The 2024 Tennis Thread where you can discuss all things to do with Tennis.

ATP:

 

1. Novak Djokovic (Serbia)

2. Carlos Alcaraz (Spain)

3. Danill Medevedev

4. Jannik Sinner (Italy)

5. Andrey Rublev

6. Stefanos Tsitsipas (Greece)

7. Alexander Zverev (Germany)

8. Holger Rune (Norway)

9. Hubert Hurkacz (Poland)

10. Taylor Fritz (USA)

11. Casper Ruud (Norway)

12. Alex de Minaur (Australia)

13. Tommy Paul (USA)

14. Grigor Dimitrov (Bulgaria)

15. Karen Khachanov

16. Frances Tiafoe (USA)

17. Ben Shelton (USA)

18. Cameron Norrie (Great Britain)

19. Nicolas Jarry (Chile)

20. Ugo Humbert (France)

 

Brits in Top 200:

 

38. Dan Evans

42. Andy Murray

61. Jack Draper

108. Liam Broady

160. Jan Choinski

179. Ryan Peniston

199. Billy Harris

WTA:

 

1. Iga Swiatek (Poland)

2. Aryna Sabalenka

3. Coco Gauff (USA)

4. Elena Rybakina (Kazakhstan)

5. Jessica Pegula (USA)

6. Ons Jabeur (Tunisia)

7. Marketa Vondrousova (Czechia)

8. Maria Sakkari (Greece)

9. Karolina Muchova (Czechia)

10. Barbora Krejcikova (Czechia)

11. Beatriz Haddad-Maia (Brazil)

12. Jelena Ostapenko (Latvia)

13. Madison Keys (USA)

14. Qinwen Zheng (China)

15. Liudmila Samsonova

16. Veronika Kudermetova

17. Petra Kvitova (Czechia)

18. Daria Kasatkina

19. Belinda Bencic (Switzerland)

20. Caroline Garcia (France)

 

Brits in Top 200:

 

57. Katie Boulter

99. Jodie Burrage

120. Harriet Dart

139. Heather Watson

189. Yuriko Lily Miyazaki

It will be interesting to see how Osaka and Raducanu get on this year. I think the former can still win some slams in her career but the latter is finished imo.

US Open champion Coco Gauff brushed aside Varvara Gracheva to reach the Auckland Classic semi-finals as she builds toward the Australian Open.

 

It took Gauff, 19, just 52 minutes to seal a 6-1 6-1 quarter-final win and set up a last-four meeting with fellow American Emma Navarro.

 

The Australian Open gets under way in Melbourne on 14 January.

 

Meanwhile, Briton Harriet Dart has reached the biggest final of her career at the Canberra International.

 

Dart, 27, beat American Katie Volynets 7-5 3-6 7-5 in the WTA 125 series tournament, which is the rung immediately below the full WTA Tour.

Rafael Nadal failed to convert three match points as he fell to a quarter-final defeat against Australian Jordan Thompson at the Brisbane International.

 

Nadal, 37, went close to sealing a straight-set victory but lost 5-7 7-6 (8-6) 6-3 to 29-year-old Thompson.

 

It was Nadal's third match since returning to action after almost a year out with a hip injury.

 

Thompson will face world number 14 Grigor Dimitrov in the semi-finals on Saturday.

Britain's Emma Raducanu withdrew from a charity match on Tuesday that was part of her Australian Open build-up.

 

The 2021 US Open champion is set to make her Grand Slam return next week in Melbourne after missing much of 2023 following ankle and wrist surgeries.

 

She woke up a "little sore" after a two-hour practice session on Monday and chose to rest instead.

 

Earlier, original opponent Naomi Osaka pulled out and was replaced by Donna Vekic for the match at Melbourne Park.

Britain's Billy Harris came back from a set down to keep alive his hopes of qualifying for the Australian Open, while Ryan Peniston also progressed.

 

The 28-year-old Harris, who has never made the main draw of the men's singles at a Grand Slam, recovered to beat Bulgarian Dimitar Kuzmanov 0-6 6-2 6-2 and set up a meeting with David Goffin.

 

Peniston won a final-set tie-break to beat Elias Ymer 6-1 4-6 7-6 (10-7).

 

But Lily Miyazaki was beaten on the first day of action in Melbourne.

 

Miyazaki lost to Australian 18-year-old Melisa Ercan, who was able to overcome calf cramps to edge a second-set tie-break and seal a 6-4 7-6 (7-5) win.

Australian Open Men's Singles:

 

Novak Djokovic 11-10f

Carlos Alcaraz 10-3

Jannik Sinner 13-2

Daniil Medvedev 9-1

Alexander Zverev 25-1

Alex De Minaur 28-1

Holger Rune 28-1

Andrey Rublev 40-1

Ben Shelton 40-1

Grigor Dimitrov 40-1

Stefanos Tsitspas 40-1

Casper Ruud 50-1

Hubert Hurkacz 80-1

Jack Draper 80-1

Sebastian Korda 80-1

Taylor Fritz 80-1

Francis Tiafoe 100-1

 

Australian Open Women's Singles:

 

 

Iga Swiatek 23/10f

A.Sabalenka 9/2

E.Rybakina 5/1

Coco Gauff 6/1

J.Pegula 20/1

Mirra Andreeva 20/1

N.Osaka 28/1

Qinwen Zheng 33/1

E.Svitolina 40/1

M.Sakkari 40/1

O.Jabeur 40/1

B.Krejcikova 50/1

E.Raducanu 50/1

J.Ostapenko 50/1

M.Vondrousova 50/1

B.H.Maia 66/1

C.Garcia 66/1

Leylah Fernandez 66/1

Liudmila Samsonova 66/1

V.Azarenka 66/1

V.Kudermetova 66/1

A.Pavlyuchenkova 80/1

C.Wozniacki 80/1

D.Kasatkina 80/1

Danielle Collins 80/1

Ka.Pliskova 80/1

Linda Noskova 80/1

A.Kalinskaya 100/1

I think the winners will be the same as last year.

Love that Jack Draper is high in the odds vs his ranking. He will be top 20 by the end of the year

All the Brits being useless as is the norm now! Even Norrie was super lucky to progress.

That was a remarkable final set tie-break just now between Blinkova and Rybakina going to 22-20 and lasting 31 minutes. :o

I imagine the tie-break lasted longer than all three sets individually!

Canny believe Draper went out against someone he thrashed only a week ago!

 

Not surprising on the other Brits and don’t think Norrie will get much further

Norrie gets his first win over Ruud, to make the 4th round in Australia for the first time :D

Nice to see Norrie still in - I imagine a match against Zverev will be difficult though!

 

I know the Women's singles is often a lot less predictable but that's a lot of the top seeds out already!

That's a shame for Norrie to play so well but kinda throw it away at the end.

crazy how 8 out of top 9 are in the Men's Q - all but Rune

but only 2 women in the top 9 make the Women's Q - only Sabalenka and Coco