Former world number three Stan Wawrinka shone following a rain delay at the Italian Open as the oldest player in the men’s draw powered past Ilya Ivashka 6-2 6-4 to book his place in the second round.

Roger Federer said he hopes Rafa Nadal will recover in time for the French Open and that it would be a “brutal” blow for tennis if the 14-time Roland Garros champion is absent this year.

Belarusian second seed Aryna Sabalenka beat Iga Swiatek 6-3 3-6 6-3 to win the Madrid Open yesterday.

Petra Kvitova has withdrawn from next week’s Italian Open with an injury to her right foot, she said on social media on Saturday.

Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz celebrated his 20th birthday by storming into the Madrid Open final.

World number two Aryna Sabalenka brushed past Maria Sakkari 6-4 6-1 in the semi-finals of the Madrid Open to set up a potential second straight final showdown with top-ranked Iga Swiatek.

World number two Carlos Alcaraz stayed on course for his fourth title of 2023 by powering into the semi-finals of the Madrid Open with a 6-4 7-5 win over Russian Karen Khachanov on Thursday.

World number two Aryna Sabalenka denied unseeded Egyptian Mayar Sherif the biggest victory of her career when the Belarusian came back from a set down to win their Madrid Open quarter-final 2-6 6-2 6-1.

Daria Kasatkina said she is thankful that Russian tennis players are still able to compete in international tournaments while other sports have banned them due to the war in Ukraine.

Defending champion Ons Jabeur said she had withdrawn from the Madrid Open with a calf injury after retiring from the Stuttgart Open at the weekend.

Novak Djokovic has pulled out of next week’s Madrid Open, organisers said, with the world number one joining Rafa Nadal on the sidelines.

From May 1st to 7th, 22 junior players will represent Fiji in Vanuatu for the West Pacific Regional Qualifiers Championship.