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With no national favorite Grigor Dimitrov, Stan Wawrinka was arguably the main attraction in Sofia this week but the 3-time champion was already eliminated this afternoon by 2018 finalist Marius Copil 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-4.

After having high hopes to start the year, Wawrinka is just 3-3 so far.

The field still includes a bunch of young stars who are all in the Top 20 and seeded 1-2-3: No. 1 Karen Khachanov, No. …

Local favorites Lucas Pouille and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga headline the Montpellier ATP event this week.

Pouille, who won the title last year, just came off his Grand Slam-best semifinals at the Australian Open. In addition to 3-time semifinalist Tsonga, he’s also joined by countrymen Gilles Simon, Jeremy Chardy, Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Benoit Paire.

Denis Shapovalov, Tomas Berdych and David Goffin are also in the field of 32.

Last year, Pouille defeated Richard Gasquet …

Just 18, Dayana Yastremska now has two career WTA titles to her name. The Ukrainian 18-year-old toughed out Ajla Tomljanovic 6-2, 2-6, 7-6(3) for the Hua Hin title Sunday.

Yastremska was down 5-2 in the third but twice the Australian Tomljanovic failed to close it out.

“The match was really tough for me,” Yastremska said. “The first set I played maximum, and the second set, I felt that I can’t play …

Kiki Bertens picked up her 8th career title beating Donna Vekic 7-6(2), 6-4 to win her first Petersburg crown.

“It’s a great feeling to hold the trophy,” Bertens said. “It was a really tough week. Every tournament has its challenges, but I think I played great the whole week. I didn’t start good today, but I was still able to turn the match around, so I’m really proud of that.”

Bertens won …

The qualifying for the new Davis Cup wrapped over the week. With many top names absent from the 12-tie competition, there wasn’t much buzz, but still some big results.

Canada made into into the field of 18 by coming from 2-1 down to beat host Slovakia.

Denis Shapovalov, who won on Friday, won his singles on Sunday beating Martin Klizan. Then fellow teen Felix Auger-Aliassime defeated Norbert Gombos to clinch.

Serbia also advanced …

Davis Cup qualifying debuts this weekend with its new look. Love it or hate it, it’s a big change. No more best-of-5, no more “rounds” per se. It’s one weekend of qualifying and then one more at the end of the year to determine the champion. And this weekend pits 12 ties with the winners moving on to the Caja Magica in Madrid, Spain November 18-24.

Here’s what is going on:

HOW …

Andy Murray revealed that he underwent hip resurfacing surgery Monday in London.

The Scot posted on Social Media, “I underwent a hip resurfacing surgery in London yesterday morning…feeling a bit battered and bruised just now but hopefully that will be the end of my hip pain in😀 I now have a metal hip as you can see in the 2nd photo 👉👉 and I look like I’ve got a bit of …

So the season’s first Slam at the Australian Open is “done and dusted” as they say, so what have we learned?

1. Novak Rules
Novak Djokovic began his 2019 Grand Slam season with the same fury with which he ended 2018, dominating. And that should portend well for the Serb especially with so few points to defend until Wimbledon. Heck, he could wrap up the No. 1 ranking by the time he …

It was a tough evening for Rafael Nadal Sunday night as he was blown out by Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open final.

Nadal loses for a fourth time in the Australian Open final. Despite playing just his first event since the US Open, he made it to the final without losing a set. And that gives him added hope for the remainder of the year.

Afterward, Rafa met the press:

Q. …

Novak Djokovic proved without a doubt that he’s the best player in the world Sunday night in Melbourne, winning a record 7th Australian Open title and a 15th overall Grand Slam title.

Djokovic moves to within two of Rafael Nadal’s 17 Slams and five from Roger Federer’s record of 20.

And he leaves Melbourne after two near perfect matches, crushing both Lucas Pouille and Nadal in punishing fasion.

Q. Mats Wilander described that …

Billed as another epic between two tennis greats and longtime rivals, the much-hyped 53rd meeting between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal was over about 10 minutes into the match.

Djokovic came out supremely focused and in full flight winning 12 of the first 13 points over a shell-shocked Nadal who simply was outclassed and overmatched on the final night of the 2019 Australian Open.

The Serb handed Nadal one of the …

The season’s first Grand Slam will be decided tonight as Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal renew their rivalry tonight at the Australian Open in Melbourne.

The duo have met 52 times prior with Djokovic holding a slim 27-25 lead.

Both players enter the final fit and fresh. Nadal enjoyed two days off his destruction over Stefanos Tsitsipas. The Spaniard is into his first Australian Open final without losing a set.

Djokovic has …

We have a new Australian Open champion and a new World No. 1 on the WTA, her name is Naomi Osaka. The 21-year-old Osaka showed the poise of a veteran to outlast Petra Kvitova 7-6(2), 5-7, 6-4 to claim her second straight Grand Slam title Saturday night in Melbourne on Rod Laver Court.

“For me, I feel like it hasn’t really sunk in,” Osaka said. “Maybe in the next tournament I …

After 13 days, it’s really no surprise we have Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal left at the Australian Open. The two last played Down Under in a memorable, memorizing 5-hour, 53-minute epic in 2012 that will live on as one of the all-time great finals. Tomorrow, I just don’t think we’ll see a sequel because seven years later, I don’t think either player could make it that long without certain …