Simona Halep

Two-time Australian Open champion Naomi Osaka became the latest star to pull out of the opening Grand Slam of the year on Jan. 8, leaving the tournament deprived of some of the biggest names in the game.

No reason for the Japanese player's withdrawal was given with organizers Tennis Australia tweeting: "We will miss her at AO2023."

World number one Iga Swiatek was the only top 10 women's seed left standing at the French Open on May 28.
Swiatek, the 2020 champion, dropped serve three times against 95th-ranked Danka Kovinic of Montenegro before sealing a 6-3, 7-5 third round victory, her 31st successive win.

Iga Swiatek was once a bashful, teenage hard-rock fan who watched Rafael Nadal in awe before storming to a memorable Grand Slam triumph at a bleak, COVID-hit autumn edition of the French Open in 2020.

Today, she will be the new world number one.

With Guns N' Roses' "Welcome to the Jungle" in her headphones, the Pole took to the clay courts of Roland Garros in October 2020.

Iga Swiatek was once a bashful, teenage hard-rock fan who watched Rafael Nadal in awe before storming to a memorable Grand Slam triumph at a bleak, COVID-hit autumn edition of the French Open in 2020.

Today, she will be the new world number one.

With Guns N' Roses' "Welcome to the Jungle" in her headphones, the Pole took to the clay courts of Roland Garros in October 2020.

Seed No. 12, Romanian Simona Halep on Wednesday clinched an easy 6-3, 6-1 win against Slovakia's Kristina Kucova at Flushing Meadows - New York, moving to the third round of the US Open.

Romanian tennis player Sorana Cirstea progressed to the women's singles second round of the US Open tournament, the last Grand Slam of the year, after beating 29th -seeded Veronika Kudermetova of Russiah 7- 6 (5) 3-6 6-0 on Tuesday. Cirstea, 31, world number 39, prevailed over 24-year-old Kudermetova, world number 31, in about two hours (2 h 02 min).

Tennis player Simona Halep, world number 10, said on Thursday morning, before leaving for Canada to compete in the National Bank Open 2021 tournament, that she has recovered from a torn muscle, adding that the recent past, when she had to retire from Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the Olympics, was the hardest in her career. "Anything is possible in such an injury.

Chairman of the Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee (COSR) Mihai Covaliu tells AGERPRES in an interview that he is convinced Romanian athletes will stop in Tokyo the decline in the tally of Olympic medals that started in Sydney 2000. He says that in order to bring joy to Romanians, COSR needs the support of the government and its partners.

Former tennis player Ilie Nastase declared on Monday that the players that refused to take part in the singles' event of the Tokyo Olympic Games should return the money received from the Ministry of Youth and Sports (MTS) and the Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee (COSR) for taking part in several tournaments if they have no reasons, but he mentioned that the players are injured.

Bucharest, June 30 /Agerpres/ - Chairman of the Romanian Tennis Federation (FRT) Ion Tiriac announced on Wednesday that the Monica Niculescu- Raluca Olaru duo will be the only Romanian athletes qualified for the tennis competition at the Tokyo Olympic Games. "Competing for the Romanian tennis in Tokyo will be a women's double, I mean Monica Niculescu and Raluca Olaru.