British trio defeated in Eastbourne quarter-finals
Britain’s Emma Raducanu, Katie Boulter and Harriet Dart are all beaten in the quarter-finals at Eastbourne.
Britain’s Emma Raducanu, Katie Boulter and Harriet Dart are all beaten in the quarter-finals at Eastbourne.
Watch match point as GB’s Hannah Klugman misses out on a place at Wimbledon after losing to Alycia Parks on day four of qualifying at Roehampton.
British schoolgirl Hannah Klugman misses out on reaching the main Wimbledon draw as she loses her final qualifying match.
Playing in his first grass tournament since Wimbledon in 2021, Gael Monfils has notched three wins to advance to the semi-finals at the Mallorca Championships presented by Waterdrop. On Thursday, the seventh-seeded Frenchman beat Roberto Bautista Agut 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 to reach his second semi-final of the 2024 season (Doha).
“Very tough. Roberto is a big warrior,” Monfils said after improving to 5-1 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head. “Even in the second set when he came back, I was up a break at 4-3, then he played really good, really solid. And then at the end, you could see the nerves were there. The crowd was behind both of us, so it was a big battle.”
Monfils is bidding to reach a tour-level final for the 20th consecutive year, a streak that would match Roger Federer’s record. He will face fourth seed Alejandro Tabilo, a 6-4, 6-4 winner against #NextGenATP star Jakub Mensik, for a place in the title match.
[ATP APP]Each of the 37-year-old Monfils’ three Mallorca wins have come against veteran opponents in their 30s: Dominic Thiem (30), Roberto Carballes Baena (31) and Bautistas Agut (36). He has hit a combined 37 aces in those three matches, according to Infosys ATP Stats, matching his age. Against Bautista Agut, Monfils saved three of nine break points and won 77 per cent of his first-serve points.
Prior to this week, the Frenchman had not reached the quarter-final stage of a grass event since he progressed to the Antalya semi-finals in 2018.
Monfils’ next opponent, Tabilo, is through to his seventh tour-level semi-final and his fifth of 2024. He is the first Chilean man to reach a tour-level semi-final on grass since Jaime Fillol Sr. at Nottingham in 1977. Tabilo is also the only South American to make a grass quarter-final this year.
British qualifier Paul Jubb earned the biggest win of his career, upsetting World No. 14 Ben Shelton 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(8) after converting his seventh match point. The top-seeded American had a match point on serve at 8/7 in the third-set tie-break before Jubb tallied three consecutive points and secured his first Top 20 victory.
“It just kept getting better and better throughout the match. I was thriving out here tonight,” Jubb said. “Super, super happy. This is obviously huge for me. Last year was so tough, injured most of the year. I’ve been working very, very hard to get back to this point.”
In a clash of former NCAA singles champions, Jubb, who won the collegiate crown in 2019 while competing for the University of South Carolina, held 18 break chances, converting three of them, according to Infosys ATP Stats.
Jubb had three match points on return at 6-5 in the decider, but quickly rebounded, eventually booking his place in his first tour-level semi-final. The 24-year-old entered the week 0-4 in ATP Tour main-draw matches. He is up 88 spots to No. 201 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings.
Up next for Jubb is Austrian Sebastian Ofner, who defeated Alex Michelsen 3-6, 7-5, 6-3.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]The ATP has announced the approval of in-competition wearable devices for players across the ATP Tour and ATP Challenger Tour, starting from 15 July. The initiative ushers in a new era of innovative data-led performance analytics and injury prevention in tennis.
Wearable devices will generate cutting-edge insights for players from physical metrics such as heart rate and high-intensity load data, enhancing their analysis of matches and training sessions. ATP has approved both STATSports and Catapult devices and will centralise all data into ATP Tennis IQ – Wearables, an intuitive new dashboard for players.
The initiative introduces a new dimension to ATP Tennis IQ, an analytics platform launched in 2023 that democratises access to match data and insights for players, aiding preparation and recovery. It is the latest in a strategic push by ATP to enhance the sport through tech, data and innovation.
[ATP APP]Ross Hutchins, ATP Chief Sporting Officer, said: “The introduction of wearables on Tour is a big step forward in our push to optimise player performance and prevent injury. Ultimately, empowering players to get the very best out of their careers. We’re delighted to make cutting-edge data insights more accessible than ever and look forward to continuing our innovation in this space.”
All data collected will remain confidential, ensuring privacy for players and their support teams. Phase Two of the initiative, which will incorporate next generation insights derived from wearable data and player feedback, is scheduled for later this year.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Andy Murray remains hopeful of making a final Wimbledon appearance, having resumed training after a back procedure.
Former British women’s number one Johanna Konta says she almost bit off her own tongue in a freak accident before winning on Centre Court at Wimbledon in 2019.
In the space of a month in 2012, Andy Murray went from tears in the rain to gold in the sunshine, winning hearts and medals on Centre Court.
Britain’s Emma Raducanu saves match point on her way to knocking out world number five Jessica Pegula and reaching the quarter-finals at Eastbourne.
British schoolgirl Hannah Klugman is one win away from reaching the main Wimbledon draw after a second victory in qualifying.