Stricker faces another defeat ++ Bettiol leads
Dominic Stricker is struggling once again in the 2024 season. After his second grass tournament, the Bernese player is facing difficulties. Back pains and a constantly postponed return to competition have led Stricker to only play his first singles match of the year a week ago at the Surbiton Challenger. Despite being beaten 7-5 6-3 by compatriot Leandro Riedi, Stricker managed to win a set in his defeat this week in Nottingham against British player Dan Evans, formerly the 21st ranked player in the world.
This defeat against Evans, the number 2 seed, had to be finished on Tuesday due to the night ending on Monday. During the resumption, Stricker fell to 3-3 and had to be treated. The 21-year-old Bernese insisted on finishing his match, but he did not win a single game.
Dominic Stricker will be under pressure in the coming weeks. Already relegated to 144th place in the ATP rankings, he must defend 320 of his 417 points by the end of August on English grass, then in Gstaad and finally at the US Open.
Thibau Nys wins 3rd Tour de Suisse stage, Bettiol in yellow
Thibau Nys emerged victorious in the 3rd stage of the Tour de Suisse between Steinmaur and Rüschlikon. The 21-year-old Belgian was the strongest in an uphill sprint. The young rider from the Lidl-Trek team did not really have any rivals in the final meters. Very powerful, the Belgian dominated the competition and showcased his strength. Stephen Williams and Alberto Bettiol completed the podium.
There was a moment when the public thought Marc Hirschi might be able to win. But the teammate of Tadej Pogacar, who attacked 3 km from the finish, was caught 800 m from the line. The best Swiss rider is Jan Christen, 16th in the stage, 3 seconds off the pace of the leaders.
Christen has moved up six places in the overall standings and is now in 9th place in a classification led by Alberto Bettiol. Christen is 11 seconds behind the Italian who is unlikely to keep the yellow jersey for more than 24 hours with the stage scheduled for Wednesday.
WTA Nottingham Tournament: Golubic already eliminated
Viktorija Golubic, ranked 73rd in the WTA, did not make it past the 1st round at the grass tournament in Nottingham. The Zurich player was defeated by Canadian Rebecca Marino, ranked 157th, with a score of 6-1 6-4. Golubic, who had already lost in the first round in Surbiton last week for her return to grass, had made it to the second round at Roland-Garros. The 31-year-old Zurich player is usually comfortable on grass: a Wimbledon quarter-finalist in 2021, she reached the semi-finals in Nottingham in 2022 and the quarter-finals in 2023.
Rebecca Marino, aged 33, coming from the qualifiers, had not won a match in a main draw on the main circuit since September 12, 2023, in Osaka.