Jessica Pegula wins her first clay court title in Charleston

Jessica Pegula (photo by Daniel Ward)

 
For the third year in a row, Jessica Pegula reached the semifinals of the Credit One Charleston Open. This time was different, though, in that the world number 4 made it all the way to the final. And she did even better than that--Pegula defeated Sofia Kenin 6-3, 7-5 in the final to claim the championhsip. When the rankings are published tomorrow, Pegula will be the highest-ranked U.S. player. This is her ninth title, and her first title on clay.

 

Jessica Pegula (photo by Daniel Ward)

Pegula, the number 1 seed, took the first set fairly easily, but then wilted a bit. Kenin, as one would expect, took advantage of what appeared to be some fatigue on Pegula's part--Pegula made a run to the Miami final last week and had acknowledged that she was tired--and went up 5-1. But Pegula's reputation as a smart, level-headed tactician served her well. And Kenin, for her part, seemed to implode (not unlike Danielle Collins in her quarterfinal match against Pegula), though, in this case, there was evidence that she may not have been feeling her best physically. Pegula won the next six games, and that was that. 

 

Sofia Kenin (photo by Daniel Ward)

 
 After the match, Pegula confirmed that fatigue was an issue:

"I just got really tired because I think I was like realizing I was going to go to a third; and I was kind of like, oh, I don't know if I can do this again. Like I've done this the last couple matches. Even in Miami, playing a couple tough three sets.

"And I think it's just more emotionally draining than anything, but I think at the same time sometimes I've done it before in the past where once you kind of like accept that you're not trying to fake on it or force it, you're like, okay, I'm tired. How do I figure this out? And I think sometimes when you can kind of relax, take a breath and refocus, that sometimes that can help, and I think it actually did help me today."

Earlier in the day, top seeds Alona Ostapenko and Erin Routliffe won the doubles championship, defeating 3rd seeds Caroline Dolehide and Desirae Krawczyk 6-4, 6-2. Ostapenko hadn't planned to play doubles in Charleston. However, Routliffe found herself without a partner--her regular partner, Gabriela Dabrowski, decided to take a little time off--so she asked Ostapenko to play with her, and Ostapenko happily accepted the invitation.

Erin Routliffe and Alona Ostapenko (photo by Daniel Warsd)

 

Erin Routliffe and Alona Ostapenko (photo by Daniel Ward)

This result made me think of something similar that happened in Charleston in 2013. Lucie Safarova, the defending doubles champion, didn't have a partner. Neither did Kiki Mladenovic, so--right before the tournament began--they entered as a team. (In those days, some of us liked to say that a winning team was "Mladenovic and Anybody"--substitute "Siniakova" today.) Safarova had never played doubles together before; in fact, they had never practiced together. I asked Lucie how she thought they would do, and she gave me a strong "what do you think?" side eye. They won the tournament.

I'm not used to watching the Charleston Open on television. I attend ever year--it's one of my favorite things to do--but this year, I was unable to. It was gratifying to hear both hosts and players at the Tennis Channel desk talk about all the things that make the event so great. 

In addition to having new champions, some other big news came out of Charleston today. First, Credit One has agreed to be the title sponsor through 2031. Also, starting next year, the Charleston Open will offer equal prize money.

Top seed Jessica Pegula to face unseeded Sofia Kenin in Charleston final

Sofia Kenin, Jessica Pegula (photos by Daniel Ward)

 

 

 

 

Today was a windy day on Daniel Island, and Jessica Pegula and Ekaterina Alexandrova, had to make constant adjustments in order to compete effectively in their semifinal. Alexandrova is not an easy opponent for Pegula, who said, after the match: "It's been the same kind of story line in the past when I played her; played good first set, she comes back in the second, and then usually I tend to lose the third. So glad I was able to flip that script today."

Pegula had more nice things to say about her opponent: "She's really good. She's a really good player. I mean, there's a reason she beats a lot of players. She can play at a really high level. Her game is tough to play against, the way she strikes the ball, when she serving well, returning well."

Each player dominated for a set, and the third set was all that spectators could have hoped for. The match, which featured thirteen breaks of serve, lasted two hour and twenty minutes, and, in the end, it was Pegula--known for her consistency--who was the more consistent, defeating Alexandrova 2-6, 6-2, 7-5. 

Ekaterina Alexandrova (photo by Daniel Ward)

This was Pegula's third consecutive Charleston semifinal. In 2023, she lost to eventual runner-up Belinda Bencic (who was also the defending champion), and last year, she lost to Daria Kasatkina, who was also the eventual runner-up.

The other semifinal was, unfortunately, a different story. I was expecting quite a battle between Sofia Kenin and Amanda Anisimova, but after the third game of the first set, Anisimova sustained a right hip injury and had to get treatment. With Kenin leading 5-2 in that set, Anisimova had to retire. 

Sofia Kenin and Amanda Anisimova (photo b Daniel Ward)

The last time that Kenin, who is unseeded, was in a clay court final was in 2020, but it was a big one--the French Open. Kenin won the Australian Open that year, and then had an excellent run in Paris, defeating both Danielle Collins and Petra Kvitova. She fell, however, to Iga Swiatek in the final. Since that time, she has not had the same success on the tour; however, this week in Charleston, Kenin has been playing superb tennis, taking out a resurgent Belinda Bencic, 5th seed Daria Kasatkina, and Anna Kalinskaya. 

Pegula is 3-2 against Kenin. One of Kenin's victories took place in the third round of the 2021 French Open, when Kenin was the defending champion.

Tomorrow will mark the first time in 35 years that two women from the USA meet in the Charleston final; in 1990, Martina Navratilova defeated Jennifer Capriati.

We also have doubles finalists. Top seeds Aļona Ostapenko and Erin Routliffe will face off against 3rd seeds Caroline Dolehide and Desirae Krawczyk.

Paths to the final:

JESSICA PEGULA (1)
round 1--bye
round 2--def. Irina Shymanovich
round 3--def. Ajla Tomljanovic
quarterfinals--def. Danielle Collins (7)
semifinals--def. Ekaterina Alexandrova (9)

SOFIA KENIN 
round 1--def. Bernada Pera
round 2--def. Belinda Bencic (17)
round 3--def. Daria Kasatkina (5)
quarterfinals--def. Anna Kalinskaya (24)
semifinals--def. Amanda Anisimova (8) (ret.)

Pegula to play third consecutive semifinal in Charleston today

Jessica Pegula, Ekaterina Alexandrova (photos by Daniel Ward)

When Jessica Pegula walks onto the court today, she'll be making her third consecutive semifinal appearance in Charleston; she lost to Belinda Bencic in 2023 and to Daria Kasatkina in 2024. It will also be her eighth appearance at the Charleston Open. Pegula, currently ranked number 4 in the world, is the top seed in Charleston.

Pegula, who holds an 18-12 tour level semifinal win record, will face 9th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova in today's semifinal. The Russian player has a 2-1 record against the top seed, but her one loss to her was on clay (Rome, 2021). This is Alexandrova's fourth appearance in Charleston, and her second appearance in semifinals--she lost to eventual champion Belinda Bencic in 2022.

Amanda Anisimova, Sofia Kenin (photos by Daniel Ward)

In today's second semifinal, 8th seed Amanda Anisimova takes on unseeded Sofia Kenin. This is Anisimova's second run to the Charleston semifinals; she lost to Ons Jabeur in 2022. A win for Anisimova today would mark her best WTA 500 performance.

This is Kenin's seventh appearance at the Charleston Open; prior to this week, she had never made it past the second round. Kenin played her only other clay court semifinal in 2020 at the French Open, where she would go on to be a finalist. She and Anisimova have played each other only twice before, in 2017; Anisimova won their match on clay.

Unseeded Sofia Kenin advances to Charleston semifinals

Sofia Kenin (photo by Daniel Ward)

2020 Australian Open champion and French Open runner-up Sofia Kenin, unseeded at the Credit One Charleston Open, found her game in a big way this week, taking out a resurgent Belinda Bencic, 5th seed Daria Kasatkina and, today, Anna Kalinskaya, 6-4, 6-3. Kenin, who has yet to drop a set, will face Amanda Anisimova in the semifinals.

One of the things that commentators talked about today was that--when she's "on"--it's very difficult for anyone to beat Kenin. And something that I remember about her run to both the Australian and French Open finals five years ago was her blessedly short memory; when she made an error or a wrong shot choice, she just moved on, with no energy wasted on regret or anger.

Jessica Pegula (photo by Daniel Ward)

In today's first quarterfinal, top seed Jessica Pegula faced off against defending champion Danielle Collins, and nothing about that match felt like anything what I imagine most people were expecting. Collins steamrolled through the first set, taking it 6-1. And while I doubt that anyone thought that Pegula was going to just roll over in the second set (and she didn't), I also don't think that anyone was expecting Collins to implode. The 7th seed began making uncharacteristic errors--and then continued making them, easing the way for Pegula to defeat her, 1-6, 6-3, 6-0. 

Collins looked out of sorts in the second and third sets, and later--when she met with the press--she said that she was feeling out of sorts in the first set, too, despite her dominant display. When a member of the media remarked that Collins must have been feeling pretty good after the first set, she replied that " Yeah. Surprising that I actually wasn't. I think I just got into my own head about stuff and just didn't--wasn't--yeah, wasn't in a positive mindset today, and it cost me the match."

Pegula is now 6-0 against Collins.

Ekaterina Alexandrova (photo by Daniel Ward)

9th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova won her quarterfinal match against an injured Zheng Qinwen, whose ongoing arm/elbow injury disabled her excellent serve. Alexandrova held her nerve--something players don't always do against elite injured opponents--and defeated Zheng 6-1, 6-4.

A

Amanda Anisimova (photo by Daniel Ward)

And finally, two more USA players contested the last quarterfinal--8th seed Amanda Anisimova and 4th seed Emma Navarro. The stands were packed, and the players didn't disappoint. Anisimova won a tight first set 7-5, which was followed by six breaks in a row. Navarro then held, but was immediately broken. About this time, the commentators declared Anisimova to be cooked, but the Doha champion begged to differ, and at 5-all, she broke Navarro's serve.

To add to the drama, Anisimova then had to have a blister treated. Following the treatment, she served for the match, but was broken (of course), which led to a second set tiebreak, which Anisimova won decisively, giving her a 7-6, 7-6(1) victory. Anisimova is now 3-0 against Navarro.

 Here is the semifinal singles draw:

Jessica Pegula (1) vs. Ekaterina Alexandrova (9)
Amanda Anisimova (8) vs. Sofia Kenin

The semifinals are also set in doubles. Top seeds Alona Ostapenko and Erin Routliffe will play Hailey Baptiste and Caty McNally, and 3rd seeds Caroline Dolehide and Desirae Krawczyk will compete against Diana Shnaider and Peyton Stearns.

I know what it means to miss--Charleston

Patty Schnyder in 2005 (photo by Diane Elayne Dees)

The first time I attended the Charleston Open, which was the Family Circle Cup back then, was in 2005. I went for the latter half of the tournament, and on a very chilly morning, I saw my first match, in which Patty Schnyder played Klara Koukalova. It was so cold that the players kept their warmup clothes on throughout the match. I was a Schnyder fan, so this third round match was perfect for me, especially since Schnyder won it.

I stayed in Summerville that year, and--for several years after that--I stayed in Mount Pleasant. You can watch the tournament on television, but you can't really experience the vibe that is the Charleston Open unless you're there. With the exception of 2020, when the event was canceled, and 2021, when a few of us covered the tournament (plus an extra WTA 250 tournament) virtually, I attended every year. Until this year. I tried to make it work, but this year, I was unable to go, so I'm watching it on TV, and it's rather emotional for me because I really want to be there.

(photo by Diane Elayne Dees)

The event, which used to be held in Hilton Head, has a long and rich history. The longest-running women's tournament in the U.S., it's also the only green clay tournament. The palm and palmetto trees of Daniel Island give the Charleston Open a different look from other tennis events, and the green of the trees--along with the green of the court surfaces--adds to the beauty of the venue. The players love it: For the last three years, they've voted it the best 500 tournament on the tour. That's because the atmosphere is very relaxing, the grounds are beautiful, and the players are given the kind of  personalized, special treatment that makes them want to return.

(photo by Diane Elayne Dees)

Before the already-attractive tournament site got a beautiful re-do with significant upgrades, the media worked in a building known as the "media tent," which shook during thunderstorms. Once, while Jelena Jankovic (who--though not quite as big a Charleston rock star as Schnyder became--was nevertheless a huge crowd favorite) was in the stadium playing a night match, the building shook so hard that a couple of us--remembering the famous 2011 New Haven earthquake incident--simply looked at each other and said "Jankovic." 

The weather could be crazy--blazing hot in the daytime, and freezing at night. In 2007, a tornado hit the stadium, knocking down several items (though, many of us noted, not the Justine Henin banner--it wouldn't dare). And in 2017, a combination rain-hail storm forced us to evacuate the media tent--but only after we had each donned a garbage bag.

just hanging out behind the media tent (photo by Diane Elayne Dees)

I'm not a fan of exhibition matches, but I saw one, many years ago, in Charleston that was so funny I laughed about it for weeks. The two stand-out participants were Gisela Dulko and Flavia Pennetta, who were hilarious. 

Charleston crowds tend to be different from other crowds. When Vera Zvonareva performed her famous racket break--surely the greatest such break in WTA history--other crowds would have booed her, but the people in the Charleston stands cheered her on. And when Yulia Putintseva started yelling in the middle of a match, the crowd yelled along with her. Charleston fans also love doubles, and the stands are always packed. And Charleston Open attendees are quick to support lesser known players.

I could go on and on, but really, you have to be there. As a member of the tennis media, I should point out that Charleston's media volunteers are the cream of the crop. Again, you have to be there to truly appreciate the vibe. I'll get through this, and I'll keep watching the tournament on television while the camera-toting half of Women Who Serve, my friend Daniel Ward, keeps me supplied with his wonderful photos. But I miss being there. I miss Charleston.

tournament grounds at night (photo by Diane Elayne Dees)

Top seed Pegula advances to quarterfinals at Charleston Open

Jessica Pegula (photo by Daniel Ward)

Jessica Pegula, seeded number 1 at the Credit One Charleston Open, advanced to the quarterfinals today when she defeated Ajla Tomljanovic 6-3, 6-2. Pegula's quarterfinal opponent will be none other than defending champion and 7th seed Danielle Collins, who advanced when she defeated 2017 finalist and 11th seed Alona Ostapenko. 

The highly anticipated Ostapenko-Collins match, which was played on the Althea Gibson Club Court, lived up to expectations, especially in the first set, which Ostapenko led. However, when the Latvian star served for the set, she was broken, and Collins would go on to win that set 7-5. Collins then took the second set 6-3. 

Danielle Collins (photo by Daniel Ward)

And while it's "only a quarterfinal," the contest between the top seed and the defending champion has the potential to be dramatic and exciting; both are playing very well. It should be noted, however, that Pegula has a 5-0 record against Collins. The last time they played each other was at the 2023 French Open, and Pegula won their first round match.

Theirs will not be the only quarterfinal featuring two players from the USA. 8th seed Amanda Anisimova will play 4th seed Emma Navarro; Navarro defeated another USA player, Ashlyn Krueger, in the third round. There was potential for yet another USA vs. USA match, but 2nd seed (and 2019 champion) Madison Keys fell to Anna Kalinskaya in straight sets. Kalinskaya will play the remaining player from the USA, Sofia Kenin, the only unseeded player remaining in the draw. Kenin had to fight hard against 5th seed (and 2017 champion) Daria Kasatkina, who came from behind to force a second set tiebreak, then saved three match points.

Emma Navarro (photo by Daniel Ward)

 

Here is the quarterfinal singles draw:

Jessica Pegula (1) vs. Danielle Collins (7)
Zheng Qinwen (3) vs. Ekaterina Alexandrova (9)
Amanda Anisimova (8) vs. Emma Navarro (4)
Sofia Kenin vs. Anna Kalinskaya (14)

Teens crash Sunshine Double in an unexpected spring break

Queen of the Desert 🌴👑

The teenage sensation Mirra Andreeva claims back-to-back WTA 1000 titles!#TennisParadise pic.twitter.com/V07GvQRHth

— wta (@WTA) March 16, 2025

On the one hand, it shouldn't have been a total surprise that 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva won Indian Wells. After all, she'd just won Dubai. But--it doesn't happen very often that anyone, let alone a breakthrough teenager, wins two tournaments in a row--not to mention, two 1000 tournaments in a row. But she did it. In Indian Wells, Andreeva defeated Varvara Gracheva, 22nd seed and Dubai runner-up Clara Tauson (quite a teen in her own right), 7th seed Elena Rybakina, 23rd seed Elina Svitolina, 2nd seed Iga Swiatek, and top seed and world number 1 Aryna Sabalenka. And--until she got to the two top seeds, she didn't drop a set.

First: Disbelief.

Then: Pure joy.

Alexandra Eala celebrates the biggest win of her career in Miami. pic.twitter.com/XXpT5Yy3s1

— Jimmie48 Photography (@JJlovesTennis) March 28, 2025

In Miami, Andreeva defeated Veronika Kudermetova in the second round, but then fell to 17th seed Amanda Anisimova. But that drama paled compared with the exploits of another teenager. 2022 U.S. Open junior champion Alexandra Eala, ranking number 140 in the world, entered Miami as a wild card, and she apparently took the "wild" part seriously. Eala defeated Katie Volynets, 25th seed and former French Open champion Alona Ostapenko, 5th seed and 2025 Australian Open champion Madison Keys, and 2nd seed Iga Swiatek. All in straight sets. She was finally stopped, in the semifinals, by 4th seed Jessica Pegula, but Pegula had to work really hard to win that match (7-6, 5-7, 6-3). 

19-year-old Eala doesn't have much of a serve, yet she knocked out three major champions in a 1000 tournament. All I could think of, while watching her, was: "What's going to happen when her serve improves?" Her shot repertoire is impressive, and her court intelligence is keen. And obviously, no one scares her.

When the match with Pegula was over, Eala didn't exit to loud cheers; she sat on the bench, smiling broadly, and soaking in the crowd's adoration. This was especially notable because Pegula, a very well-liked player, lives an hour from Miami--and had just won the match. The crowd was indeed appreciative of the hometown player, but they were simply in awe of Eala, who is the first Philipina to contest in a tour semifinal, and to enter the top 100.

Both Sabalenka and Swiatek were knocked out by these two teenagers; Swiatek lost to both of them, (and Sabalenka lost to Tauson in straight sets in Dubai). These kids aren't poking at the WTA's elite--they're just out-and-out coming for them. Stay tuned.

And what a swing it was!

Mirra Andreeva becomes the first teenager to win the Dubai title since 2006.

The last to do it… the great Rafa Nadal.

Not bad company to be in. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/a4h9Eu9Qwm

— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) February 22, 2025

The Middle East swing always delivers, in terms of high quality tennis, but this year, it also delivered what some may consider surprises, while others (myself included) consider the outcomes to be not so surprising.

Olympic gold medal winner Belinda Bencic, who returned to the tour four months ago, after giving birth to a daughter, lifted her second Abu Dhabi trophy.  The Swiss star defeated both Marketa Vondrousova and top seed Elena Rybakina before defeating Ashlyn Krueger in the final. Bencic, who was in the top 10 in 2022, didn’t play in Doha, and lost to 8th seed Emma Navarro in the second round in Dubai. Bencic is an unpredictable player, but is a lot of fun to watch, and her victory in Abu Dhabi, one hopes, marks the beginning of a good 2025 season.

For long-time tennis fans, the outcome in Doha was likely both exciting and disappointing. Alona Ostapenko was on a peak tear during this event, taking out 4th seed Jasmine Paolini, Ons Jabeur and 2nd seed Iga Swiatek, all in straight sets. But then we saw something we’ve seen too many times—the player who has dramatically defeated top opponents in the draw loses in the final. Ostapenko lost to Amanda Anisimoa, who had a tough draw of her own.

Tennis fans know Anisimova’s history—there has always been so much talent, and there have always been so many interruptions to her momentum. But there was no interruption this time, and Anisimova won her third—and biggest—title in Doha.

Dubai was another matter altogether. Clara Tauson is 22 years old—not a teen—yet, as the draw progressed, I couldn’t help but think of the 2021 U.S. Open, which had us thinking “Is it going to be the two teenagers in the end?”—and it (metaphorically) was. Tauson upset Elina Svitolina in a thrilling, two-hour and 40-minute three-set match. And for her next act, she upset world number 1 Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets. She then knocked out up-and-coming Czech Linda Noskova, and—in the semifinals—she defeated 14th seed Karolina Muchova. What a run!

On the other side of the draw, 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva was doing her own damage, taking out 2nd seed Iga Swiatek and 6th seed Elena Rybakina. This was the young Russian’s second time to play Swiatek; she took a set off of her last year in Cincinnati, and it wasn’t a total shock to see her emerge the victor in Dubai. At 17 years old, Andreeva has both a generous amount of talent and the court poise of someone much older. She defeated Tauson in straight sets in the final, and—in doing so—became the youngest woman to win a WTA 1000 event. The Russian teen will enter the top 10 tomorrow.

The 2025 Middle East swing featured some wonderful tennis, and also served as a clear sign that the upstarts are definitely coming for the top players.

Oh—and there was this:

SHOT OF THE YEAR BY KAROLINA MUCHOVA pic.twitter.com/KT0Rx2vrdv

— Owen (@kostekcanu) February 21, 2025

Simona Halep, the pride of Romania, retires from professional tennis

BREAKING:

Simona Halep has retired from professional tennis.

It’s tough to see such a great champion leave the sport.

She poured so much love and energy into her craft every day that she chose to play tennis.

And she inspired countless people along the way.

It’s fitting… pic.twitter.com/0kGyTwzfIS

— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) February 4, 2025

I enjoyed watching Simona Halep long before she became a household tennis name. She had talent and court intelligence, and I wondered what direction her career would take. Several years later, beginning in 2013, when she won six titles, it took a very fine direction, resulting in her winning both the French Open and Wimbledon.

The moment @Simona_Halep won the French Open 🏆#tennis pic.twitter.com/h4kP4IllQb

— Eurosport (@eurosport) February 4, 2025

Halep had to fight for the French Open title; on two occasions, she was the runner-up, once to Maria Sharapova (2014) and once to Alona Ostapenko (2017). Finally, in 2018, she won the tournament, defeating Sloane Stephens in the final. That same year, Halep was the runner-up at the Australian Open, losing the final to Caroline Wozniacki. The following year, the Romanian star won in London by defeating seven-time champion Wimbledon Serena Williams in the final.

Halep’s ascension in professional tennis also brought about something that I wasn’t accustomed to seeing—her fans traveled all over the world to support her. And support her they did, yelling “Si-mo-na!” whenver she appeared on the court. Halep’s tennis idol was Justine Henin, and this fact came as no surprise to anyone who saw her play. Like the four-time French Open champion, Halep—despite being “small” in pro tennis terms—used relentless aggression to defeat her opponents, and was especially fond of doing so on clay. She was a feared returner of the ball.

Halep experienced her share of injuries, especially foot and back injuries, though she also had to deal with injuries to her shoulder, neck and calf. She also had to contend with a breathing problem, and eventually had surgery to correct it. Despite these physical challenges, Halep always bounced back, and always worked her way back to the top.

There were also psychological challenges. Halep had a tendency to let stress overcome her, and to become visibly upset with herself on the court. Once, I asked her if she had any kind of strategy on the court to stop her thoughts and move on in a more positive way. “Oh,” she said, waving her hand and smiling, “I’m like this all the time.” But she conquered those demons, like (until now) she conquered her injury woes.

I’ll leave it to others to deconstruct what happened to Simona when, in the fall of 2022, she tested positive for roxadusat. Halep’s saga, like the saga of so many players, was filled with inconsistencies and questionable behaviors from the organizations that are in charge of dealing with doping. We’ve seen many players treated unfairly by these organizations, but Halep’s case may be the most egregious of them all. Her four-year ban was eventually changed to nine months, which she had already “served.”

Unfortunately, her return to the tour was marred by a serious knee injury, from which she was unable to fully recover. Today, after losing in the first round at her home tournament in Transylvania, the 33-year-old Halep announced her retirement from professional tennis. “To be competitive again requires much more, and at this moment, it’s no longer possible,” she said, in making the announcement. “I don’t want to cry—this is something beautiful. I reached world number 1, I won grand slams; it’s everything I ever wanted.” 

Simona Halep held the position of number 1 in the world for 64 weeks, and was twice the year-end number 1. She won 24 singles titles, was a member of the Romanian Fed Cup (now Billie Jean King Cup) team eight times, and a member of the 2012 Romanian Olympic team.

Sports—which are known for providing us with metaphors for all of our major hopes, as well as the dashing of those hopes—frequently remind us that life isn’t fair. The likable and hard-working Halep was a star, she put Romanian tennis on the map, and she thrilled fans all over the world. Her career shouldn’t have ended this way, but it did, and—as Simona herself said—it was beautiful.

My Australian Open top 10

Good morning, Australian Open champ!@Madison_Keys at the champions photo shoot in Melbourne. pic.twitter.com/85ConPfesD

— Jimmie48 Photography (@JJlovesTennis) January 26, 2025

Here are my top 10 Australian Open occurrences, in ascending order:

10: One to watch: 17-year-old Wakana Sonobe of Japan, seeded 4th, won the junior championship when she defeated 6th seed Kristina Penikova (USA) 6-0, 6-1 in the final. Sonobe also upset top seed Emerson Jones of Australia in the semifinals.

9. Conspicuous by their absence: With the exception of doubles super-star Katerina Siniakova, Czech players were practically invisible at this event, which--in the world of women's tennis--is shocking. Petra Kvitova, of course, did not enter, nor did Barbora Krejcikova, who is still recovering from injury. Karolina Pliskova is recovering from surgery, and the often-injured Marketa Vondrousova, injured once again, withdrew before the event began. Linda Noskova was defeated in the first round.

8. The tennis gods are smiling: Hsieh Su-wei, the Casual Queen, and Aļlona Ostapenko played doubles together. Enough said.

7. Kamiji has her day: With Diede de Groot absent, this tournament was Yui Kamiji's to lose. Seeded number 1, she indeed captured the wheelchair singles title, defeating 2nd seed Aniek Van Koot in the final. However, Kamiji and her doubles partner, Lucy Shuker, lost in the semifinals. The doubles title went to the unseeded team of Li Xiohui and Wang Ziying, who defeated the unseeded team of Manami Tanaka and Zhu Zhenzhen in the final.

6. Aussie Aussie Aussie!: Australian wild cards Olivia Gadecki and John Peers won the title in mixed doubles when they defeated Australian wild cards Kimberly Birrell and John-Patrick Smith in the final. Gadecki and Peers also upset 2nd seeds Erin Routliffe and Michael Venus in the semifinals.

5. "Lucky" doesn't begin to describe it: Germany's Eva Lys lost in the third round of qualifying, and--as she was packing to leave Australia--she was awarded a lucky loser slot in the main draw when Alona Kalinskaya withdrew from the tournament. Lys would go on to defeat three players, including Varvara Gracheva and Jaqueline Cristian. She then canceled another flight so that she could compete in the round of 16, in which she was finally defeated--by Iga Swiatek.

4. Nobody does it better: Jelena Dokic is a treasure. The former world number 4, who is also a tennis commentator, and who is known throughout the world for her courage and resilience, is an on-court interviewer without parallel. Dockic's warmth, humor and empathy put players at ease and engage them in ways that we don't always see after big matches.

         

3. One to remember: Madison Keys' semifinal match against 2nd seed Iga Swiatek was a stand-out affair at the Australian Open; the third set, however, was a stand-out affair, period. The two and a half hour contest, which Keys won, 5-7, 6-1, 7-6, had everything--clever tactics, stunning shot-making, superb athleticism, and plenty of thrills.

2. Ten and counting: Katerina Siniakova, playing with Taylor Townsend, won her tenth major doubles title in Melbourne. The Olympic gold medal winner has won the Australian Open title twice before, with Barbora Krejcikova. Top seeds Siniakova and Townsend defeated 3rd seeds Hsieh Su-wei and Alona Ostapenko in the final. Siniakova and Townsend also won the 2024 Wimbledon title, and we can expect more victories this season.

1. With age comes wisdom: In 2017, Madison Keys lost the U.S. Open final after winning the first set 6-0. Since then, we've seen her play really good, and powerful, tennis, but when match tension became extreme, she would falter. In 2023, for example, she lost her U.S. Open semifinal to Aryna Sabalenka, 6-0, 6-7, 6-7. But in Melbourne, Keys--with a new racket, a new serve, and a new attitude--showed us an explosion of her potential. She took out both top seeds--2nd seed Iga Swiatek (in the semifinals) and top seed Sabalenka. But that wasn't all--the 19th seed also defeated 10th seed and 2022 finalist Danielle Collins, 6th seed and 2023 finalist Elena Rynbakina, and Elina Svitolina. Keys' 6-3, 2-6, 7-5 defeat of Sabalenka in the final was, of course, a dream come true for the 29-year-old. But, she said, she was able to achieve that dream only after she finally rid herself of the belief that she needed to win a major in order to validate herself. Next week, Keys returns to the top 10.

How to tame a Tiger

Some moments are a lifetime in the making...

Madison Keys reacts to winning her maiden Grand Slam title. pic.twitter.com/WJGlgfqDkn

— Jimmie48 Photography (@JJlovesTennis) January 25, 2025

Change your racket. Get something lighter, so that you can get better control of the ball. 

Change your serve. Bring that toss down, and make the entire movement more efficient.

Be sure to get the draw from hell---including both the first and second seeds--so that you become more feared, and more confident, as the tournament progresses.

Change your attitude. Maybe you’ll never win a major, but winning a major—or even having a pro sports career—isn’t who you are. 

This formula, put together with the help of Keys' partner/coach/new husband, Bjorn Frantangelo, helped 19th seed Madison Keys defeat two-time defending champion and world number 1 Aryna Sabalenka, and to therefore become the 2025 Australian Open singles champion. The final, which lasted just over two hours, progressed quickly at first, and then it slowed down, and eventually became a crowd-pleasing drama.

Keys had to work very hard to reach the final. She had to defeat 10th seed (and 2022 finalist) Danielle Collins, 6th seed (and 2023 finalist) Elena Rybakina, the always-dangerous 28th seed Elina Svitolina, and 2nd seed Iga Swiatek, who—up until she ran into Keys—had looked deadly. Keys had spent a lot of time on the court, and—especially in the Swiatek match—she had probably experienced high tension (I know that the rest of us did).

Both players arrived at the final holding eleven-match win streaks. Top seed Sabalenka had a 4-1 career record against Keys, and was seeking her third straight Australian Open title.

This match followed a pattern that we have seen many times in big matches—one player easily takes the first set, the other player elevates her game and takes the second set, and—in the third set—both players reach performance heights. In this case, Keys, who was broken only once, took the first set 6-3, winning with 86% of her first serves. Not unexpectedly, in the next set, Sabalenka decided to try a new tactic, and—not since Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez completely flummoxed Jelena Jankovic in the 2010 Rome final—has a player repeatedly used the drop shot to get the best of her opponent.

(And speaking of JJ, she would surely have applauded Keys’ backhand down the line, which became her signature shot at the Australian Open.)

Keys had trouble adjusting to this “new” (let’s not forget that the world number 1 has won her share of doubles titles) Sabalenka, and her new job became one of trying to figure out how far to stray from the baseline. To make things even more difficult for Keys, Sabalenka improved her serve in the second set, which she won, 6-2.

The final set was a battle of first-rate ball-striking, quick thinking, and clever tactics, and both players performed at a high level. It should have been a battle of nerves, but neither player was inclined to blink. And if the possibility of holding the trophy for the third time in a row was hanging over Sabalenka’s head, it seems unlikely that Keys wouldn’t have (at least to some extent) the memory of the 2023 U.S. Open semifinal that she played against Sabalenka in her head. Keys won the first set of that match 6-0, then lost the other two in tiebreaks.

When Sabalenka served to stay in the match at 4-5 in the third set, the tension was palpable. She held, then Keys held. At that point in the set, neither woman’s serve had been broken. Serving at 5-6, Sabalenka quickly went down 0-30. The world number 1 went on to save a match point, but Keys clinched the title with a forehand winner on her second match point.

Keys hit 29 winners in the  match, and some of her shots—including an over-the-shoulder backhand—were stunning. We’re used to this type of shot-making from her, but what was new at this major was the addition of nerves of steel. Keys said later, in press, that she had put so much pressure on herself to live up to her “young phenom” reputation (one can’t help but think of Michelle Wie), that she eventually sought the help of a psychotherapist to help her realize that her worth had nothing to do with whether she won a major.

“I did a lot of work to no longer need this,” she said after the match. “I wanted it, but it no longer defined me.” In Melbourne, the 29-year-old Keys was a totally different player from the one who contested the U.S. Open final in 2017. In that match, friend and countrywoman Sloane Stephens easily defeated her, 6-3, 6-0. The current, more mature Madison Keys, is finally a major champion, and it’s a lovely thing to behold. On Monday, she will return to the top 10, where she belongs.

Fitting to see this one end with smiles all around… a heck of a final! pic.twitter.com/24iHalEBoJ

— Jimmie48 Photography (@JJlovesTennis) January 25, 2025

In other Australian Open news, 4th seed Wakana Sonobe of Japan won the junior girls' title, defeating the USA's Kristina Penikova 6-0, 6-1. And top seed Yui Kamiji won the wheelchair singles title, defeating 2nd seed Aniek Van Koot 6-2, 6-2. Van Koot's amazing comeback in her semifinal match may have taken something out of her; in the final, she appeared to be a little too overcome by anger to be as effective as she could have been against Kamiji.

Three-peat 🏆🏆🏆

Yui Kamiji lifts her third AO wheelchair singles title.#AusOpen • #AO2025

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 25, 2025

Sabalenka and Keys have a meeting scheduled; Daphne Akhurst awaits

MADI’S MOMENT ✨#AO2025 pic.twitter.com/7iTPsOn2GA

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 23, 2025

Top seed and two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka will play 19th seed Madison Keys for the 2025 Australian Open singles championship, but those two will have to bring extra bags of tricks and a Broadway-level layer of drama to top what happened in the semifinal that Keys played against 2nd seed Iga Swiatek. 

Keys has always been a hard hitter, capable of hanging in with the best of the power hitters. But she has not always been able to go that little extra stretch, blending spontaneous creativity and nerves of steel to overcome elite players. The Keys who arrived in Melbourne, however, is another story. The 2017 U.S. Open runner-up had a tough draw, and had to take out three seeds, all of whom play very well on hard courts. 

The 19th seed made it difficult for Swiatek in the first set, which the Polish star won, 7-5. She took her momentum into the next set, in which Swiatek won only one game. It was the third set, however, that will be remembered when this tournament has come and gone. Swiatek performed magic tricks (apparently, this is a Polish tradition), while Keys covered the court superbly and placed her opponent in awkward positions. Keys had another advantage in this set--a first serve win percentage of 75, while Swiatek struggled with her serve, and won with only 38% of her first serves.

Serving at 6-5, Swiatek nevertheless held a match point, which Keys saved. Keys broke Swiatek to force a tiebreak, and that looked to be going the 2nd seed's way; she had leads at 7-5 and 8-7. But Keys would have none of it, and won the tiebreak 10-8. During the post-match interview, Keys couldn't recall saving a match point. "I feel like I blacked out at some point and was just running around," she said.

It's Madison time!

In the other semifinal, best friends faced off, as Sabalenka played former world number 2 Paula Badosa. Badosa, who considered retiring last year because of her chronic back problems, had an exceptional run in Melbourne, upsetting 3rd seed Coco Gauff in the quarterfinals. But she was stopped, not surprisingly, by the world number 1, 6-4, 6-2, in the semifinals. 

 Paths to the final:

ARYNA SABALENKA

round 1--d. Sloane Stephens
round 2--d. Jessica Bouzas Maneiro
round 3--d. Clara Tauson
round of 16--d. Mirra Andreeva (14)
quarterfinals--d. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (27)
semifinals--d. Paula Badosa (11)

MADISON KEYS
round 1--d. Ann Li
round 2--d. Elena-Gabriela Ruse
round 3--d. Danielle Collins (10)
round of 16--d. Elena Rybakina (6)
quarterfinals--d. Elina Svitolina (28)
semifinals--d. Iga Swiatek (2)

On another note, many fans probably missed what had to be the comeback of this event: In wheelchair singles, 2nd seed Aniek Van Koot, down 1-6, 2-5 and facing a match point, found a way to defeat 3rd seed Wang Ziying 1-6, 7-6, 6-1. She will face top seed Yui Kamiji in the final.

1️⃣2️⃣ years after her first Grand Slam singles title Down Under, Aniek Van Koot is back in an Australian Open wheelchair singles final 👏#AusOpen • #AO2025

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 23, 2025

Badosa and Keys await world number 1 and world number 2 in Australian Open semifinals

The fantastic 4 down under 🤩

drop your predictions #AO2025 👇 pic.twitter.com/xXR70yBsMl

— wta (@WTA) January 22, 2025

Four women remain in the Australian Open draw, including the world number 1 and the world number 2 (who was the world number 1 not that long ago). It's easy--and not at all illogical--to anticipate watching them play in a dramatic final, especially since both women are playing at an extremely high level. But first they have to get past two resurgent players who have made huge statements at this event. And, in the case of Sabalenka, she also has to get past a very close friend.

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, who has been in somewhat of a resurgent mode herself lately, took world number 1 Aryna Sabalenka to three sets in the quarterfinals, and that marked the first time that Sabalenka dropped a set at the 2025 Australian Open. World number 2 Iga Swiatek has yet to drop a set, she has dropped only fourteen games (seven of those were claimed by her first round opponent, Katerina Siniakova), and she has delivered three bagel sets. In the quarterfinals, Swiatek easily defeated 8th seed Emma Navarro, who had a very good run, taking out both Ons Jabeur and 9th seed Daria Kasatkina.

Standing in Sabalenka's way on her route to the final is her close friend, Paula Badosa. Badosa considered retiring from professional tennis last year because of her long-term, chronic back problems, but then decided to give it another go. In Melbourne, the former world number 2 has looked "like herself," and she upset an error-prone 3rd seed Coco Gauff 7-5, 6-4 in the quarterfinals. Come Monday, the Spanish star will return to the WTA top 10.

Then there's Madison Keys, who upset both 10th seed Danielle Collins and 6th seed Elena Rybakina on her way to the quarterfinals, in which she defeated an in-form Elina Svitolina. Keys, to the relief of her fans, has slowed down and refined her game, allowing herself to linger a while in tough rallies, and this tactic has paid off in Melbourne. She has her work cut out for her in the semifinals, in which she faces Swiatek.

These two 🥹 🤣 🫶

Andreeva x Shnaider pic.twitter.com/MI2LNqUlFY

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 22, 2025

The semifinals are also set in doubles play. Top seeds Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend will play Mirra Andreeva and Diana Shnaider, and 3rd seeds Hsieh Su wei and Aļona Ostapenko (!) will play 2nd seeds Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe. 

In singles wheelchair play, top seed Yui Kamiji will face LI Xiahui in the semifinals, and 3rd seed Wang Ziying will play 2nd seed Aniek Van Koot. Diede de Groot is not in Melbourne because she is recovering from surgery.

U.S. women dominate Australian Open quarterfinals

Emma stays thriving in deciders ☺️

Navarro is the second player in the Open Era to make the women's #AusOpen Quarterfinals with all three-setters in the first four Rounds after Jelena Dokic in 2009! pic.twitter.com/6S6DI7cKT3

— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) January 20, 2025

Three U.S. players made it to the Australian Open round of 16, and now those three have made it to the quarterfinals. 3rd seed Coco Gauff, 8th seed Emma Navarro and 19th seed Madison Keys are in the final eight.

The round of 16 featured some really good competition, and also a fair share of injury. Donna Vekic, 6th seed Elena Rybakina and Veronika Kudermetova all had to have medical timeouts. Rybakina hurt her back, and when she returned to the court after the MTO, her serve was noticeably less powerful. However, this issue was soon corrected. In the meantime, Rybakina's opponent, Madison Keys, had her own serve go off for a while. And despite Rybakina's brief struggle, this was a good match, with Keys playing her best game, and prevailing, 6-3, 1-6, 6-3. 

A resurgent Belinda Bencic, returning from a maternity leave, was very impressive against Coco Gauff in the first set, but then faded, and won only three games in the last two sets. Top seed Aryna Sabalenka made quick work of rising star Mirra Andreeva (6-1, 6-2), and breakout star Eva Lys saw her run end abruptly when 2nd seed Iga Swiatek defeated her 6-0, 6-1. 

 

Navarro has needed three sets to win each of her matches, and--to be fair--she had a pretty tough draw. Her first-round match against Peyton Stearns, which she won 6-7, 7-6, 7-5, lasted three hours and 20 minutes. In the second round, she needed two hours and eleven minutes to defeat Wang Xiyu 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 

and in the third round, it took her just over two hours to defeat Ons Jabeur 6-4, 3-6, 6-4. Finally, Navarro's round of 16 match against 9th seed Daria Kasatkina lasted two hours and 40 minutes. Navarro won that match 6-4, 5-7, 7-5. That's a lot of time to spend on the court--in the heat.

In the meantime, the top three doubles seeds are still in the draw. Siniakova/Townsend, Dabrowski/Routliffe and Hsieh/Ostapenko have all advanced to the quarterfinals. 

Here is the singles quarterfinal draw:

Aryna Sabalenka (1) v. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (27)
Coco Gauff (3) vs. Paula Badosa (11)
Madison Keys (19) v. Elina Svitolina (28)
Emma Navarro (8) vs. Iga Swiatek (2)

Zheng and Pegula out, and Lucky Lys rolls on at Australian Open

Absolute scenes on Court 3 as @evalys_ reaches the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time!

She made the draw as a lucky loser, on Monday she'll face off with five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek for a spot in the quarters.

Only in tennis! pic.twitter.com/JtQqCZ7Q1o

— Jimmie48 Photography (@JJlovesTennis) January 18, 2025

I’m sure that few were expecting it, but the first big upset of the Australian Open was that of 5th seed (and last year’s runner-up), Zheng Qinwen, who lost in the second round to a very in-form Laura Siegemund, who gave the kind consistently disruptive performance that she has historically presented on clay courts. The glory wouldn’t last for the German player, who—in the next round—won only three games against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.

Also in the second round, qualifier Olga Danilovic upset 25th seed Liudmila Samsonova, then she proceeded to upset 7th seed Jessical Pegula in straight sets. Danilovic got our attention at the French Open, when she made it through three rounds of qualifying, then upset Martina Trevisan, Danielle Collins and Donna Vekic. She was stopped in the round of 16 by Marketa Vondrousova, but it was a great run.

The Australian Open’s breakout star is Eva Lys, who—after losing in the third round of qualifying—booked her flight home to Germany. But then Anna Kalinskaya withdrew from the tournament, and Lys became a lucky loser. But she’s more than lucky. After defeating qualifier Kimberly Birrell, Varvara Gracheva and Jaqueline Cristian, Lys became the first lucky loser in 37 years to reach the round of 16. She has since had to postpone another flight home as she prepares to play her next opponent—Iga Swiatek.

The ever-resilient Donna Vekic, seeded 18th, defeated 12th seed Diana Shnaider 7-6, 6-7, 7-5, in a highly entertaining and thrilling third round match that lasted two hours and 58 minutes. Last year, Vekic reached the semifinals at Wimbledon and also won an Olympic silver medal. The Croatian’s next opponent will be Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, another veteran who has had somewhat of a resurgence lately.

Also entertaining (as one would expect) was the third round match contested by Paula Badosa and Marta Kostyuk. Badosa won that one in three sets. Also in the third round, Emma Navarro defeated Ons Jabeur, and Elina Svitolina upset 4th seed Jasmine Paolini 2-6, 6-4, 6-0.

Two-time champion Naomi Osaka, who defeated Karolina Muchova in the second round, had to retire in her third round match against Belinda Bencic.

And speaking of Czech players—they are conspicuous by their absence. Petra Kvitova isn’t in Australia, of course, and Barbora Krejcikova’s back injury prevented her from entering the tournament. Marketa Vondrousova had to withdraw before the first round because of an injury that she sustained in Adelaide, Muchova was knocked out by Osaka, and Katerina Siniakova had the bad fortune of drawing Iga Swiatek in the first round. It just doesn’t feel like a major without Czechs.

As for top seed and two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka—she was put to a tough test in the third round by Clara Tauson, and a tough test is usually what a champion needs as she goes forward to compete at the business end of the tournament.

Here is the singles round of 16 draw:

Aryna Sabalenka (1) v. Mirra Andreeva (14)
Donna Vekic (18) v. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (27)
Coco Gauff (3) v. Belinda Bencic
Paula Badosa (11) v. Olga Danilovic
Elena Rybakina (6) v. Madison Keys (19)
Veronika Kudermetova v. Elina Svitolina (28)
Emma Navarro (8) v. Daria Kasatkina (9)
Eva lys (LL) v. Iga Swiatek (2)