Lindsey Wasson/AP) Qinwen Zheng's match with Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko was temporarily halted after a spectator injured themselves in the stands. Advertisement The Chinese eighth seed was a set and a break up at the time and eventually won 6-4 6-3. In the men's draw, American 12th seed Tommy Paul came through his second five-setter this week, beating Russian Karen Khachanov 6-3 3-6 7-6 (7) 3-6 6-3. Italian eighth seed Lorenzo Musetti dropped the first set against Argentina's Mariano Navone but went through in four. In the night match, defending champion Carlos Alcaraz also needed four sets to beat Bosnian Damir Dzumhur. Advertisement The Spaniard won 6-1 6-3 4-6 6-4 and said: 'The first two sets were under control but then he decided to play deeper and more aggressive. 'My energy went down but I had to give everything I had inside. I'm proud to get the win in the end. 'That's why it's difficult to win grand slams, because you have to keep your focus over three or four hours.' French 14th seed Arthur Fils has withdrawn from the tournament with a back injury, giving Russia's Andrey Rublev a walkover into round four.
Daily Mail
30-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
She's no poker player but Iga Swiatek's hand has improved at Roland Garros thanks to Jelena Ostapenko losing to Elena Rybakina
Iga or Aryna, that is the question at Roland Garros this year. Who is favourite for the women's title? Do we go with form and plump for Aryna Sabalenka, dominant world No 1 and Madrid champion. Or with the history of Iga Swiatek, in a terrible funk but a four-time champion here, including the last three in a row. The question was put to Sabalenka after her 6-2, 6-3 dismissal of Olga Danilovic, and the Belarusian replied: 'I don't know. It's tough to predict in women's tennis. Let's just leave it on Iga since she won it, what, three times in a row, right? Let's just... I will just leave it for her.' This reporter is inclined to agree with Sabalenka — because of one result on Friday. Not Swiatek's 6-2, 7-5 win over Jaqueline Cristian but Elena Rybakina's defeat of Jelena Ostapenko. That means Swiatek faces Rybakina in the fourth round on Sunday, rather than her kryptonite match-up with Ostapenko. The diminutive Latvian has won all six of their previous meetings. Ostapenko's clash with Rybakina was still going on when Swiatek spoke to the press, and the Pole was asked whether she had a preference on her opponent in the next round. She attempted the usual pat answer but could not keep a straight face. 'No,' she said, before dissolving into laughter. 'Am I a good liar? Let's say it doesn't matter, really. Oh, my God. I couldn't play poker.' Maybe not but she plays tennis extremely well, and nowhere better than here. A large element of pre-tournament pessimism over her prospects was the presence of Ostapenko in the fourth round. Now she has been removed, the way looks smoother — although 2022 Wimbledon champion Rybakina presents a tough test. The smart money remains on Sabalenka and Swiatek meeting in the semi-finals here — and the victor going on to claim the title.
