Grand Slam US Open WTA
Krejcikova’s comeback and Townsend’s fight produce 2025’s fiercest US Open match
A fourth-round US Open thriller: Krejcikova saved eight match points to beat Townsend in three sets.
The fourth-round meeting between Barbora Krejcikova and Taylor Townsend at the US Open emerged as one of 2025’s most gripping encounters. Ranked 62nd and 139th respectively at the time, the two former doubles No. 1s combined varied shotmaking and net instincts on Louis Armstrong Stadium to deliver an emotional classic.
Townsend dominated the opening set 6-1 and surged in the second, breaking to lead 3-1 with an immaculate backhand topspin. The crowd rallied behind the American after a recent on-court controversy had prompted public support. But Krejcikova, known for a low-margin game that can swing wildly, refused to fold.
Down a set and a break, Krejcikova steadied. She broke back at 1-3, held through a long, multi-deuce game at 2-3 and forced a tiebreak. Townsend reached 6-3 in the breaker, then what followed became the match’s defining stretch. Over roughly 15 minutes, Krejcikova saved eight match points and ultimately won the tiebreak on her fourth set point.
She did not survive by playing safe. At 3-6 she struck an inside-out forehand for a winner. At 4-6 she attacked and Townsend erred on a forehand pass. At 6-7 Krejcikova landed a backhand into the corner that barely stayed in. At 10-11 she reached a delicate backhand volley down the line. At 11-12 she returned with an inside-out forehand near the sideline. Finally, up 14-13, she closed the set with a smash. Krejcikova reflected, “At all those match points, I was just very, I mean, brave as well, but also lucky at certain points, because we had great rallies, and I was facing them when I was serving, then when I was returning.”
Townsend pushed again in the third, saving a match point and reviving the crowd at 3-5, but Krejcikova prevailed 1-6, 7-6 (13), 6-3. “It just stings, because I literally gave everything,” Townsend said. “She came up with some really, really great tennis in moments where she was down, and I thought I had it.” Townsend added with a smile that she “took 10” minutes to sulk after the loss, per a coach’s rule allowing three minutes. Krejcikova, meanwhile, embraced the Armstrong stage despite having been cast as the day’s antagonist.
ATP Davis Cup Grand Slam
Jamie Murray retires after 36 years, closing the ‘Murray era’ in doubles
Jamie Murray retires after 36 years, ending a career that included a doubles world No. 1 peak today.
Jamie Murray confirmed his retirement on social media Wednesday, announcing that his long run in professional tennis is over. The former doubles world No. 1 and seven-time Grand Slam doubles champion posted images spanning his career and wrote that “[his] tennis journey [is coming] to an end after 36 years.”
In the message, Murray acknowledged the role his family played in his career. He thanked his mother Judy and his brother Andy for their support, saying their backing helped him “achieve everything I could in the game.” He added: “I feel very fortunate and privileged for all the amazing experiences this great sport has given me,” the 40-year-old wrote in the Instagram post.
Murray finishes his career with 34 tour-level titles, two of those won alongside his younger brother. The Murray pairing was central to Great Britain’s 2015 Davis Cup triumph, the country’s first Davis Cup victory in 79 years, with the brothers taking crucial doubles matches in the quarterfinal, semifinal and final rounds.
In 2016 Jamie reached a milestone for British doubles players by becoming the first British man to attain the world No. 1 ranking in doubles; he held that position for nine weeks. He also joined Andy as his doubles partner for Andy’s final Wimbledon tournament in 2024.
The social post offered a reflective ending to a career that spanned more than two decades and encompassed Grand Slam titles, a stint at the top of the doubles rankings and a key role in a historic national team victory. Murray’s announcement marks the close of a defining presence in doubles competition and a notable chapter in recent British tennis history.
ATP Grand Slam
Becker’s 1989 US Open trophy sells for more than $357,000 at auction
Becker’s 1989 US Open trophy brought more than $357,000, becoming the priciest trophy sale on sale.
Nearly 40 years after he lifted it, Boris Becker’s 1989 US Open Men’s Singles trophy sold at auction for more than $357,000. The lot is now the most expensive tennis trophy ever sold and the second-most expensive piece of tennis memorabilia ever to reach the market, behind only Novak Djokovic’s racquet, which sold for $450,000 in February.
Prestige Memorabilia noted the rarity of the sale: “Such trophies virtually never leave the possession of the player who won them. To the best of our knowledge, this example represents the only known US Open Men’s Singles champion trophy from the Open Era ever to reach the public market.”
Becker received the sterling silver trophy after defeating Ivan Lendl in the 1989 final, a victory that represented his fourth Grand Slam title and his only US Open championship. Crafted by Tiffany & Co., the trophy had been on loan to the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island before appearing at auction.
The trophy’s appearance on the market traces back to Becker’s bankruptcy proceedings. He was declared bankrupt in 2017 and, beginning in 2019, sold trophies and personal memorabilia to raise funds for creditors. Items reported as sold included the 1989 US Open trophy, a 1985 Wimbledon replica trophy, a 1988 Davis Cup trophy, and a Hall of Fame ring. The bankruptcy case led to criminal proceedings; Becker was convicted on four charges under the Insolvency Act, served a fast-tracked sentence in 2022, and was released in December 2022. During the London court proceedings he reportedly owed creditors $62.5 million and said a majority of his career trophies had been sold, gifted, or “lost,” leaving him unable to produce them for creditors.
According to the auction lot description, the trophy stands 14 inches tall, is made of sterling silver, and bears the inscription: “United States Tennis Association / United States Open Tennis Championship / Men’s Singles / Boris Becker / 1989.”
© 2026 David Benito
Equipment Finals Grand Slam
Sabalenka debuts Wilson Blade v10 and reflects on pressure, regret and grief in Esquire profile
World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka debuts a Wilson Blade v10, discusses grief, regrets and lessons. Read on
Fans missing Aryna Sabalenka at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix have been met with a steady stream of new material from the world No. 1. Sabalenka unveiled her new racquet and posed for a fashion-forward Esquire cover shoot while speaking with editor-in-chief Michael Sebastian.
The Wilson advertisement for the Blade v10 carries a simple declaration: “Pressure is power,” a line that echoed Sabalenka’s 2026 run. A four-time Grand Slam champion, the 27-year-old rebounded from an Australian Open final loss to Elena Rybakina by completing the Sunshine Double, taking back-to-back titles at the BNP Paribas Open and the Miami Open. In Miami she avenged the Australian Open defeat to Rybakina in straight sets.
Asked how she might have lived her life outside tennis, she said she would be a “boxer or a model,” and in the Esquire conversation she addressed mistakes and hard lessons.
“I have a lot of regrets. I think we all do,” she told editor-in-chief Michael Sebastian. “Mistakes make us better people. It’s tough to be the person without regrets and mistakes. You better stay away from those people.”
Sabalenka also revisited a difficult moment after the Roland Garros final, when she was hesitant to immediately praise Coco Gauff following a three-set defeat. “I have to take my time after the match before I go to the press conference when I lose the match, because when you do it straightaway, you’re still that emotional person,” said Sabalenka. The two players later smoothed things over and recorded conciliatory TikToks.
Beyond on-court swings, Sabalenka spoke about personal loss. She has carried the grief of losing her father in 2019 and urged emotional honesty. “It’s important to grieve, to cry, to go through the emotions,” she said. “Never hold it inside, because it’ll destroy you from the inside.”
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