Sports fans in the greater Los Angeles and Dallas areas are in for a treat over the next few weeks. In an era where big stadiums and mammoth arenas dominate the sporting landscape, witnessing the greatness of a superstar in an smaller, more intimate setting still holds a special charm. Those coming out to the Newport Beach Tennis Club and T Bar M Racquet Club will soon have that opportunity, as former World No. 4 Kei Nishikori is set to make his comeback debut in the cozy confines of the ATP Challenger Tour. The Japanese star will begin his quest to return to the Top 5 after prematurely ending his 2017 season due to a right wrist injury in August....
Another milestone victory for Roger Federer... Where have we heard that before? On Saturday, the Swiss added to his Australian Open legacy, notching an unprecedented 90th match win with a straight-set triumph over Richard Gasquet. The defending champion's success Down Under is astounding. For the 16th time in his career, Federer will make an appearance in the Round of 16 at Melbourne Park. In fact, the World No. 2 has not dropped a set through the first three rounds for the first time since 2014. Federer's love affair with the Australian Open began nearly two decades ago, when a precocious 18-year-old with a dazzling one-handed backhand stepped on Rod Laver Arena for the first time. It was the year 2000...
In the years to come, Grigor Dimitrov and Nick Kyrgios may meet for Grand Slam titles. But on Sunday, two of the most talented players on the ATP World Tour will face off for a spot in the quarter-finals at the Australian Open. Dimitrov won what was at the time the biggest title of his career at last August's Western & Southern Open by defeating Kyrgios — claiming his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title. However, Kyrgios has arguably seized momentum in the rivalry — despite trailing in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series 1-2 — ahead of their enticing encounter. Just two weeks ago, Kyrgios won his first ATP World Tour title in his home country, Australia, at the...
Alexander Zverev has proven his talent, soaring into the Top 5 of the ATP Rankings with five ATP World Tour titles last year, but once again fell short at a Grand Slam. After a tough five-set loss to Hyeon Chung on Saturday, the World No. 4, still waiting to reach his first quarter-final at a major, received some valuable advice from 19-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer. Remembering his own struggles early in his career, Federer reflected that it is not always easy to progress to the latter stages of a major for the first time. The Swiss did not advance past the quarter-finals at that level before breaking through and winning his first Grand Slam title at Wimbledon in 2003....
Tomas Berdych advanced to the fourth round of the Australian Open for the 10th time with an impressive 6-3, 6-3, 6-2 win over No. 12 seed Juan Martin del Potro on Saturday. The two-time semi-finalist hit 20 aces in the two-hour, 16-minute encounter and broke the Argentine on seven occasions to take sole ownership of the record for the most Open Era fourth round appearances at the Australian Open by a Czech man. Berdych will play Fabio Fognini for a place in the quarter-finals after the Italian ended the run of Julien Benneteau 3-6, 6-2, 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 in three hours. After trading breaks early in the first set, Berdych made the crucial breakthrough in the sixth game to lead...
