https://www.scmp.com/rss/524519/feed The latest news and top stories on Jessica Pegula, an accomplished American professional tennis player, currently ranked world No. 3 in singles and previously world No. 1 in doubles. She turned professional in 2009 and has since achieved significant success, including winning nine singles titles and seven doubles titles on the WTA Tour. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse World No 1 Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina on Wednesday booked a blockbuster semi-final at the Miami Open in a rerun of their Melbourne grand slam decider. Defending champion Sabalenka held off big-hitting 45th-ranked American Hailey Baptiste 6-4, 6-4. World No 2 Rybakina beat fifth-seeded American Jessica Pegula – runner-up to Sabalenka last year – 2-6, 6-3, 6-4. They will return on Thursday at Hard Rock Stadium – home of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins – to fight for a place in the final. Rybakina... https://www.scmp.com/sport/tennis/article/3347970/tennis-top-2-women-aryna-sabalenka-elena-rybakina-clash-again-miami-open-semi-final?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/tennis/article/3347970/tennis-top-2-women-aryna-sabalenka-elena-rybakina-clash-again-miami-open-semi-final?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Mar 2026 08:30:16 +0000 Agence France-Presse,dpa Agence France-Presse,dpa Jannik Sinner set a record for consecutive sets won at ATP Masters 1000 events as the Italian and Aryna Sabalenka kept their “Sunshine Double” dreams alive with emphatic victories at the ATP/WTA Miami Open on Monday. Sinner and Sabalenka are bidding to join an elite band of players who have won Indian Wells and the Miami Open back to back, and arrived in Florida brimming with confidence after their respective victories in the California desert earlier this month. World No 2 Sinner beat French... https://www.scmp.com/sport/tennis/article/3347687/miami-open-sunshine-double-dreams-alive-sinner-breaks-record-sabalenka-beats-zheng?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/tennis/article/3347687/miami-open-sunshine-double-dreams-alive-sinner-breaks-record-sabalenka-beats-zheng?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Mar 2026 07:05:13 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Elena Rybakina took revenge over world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka to win a nail-biting Australian Open final on Saturday and clinch her second grand slam title. The big-serving Kazakh fifth seed held her nerve to pull through 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne in two hours 18 minutes. It was payback after the Belarusian Sabalenka won the 2023 final between two of the hardest hitters in women’s tennis. The ice-cool Rybakina, 26, who was born in Moscow, adds her Melbourne triumph to her... https://www.scmp.com/sport/tennis/article/3341952/ice-cool-rybakina-gets-revenge-over-sabalenka-tense-australian-open-final?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/tennis/article/3341952/ice-cool-rybakina-gets-revenge-over-sabalenka-tense-australian-open-final?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 31 Jan 2026 11:39:12 +0000 Agence France-Presse,Associated Press Agence France-Presse,Associated Press Elena Rybakina battled past Jessica Pegula into her second Australian Open final on Thursday with the fifth seed setting up a repeat of her 2023 title match against Aryna Sabalenka. Kazakhstan’s Rybakina, who is targeting a second grand slam crown, downed the American sixth seed 6-3, 7-6 in a one-hour, 40-minute arm-wrestle on Rod Laver Arena and has yet to drop a set all tournament. She missed three match points on Pegula’s serve, then was broken twice while serving for the match. In the... https://www.scmp.com/sport/tennis/article/3341730/australian-open-rybakina-sabalenka-win-comfortably-set-rematch-2023-final?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/tennis/article/3341730/australian-open-rybakina-sabalenka-win-comfortably-set-rematch-2023-final?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Jan 2026 13:03:02 +0000 Reuters Reuters Iga Swiatek and Novak Djokovic joined a growing chorus of players demanding more privacy off the courts at the Australian Open after cameras captured Coco Gauff in a post-match meltdown that the American said should have been a personal ‌moment. After Gauff’s 59-minute quarter-final defeat by Elina Svitolina, the frustrated American retreated behind a wall near the match call area deep in the bowels of the stadium ‍to repeatedly smash her racquet on the ground. Unbeknown to the third seed,... https://www.scmp.com/sport/tennis/article/3341572/swiatek-joins-calls-player-privacy-australian-open-are-we-animals-zoo?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/tennis/article/3341572/swiatek-joins-calls-player-privacy-australian-open-are-we-animals-zoo?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Jan 2026 15:00:15 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Novak Djokovic admitted he got lucky after opponent Lorenzo Musetti retired hurt on Wednesday to send him into his 13th Australian Open semi-final and a showdown with reigning champion Jannik Sinner, who called the Serbian great “an inspiration”. Earlier on day 11 in Melbourne, Jessica Pegula and Elena Rybakina both won in straight sets and will meet for a place in the final. In the women’s doubles, China’s Zhang Shuai and Belgian partner Elise Mertens beat Eri Hozumi of Japan and Wu Fang-hsien... https://www.scmp.com/sport/tennis/article/3341519/australian-open-pegula-beats-anisimova-reach-semis-rybakina-foils-swiateks-grand-plans?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/tennis/article/3341519/australian-open-pegula-beats-anisimova-reach-semis-rybakina-foils-swiateks-grand-plans?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Jan 2026 07:07:21 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse China’s Wang Xinyu made it to the fourth round of the Australian Open for the first time on a day Novak Djokovic became the first player to win 400 grand slam matches, Naomi Osaka pulled out injured and Swiss veteran Stan Wawrinka bowed out of Melbourne Park. On a dramatic Saturday on and off court, reigning champions Jannik Sinner and Madison Keys moved into the last 16, as did 10-time winner Djokovic. Two-time champion Osaka was supposed to be in action in the third round but pulled out hours... https://www.scmp.com/sport/tennis/article/3341091/australian-open-suspends-play-due-extreme-heat-jannik-sinner-forced-stop-match?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/tennis/article/3341091/australian-open-suspends-play-due-extreme-heat-jannik-sinner-forced-stop-match?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 24 Jan 2026 05:07:17 +0000 Agence France-Presse,Reuters Agence France-Presse,Reuters Two-time reigning champion Jannik Sinner wasted no time in barrelling into the Australian Open third round with a demolition of home player James Duckworth on Thursday, as nature-lover Novak Djokovic strolled through and an erratic Madison Keys did enough to keep her title defence on track. Three players from China were in action on day five. Wang Xinyu made it to the third round of the Open for the first time, but Jerry Shang Juncheng missed out on the chance of joining her and facing Djokovic... https://www.scmp.com/sport/tennis/article/3340802/australian-open-chinas-wang-xinyu-third-round-first-time-djokovic-keys-win?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/tennis/article/3340802/australian-open-chinas-wang-xinyu-third-round-first-time-djokovic-keys-win?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 22 Jan 2026 06:48:49 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Novak Djokovic launches his latest bid to win a record 25th grand slam crown while title contenders Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek are also in action at the Australian Open on Monday. A bumper second day at Melbourne Park sees three-time finalist Daniil Medvedev, home hope Alex de Minaur and fourth seed Amanda Anisimova also enter the fray. The 38-year-old Serbian great Djokovic faces Spain’s 71st-ranked Pedro Martinez in the final match of the day on Rod Laver Arena. A former world No 1, now ranked... https://www.scmp.com/sport/tennis/article/3340357/australian-open-novak-djokovic-launches-latest-bid-record-25th-grand-slam-title?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/tennis/article/3340357/australian-open-novak-djokovic-launches-latest-bid-record-25th-grand-slam-title?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 19 Jan 2026 01:20:04 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are expected to continue their world domination in 2026, starting at the Australian Open, while Aryna Sabalenka is bubbling with confidence as she chases further grand slam success. The new season gets under way on Friday with the mixed-teams United Cup in Perth and Sydney, headlined by women’s world No 2 Iga Swiatek and men’s world No 3 Alexander Zverev. In Hong Kong, Coleman Wong Chak-lam will be joined by his fellow National Games medallists Wu Yibing and... https://www.scmp.com/sport/tennis/article/3338256/alcaraz-sinner-set-elevate-rivalry-sabalenka-chasing-more-grand-slams-2026-tennis-season?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/tennis/article/3338256/alcaraz-sinner-set-elevate-rivalry-sabalenka-chasing-more-grand-slams-2026-tennis-season?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 31 Dec 2025 05:14:06 +0000 Aaina Bhargava Aaina Bhargava Aryna Sabalenka is living her best tennis life – travelling the world, eating well, soaking up the sun and winning big. Most recently, she took home the 2025 US Open title after a season marked by triumphs and near misses. “It’s a great feeling,” says the world No 1. “It’s just fun to be here, to travel around the world, to compete and win. All of it. I’m just really enjoying my tennis life.” Sabalenka is in Hong Kong for the Prudential NextGen Aces panel and exhibition match, speaking about... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/passions/article/3330242/aryna-sabalenka-loving-hong-kong-steffi-graf-and-inspiring-young-players?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/passions/article/3330242/aryna-sabalenka-loving-hong-kong-steffi-graf-and-inspiring-young-players?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Oct 2025 10:32:11 +0000 dpa,Agence France-Presse dpa,Agence France-Presse Emma Raducanu believes she is moving in the right direction, but acknowledged it was hard to quickly get over two painful defeats to Jessica Pegula and Barbora Krejcikova last month. Raducanu squandered three match points in a last-16 tie with former Wimbledon champion Krejcikova at the Korea Open on September 18 before, a fortnight later, history repeated itself with the British No 1 unable to close out victory against Pegula. The 2021 US Open champion had a 5-2 advantage over world No 7 Pegula... https://www.scmp.com/sport/tennis/article/3327928/wuhan-open-emma-raducanu-confident-she-moving-right-direction-after-painful-defeats?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/tennis/article/3327928/wuhan-open-emma-raducanu-confident-she-moving-right-direction-after-painful-defeats?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 05 Oct 2025 13:00:10 +0000 SCMP Sport SCMP Sport Zheng Qinwen’s China Open came to an abrupt end on Monday, with the home favourite retiring in the deciding set of her third-round clash against Linda Noskova. The Chinese world No 9 had recovered from going a set down to draw things level, but was well behind in the third set when she called time on her first tournament since recovering from elbow surgery. Noskova was 6-4, 3-6, 3-0 up at that point and will now face Russia’s Anastasia Potapova for a place in the quarter-finals. Zheng said her... https://www.scmp.com/sport/tennis/article/3327280/zheng-qinwen-retires-china-open-quits-when-trailing-novoska-deciding-set?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/tennis/article/3327280/zheng-qinwen-retires-china-open-quits-when-trailing-novoska-deciding-set?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Sep 2025 14:23:16 +0000 Lars Hamer Lars Hamer Zheng Qinwen has withdrawn from the Billie Jean King Cup Finals in Shenzhen next week, despite reports suggesting the world No 9 had fully recovered from elbow surgery and would play. Zheng was originally named in China’s team to face Italy, just days after revealing she had undergone treatment. And on Monday, Italian website Spazio Tennis said Zheng had completed her rehabilitation at Rennbahnklinik, a sports medicine and physiotherapy centre in Muttenz, Switzerland. But organisers confirmed... https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/3324835/zheng-qinwen-ready-billie-jean-king-cup-return-after-recovering-elbow-injury?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/3324835/zheng-qinwen-ready-billie-jean-king-cup-return-after-recovering-elbow-injury?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Sep 2025 04:41:54 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Naomi Osaka’s final Labubu at the US Open was going to be Osaka herself. For Osaka, that was the real bummer about losing one match short of the final. “Oh, don’t make me cry, man,” the four-time grand slam champion said during her press conference early Friday morning after her 6-7, 7-6, 6-3 semi-final loss to Amanda Anisimova. “Oh my God, the most devastating question.” Osaka had been toting a different version of the popular plush toy attached to her racquet bag to each of her matches in... https://www.scmp.com/sport/tennis/article/3324559/dont-make-me-cry-man-naomi-osaka-rues-missing-out-final-labubu-after-us-open-exit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/tennis/article/3324559/dont-make-me-cry-man-naomi-osaka-rues-missing-out-final-labubu-after-us-open-exit?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Sep 2025 14:00:20 +0000 Lars Hamer Lars Hamer Zheng Qinwen may have had elbow surgery only days ago, but she has been named in China’s team for September’s Billie Jean King Cup finals in Shenzhen, raising the possibility of an early comeback. Olympic champion Zheng said on Saturday that she would be out for weeks if not months following arthroscopic surgery on her right elbow, and on Monday her withdrawal from the US Open at the end of August was confirmed. But on Tuesday, organisers of the Billie Jean King Cup – formerly known as the... https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/3319113/could-injured-zheng-qinwen-make-comeback-shenzhen-soon-september?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/3319113/could-injured-zheng-qinwen-make-comeback-shenzhen-soon-september?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 22 Jul 2025 07:07:02 +0000 Agencies Agencies Top seed Aryna Sabalenka was given a tougher workout than she would have bargained for, but the top seed methodically dismantled Czech Marie Bouzkova 7-6, 6-4 to reach the third round of Wimbledon on Wednesday. As the sun played hide-and-seek with the grey clouds that hovered over Centre Court, Sabalenka kept knocking on the door in the opening set but was shut out by Bouzkova each time and dropped serve with a double fault in the 11th game. A frustrated Sabalenka let out a scream when she... https://www.scmp.com/sport/tennis/article/3316706/no-1-seed-aryna-sabalenka-sees-marie-bouzkova-reach-third-round-wimbledon?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/tennis/article/3316706/no-1-seed-aryna-sabalenka-sees-marie-bouzkova-reach-third-round-wimbledon?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 02 Jul 2025 14:51:08 +0000