Tennis news today: Nick Kyrgios ends defending champion and World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev's Canadian Open campaign, Serena Williams makes tearful second-round exit | August 11, 2022
Daniil Medvedev's title defence at the 2022 Canadian Open was ended by the in-form Nick Kyrgios in the second round. 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams also lost to Belinda Bencic in the second round.
Rafael Nadal has confirmed that he will participate in next week's Cincinnati Open while defending champion Alexander Zverev is set to miss it. Eugenie Bouchard is set to make her comeback after an extended injury lay-off at the WTA 125 event in Vancouver.
Here's a round-up of the day's headlines:
Daniil Medvedev loses to Nick Kyrgios in the second round of the Canadian Open
World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev's title defense was quite brief as he lost to Nick Kyrgios in the second round of the Canadian Open. The Russian nabbed a closely contested opening set but had no answers to his opponent's tactics after that.
Kyrgios, who won the Citi Open on Sunday, raised his level over the course of the match to win 6-7 (2), 6-4, 6-2. With a couple of wins in Montreal, he has now extended his winning streak to eight matches. He'll take on compatriot Alex de Minaur in the third round.
Belinda Bencic ends Serena Williams' Canadian Open campaign
Belinda Bencic defeated former World No. 1 Serena Williams 6-2, 6-4 in the second round of the Canadian Open. The Swiss was in control of the match right from the start.
Williams, who's set to retire soon, had the full support of the crowd as they tried to lift her spirits. However, she was unable to make a comeback this time. Since this was the American's last time competing in the tournament, a farewell ceremony was also held for her.
Williams will now head to Ohio to compete in the Cincinnati Open next week.
Rafael Nadal to participate in next week's Cincinnati Open
Rafael Nadal has confirmed that he'll compete in the upcoming Cincinnati Open. The 22-time Grand Slam champion was set to return to action at the Canadian Open but had to withdraw from the tournament as he wasn't fully fit. The Spaniard sustained an abdominal tear during the Wimbledon Championships but appears to have recovered now.
"👋 home #Mallorca ✈️ Cincinnati 😀 Very happy to play again in Cincy. Flying there tomorrow 😉" - Nadal on Instagram
Nadal also has a shot at becoming the World No. 1 if he does well in Cincinnati. However, it'll also depend on how Daniil Medvedev, the reigning top-ranked player, performs.
Alexander Zverev withdraws from the Cincinnati Open
Defending champion Alexander Zverev has pulled out of next week's Cincinnati Open. The ankle injury he sustained at the French Open a couple of months ago still keeps him on the sidelines.
While the German has been practicing from time to time, he still isn't ready to return to competitive action. His participation in the US Open also remains in doubt.
Eugenie Bouchard set to make her comeback next week
Eugenie Bouchard has been away from the tour for more than a year now. She underwent shoulder surgery last year and has been away since then. The Canadian is now set to return to action at the WTA 125 event in Vancouver next week.
The 2014 Wimbledon runner-up has completely dropped out of the WTA rankings due to her prolonged absence from the tour. Prior to her surgery, she had started to notch up some good results and had reached the final of the WTA 250 event in Mexico as well.