US Open, the final Grand Slam of the season, starts Monday, August 28, at Flushing Meadows in New York.
Top seed Simona Halep came back from a set down for the third time in the tournament to beat Kazakhstan's rising star Elena Rybakina 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(5) to win the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships for the second time on Saturday. In a battle that lasted nearly two-and-a-half hours, the match came down to a tiebreak where two shots that went agonisingly wide for Rybakina eventually decided the title in front of a noisy crowd that constantly chanted Halep's name.
Andy Murray has had his mind elsewhere for much of the Australian Open but will need to bring laser-sharp focus into Friday's semi-final against the red-hot Milos Raonic.
Stan Wawrinka let his tennis do the talking as he brushed off the after-effects of a cold to breeze into the fourth round of the Australian Open with a 6-2, 6-3, 7-6(3) victory over Lukas Rosol on Saturday.
A near flawless Novak Djokovic crushed Marin Cilic 6-0, 6-3 to set up a blockbuster Monte Carlo Masters semi-final with claycourt king Rafa Nadal, who came through a testing workout by David Ferrer on Friday.
Federer, who skipped the French Open this year to give his body time to recover from his incredible exploits in the first half of the season which he began by winning an 18th major at the Australian Open, said he hoped Murray would not live to regret battling through the pain barrier.
Second seed Angelique Kerber stayed on track in her quest to unseat Serena Williams as world number one by beating Mirjana Lucic-Baroni of Croatia 6-2, 7-6(7) on Wednesday to reach the third round of the US Open.
Federer begins the pursuit of a record eighth Wimbledon title and a record 85th match win at the grass court major; Djokovic hoping to curb dismal slide
Canadian Milos Raonic will not be the only man experiencing something new on Wimbledon's Centre Court on Sunday -- for the first time Britain's Andy Murray will start a Grand Slam final as favourite after crushing Tomas Berdych in the semis.
On court Novak Djokovic is taking tennis to extraordinary new levels with his single-minded obsession with winning; off it the Serbian is more than happy to share power. The 29-year-old will begin his attempt to win a fourth Wimbledon title on Monday when he plays British wildcard James Ward on Centre Court -- 12 months after claiming a second successive title by beating Roger Federer.
Djokovic and Agassi are deep thinkers about the sport and McEnroe said that their partnership, however long it lasts, can be a meeting of minds
If there is a new member of the grand slam champions' club this weekend, nobody should be surprised -- the conditions at this year's sodden, chilly French Open suit the underdog.
Halep through but Stephens exits in Cincinnati
amiliar names, however, are tipped to take off with the winners' trophies. The following is a list of talking points at the Australian Open:
Roger Federer booked his place in the ATP World Tour Finals for a record-tying 12th consecutive year when he dismissed South African Kevin Anderson 6-4, 6-4 to reach the third round of the Paris Masters on Wednesday.
Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams are top seeds at the major starting Monday
Serbia's Novak Djokovic is the top seed in the men's draw which includes five-times US Open champion and 17-times Grand Slam winner Roger Federer as seventh seed - his first time the Swiss has been placed outside the top three in a Grand Slam in over ten years.
Novak Djokovic is expecting a fierce battle with an old friend and familiar protagonist when he makes a bid for history in the Australian Open final against Andy Murray on Sunday.
Champion Novak Djokovic was unable to draw much support from the crowd at Rod Laver Arena during his 6-1, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 semi-final win over sentimental favourite Roger Federer on Thursday, but the Serb found vital friends in the weather and the net-cord.
Reigning champions Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams have been named top seeds for the Australian Open starting on Monday.
Grigor Dimitrov reached his first grand slam quarter-final in over two years on Monday by defeating an injury-hampered Denis Istomin 2-6, 7-6(2), 6-2, 6-1 to end the Uzbek wildcard's fairytale run at the Australian Open.
Marin Cilic and Milos Raonic booked their spots in the Paris Masters second round on Monday, while Roger Federer pulled out of the tournament with next month's ATP Finals on the horizon.
IMAGES from Day 4 of the Australian Open in Melbourne, on Thursday.
Rafael Nadal easily avoided the embarrassment of a back-to-back first round exits at the Australian Open on Tuesday, ramping up his serve and rattling off 39 winners to beat Florian Mayer 6-3, 6-4, 6-1 on Rod Laver Arena.
As the players warm up before the tournament, meet the players who could well be contenders for the 2017 Australian Open titles.
Shapovalov made the world take note of him with his shock win over Rafael Nadal at the Montreal Masters. He then became the youngest player to reach the fourth round of the US Open, only his second Grand Slam, last week.
Novak Djokovic sauntered past Spaniard Feliciano Lopez to reach the quarter-finals of the Shanghai Masters on Thursday but Andy Murray had to claw past big-serving American John Isner after losing a first-set tiebreaker.
With the physical demands of modern-day tennis taking its toll the tournament will start without four of the top 11 in the ATP rankings including defending champion Stan Wawrinka who ended his season early with a knee injury.
The triple grand slam winner, who will take over from Serb Novak Djokovic at the top when the rankings are updated on Monday, still went out on centre court for a practice session in front of a bemused crowd.
Canadian Frank Dancevic slammed Australian Open organisers for forcing players to play in "inhumane" conditions after he suffered heat stroke in temperatures of 41 degrees Celcius (108 degrees Fahrenheit) on Tuesday.
A summary of Friday's tennis action from around the world.
Top seeds Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams face challenging early tests at the US Open following Friday's draws for the year's last Grand Slam starting on Monday.
Swiss second seed Stan Wawrinka advanced into the semi-finals at the Rogers Cup with a comprehensive 6-1, 6-3 victory over big-serving South African Kevin Anderson at the Aviva Centre in Toronto on Friday.
For good reason a two-week Grand Slam can be described as a 'last man standing' marathon of mental and physical endurance, which makes Roger Federer's haul of 19 all the more incredible.
Defending champion Sloane Stephens was sent packing from the Miami Open on Sunday after a 6-3, 6-2 loss to Germany's Tatjana Maria in the third round.
Roger Federer registers his 1,000 ATP career win.
Photos from the matches played at the Miami Open on Tuesday
Swiss seventh seed Belinda Bencic was stunned by Slovakia's Magdalena Rybarikova while former champion Ana Ivanovic was also sent packing in third-round action at the BNP Paribas Open in California.
Raucous home support for holders Argentina did not make up for the absence of Juan Martin del Potro and Federico Delbonis on Friday as they fell 2-0 behind to Italy in the first round of the Davis Cup.
Australian Open organisers have tweaked their 'Extreme Heat Policy' for next year's tournament after being accused of forcing players to perform in "inhuman" conditions during a heatwave in January.
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