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De Groot Claims 15th Consecutive Wheelchair Grand Slam Title

De Groot also celebrated her 23rd Grand Slam singles title, adding to another record the prolific champion already holds…reports Asian Lite News

Dutch wheelchair tennis legend Diede De Groot added another chapter to her historic winning spree in Para-tennis by winning her sixth Wimbledon trophy and 42nd major championship across singles and doubles. On Saturday, the World No.1 in women’s wheelchair singles defeated her compatriot Anisk Van Koot 6-4, 6-4 in the final to win a record-extending 15th Grand Slam title in a row.

The win streak for De Groot started in February 2021 and stretched to 145 matches before her loss to China’s Li Xiaohui at the World Team Cup in May. There was another loss to Yui Kamiji in the final of last week’s British Open in Roehampton but with victory over Van Koot, the No.1 claimed her 162nd match win from the past 164 matches she’s played.

It was a 15th straight Grand Slam title for the 27-year-old, extending her record for the longest Grand Slam wheelchair singles title-winning streak. She claimed sole ownership of the record, ahead of Shingo Kunieda, by winning her 13th consecutive Grand Slam title at the 2023 US Open.

De Groot also celebrated her 23rd Grand Slam singles title, adding to another record the prolific champion already holds.

“I’m just happy to have another one. This year has been a little bit different than other years where I’ve basically been unbeaten, and then this year I was beaten. So, I know that all of these players are trying their absolute best to beat me, and Aniek was playing very well. I think everyone saw that she was doing the right things,” a smiling De Groot said.

In her 26th Grand Slam singles final, De Groot showed the benefit of her vast experience as she navigated a spirited challenge from her countrywoman.

Seemingly competing without nerves, she raced to a 4-0 lead on No.1 Court. But Van Koot is also a Wimbledon singles champion – having defeated De Groot in the 2019 final – and after a successful challenge at the start of the fifth game drew warm crowd support. It also helped shift the momentum.

The 33-year-old produced a series of forehand winners to earn two break-point opportunities. There were four deuces, with Van Koot eventually converting on a De Groot double fault. Her passionate “C’mon” grew progressively louder as she won four straight games to level. But as often happens in De Groot’s many match wins, she suddenly reasserted authority. The end of the first set came with a flurry of errors for Van Koot, allowing her compatriot a 6-4 lead.

While De Groot was constantly tested by Van Koot, she responded superbly to every test. Van Koot couldn’t consolidate an early second-set service break and even after recovering from a 2-4 deficit to level, De Groot always seemed in control.

Van Koot saved a first-match point with one of her 28 winners before the unrelenting De Groot secured her latest milestone with a superbly placed backhand.

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Roger Federer hits 21-year low in latest ATP rankings

American Taylor Fritz has moved from No. 22 to No. 20 to get into the top 20 for the first time, despite a third-round defeat in the Australian Open by Spain’s Roberto Autista Agut…reports Asian Lite News

The 20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer has hit a 21-year low in the latest ATP rankings released on Monday while Serbia’s Novak Djokovic remains world No. 1 despite not playing in the Australian Open.

After missing the first Grand Slam of the year, the 40-year-old Federer slipped 13 places and now sits at 30th position with 1,665 points in the latest rankings.

Spain’s Rafael Nadal remains in fifth despite winning his 21st Grand Slam on Sunday. Italy’s Matteo Berrettini is the only men’s player to move inside the top 10, leapfrogging Russia’s Andrey Rublev into sixth after the former made the semifinals at the Australian Open for the first time in his career.

American Taylor Fritz has moved from No. 22 to No. 20 to get into the top 20 for the first time, despite a third-round defeat in the Australian Open by Spain’s Roberto Autista Agut.

In the women’s section, Australia’s Ashleigh Barty remains world No. 1 after winning the Australian Open for the first time in her career on Saturday.

Barty’s straight-set win over American Danielle Collins means she has extended her ranking points lead over No. 2 Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka. French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova of the Czech Republic, who reached the quarterfinals of the singles, has risen one spot into third.

Poland’s Iga Swiatek, who reached her first semifinal at Melbourne, has moved up from ninth into fourth while Collins has surged up 20 places from No. 30 to No. 10.

Former world No.1 Garbine Muguruza of Spain, who was knocked out in the second round in the Australian Open, has dropped four places to seventh.

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Nadal’s 21st Grand Slam title makes Tennis history

With his dramatic victory, Nadal claimed sole ownership of the record for the most men’s singles Grand Slam titles, moving past Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic who are both on 20 major crowns…reports Asian Lite News

Showing his trademark big-match mentality, World No 5 Rafael Nadal on Sunday scripted history after defeating Daniil Medvedev in a marathon Australian Open 2022 final to become the first man tennis player to win 21 Grand Slam titles, here.

Under the lights at Rod Laver Arena, the legendary Spaniard roared back from two-sets-to-love down to overcome the Russian Medvedev 2-6, 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-4, 7-5 in an epic five hours and 24 minutes final to win the Australian Open men singles trophy.

With his dramatic victory, Nadal claimed sole ownership of the record for the most men’s singles Grand Slam titles, moving past Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic who are both on 20 major crowns.

The 35-year-old, who also clinched the trophy in Melbourne in 2009, has become just the second player in the Open Era alongside Djokovic to win each of the four majors at least twice. He is also the third-oldest man in the Open Era to win a Grand Slam title after Ken Rosewall and Federer.

“It was one of the most emotional matches of my career,” Nadal said during the trophy ceremony.

“To share the court with Daniil was just an honour. It is amazing. To be honest, one and a half months ago I wasn’t sure if I was able to be back on the Tour playing tennis again. But today I am here in front of all of you with this trophy in front of me. You are just amazing, thank you so much,” he added.

In a high-quality and physical match that ebbed and flowed, a pumped-up Nadal showcased his fighting spirit to put water on a red-hot Medvedev performance.

With his back firmly against the wall after the second set, Nadal’s champion mindset shone through as he began to hit through Medvedev with more success in a brutal, heavy-hitting performance to table the turns. He rallied from 2-3, 0/40 on serve in the third set to change the momentum of the match and sealed his win on serve at the second time of asking in the decider.

The World No 5 was aggressive from the baseline throughout, demonstrating great footwork to run around his backhand and dictate with his heavy topspin forehand. The sixth seed fired 67 winners, closed the net effectively to shorten the points and broke seven times to triumph, an atptour.com report said.

Nadal now leads Medvedev 4-1 in their ATP Head2Head series, with this their second meeting in a Grand Slam final. At the US Open in 2019, Medvedev rallied from two-sets-to-love down before Nadal prevailed in the decider in a Flushing Meadows epic.

“Having the huge support I received over the past three weeks is going to stay in my heart for the rest of my life, so thank you very much,” Nadal added.

In a fast start, Medvedev quickly found his range against Nadal, forcing the Spaniard into errors as he showcased his impressive defensive skills to stay in brutal rallies. The Russian read the Nadal serve well, breaking the 35-year-old to love in back-to-back service games to pull 5-2 ahead before holding to lead.

In a mammoth second set that turned one way and then the other, both were strong on return as they matched each other’s intensity off the ground. Nadal twice had a break advantage, but was unable to put the Russian away, with Medvedev recovering from 1-4 and then 3-5.

Medvedev saved a set point on the Spaniard’s serve at 3-5, Ad-Nadal, before eventually breaking back as they moved to a tie-break. From 4/5, Medvedev raised his level, setting up a set point with a drive volley winner, which he then converted by guiding a backhand pass down the line, lifting his arms in celebration.

But Nadal showed everyone his fighting spirit at the start of the third set. He crucially held from 0/40 down at 2-3 before he turned the screw on Medvedev with his brutal hitting to break. When serving for the set, the Spaniard opened his shoulders and fired three winners to clinch the set, roaring in delight as he gained a foothold in the match.

A pumped up and re-energised Nadal continued to go on the attack in the fourth set. He fended off two break points at the start of the set before he found the breakthrough on Medvedev’s serve as he pulled the World No 2 from corner to corner with his brutal striking.

Medvedev refused to go away, responding immediately when Nadal fired a forehand long, but Nadal once again demonstrated his fighting spirit, sealing his second consecutive break with a deft backhand pass crosscourt. The Spaniard rifled 23 winners in the set and effectively went back behind the Russian into the forehand corner to draw level.

Nadal then showcased his supreme fitness levels in the decider, not letting his intensity wane in the fifth set. The former World No 1 fired a forehand winner down the line on the run to break for a 3-2 advantage as the Spaniard gained the lead for the first time in the match since the start of the first set, more than four hours earlier.

The 35-year-old then came through a 14-minute service game, firing three big first serves to fend off three more breakpoints, but was unable to serve out as Medvedev broke back from 4-5, 0/30 behind to level. However, Nadal was not to be denied, breaking back immediately before finally putting Medvedev to bed at the second time of asking.

With his triumph, it is just the fourth time Nadal has come back from two-sets-to-love down in his career. The last time he accomplished this was nearly 15 years ago when he battled past Mikhail Youzhny in the fourth round at Wimbledon in 2007.

Medvedev, who also reached the final in Melbourne last year, was trying to become the first male player in the Open Era to follow his maiden major trophy with his second at the next Grand Slam event, after triumphing at the US Open in September.

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