- Frances Tiafoe Ends Rinky Hijikata’s Run, Advances To Third Major QF ATP Tour
- Frances Tiafoe, Ben Shelton set for long-awaited All-American US Open quarterfinal New York Post
- 2023 US Open: Rinky Hijikata vs. Frances Tiafoe, Round 4 Key Match preview US Open Tennis Championships
- US Open 2023 results: Novak Djokovic, Frances Tiafoe, Taylor Fritz & Ben Shelton into New York quarters Yahoo Sports
- Tribute from Tiafoe towards Big Four with ‘brutal’ nature of Grand Slams: “It’s tough, it’s not easy, a lot of distractions’ TennisUpToDate.com
- View Full Coverage on Google News
Tag Archives: ATP
Juan Carlos Ferrero On Carlos Alcaraz: ‘The Pressure Will Always Be There’ – ATP Tour
- Juan Carlos Ferrero On Carlos Alcaraz: ‘The Pressure Will Always Be There’ ATP Tour
- Before Carlos Alcaraz Was Great, He Was Good Enough to Be Lucky The New York Times
- “Painted a villain since day 1” – Novak Djokovic fans take offense to Carlos Alcaraz being likened to Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in favor of Serb Sportskeeda
- After Carlos Alcaraz says doubles with Rafael Nadal would be ‘a dream,’ what pairs would we love to see? Tennis Magazine
- Ferrero: Alcaraz is better than last year – Roland-Garros – The 2023 Roland-Garros Tournament official site Roland-Garros
- View Full Coverage on Google News
Slow TCA flux and ATP production in primary solid tumours but not metastases
Frayn, K. N. & Evans, R. Human Metabolism: A Regulatory Perspective (John Wiley & Sons, 2019).
Warburg, O. The metabolism of carcinoma cells. J. Cancer Res. 9, 148–163 (1925).
Google Scholar
Warburg, O. The metabolism of tumors in the body. J. Gen. Physiol. 8, 519–530 (1927).
Google Scholar
Vander Heiden, M. G., Cantley, L. C. & Thompson, C. B. Understanding the Warburg effect: the metabolic requirements of cell proliferation. Science 324, 1029–1033 (2009).
Liberti, M. V. & Locasale, J. W. The Warburg effect: how does it benefit cancer cells? Trends Biochem. Sci. 41, 211–218 (2016).
Google Scholar
Cori, C. F. & Cori, G. T. The carbohydrate metabolism of tumors: III. The rate of glycolysis of tumor tissue in the living animal. J. Cancer Res. 12, 301–313 (1928).
Crabtree, H. G. Observations on the carbohydrate metabolism of tumours. Biochem. J. 23, 536–545 (1929).
Google Scholar
Fletcher, J. W. et al. Recommendations on the use of 18F-FDG PET in oncology. J. Nucl. Med. 49, 480–508 (2008).
Birsoy, K. et al. An essential role of the mitochondrial electron transport chain in cell proliferation is to enable aspartate synthesis. Cell 162, 540–551 (2015).
Google Scholar
Ju, Y. S. et al. Origins and functional consequences of somatic mitochondrial DNA mutations in human cancer. eLife 3, e02935 (2014).
Weinberg, F. et al. Mitochondrial metabolism and ROS generation are essential for Kras-mediated tumorigenicity. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 107, 8788–8793 (2010).
Google Scholar
Sullivan, L. B. et al. Supporting aspartate biosynthesis is an essential function of respiration in proliferating. Cell 162, 552–563 (2015).
Google Scholar
Viale, A. et al. Oncogene ablation-resistant pancreatic cancer cells depend on mitochondrial function. Nature 514, 628–632 (2014).
Google Scholar
Gorelick, A. N. et al. Respiratory complex and tissue lineage drive recurrent mutations in tumour mtDNA. Nat Metab. 3, 558–570 (2021).
Google Scholar
Hui, S. et al. Glucose feeds the TCA cycle via circulating lactate. Nature 551, 115–118 (2017).
Hensley, C. T. et al. Metabolic heterogeneity in human lung tumors. Cell 164, 681–694 (2016).
Google Scholar
Mason, G. F. et al. Simultaneous determination of the rates of the TCA cycle, glucose utilization, α-ketoglutarate/glutamate exchange, and glutamine synthesis in human brain by NMR. J. Cereb. Blood Flow Metab. 15, 12–25 (1995).
Google Scholar
Jucker, B. M., Lee, J. Y. & Shulman, R. G. In vivo 13C NMR measurements of hepatocellular tricarboxylic acid cycle flux. J. Biol. Chem. 273, 12187–12194 (1998).
Google Scholar
Petersen, K. F. et al. Mitochondrial dysfunction in the elderly: possible role in insulin resistance. Science 300, 1140–1142 (2003).
Google Scholar
Wijnen, J. P. et al. In vivo 13C magnetic resonance spectroscopy of a human brain tumor after application of 13C-1-enriched glucose. Magn. Reson. Imaging 28, 690–697 (2010).
Google Scholar
Yuan, J., Bennett, B. D. & Rabinowitz, J. D. Kinetic flux profiling for quantitation of cellular metabolic fluxes. Nat. Protoc. 3, 1328–1340 (2008).
Google Scholar
Befroy, D. E. et al. Direct assessment of hepatic mitochondrial oxidative and anaplerotic fluxes in humans using dynamic 13 C magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Nat. Med. 20, 98–102 (2014).
Google Scholar
Nöh, K., Wahl, A. & Wiechert, W. Computational tools for isotopically instationary 13C labeling experiments under metabolic steady state conditions. Metab. Eng. 8, 554–577 (2006).
Martin, A. W. & Fuhrman, F. A. The relationship between summated tissue respiration and metabolic rate in the mouse and dog. Physiol. Zool. 28, 18–34 (1955).
Sokoloff, L. et al. The [14c]deoxyglucose method for the measurement of local cerebral glucose utilization: theory, procedure, and normal values in the conscious and anesthetized albino Rat. J. Neurochem. 28, 897–916 (1977).
Google Scholar
Hostetler, K. Y. & Landau, B. R. Estimation of the pentose cycle contribution to glucose metabolism in tissue in vivo. Biochemistry 6, 2961–2964 (1967).
Google Scholar
Munger, J. et al. Systems-level metabolic flux profiling identifies fatty acid synthesis as a target for antiviral therapy. Nat. Biotechnol. 26, 1179–1186 (2008).
Google Scholar
Fueger, B. J. et al. Impact of animal handling on the results of 18F-FDG PET studies in mice. J. Nucl. Med. 47, 999–1006 (2006).
Google Scholar
Wolfe, R. R. Tracers in Metabolic Research: Radioisotope and Stable Isotope/Mass Spectometry Methods (A.R. Liss, 1984).
Donovan, C. M. & Brooks, G. A. Endurance training affects lactate clearance, not lactate production. Am. J. Physiol. Endocrinol. Metab. 244, E83–E92 (1983).
Google Scholar
Levy, M. N. Uptake of lactate and pyruvate by intact kidney of the dog. Am. J. Physiol. 202, 302–308 (1962).
Google Scholar
Murashige, D. et al. Comprehensive quantification of fuel use by the failing and nonfailing human heart. Science 370, 364–368 (2020).
Google Scholar
Jang, C. et al. Metabolite exchange between mammalian organs quantified in pigs. Cell Metab. 30, 594–606 (2019).
Google Scholar
Piskounova, E. et al. Oxidative stress inhibits distant metastasis by human melanoma cells. Nature 527, 186–191 (2015).
Google Scholar
Ubellacker, J. M. et al. Lymph protects metastasizing melanoma cells from ferroptosis. Nature 585, 113–118 (2020).
Google Scholar
Fischer, G. M. et al. Molecular profiling reveals unique immune and metabolic features of melanoma brain metastases. Cancer Discov. 9, 628–645 (2019).
Google Scholar
Rodrigues, M. F. et al. Enhanced OXPHOS, glutaminolysis and β-oxidation constitute the metastatic phenotype of melanoma cells. Biochem. J. 473, 703–715 (2016).
Google Scholar
Momcilovic, M. et al. In vivo imaging of mitochondrial membrane potential in non-small-cell lung cancer. Nature 575, 380–384 (2019).
Google Scholar
Nicholls, D. G. & Locke, R. M. Thermogenic mechanisms in brown fat. Physiol. Rev. 64, 1–64 (1984).
Google Scholar
Divakaruni, A. S. & Brand, M. D. The regulation and physiology of mitochondrial proton leak. Physiology 26, 192–205 (2011).
Google Scholar
Brown, G. C. Control of respiration and ATP synthesis in mammalian mitochondria and cells. Biochem. J. 284, 1–13 (1992).
Google Scholar
Pavlova, N. N. & Thompson, C. B. The emerging hallmarks of cancer metabolism. Cell Metab. 23, 27–47 (2016).
Google Scholar
Bauduin, H., Colin, M. & Dumont, J. E. Energy sources for protein synthesis and enzymatic secretion in rat pancreas in vitro. Biochim. Biophy. Acta 174, 722–733 (1969).
Google Scholar
Campagne, R. N. & Gruber, M. Amino acid and energy requirements of protein synthesis in rat pancreatic tissue in vitro. Biochim. Biophys. Acta 55, 353–360 (1962).
Google Scholar
Neinast, M. D. et al. Quantitative analysis of the whole-body metabolic fate of branched-chain amino acids. Cell Metab. 29, 417–429 (2019).
Google Scholar
Lassen, N. A., Munck, O. & Thaysen, J. H. Oxygen consumption and sodium reabsorption in the kidney. Acta Physiol. Scand. 51, 371–384 (1961).
Google Scholar
Müller, M. J. Hepatic fuel selection. Proc. Nutr. Soc. 54, 139–150 (1995).
Frauwirth, K. A. et al. The CD28 signaling pathway regulates glucose metabolism. Immunity 16, 769–777 (2002).
Google Scholar
Lapidot, T. et al. A cell initiating human acute myeloid leukaemia after transplantation into SCID mice. Nature 367, 645–648 (1994).
Google Scholar
Storz, P. Acinar cell plasticity and development of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Nat. Rev. Gastroenterol. Hepatol. 14, 296–304 (2017).
Google Scholar
Rajasekaran, S. A. et al. Reduced expression of beta-subunit of na,k-atpase in human clear-cell renal cell carcinoma. J. Urol. 162, 574–580 (1999).
Google Scholar
Chang, C.-H. et al. Metabolic competition in the tumor microenvironment is a driver of cancer progression. Cell 162, 1229–1241 (2015).
Google Scholar
Kamphorst, J. J. et al. Human pancreatic cancer tumors are nutrient poor and tumor cells actively scavenge extracellular protein. Cancer Res. 75, 544–553 (2015).
Google Scholar
Tasdogan, A. et al. Metabolic heterogeneity confers differences in melanoma metastatic potential. Nature 577, 115–120 (2020).
Google Scholar
Reinfeld, B. I. et al. Cell-programmed nutrient partitioning in the tumour microenvironment. Nature 593, 282–288 (2021).
Google Scholar
Brindle, K. M. Imaging metabolism with hyperpolarized 13C-labeled cell substrates. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 137, 6418–6427 (2015).
Google Scholar
Davidson, S. M. et al. Environment impacts the metabolic dependencies of Ras-driven non-small cell lung cancer. Cell Metab. 23, 517–528 (2016).
Google Scholar
Herranz, D. et al. Metabolic reprogramming induces resistance to anti-NOTCH1 therapies in T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Nat. Med. 21, 1182–1189 (2015).
Google Scholar
Kang, Y. et al. A multigenic program mediating breast cancer metastasis to bone. Cancer Cell 3, 537–549 (2003).
Google Scholar
Minn, A. J. et al. Genes that mediate breast cancer metastasis to lung. Nature 436, 518–524 (2005).
Google Scholar
Esposito, M. et al. TGF-β-induced DACT1 biomolecular condensates repress Wnt signalling to promote bone metastasis. Nat. Cell Biol. 23, 257–267 (2021).
Google Scholar
Chiles, E. et al. Fast LC-MS quantitation of glucose and glycerol via enzymatic derivatization. Anal. Biochem. 575, 40–43 (2019).
Google Scholar
Wang, L. et al. Spatially resolved isotope tracing reveals tissue metabolic activity. Nat. Methods 19, 223–230 (2022).
Gupta, M., Sonnett, M., Ryazanova, L., Presler, M. & Wühr, M. Quantitative proteomics of Xenopus embryos I, sample preparation. Methods Mol. Biol. 1865, 175–194 (2018).
Google Scholar
Hughes, C. S. et al. Single-pot, solid-phase-enhanced sample preparation for proteomics experiments. Nat. Protoc. 14, 68–85 (2019).
Google Scholar
Rappsilber, J., Mann, M. & Ishihama, Y. Protocol for micro-purification, enrichment, pre-fractionation and storage of peptides for proteomics using StageTips. Nat. Protoc. 2, 1896–1906 (2007).
Google Scholar
Li, J. et al. TMTpro-18plex: The expanded and complete set of TMTpro reagents for sample multiplexing. J. Proteome Res. 20, 2964–2972 (2021).
Google Scholar
Su, X., Lu, W. & Rabinowitz, J. D. Metabolite spectral accuracy on orbitraps. Anal. Chem. 89, 5940–5948 (2017).
Google Scholar
Levenberg, K. A method for the solution of certain non-linear problems in least squares. Quart. Appl. Math. 2, 164–168 (1944).
Google Scholar
Marquardt, D. W. An algorithm for least-squares estimation of nonlinear parameters. J. Soc. Ind. Appl. Math. 11, 431–441 (1963).
Google Scholar
Hui, S. et al. Quantitative fluxomics of circulating metabolites. Cell Metab. 32, 676–688 (2020).
Google Scholar
Ghergurovich, J. M. et al. Local production of lactate, ribose phosphate, and amino acids by human triple-negative breast cancer. Med 2, 736–754 (2021).
Google Scholar
Petersen, M. C., Vatner, D. F. & Shulman, G. I. Regulation of hepatic glucose metabolism in health and disease. Nat. Rev. Endocrinol. 13, 572–587 (2017).
Google Scholar
Brown, R. P., Delp, M. D., Lindstedt, S. L., Rhomberg, L. R. & Beliles, R. P. Physiological parameter values for physiologically based pharmacokinetic models. Toxicol. Ind. Health 13, 407–484 (1997).
Google Scholar
West, D. B., Boozer, C. N., Moody, D. L. & Atkinson, R. L. Dietary obesity in nine inbred mouse strains. Am. J. Physiol. 262, R1025–R1032 (1992).
Google Scholar
Burkholder, T. J., Fingado, B., Baron, S. & Lieber, R. L. Relationship between muscle fiber types and sizes and muscle architectural properties in the mouse hindlimb. J. Morphol. 221, 177–190 (1994).
Google Scholar
Mathewson, M. A., Chapman, M. A., Hentzen, E. R., Fridén, J. & Lieber, R. L. Anatomical, architectural, and biochemical diversity of the murine forelimb muscles. J. Anat. 221, 443–451 (2012).
Kim, Y. S. Human tissues: chemical composition and photon dosimetry data. Radiat. Res. 57, 38–45 (1974).
Google Scholar
Goldman, M. J. et al. Visualizing and interpreting cancer genomics data via the Xena platform. Nat. Biotechnol. 38, 675–678 (2020).
Google Scholar
Kanehisa, M. & Goto, S. KEGG: Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes. Nucleic Acids Res. 28, 27–30 (2000).
Google Scholar
Chen, E. Y. et al. Enrichr: interactive and collaborative HTML5 gene list enrichment analysis tool. BMC Bioinform. 14, 128 (2013).
Sonnett, M., Gupta, M., Nguyen, T. & Wühr, M. Quantitative proteomics for Xenopus embryos II, data analysis. Methods Mol. Biol. 1865, 195–215 (2018).
Google Scholar
Sonnett, M., Yeung, E. & Wühr, M. Accurate, sensitive, and precise multiplexed proteomics using the complement reporter ion cluster. Anal. Chem. 90, 5032–5039 (2018).
Google Scholar
Ancient chemistry may explain why living things use ATP as the universal energy currency
A simple two-carbon compound may have been a crucial player in the evolution of metabolism before the advent of cells, according to a new study published October 4 in the open access journal PLOS Biology, by Nick Lane and colleagues of University College London, U.K. The finding potentially sheds light on the earliest stages of prebiotic biochemistry, and suggests how ATP came to be the universal energy carrier of all cellular life today.
ATP, adenosine triphosphate, is used by all cells as an energy intermediate. During cellular respiration, energy is captured when a phosphate is added to ADP (adenosine diphosphate) to generate ATP; cleavage of that phosphate releases energy to power most types of cellular functions. But building ATP’s complex chemical structure from scratch is energy intensive and requires six separate ATP-driven steps; while convincing models do allow for prebiotic formation of the ATP skeleton without energy from already-formed ATP, they also suggest ATP was likely quite scarce, and that some other compound may have played a central role in conversion of ADP to ADP at this stage of evolution.
The most likely candidate, Lane and colleagues believed, was the two-carbon compound acetyl phosphate (AcP), which functions today in both bacteria and archaea as a metabolic intermediate. AcP has been shown to phosphorylate ADP to ATP in water in the presence of iron ions, but a host of questions remained after that demonstration, including whether other small molecules might work as well, whether AcP is specific for ADP or instead could function just as well with diphosphates of other nucleosides (such as guanosine or cytosine), and whether iron is unique in its ability to catalyze ADP phosphorylation in water.
In their new study, the authors explored all these questions. Drawing on data and hypotheses about the chemical conditions of the Earth before life arose, they tested the ability of other ions and minerals to catalyze ATP formation in water; none were nearly as effective as iron. Next, they tested a panel of other small organic molecules for their ability to phosphorylate ADP; none were as effective as AcP, and only one other (carbamoyl phosphate) had any significant activity at all. Finally, they showed that none of the other nucleoside diphosphates accepted a phosphate from AcP.
Combining these results with molecular-dynamic modeling, the authors propose a mechanistic explanation for the specificity of the ADP/AcP/iron reaction, hypothesizing that the small diameter and high charge density of the iron ion, combined with the conformation of the intermediate formed when the three come together, provide a “just right” geometry that allows AcP’s phosphate to switch partners, forming ATP.
“Our results suggest that AcP is the most plausible precursor to ATP as a biological phosphorylator,” Lane says, “and that the emergence of ATP as the universal energy currency of the cell was not the result of a ‘frozen accident,’ but arose from the unique interactions of ADP and AcP. Over time, with the emergence of suitable catalysts, ATP could eventually displace AcP as a ubiquitous phosphate donor, and promote the polymerization of amino acids and nucleotides to form RNA, DNA and proteins.”
Lead author Silvana Pinna adds, “ATP is so central to metabolism that I thought it might be possible to form it from ADP under prebiotic conditions. But I also thought that several phosphorylating agents and metal ion catalysts would work, especially those conserved in life. It was very surprising to discover the reaction is so selective—in the metal ion, phosphate donor, and substrate—with molecules that life still uses. The fact that this happens best in water under mild, life-compatible conditions is really quite significant for the origin of life.”
Seawater could have provided phosphorus required for emerging life
More information:
A prebiotic basis for ATP as the universal energy currency. PLoS Biology (2022). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3001437
A prebiotic basis for ATP as the universal energy currency. PLoS Biology (2022). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3001437
Provided by
Public Library of Science
Public Library of Science
Citation:
Ancient chemistry may explain why living things use ATP as the universal energy currency (2022, October 4)
retrieved 5 October 2022
from https://phys.org/news/2022-10-ancient-chemistry-atp-universal-energy.html
This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no
part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.
Roger Federer announces his retirement from the ATP Tour and grand slams
CNN
—
Roger Federer has announced that he will retire from the ATP Tour and grand slams following the Laver Cup next week in London.
“I am 41 years old. I have played more than 1500 matches over 24 years. Tennis has treated me more generously than I ever would have dreamt, and now I must recognize when it is time to end my competitive career,” the 20-time grand slam winner said in an Instagram post.
The last few years of Federer’s career have been marred by a series of injuries, as he underwent two knee surgeries in 2020 and another after he was defeated by Hubert Hurkacz in the 2021 Wimbledon quarterfinal – his last competitive match to date.
“As many of you know, the past three years have presented me with challenges in the form of injuries and surgeries,” he said. “I’ve worked hard to return to full competitive form. But I also know my body’s capacities and limits, and its message to me lately has been clear.”
Roger Federer muses on retirement planning
Federer’s long career coincided with those of 22-time grand slam winner Rafael Nadal and 21-time grand slam winner Novak Djokovic, with whom he dominated men’s tennis for the last two decades.
“I would also like to thank my competitors on the court,” Federer said.
“I was lucky enough to play so many epic matches that I will never forget. We battled fairly, with passion and intensity, and I always tried my best to respect the history of the game. I feel extremely grateful.”
Nadal took to Twitter to commemorate his great rival and friend: “Dear Roger,my friend and rival. I wish this day would have never come. It’s a sad day for me personally and for sports around the world. It’s been a pleasure but also an honor and privilege to share all these years with you, living so many amazing moments on and off the court.
“We will have many more moments to share together in the future, there are still lots of things to do together, we know that … I’ll see you in London.”
Despite playing alongside two of the greatest players of all time, Federer has still broken multiple records, including becoming the oldest ever world No. 1 at age 36 and remaining at the top of the rankings for a record 237 consecutive weeks.
Among his many accolades, Federer won a career grand slam: the Australian Open six times, the French Open once, the US Open five times, and Wimbledon – the tournament with which he was synonymous – a record eight times.
He also won 103 ATP titles – the second most in the Open era behind only Jimmy Connors – a record six ATP finals, the Davis Cup and a gold medal at the 2008 Olympics in the men’s doubles alongside Stan Wawrinka.
“This is a bittersweet decision, because I will miss everything the tour has given me,” he said.
“But at the same time, there is so much to celebrate. I consider myself one of the most fortunate people on Earth. I was given a special talent to play tennis, and I did it a level that I never imagined, for much longer than I ever thought possible.”
“The last 24 years on tour have been an incredible adventure. While it sometimes feels like it went by in 24 hours, it has also been so deep and magical that it seems as if I’ve already lived a full lifetime.
“I have had the immense fortune to play in front of you in over 40 different countries. I have laughed and cried, felt joy and pain, and most of all I have felt incredibly alive.”
As well as thanking his fans, Federer thanked his team, sponsors, parents, sister, wife and children, and recalled his time growing up in Basel, Switzerland.
“When my love of tennis started, I was a ball kid in my hometown of Basel. I used to watch the players with a sense of wonder. They were like giants to me and I began to dream. My dreams led me to work harder and I started to believe in myself,” he said.
“Some success brought me confidence and I was on my way to the most amazing journey that has led to this day. So, I want to thank you all from the bottom of my heart, to everyone around the world who has helped make the dreams of a young Swiss ball kid come true.”
Almost as soon as Federer announced his retirement, tributes began rolling in from the tennis world.
Newly crowned US Open champion and men’s world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz, who was two months old when Federer won his first grand slam, tweeted a broken heart emoji, as did two-time grand slam winner Garbiñe Muguruza.
“Roger, where do we begin?” posted Wimbledon’s official Twitter account.
“It’s been a privilege to witness your journey and see you become a champion in every sense of the word. We will so miss the sight of you gracing our courts, but all we can say for now is thank you, for the memories and joy you have given to so many.”
Federer’s retirement announcement arrived a month after Serena Williams also declared her intention “to evolve away” from the sport, signaling an almost simultaneous end to eras in which they have shaped men’s and women’s tennis.
Williams’ likely swansong unfolded at the US Open – in her home country and at the site of her first grand slam triumph – but Federer told CNN’s Christina Macfarlane in 2019 that he had no such specific plans.
“I think it will all come down to is it the body, is it the family, is it the mind, is it a morning when I wake up, how will it happen?” he said.
“The day that it happens, maybe that is the end or maybe I say I’ve got a few more tournaments left in me, I don’t know. And then maybe that one tournament that I think it could be is way too far away and then you just can’t make it there … Wimbledon stands out as a place but there are actually many others.”
Due to injuries, Federer was absent from this year’s main draw at Wimbledon for the first time since 1998, and he will finish his career at the Laver Cup – a tournament which he was a driving force behind in which six players from Europe play six players from the rest of the world.
“I would like to go out on my terms,” he added in 2019. “I don’t have the fairytale ending in my head saying it has to be another title somewhere and then I have to announce it big and say, ‘By the way, that was it, guys.’ I don’t have to have it that way.
“The expectations from the media is that it all has to end so perfectly and I’ve given up a long time ago. I just think as long as I’m healthy and I’m enjoying myself at the very end, I know it’s going to be emotional anyway.”
Carlos Alcaraz to play for US Open title, shot at No. 1 ranking after 5-set win over Frances Tiafoe
NEW YORK — Carlos Alcaraz and Frances Tiafoe engaged in a high-level, high-energy spectacle of a back-and-forth semifinal at the US Open — no point over when it seemed to be, no ball out of reach, no angle too audacious.
One sequence was so stuffed with “What?! How?!” moments by both men that Arthur Ashe Stadium spectators were on their feet before it was over and remained there, clapping and carousing, through a replay on the video screens.
Ultimately, enough of the winners went Alcaraz’s way, and too many of the mistakes came from Tiafoe’s racket. And so it was Alcaraz who surged into his first Grand Slam final — and, in the process, gave himself a chance to become No. 1 at age 19 — by ending Tiafoe’s run at Flushing Meadows with a 6-7 (6), 6-3, 6-1, 6-7 (5), 6-3 victory on Friday night.
“It was so electric. I mean, the tennis definitely matched the hype of the match. Unbelievable shot-making, gets, extending points, crazy shots … at crazy times,” Tiafoe said. “Yeah, I was getting riled up.”
Alcaraz appeared to seize control by grabbing nine of 10 games in one stretch and could have ended the evening when he held a match point in the fourth set. But Tiafoe, who is ranked 26th, saved it and soon was yelling, with some colorful language mixed in for emphasis, “I’m putting my heart on the line!” Soon after that, Tiafoe was forcing a fifth set by improving to a US Open-record 8-0 in tiebreakers.
Still, Alcaraz showed no signs of fatigue despite playing a third five-setter in a row, including a 5-hour, 15-minute quarterfinal win that ended at 2:50 a.m. Thursday, the latest finish in tournament history. He was better when he needed to be, taking four of the last five games.
“I feel great right now,” Alcaraz said nearly two hours after beating Tiafoe, then added: “I mean, a little bit tired.”
Now No. 3 Alcaraz will face No. 7 Casper Ruud for the championship on Sunday with so much on the line: The winner will become a major champion for the first time and lead the rankings next week.
“It’s amazing to be able to fight for big things,” Alcaraz said.
Alcaraz and Tiafoe were both making their major semifinal debuts and offered an exceptionally entertaining performance for a little more than a set, and a little more than an hour, at the start, then again for the latter portion of the fourth and the beginning of the fifth.
Tiafoe, a 24-year-old from Maryland who eliminated 22-time Grand Slam champ Rafael Nadal in the fourth round, played to a sellout crowd of more than 23,000 that included former first lady Michelle Obama, often asking for and receiving more noise. No surprise, given he was the first American man in the semifinals at Flushing Meadows in 16 years.
“I feel I let you guys down,” Tiafoe said during an unusual chance for a match’s loser to address the crowd in an on-court interview. “This one hurts. This one really, really hurts.”
Alcaraz, who’s from Spain, is popular around the world, widely recognized as a future star of the sport, and he is now the youngest US Open men’s finalist from any country since Pete Sampras won the trophy at 19 in 1990.
When Alcaraz went up 2-0 in the fourth, spectators regaled him with a soccer-style song of “Olé, Olé, Olé! Carlos!”
“People love to see that guy play, so they were getting behind him, too,” Tiafoe said. “Obviously I would have loved to win tonight, but I think tennis won tonight. I think the crowd got what they expected. I just wish I was the one who got the ‘W.'”
Afterward, Alcaraz spoke first in English, then in Spanish, telling his supporters that they helped him fight for “every point, every ball” and tapped his chest as he said this was “for my family, for my team, for me, for all of you.”
There were so many memorable exchanges and scenes between Tiafoe and Alcaraz. One arrived in the second set’s third game, when Alcaraz saved a break point and went on to hold. A smiling Tiafoe jokingly climbed over the net to Alcaraz’s side, as if to go shake hands at match’s end.
If this semifinal had, indeed, concluded right then and there, no one could have complained about the product. It would proceed for a total of 4 hours, 19 minutes.
They wore matching shirts — red in front, white in back, burgundy on the side — and were every bit each other’s equal for lengthy stretches, including until 6-all in the opening tiebreaker.
Alcaraz, who by then already had saved four set points, offered up a fifth by sending a backhand wide, then made converting that one easy for Tiafoe by double-faulting. As the crowd roared, Alcaraz hung his head, walked to his sideline seat and smacked his equipment bag with his racket.
He regrouped and broke to go up in the second set, and a pivotal juncture arrived with Alcaraz serving at 5-3 but facing a break point. He snapped a crosscourt forehand winner to erase that chance for Tiafoe, which began a run in which Alcaraz grabbed 11 consecutive points and 19 of 22 to own that set and a 4-0 lead in the third.
As on that forehand, Alcaraz often rips the ball with abandon — and, somehow, with precision, too, aiming for the lines and finding them. He won at least three first-set points with shots that caught the outer edge of the white paint with no margin to spare.
After one, Tiafoe went over for a little lighthearted exchange with Alcaraz’s coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero, the 2003 French Open champion who briefly was No. 1 himself. Yet make no mistake: Alcaraz is not some hang-back baseliner. He has a varied, all-court game and showed off his skills by winning points via acrobatic volleys, feathered drop shots and perfectly parabolic lo.bs.
Other than that lull in the second and third sets, and late in the fifth, Tiafoe was exceptional, too, and having the time of his life all the while.
“I’m going to be back,” Tiafoe said, “and I will win this thing one day.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Karen Khachanov bests Nick Kyrgios in 5-setter at US Open to reach first career Grand Slam semifinal
NEW YORK — Karen Khachanov stood on the court, arms raised, basking in a rowdy crowd’s cheers after reaching his first Grand Slam semifinal at the US Open. Not far away, Nick Kyrgios took out some of his frustration at the so-close-yet-so-far result on a pair of rackets.
First, shortly after the last point of his 7-5, 4-6, 7-5, 6-7 (3), 6-4 loss to Khachanov, Kyrgios cracked his piece of equipment against the ground — once, twice, three, four times. Then, for good measure, Kyrgios grabbed yet another racket out of his bag, reared back and hit that one on the sideline, too.
Kyrgios could not quite follow up his victory over defending champion Daniil Medvedev at Flushing Meadows, bowing out in a high-quality, topsy-turvy quarterfinal that began Tuesday night and concluded more than 3½ hours later at about 1 a.m. ET Wednesday in Arthur Ashe Stadium.
“It’s just devastating. Like, it’s heartbreaking,” said Kyrgios, a 27-year-old from Australia who was the runner-up at Wimbledon in July. “Pretty much every other tournament during the year is a waste of time, really. You should just run up and show up at a Grand Slam. That’s what you’re remembered by.”
Asked about Kyrgios’ display of disappointment, Khachanov said he saw “rackets were flying,” and added: “I feel the pain for him.”
Early in the match, two spectators were kicked out after one gave the other a haircut in the stands. By the end, the late-staying spectators were pulling for Kyrgios loudly. At one point in the fourth set, chair umpire James Keothavong pleaded: “Once again, ladies and gentlemen: Respect both the players.”
“I was prepared. I was expecting that the crowd would be more for him, that he was the favorite in their eyes,” said the No. 27-seeded Khachanov, who had been 0-2 in major quarterfinals before this one against No. 23 Kyrgios.
Khachanov will face No. 5 Casper Ruud on Friday for a berth in the championship match.
“I’m really proud of myself,” Khachanov said. “I was really focused from the beginning to the end.”
Both he and Kyrgios are equipped with booming serves, and they combined for 61 aces (31 by Kyrgios). Since aces were first tracked in 1991, it marked the second US Open men’s match featuring players with 30-plus aces. The other came in the 2004 quarterfinals between Joachim Johansson (30) and Andy Roddick (34).
Kyrgios and Khachanov also combined for 138 total winners (75 by Kyrgios).
Two stats that were real difference-makers: Kyrgios made 58 unforced errors, Khachanov 31. And Khachanov saved 7 of 9 break points he faced.
The breakthrough at Wimbledon, and two recent victories over No. 1 Medvedev — including in the fourth round, ending his title defense — made Kyrgios a popular pick to claim his first Grand Slam title at Flushing Meadows.
Khachanov was not allowed to play at Wimbledon this year after the All England Club banned all players from his country, Russia, and Belarus because of the invasion of Ukraine. He was 150-1 to win the US Open at the start of the tournament, according to Caesars Sportsbook.
Against Kyrgios, Khachanov picked up key breaks of serve in the last game of the first and third sets. After the opener, Kyrgios complained of a sore knee and was visited by a trainer.
He did not appear to show any ill effects once play resumed, and broke early in the second.
Kyrgios had a chance to break again at 4-all in the third but couldn’t convert, flubbing a forehand, and then spiked his racket. Two games later, he put a backhand into the net to drop that set, then sat in his changeover chair, dumped his racket and threw a drink, drawing a warning for unsportsmanlike conduct from Keothavong.
Khachanov came within two points of victory while ahead 6-5 as Kyrgios served in the fourth set. Kyrgios held on there and dominated the ensuing tiebreaker to force a fifth.
Then Khachanov broke to begin the last set, soon was up 3-1 and was on his way.
“The deeper you go, the expectations rise up,” he said. “I did a step forward.”
Information from The Associated Press and ESPN Stats & Information was used in this report.
Borna Coric spoils Rafael Nadal’s return from 6-week layoff with 3-set win at Western & Southern Open
MASON, Ohio — Borna Coric spoiled Rafael Nadal’s return from a six-week layoff, beating the Spanish star 7-6 (9), 4-6, 6-3 on Wednesday night in the Western & Southern Open.
The winner of a men’s record 22 Grand Slam championships, including two this year, hadn’t played since July 6 after an abdominal tear forced him to withdraw from a semifinal match against Nick Kyrgios at Wimbledon. He was hoping to start putting the final touches on prepping for the upcoming US Open.
“With a week-and-a-half to New York, it’s sad to not play here,” Nadal said. “I need to get into Grand Slam mode.”
The second-seeded and third-ranked Nadal, 36, showed no signs of the injury that mostly plagued his serve. He reached 121 mph with one serve and needed several awkward body movements to return some of Coric’s shots.
“I need to practice,” Nadal said. “I need to return better. I need days. It’s better to come back when you’ve spent a period of time outside and win your first match. I wasn’t ready enough to win the match today. The big thing is to stay healthy. It’s a difficult injury to manage. I need to take it step by step.”
The match lasted 2 hours, 51 minutes, not including a rain delay of 1 hour, 25 minutes in the first set.
In an all-English men’s second-round match, 11th-ranked Cameron Norrie outlasted three-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Also, Taylor Fritz beat Kyrgios 6-3, 6-2, and 19-year-old wild card Ben Shelton upset fifth-ranked Casper Ruud. Shelton is the youngest American to defeat a top-five opponent since Andy Roddick beat No. 1 Gustavo Kuerten in 2001.
Sebastian Korda came back to defeat Frances Tiafoe 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 to reach the third round in Cincinnati for the first time. He is among four American men to advance to this stage of the tournament, the most since 2003 when there were five; he joins Fritz, Shelton and John Isner, his next opponent.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Nick Kyrgios disappointed after Rafael Nadal withdraws at Wimbledon, anxious about final
LONDON — Nick Kyrgios felt “disappointment” when he first heard Rafael Nadal had withdrawn from their Wimbledon men’s singles semifinal. Then he said he only managed one hour of sleep on Thursday night and was “a reckless ball of energy” as he processed the news.
Nadal withdrew from their semifinal with an abdominal injury, meaning Kyrgios will contest his first ever Grand Slam final on Sunday against either Novak Djokovic or Cam Norrie.
Kyrgios on Friday said he was hoping for a “third chapter” after going 1-1 in two previous matches against Nadal at Wimbledon.
“My energy was so focused on playing [Nadal] and tactically how I’m going to go out there and play, the emotions of walking out there, all that type of stuff,” said Kyrgios, who said he learned of Nadal’s decision while he was eating dinner Thursday.
“But, you know, it wouldn’t have been easy for him to do that [withdraw]. … He barely lost a match this year. He wanted to probably go for all four. So it wouldn’t be easy. I hope he gets better.”
Now Kyrgios’ attention has shifted to the men’s final on Sunday, saying he was “super proud” of himself and that he “never thought” he’d make a Grand Slam final.
“I had a shocking sleep last night, though, to be honest,” Kyrgios said. “I probably got an hour’s sleep just with everything, like the excitement. I had so much anxiety. I was already feeling so nervous, and I don’t feel nervous usually.
He added: “I was just restless. So many thoughts in my head about a Wimbledon final. That’s all I was thinking about. I was thinking just [about] playing, obviously imagining myself winning, imagining myself losing. Everything. … I feel like I’m just a reckless ball of energy right now. I just want to go out on the practice court now and hit some tennis balls and just talk. I don’t know. I want it to come already. Yeah, I want the final to come already.”
Kyrgios has twice lost to Djokovic in matches, and they have also previously clashed off the court. However, they have grown closer since Kyrgios supported Djokovic at the start of the year when he was deported from Australia in advance of the Australian Open.
“We definitely have a bit of a bromance now, which is weird,” said Kyrgios, who added that Djokovic sends him direct messages on Instagram. “I think everyone knows there was no love lost for a while there. I think it was healthy for the sport. I think every time we played each other, there was hype around it. It was interesting for the media, the people watching, all that.
“I felt like I was almost the only kind of player and someone to stand up for him with all that kind of drama at Australian Open. I feel like that’s where respect is kind of earned — not on the tennis court, but I feel like when a real life crisis is happening and someone stands up for you.”
That has been rare in Kyrgios’ instance, especially with his fellow Australians.
Kyrgios said that Lleyton Hewitt, who was the last Australian men’s player to reach a Slam final at the 2005 US Open, is one of the few Australian former pros who show him any support.
“The kind of only great that’s ever been supportive of me the whole time has been Lleyton Hewitt,” said Kyrgios, who said that he hit with Hewitt earlier in the tournament. “Like he knows. He’s our Davis Cup captain, and he kind of knows that I kind of do my own thing.”
It’s been an eventful fortnight for Kyrgios at Wimbledon. He was twice fined — first for spitting in the direction of a spectator after his first-round win, then again for an “audible obscenity” in the third round vs. Stefanos Tsitsipas. He overcame a shoulder injury in the fourth round. Prior to his quarterfinal match, news broke that he was being summoned to a court in Canberra, Australia, next month to face a charge of common assault.
Earlier in the tournament, he was criticized by Pat Cash for bringing “tennis to the lowest level I can see as far as gamesmanship, cheating, manipulation, abuse, aggressive behavior to umpires, to linesmen” during an appearance on BBC radio.
“I mean, look, as for the greats of Australian tennis, they haven’t always been the nicest to me personally,” Kyrgios said. “They haven’t always been supportive. They haven’t been supportive these two weeks. So it’s hard for me to kind of read things that they say about me. … I’m definitely the outcast of the Australian players.
“It’s pretty sad because I don’t get any support from any of the other Australian tennis players, the male side. Not the players, but like the past greats. It’s weird they just have like a sick obsession with tearing me down for some reason. Like, I just don’t know whether they don’t like me or they’re, like, afraid. I don’t know. I don’t know what it is. But it sucks, because if it was roles reversed, if I saw [Alex] De Minaur in a final, or if I saw Jordan Thompson or Thanasi [Kokkinakis], I’d be pumped. I’d be stoked. I’d be having a pint watching going nuts.”
Rafael Nadal eases into French Open second round with 106th career win at Roland Garros
Rafael Nadal chalked up yet another record at Roland Garros on Monday as he won his 106th French Open match.
The 13-time champion cruised to a 6-2, 6-2, 6-2 first-round win over Jordan Thompson of Australia, wrapping up the victory in just over two hours.
Nadal’s win-loss record at Roland Garros in Paris now stands at 106-3, better than any man has managed at any of the four Grand Slam events. Novak Djokovic (twice) and Robin Soderling are the only men to beat him at the French Open.
The Spanish player’s victory was also his 299th in Grand Slams, a record beaten only by Roger Federer and Djokovic.
“It’s incredible for me to play here on Court Philippe Chatrier another time,” Nadal said. “I’m very happy with my victory today. Always happy to win the first round and happy to win in three sets.”
Nadal will meet Frenchman Corentin Moutet in the second round.