Former No. 1 Wozniacki upset by Andreescu at ASB Classic

Associated PressJan 3, 2019, 11:10 PM EST

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AUCKLAND, New Zealand — Overcoming a back injury and a cold, Canadian teenager Bianca Andreescu upset top-seeded Caroline Wozniacki 6-4, 6-4 Thursday and advanced to the quarterfinals of the ASB Classic.

The 18-year-old Andreescu, a qualifier ranked No. 152, has won Australian Open and French Open junior doubles titles and was ranked No. 3 as a junior.

“I can’t believe it right now,” Andreescu said. “I’ve always dreamed of playing on this stage against top players and now I’m here I played against one of the best and so I really don’t what to say right now.”

Andreescu will next face another former No. 1, Venus Williams.

Against Wozniacki, Andreescu needed a medical time out at the start of the second set for her back injury but she still managed to chase down shots and win vital points.

Andreescu was coughing throughout the match and also had to endure a brief rain delay while trailing 4-3 on serve in the second set. She came out and held, broke Wozniacki for a 5-4 lead and then served out the match on her first match point.

“I’ve actually had this cough for three weeks now so I’m used to it,” Andreescu said. “I’ve also had a couple of back issues the last couple of months but I managed to pull through, I have no idea how. I just fought for every point.”

Williams, who beat former No. 1 Victoria Azarenka in the first round, defeated 2017 ASB Classic champion Lauren Davis 6-4, 6-3.

“I think it was even cleaner than the first round,” Williams said. “But I’m still searching for perfection and she really, really, really can hit the ball.

“I’m 6-1 and a foot taller than her but she hits it just as hard so I had to be on my toes.”

At French Open, Francisco Cerundolo is mad at chair umpire over Holger Rune’s double-bounce

Associated PressJun 5, 2023, 8:49 PM EDT

Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports

PARIS – Francisco Cerundolo of Argentina was devastated about losing his French Open fourth-round match to Holger Rune of Denmark in a fifth-set tiebreaker Monday. He also was mad at chair umpire Kader Nouni for missing a double-bounce of the ball on a point that was awarded to Rune early in his 7-6 (3), 3-6, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (10-7) victory.

They were tied at a set apiece and on serve at 2-1 for the No. 6-seeded Rune early in the third at Court Suzanne Lenglen when the point of contention happened. Cerundolo, who was serving at deuce, hit a forehand that skidded low at the baseline and quickly bounced a second time – which normally would have meant that the point was his.

But Rune went ahead and got his racket on the ball, sending it back over the net. At about the same time, No. 23 seed Cerundolo was saying “sorry” to apologize for the odd way his forehand made the ball skim across the clay. Nouni was not immediately aware of the double-bounce, thought the ball was still in play and called Cerundolo for hindrance for talking during a point. That meant Rune got the point, and when he won the next one, too, he had a service break.

“It was unbelievable, because it was a clear double-bounce. I was mad at the umpire because he has to see it,” Cerundolo said. “It’s his fault.”

In tennis, electronic line-calling is used at many tournaments to make line calls, but replays are not used to check things like double-bounces or whether a point should be lost because a player touches the net, which is not allowed.

And while Cerundolo put the onus on the official, he also thought Rune could have ceded the point because of the double-bounce.

“For sure, I wish he would have done that, because it was a big moment,” Cerundolo said.

Rune, who moved into a matchup against No. 4 Casper Ruud in the quarterfinals, said he saw a replay after the following point, and “saw it was a double bounce. But the point already happened, and he called the score. So I felt sorry.”

But, Rune added: “This is tennis. This is sports. Some umpires, they make mistakes. Some for me; some for him. That’s life.”

Gael Monfils withdraws from French Open with wrist injury

Associated PressJun 1, 2023, 11:34 AM EDT

Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports

PARIS — A thrilling five-set victory took a toll on Gael Monfils, whose withdrawal from the French Open handed No. 6 Holger Rune a walkover to the third round.

The 36-year-old Frenchman said he has a strained left wrist and can’t continue.

He battled Sebastian Baez for nearly four hours on Court Philippe Chatrier before beating the Argentine 3-6, 6-3, 7-5, 1-6, 7-5 in a first-round match that ended at 12:18 a.m. local time.

The victory was Monfils’ first at tour level this year, as the veteran was coming back from heel surgery.

“Actually, physically, I’m quite fine. But I had the problem with my wrist that I cannot solve,” he said. “The doctor say was not good to play with that type of injury. Yesterday was actually very risky, and then today definitely say I should stop.”

Monfils reached the semifinals at the French Open in 2008 and made it to the quarterfinals on three other occasions.