Sports
Taylor Townsend Withdraws From Guadalajara Open After Emergency Surgery Following Career Grand Slam Triumph
American tennis player Taylor Townsend has withdrawn from the Guadalajara Open after undergoing emergency surgery, days after completing a career Grand Slam in women's doubles at the US Open. The 30-year-old won her first-round match against Tatjana Maria on Monday, recovering from a set down, before pulling out of Wednesday's Round of 16 and handing Marta Kostyuk a walkover. Townsend announced the surgery through a statement released on the tournament's channels, saying the decision breaks her heart, and confirmed on social media that she would update fans soon. The withdrawal ends a rapid Mexican swing that began immediately after her New York triumph with Katerina Siniakova.
Sports
Six-Time Grand Slam Champion Joe Salisbury Announces Retirement After Final US Open Run
Joe Salisbury, Britain's most successful men's doubles player and a six-time Grand Slam champion, has announced his retirement from professional tennis at 34, confirming the decision in an emotional Instagram post on Wednesday evening after a 12-year career on the ATP circuit. The former world number one won six major titles across men's doubles and mixed doubles, including three consecutive US Open men's doubles crowns alongside American Rajeev Ram between 2021 and 2022 within a run of four finals in six years. His final tournament was this year's US Open, where he and Ram reached the semi-finals before losing to Germany's Tim Putz and Kevin Krawietz while chasing a fourth US Open title together. Salisbury wrote that he had been thinking about the decision for a while and was now very happy with it, that tennis had been his life for as long as he could remember, and that he gave it his all and could look back with no regrets. Tributes followed from Heather Watson, Neal Skupski and Julian Cash, who credited Salisbury as a huge part of why he began his own doubles career.
Sports
WTA Finals Moving to Charlotte's Spectrum Center From 2027 as Tour Plants Flag in Women's Sports Boom
The WTA announced Wednesday that Charlotte, North Carolina, will become the new home of the WTA Finals from 2027 through 2029, ending the season-ending championship's two decades as a global nomad and relocating the Tour's global headquarters from St. Petersburg, Florida. The Finals will be staged at Spectrum Center, home of the NBA's Charlotte Hornets, with additional programming at the Charlotte Convention Center. WTA Chair Valerie Camillo said the Tour aims to build "a championship experience that reflects just how far women's sport has come and where it is going next," while Charlotte Sports Foundation CEO Will Pitts called the deal "a transformational moment for Charlotte." The 2026 edition remains set for Indian Wells, bridging to the new era, with the singles champion lifting the Billie Jean King Trophy and doubles winners earning the Martina Navratilova Trophy.
Sports
Alexander Zverev Downs Ben Shelton in Four Sets to Claim First US Open Title
Top seed Alexander Zverev beat Ben Shelton 6-3, 7-6 (2), 5-7, 6-2 in the US Open men's final at Flushing Meadows on Sunday, 13 September 2026, claiming his first US Open crown and second Grand Slam title. The German landed 69 percent of first serves and won 85 percent of first-serve points, closing out the final after Shelton's late fightback fell short. The 23-year-old American was bidding to become the first US men's champion since Andy Roddick in 2003 and the first Black American winner since Arthur Ashe in 1968. Zverev, who now leads Shelton 6-0 head to head, becomes just the fourth man in the open era to win his first two Grand Slams in the same year.
Sports
US Open Prize Money Reaches Record 65 Million Dollars for 2026 Edition
The United States Tennis Association announced that prize money for the 2026 US Open will reach a record 65 million dollars a 12 percent increase from the previous year. Singles champions will receive 4.2 million dollars each making the US Open the second-highest-paying Grand Slam after Wimbledon. The USTA stated that the increase reflects the tournament strong financial performance and commitment to player compensation. The prize money increase extends to all rounds with first-round losers receiving 80,000 dollars. The announcement comes as the tennis governing bodies work to improve earnings for lower-ranked players. The total prize money pool has increased by more than 50 percent over the past five years.
Sports
Wimbledon Announces Record 50 Million Pound Prize Money Increase for 2027 Championships
The All England Lawn Tennis Club announced on September 2, 2026, that total prize money for the 2027 Wimbledon Championships will increase to 65 million pounds, a 54 percent rise from the 42 million pounds awarded in 2026. Single champions will receive 4 million pounds each, up from 2.7 million pounds in 2026, making Wimbledon the highest-paying Grand Slam tournament. AELTC chairman Deborah Jevans stated that the increase reflects the tournament record broadcast revenues and commercial partnerships secured through a new 12-year deal with ESPN worth 1.2 billion pounds annually. The prize money increase also extends to qualifying rounds and first-round losers, who will now receive 75,000 pounds, a 150 percent increase from the previous year.
Sports
Carlos Alcaraz Wins US Open Final in Five-Set Thriller Against Jannik Sinner
Carlos Alcaraz defeated Jannik Sinner 6-4, 3-6, 7-6, 4-6, 7-5 in the US Open final on September 1, claiming his fourth Grand Slam title at age 23. The match lasted 4 hours and 12 minutes, the longest US Open final since 2012. Alcaraz converted 5 of 8 break points and hit 47 winners to win his second consecutive Grand Slam after triumphing at Wimbledon in July. The victory makes Alcaraz the youngest man to win four Grand Slam titles since Rafael Nadal in 2008.