Australian Open doubles champion Timea Babos claimed her first singles title of the year on Sunday at the Taiwan Open, in the final defeating the Ukraine’s Kateryna Kozlova 7-5, 6-1.

The No. 4-seeded Babos won her third career title over the first-time finalist Kozlova.

“It’s been five-and-a-half weeks, amazing five-and-a-half weeks,” Babos said after the final. “Starting with a quarterfinal [at the Shenzhen Open], winning my first Slam in doubles, beating a …

Only one Top 10 player in Belgian David Goffin, but the French contingent is strong at the Open Sud de France in Montpellier:

Seeds: David Goffin, Lucas Pouille, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Damir Dzumhur, Richard Gasquet, Andrey Rublev, David Ferrer, Yuichi Sugita

Floaters: Gilles Simon, Karen Khachanov, Daniil Medvedev, Dustin Brown, Nicolas Mahut

Notes:

The Top 4 seeds receive opening-round byes…

Lots of quality in the field, including 10 Frenchmen…

Tough starts for (1) Goffin vs. Simon, (7) …

Homecountry hero Grigor Dimitrov’s withdrawal due to injury leaves the Diema Xtra Sofia Open without a Top 10 player, now led by No. 15 Stan Wawrinka working on a comeback from a knee injury.

“I and my team had to take one of the most difficult decisions to skip this year’s edition of the tournament in Sofia,” said Dimitrov in a statement. “I will not be at 100 percent ready.”

Seeds: Stan …

Non tennis go here.

Reports from Europe indicate that Novak Djokovic underwent surgery this week not on his right elbow but on his right hand/wrist.

The Serb, who took six months off to recover from an elbow injury only to have it still be an issue last month in Australia, is said to have first gone to Prague, then finally to Switzerland to have a procedure done at the Rennbahnklinik in Muttenz, which per …

With many of the big stars either opting out or injured, the first round of the Davis Cup gets underway this weekend. The headliners include many of the younger faces like Alexander Zverev, Denis Shapovalov, Borna Coric, Nick Kyrgios and his countryman Alex De Minaur.

Kyrgios and De Minaur host the visiting Germans in maybe the best tie. De Minaur opens tonight in Brisbane against Zverev followed by Kyrgios against Jan-Lennard …

Simona Halep pulled out but you’ve got new world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki, reigning French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko, Wimbledon champ Petra Kvitova and former world No. 2 and comeback player Vera Zvonareva this week in Russia at the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy.

ST. PETERSBURG LADIES TROPHY
ST. PETERSBURG, Russia; surface: indoor hard

Seeds: Caroline Wozniacki, Jelena Ostapenko, Caroline Garcia, Kristina Mladenovic, Julia Goerges, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Elena Vesnina, Daria Kasatkina

Floaters: Mona Barthel, Alize …

Top seed Peng Shuai, former Slam champ Sam Stosur and wild card Genie Bouchard make the Taiwan Open an interesting watch this week.

TAIWAN OPEN
TAIPEI, Taiwan; Surface: indoor hard

Seeds: Peng Shuai, Zhang Shuai, Samantha Stosur, Timea Babos, Yulia Putintseva, Zarina Diyas, Magda Linette, Pauline Parmentier

Floaters: Ana Bogdan, Sabina Lisicki, Genie Bouchard

Notes: No Top 25 players in the draw…Interesting starts for (1) Shuai vs. the streaking Bogdan (winner to possibly meet Bouchard), …

In his third Grand Slam final, Marin Cilic came up just short again to the great Roger Federer, losing in five sets in the Australian Open final.

Cilic, though, leaves with his head high after wins over Rafael Nadal and for pushing Federer, plus he goes to No. 3 in the rankings. And he becomes the first Croat to ever make the final in Melbourne.

Here’s what he said after the match:

Q. Obviously …

Roger Federer racked up Grand Slam title No. 30 after a 3-hour, 3-minute victory Sunday night in Melbourne defeating Marin Cilic 6-2, 6-7, 6-3, 3-6, 6-1.

After dropping the fourth set, Federer won six of the last seven games to seal his record-tying 6th Australian Open title.

Following his third win in his last four Grand Slam events, Federer met the press.

He's not letting go 🏆@rogerfederer

…

Roger Federer continues to make history. Sunday night in Melbourne, the Swiss great won a record 20th Grand Slam title toppling Marin Cilic in five sets 6-2, 6-7(5), 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 and claim a 6th Australian Open title.

The win put Federer in rare air, as the only man to reach 20 and he joined only Magaret Court, Serena Williams and Steffi Graf among all players all-time to reach that mark. …

Roger Federer will seed a record-tying sixth Australian Open title Sunday night in Melbourne against Marin Cilic. Federer has been flawless thus far at the first Grand Slam of the tennis season, winning every set in his title defense.

The Croat comes in off wins over Pablo Carreno Busta, Rafael Nadal and in the semifinals Kyle Edmund.

Federer has won 8 of 9 against Cilic including two wins last year both in …

There would be a first-time Grand Slam winner between the two long-time slamless players in the 2018 Australian Open final. And it was Caroline Wozniacki holding her nerve to win Saturday in Melbourne, in the process taking back the No. 1 ranking for the first time in six years.

The Woz triumphed 7-6(2), 3-6, 6-4, in steamy conditions in Rod Laver Arena that had both players battling fatigue and injuries and …

So, a Wimbledon rematch in the Australian Open final is set, and it’s 5-time champion Roger Federer facing first-time Melbourne finalist Marin Cilic.

Federer rolls into the final without losing a single set all week – quite the contrast from a year ago. And that after a 1-hour or so lesson he gave to 21-year-old Hyeon Chung who has apparently taken this Novak Djokovic idol thing too far already by retiring …

It’s the match for everything. For the No. 1 ranking. For the Australian Open title and for a first career Grand Slam. Both World No. 1 Simona Halep and No. 2 Caroline Wozniacki are in their third career Grand Slam finals, and both have come up just short before.

Halep finished twice runner up at the French Open, including last year where she was twice with three games of victory.

“The way …