Tennis news today: Novak Djokovic reaches the Tel Aviv Open final, Mayar Sherif defeats Maria Sakkari to win her first title at the Parma Open | October 2, 2022
Novak Djokovic moved into the final of the Tel Aviv Open by defeating Roman Safiullin in straight sets. Egypt's Mayar Sherif, meanwhile, claimed her maiden WTA title by defeating World No. 7 Maria Sakkari in the final of the Parma Open.
Jannik Sinner's title defense at the Sofia Open ended on a disappointing note as he had to retire during the semifinals due to injury. Anett Kontaveit and Barbora Krejcikova are set to face off in the Tallinn Open final.
The draw for the 2022 Astana Open has been revealed, with plenty of exciting match-ups right off the bat. Here's a round-up of the day's headlines:
Novak Djokovic reaches his 4th final of the season in Tel Aviv
Novak Djokovic defeated Roman Safiullin 6-1, 7-6(3) to advance to the final of the Tel Aviv Open. This is his fourth final of the season and first on hardcourts. Djokovic will square off against 2014 US Open champion Marin Cilic in the title round. The Croat defeated Constant Lestienne 7-5, 6-3 to reach his first final of the year.
Mayar Sherif wins her 1st WTA title in Parma
Mayar Sherif was constantly on the backfoot in the final against Maria Sakkari, but ultimately came out on top to win her first WTA title at the Parma Open. The Greek led by a break a couple of times in the opening set and served for it at 5-4, but lost the next three games.
Sherif trailed 2-0 in the second set, but claimed six of the next seven games to win the match 7-5, 6-3.
Jannik Sinner's Sofia Open title defense ends following a mid-match injury
Jannik Sinner's quest for a third straight title at the Sofia Open came to an end in the semifinals against Holger Rune. After splitting the first two sets, Rune led 3-2 in the decider. In the following game, Sinner took a nasty fall and twisted his ankle.
He tried to go on for a couple of games before calling it quits. Rune won the match 5-7, 6-4, 5-2, ret. and has now reached his second final of the season. He'll take on Marc-Andrea Huesler for the title.
Anett Kontaveit and Barbora Krejcikova to clash in the Tallinn Open final
Anett Kontaveit defeated compatriot Kaia Kanepi 6-4, 6-4 to reach the Tallinn Open final. Barbora Krejcikova, on the other hand, needed three-and-a-half hours to defeat Belinda Bencic 6-7(5), 7-6(2), 6-2. The 2021 French Open champion has struggled this year following an elbow injury, but appears to be back to her best.
Kontaveit has also been rather inconsistent of late, but competing on indoor hardcourts seems to have boosted her confidence. If she wins on Sunday, it'll be her fifth title on the surface.
Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic lead the Astana Open draw
The draw for the 2022 Astana Open has been unveiled, with many exciting matches lined up right from the start. World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz is up against Holger Rune in the first round, while Novak Djokovic will start against Cristian Garin.
Felix Auger-Aliassime will take on Roberto Bautista Agut in his opener, with Stan Wawrinka and Adrian Mannarino set for a first-round clash. The tournament will take place from October 3-9.