Tennis
Leylah Fernandez is ready for Indian Wells
(Indian Wells) The short story of Leylah Annie Fernandez at the Indian Wells Tennis Open offers a brief glimpse into her meteoric rise through the ranks of women’s professional tennis.
The 19-year-old Lavalloise will start the 2022 edition of the tournament at the 21and world level, having successfully defended his first WTA title in Monterrey, Mexico.
After benefiting from a bye in the first round which was given to the first 32 ranked players registered (she is 18and seeded), she will begin her journey in the desert this weekend against the winner of the duel between Amanda Anisimova and Emma Navarro. Fernandez also faced Navarro in the final of the Junior French Open in 2019.
Three years ago this week, the then 16-year-old Quebecer was far from ready to face the best in the world in the California desert.
So ranked 404and in the world, she had just lost in the first qualifying round of a minor tournament in Nishitama, Japan, whose prize pool was $25,000.
Then, two years ago this week, after strong showings at two Mexican tournaments lifted him to 120and world rank, she had received an invitation for the main draw in Indian Wells.
An invitation which she has never been able to take advantage of.
The tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic the day before qualifying matches began — the beginning of a five-month hiatus in professional tennis in 2020.
Then, exactly a year ago, when the Indian Wells Open had just been postponed, Fernandez won his first WTA title in Monterrey. However, it happened behind closed doors.
“They had covered the seats with tarpaulins bearing the tournament logo. When I won, there were just a few volunteers and the ball attendants,” Fernandez recalled in an interview earlier this week.
The Indian Wells Open was introduced in October last year, barely a month after Fernandez reached his first Grand Slam final at the US Open.
The Canadian came to Indian Wells in the top-30, but hadn’t played since her stellar performance in New York.
She lost in the third round, thereby ending her season. She is now back in the same place, having accomplished another feat.
Fernandez successfully defended her title in Monterrey last Sunday against a much tougher draw than in 2021. She saved five match points before beating Colombian Camila Osorio 6-7 (5), 6-4, 7-6 (5).
And this time, the stands were full.
“It was magical,” agreed Fernandez. Fans, everyone is aware that this sport is like a battlefield. We give everything we have, and we savor the moment.
“Half the stadium took for me, and the other half for her. It felt like a soccer game, and I love it. It was good to feel that energy, to see people enjoying the moment. That’s why we play at this level, because we want everyone to feel that. »
This triumph also allowed him to turn the page on his elimination in the first round of the Australian Open in January, against Australian Maddison Inglis.
“It was just one of those tournaments where everything goes wrong. Every athlete goes through this kind of streak. I just had to take a step back and understand what had happened, explained Fernandez. Everything went wrong. Nothing went as planned. »
Fernandez took a few days off, cleared her mind, and returned to training when she was ready.
She briefly considered participating in the Dubai and Doha tournaments in February, in order to pick up the pace. But in the end, she and her trainer/father Jorge agreed to go with the original plan.
Fernandez will start the Indian Wells Open in doubles on Thursday evening with Frenchwoman Alizé Cornet.
Expectations will be the same as usual.
“You have to take it one game at a time, and not think about the results,” she said. You have to have fun on the court, and hopefully good things will happen. »
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Sophia Jhon is a sports journalist and author. He has worked as a news editor for Sportish and is now a sport columnist for the same publication. Alberta’s professional interests lie largely in sports news, with an emphasis on English football. He has also written articles on other sporting topics.
On December 28, there will be an exhibition match between the world’s first rackets in women’s singles. Arina Sabalenko Finalist at Wimbledon 2022 Nick Kyrgios from Australia.
The so-called “Battle of the Sexes” will take place at the arena in Dubai (UAE) and will start at around 18:00 Kiev time on Sunday.
The best moments of tennis matches LIVE on Telegram channel Tennis on Sport.ua
The winner will be the person who wins two sets. In the event of a change of game, a tiebreaker of up to 10 points will be determined.
Some changes have been made to the fighting rules. First, each person will only have one attempt to send. Secondly, Sabalenka’s court side will be shortened by 9%.
Broadcast video player will be added later…
Source: Sport UA
I am a sports journalist who has worked in print and online. I have authored articles for a sports website and have covered sports news for over 6 years.
tennis legend Billie Jean King He stated that the “Battle of the Sexes” match was played between Arina Sabalenko And Nick Kyrgios It’s “not the same” as his breakthrough reunion with Bobby Riggs.
American King defeated self-proclaimed chauvinist Riggs 6:4, 6:3, 6:3 in a $100,000 winner-take-all match in Houston in September 1973.
An estimated 90 million people worldwide watched the 29-year-old King win the bo5 match against the 55-year-old former Wimbledon and US Open singles champion. The fight is considered an important part of the women’s rights movement and the fight for equality in sports.
World number one Sabalenka, 27, will face Wimbledon 2022 finalist Kyrgios, 30, on December 28 in Dubai. The name of the match was “Battle of the Sexes”.
When asked if he saw any similarities between the matches, King said:
“The only similarity is that one is a man and the other is a woman. That’s it. Everything else is not like that. Our match was about social change, it was about the cultural context of 1973. This match is not about that. I hope the match is great and of course I want Sabalenka to win, but it’s not the same thing.”
Some see the match between four-time Grand Slam singles champion Sabalenka and former world No. 13 Kyrgios as harmless fun, but others believe Sabalenka’s defeat could devalue women’s tennis.
The exhibition match will be played over two sets won and if necessary (1-1 in games) a tiebreaker will be decided up to 10 points.
Each player will serve only once, and Sabalenka’s side of the court will be 9% smaller. Tournament organizers Evolve said women moved around the course an average of 9% slower than men, so it was decided to shorten Arina’s portion of the course.
“I played three bo5 sets with Bobby, on normal court, and didn’t change a thing,” King recalls. “I either play under equal conditions, or I don’t play at all,” I said. And Bobby loved it.”
King’s match came months after Riggs, who died in 1995 aged 77, beat world number one Margaret Court 6-1, 6-2 in the opening match of the Battle of the Sexes series.
The match took place the same year King founded the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) and three years after a group of players known as the “Original Nine” left the tennis body.
The match also took place during the passage of Title IX legislation in the United States, which prohibits gender discrimination in all schools and educational programs and guarantees equal conditions, opportunities, and support for men’s and women’s sports teams.
“My match was really political. It was a very difficult time culturally,” King, 82, added. “I knew I had to defeat him for social change.” “I had many reasons to win.”
Source: Sport UA
I am a sports journalist who has worked in print and online. I have authored articles for a sports website and have covered sports news for over 6 years.
Tennis
“Battle of the sexes” or fake? Sabalenka vs Kyrgios: There will be a show in Dubai on December 28
On December 28, an exhibition match between the world’s first women’s singles racket will take place in Dubai (UAE). Arina Sabalenko and Australian entertainer Nick KyrgiosHe has long stopped performing consistently on the Tour but is planning his comeback.
In September 2025, Kyrgios said he could easily beat Sabalenka during the US Open without giving “100% effort to win”. Nick said women couldn’t hit professional men’s serves and claimed he would beat the best female tennis player in the world. Sabalenka said she was ready to “kick ass”, which ultimately led to Evolve, the marketing agency representing Arina and Nick’s interests, organizing a match called “Battle of the Sexes”.
The meeting between Sabalenka and Kyrgios will start on Sunday at around 18:00 Kiev time on an indoor hard court at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai (United Arab Emirates). Bookmakers give Kyrgios a clear advantage: 1.20 on Nick and 4.20 on Sabalenka.
INSIDE regulations Some changes have been made to the upcoming match:
- Players will be able to serve only once, not twice.
- The court on which Sabalenka will play will be 9 percent smaller than a normal tennis court.
- The match consists of three sets with a tiebreaker of up to 10 points in the deciding set if necessary.
Officially considered the first and only “Battle of the Sexes” meeting Billie Jean King And Bobby Riggs 52 years ago.
Bobby, who had already retired from his career in 1971, said that he could easily compete with Billie Jean King and Margaret Court, the two best tennis players on the planet at that time. They managed to arrange a meeting between Riggs and Margaret two years later, but King initially refused the call. On May 13, 1973, Rigss defeated Margaret 6-2, 6-1 on Mother’s Day and continued to make fun of the women’s tournament.
On September 20, 1973, the 29-year-old King and the 55-year-old Riggs met in a $100,000 match at the Houston Astrodome.
Billie Jean King stepped out as Cleopatra, carried on a feathered stretcher by four muscular, bare-chested men designed to resemble ancient Egyptian slaves. Bobby Riggs followed in a rickshaw pulled by a group of models. In this way, both athletes emphasized the circus, provocative nature of the event. Before the game started, Riggs gave King a giant candy spelling out “Sugar Daddy,” a sarcastic symbol of his public statements about male supremacy in sports. In response, King gave him a squealing pig, which became an ironic symbol of male chauvinism. Riggs also bet heavily on the outcome of the match, including betting on himself, and bet significant sums on the encounter.
Billie Jean King, the 12-time Grand Slam singles champion, made history by defeating the former amateur and professional athlete with sets of 6-4, 6-3, 6-3. At that time, there were more than 30 thousand fans in the stadium and 90 million fans were watching the match on television.
Source: Sport UA
I am a sports journalist who has worked in print and online. I have authored articles for a sports website and have covered sports news for over 6 years.
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