News bites: Sloane and Genie rock swimsuits

Sloane Stephens and Eugenie Bouchard are the latest tennis players to appear in Sports Illustrated’s Swimsuit issue, joining fellow athletes Aly Raisman (gymnastics), Brenna Huckaby (snowboarding) and Paige Spiranac (golf) in the 2018 edition.

Bouchard appears for the second straight year – in 2017 she was joined by fellow tennis stars Serena Williams and Caroline Wozniacki – while Stephens was making her debut.

I am so proud to be a part of this issue. Thank you @SI_Swimsuit for being such an amazing platform for women of ALL different body types. This one is for us, ladies ?? pic.twitter.com/5OSREALWbh

— Sloane Stephens (@SloaneStephens) February 13, 2018

2 years in a row!!! ????????????

Thank you @mj_day @darciebaum and the whole team at SI, love you guys & all the craziness we get up to. So grateful for your love ?????????? #SISwim pic.twitter.com/gBEeh7oOS3

— Genie Bouchard (@geniebouchard) February 13, 2018

“I’ve always loved the beauty of the SI Swimsuit issue and thought it would be incredible to one day be a part of it. I honestly never thought I’d have the opportunity,” Stephens told Sports Illustrated. “When the opportunity was presented, I immediately said yes because I felt really honoured to be a part of it.”

Maria Sharapova, Ana Ivanovic, Daniela Hantuchova, Maria Kirilenko and Tatiana Golovin have all previously taken part.

Auger-Aliassime excites in debut

Canadian teenager Felix Auger-Aliassime has made an impressive ATP World Tour debut, pushing Filip Krajinovic to the limit in the opening round in Rotterdam.

The highly-touted 17-year-old fell 6-2 3-6 7-5 to the Serb, who last year reached the Paris Masters final.

One match point saved…@felixtennis making the most of his @ATPWorldTour debut!#abnamrowtt pic.twitter.com/9r5N14128Z

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) February 13, 2018

“The nerves got to me a little bit in the first set,” he told atpworldtour.com. “I started not bad the first two games, but still I felt tight. I felt my ball wasn’t going as it usually does, playing pretty short, not serving so well.

“The plan was to just hang in there mentally. It was in my control to stay tough mentally, and that’s what I did. That’s why I was so close to winning the match, but he did great. I think he did great on the important points, saving break point. I think he was a little bit tougher than me on those points.”

Auger-Aliassime last year won two ATP Challenger titles and became the fourth youngest player in history – behind Richard Gasquet, Rafael Nadal and Lleyton Hewitt – to debut in the top 200.

Nishikori victorious in ATP return

NEW YORK CITY, Reuters – Kei Nishikori returned to an ATP Tour level event for the first time since last August and cruised into the second round of the inaugural New York Open with a 7-5 6-3 win over American wildcard Noah Rubin on Tuesday.

The Japanese fifth seed trailed 3-0 in the first set but pulled level and then never looked back. It marked the latest step forward for Nishikori, who last August suffered a severe right wrist injury that caused him to miss last year’s US Open and the Australian Open at the start of this season.

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The former US Open finalist has since eased his way back to competition by playing in Challenger events, dropping a first-round clash in Newport Beach before triumphing in Dallas.

Next up for Nishikori, in the tournament that moved to Long Island after four decades in Tennessee, will be Russian Evgeny Donskoy, a 7-5 6-1 winner over Dominican Victor Estrella Burgos.

Young accuses Harrison of racial slur

NEW YORK CITY, AP – The ATP says it is reviewing Donald Young’s accusations that Ryan Harrison used racially inappropriate language during the Americans’ heated exchange in their opening-round match at the New York Open.

“The ATP takes any allegations of racial prejudice extremely seriously,” the organisation said in a statement. “A further review of all video and audio recording from the match will take place as this matter is investigated further.”

Harrison defeated Young 6-3 7-6 (7-4) on Monday. At one point during a changeover the two appeared to be arguing and the chair umpire moved in between the players in an attempt to calm the situation.

Young posted on Twitter after the match: “I’m shocked and disappointed, Ryan Harrison, to hear you tell me how you really feel about me as a black tennis player in the middle of our NY match.”

Harrison responded on Twitter that the allegations were “absolutely untrue” and audio from the match would “clear me.”

Harrison added, when speaking to the New York Times: “I was totally shocked. I begged (officials) to find a tape of the broadcast. I said I would sign a document right there on the spot saying I would accept a three-month suspension, without appealing, if it’s true.”

Breaks can be beneficial, says Federer

ROTTERDAM, Reuters – Roger Federer believes he has benefited from a lighter schedule and players shouldn’t be afraid of taking breaks from tennis to improve their game.

In 2017, Federer competed in just 12 tournaments; the move has paid off, having most recently stormed to his 20th major title at the Australian Open last month.

Federer says he understands the demands of the sport after playing a full schedule for over 15 years and believes that players can improve from intervals.

> QUIZ: do you know Roger Federer’s records

“You can always play more if you want to,” Federer told The Guardian. “You can always play less if you want to. I just hope people don’t think that what I’m doing at 36 they can start doing at 25. I played full schedule from 1998 or 1999 to 2016. Until I was injured.

“My philosophy is I play when I’m ready. What I did last year – and what Rafa (Nadal) is doing also – is maybe a bit of a lighter schedule, and it shows to others by working or practising a bit more… you become a different or better player.

“Say I go out for six months and I only work on my serve-and-volley game. I feel like I’d be a different player six months later but everybody’s scared to do it.”

Fed Cup draw unveiled

LONDON, ITF – The ITF has announced the draws for the 2018 Fed Cup by BNP Paribas World Group and World Group II play-offs on 21-22 April:

World Group Play-offs

Belarus hosts Slovakia
Romania hosts Switzerland
Australia hosts Netherlands
Italy hosts Belgium

World Group II Play-offs

Russia hosts Latvia
Spain hosts Paraguay
Canada hosts Ukraine
Japan hosts Great Britain

The four winners of the World Group play-offs will qualify for the 2019 World Group, while the four losers will contest the 2019 World Group II. The four winners of the World Group II play-offs will qualify for the 2019 World Group II, while the four losers will contest their respective Zone Group I events in 2019.