Caroline Garcia claimed her ninth WTA Tour singles title with a 6-4 6-1 win over Ana Bogdan in the final of the Poland Open on Sunday.

Garcia needed just one hour and 21 minutes to see off first-time WTA finalist Bogdan and claim her second title in five weeks after her triumph at the Bad Homburg Open.

Fifth seed Garcia had seen her world ranking slip to 79 in May – her lowest position since 2014 – but she has been in fine form since then, winning 18 of her past 21 matches.

The Frenchwoman wasted little time asserting her authority against Bogdan, ranked 108th in the world, racing into a 3-0 lead.

Bogdan fought back to get back on serve at 5-4, yet a fierce return from Garcia in the next game wrapped up the first set.

Garcia, who defeated world number one Iga Swiatek in the last eight, earned the first break of the second set to move 3-1 ahead, before winning final consecutive games to get her hands on the trophy with the minimum of fuss.

Andy Murray set his sights on a deep run at the Citi Open to bolster his fundraising for war-hit Ukrainian children, as Hollywood actor Ben Stiller sent a message of support.

Three-time grand slam winner Murray has a 19-11 win-loss record in 2022 and wants to improve that substantially before the year is out.

In March, the Scot pledged to donate the rest of his season's winnings to UNICEF's Ukraine mission, as the country endures a heavy toll of death and destruction during Russia's invasion.

A disappointing second-round loss to John Isner at Wimbledon was followed by a quarter-final exit to Alexander Bublik at the Hall of Fame Open in Newport, with those results not meeting Murray's expectations.

He is being driven by his own hunger for better results, but also an eagerness to put together a big pot of money for UNICEF's appeal.

Citi Open chairman Mark Ein announced his foundation would match Murray's winnings this week and commit that sum to the effort in Ukraine.

"You can't just forget about this," Murray said of the war. "It's still going on. People are still getting killed, children are still having to flee their homes, and are in really, really tragic situations.

"I think it's important that the media continues to shine a light on it, keep talking about it. Hopefully what the tournament is doing here can help a little bit with that.

"I just want to try and win as many matches as possible and raise as much money as I can. It will be a significant amount hopefully by the end of the year. Hopefully it makes a difference."

Stiller is a big tennis fan and has often been seen in front-row seats at the sport's top events.

He tweeted: "So much respect for ⁦@andy_murray⁩ shining a light on the millions of people - and children - still affected by this senseless war in #Ukraine."

The Reality Bites, Zoolander and There's Something About Mary actor has been a long-time Murray fan, meeting him at the 2013 US Open, a year after the British star took the Flushing Meadows title.

Murray, 35, begins his challenge at the Citi Open, staged in Washington, DC, against Sweden's Mikael Ymer on Monday.

He hailed Ein's Ukraine pledge as "brilliant", adding: "I think it really helps. It shows when the players and the tournaments work together, that really good things can happen." week.”

Anastasia Potapova proved no match for home favourite Marie Bouzkova in the final of the Prague Open, as the Czech triumphed in straight sets.

Making her fourth appearance in a WTA Tour-level final, Bouzkova ended her wait for a maiden title with a convincing 6-0 6-3 success on Sunday.

Bouzkova, ranked 66th in the world heading into her home tournament, wrapped up the first set in under 30 minutes.

Potapova hit back with two breaks in the second, but an overhit forehand down the line from the Russian handed Bouzkova the trophy in her second final of 2022.

"I just want to thank everyone, it's just a dream for me to win my first title here at home, I couldn't be happier," said Bouzkova, the fifth Czech to win on home soil since the event debuted on the WTA Tour in 2015, after Karolina Pliskova, Lucie Safarova, Petra Kvitova and Barbora Krejcikova. 

"I felt your support, even those who aren't here, it's a dream come true, playing in front of a home crowd. My first winner's speech, I'm sorry it's not the best!"

Bouzkova, 24, has now won both of her matches against Potapova, after defeating the 21-year-old in qualifying for the Miami Open earlier this year.

Alex de Minaur booked his place in the Atlanta Open final with a come-from-behind 5-7 6-2 6-2 win against Ilya Ivashka on Saturday.

It was a tight first set, which was interrupted at 5-5 by a three-hour rain delay. Upon returning, Ivashka broke instantly and served out the set – but it would be his last break of serve.

De Minaur had to save two break points to hold in the opening game of the second set, but from that point on he took over, collecting two breaks in the frame.

The Australian, who is the tournament's third seed and ranked 30th in the world, controlled the decider, winning 69 per cent of his points on serve compared to 50 per cent for Ivashka as he figured out the Belarusian's serve, allowing no aces down the stretch.

He will meet Jenson Brooksby in the final after the American put on an impressive showing against compatriot Frances Tiafoe, winning 6-1 6-4.

Brooksby has been in great touch this tournament, running over Mackenzie McDonald in the quarter-final in what was meant to be a competitive matchup, and then upsetting second seed John Isner in the semi-final, breaking his incredibly tough serve three times.

Against Tiafoe, the story was about how dominant Brooksby was early on when he got the chance to see a second serve, winning 87 per cent (11-of-14) of the points off Tiafoe's second serve in the opening set.

Tiafoe never really got a chance to fight back in the second frame, getting broken in the opening game, and from there Brooksby closed the door, not allowing a single break point opportunity.

Ash Barty took to social media on Saturday with a post confirming her marriage to her long-time partner in a discreet ceremony as she continues to thrive in her life after tennis.

Her husband, Garry Kissick, is an Australian professional golfer, and the pair met at the Brookwater Golf Club back in 2016. Showing more strings to her bow, the multi-sport star who has also played professional cricket won the Brookwater Golf Club's championship in 2020.

Barty, 26, retired from the sport earlier this year at the peak of her powers, as a dominant world number one and reigning Australian Open champion.

In an interview with friend and former Australian tennis player Casey Dellacqua, she said the decision was due to being burnt out.

"I don’t have the physical drive, the emotional want and everything it takes to challenge yourself at the very top of the level any more," she said. "I am spent."

Barty's most recent high-profile public appearance was during The Open, where she competed in the celebrity four-ball competition in a team that featured Kevin Pietersen.

Carlos Alcaraz's defence of his Croatian Open title will go down to the wire, with the Spaniard set to face Jannik Sinner in Sunday's final.

Alcaraz, the number one seed, defeated Giulio Zeppieri over three sets in Saturday's semi-final – securing his 42nd win of the year. That is the joint-most victories in 2022 on the men's tour alongside Stefanos Tsitsipas, and extends his record in Umag to 8-0.

The 7-5 4-6 6-3 win sees Alcaraz reach an ATP Tour-leading sixth final in 2022 and will lift him to fourth in the world rankings ahead of Tsitsipas – a career high for the 19-year-old.

"It's amazing to be in a final here again. I enjoy playing here in Umag and I'm really happy with the win today," Alcaraz said in an on-court interview.

Alcaraz will bring up his first century of ATP matches when he tackles Italian Sinner.

"It would be amazing in my 100th match to get the win, and of course it is amazing to be number four on Monday," Alcaraz said. "It's something great for me, but right now I am just focused on the final."

Sinner, who beat Alcaraz at Wimbledon to set up a quarter-final against Novak Djokovic, saw off compatriot Franco Agamenone 6-1 6-3 in Saturday's other semi-final.

The 20-year-old Sinner is looking for his first title of 2022, having won at Antwerp, Sofia, Washington and Melbourne last year. He has reached the quarter-finals in two of the three grand slams played so far this year.

Caroline Garcia eased into the Poland Open final by dominating against Jasmine Paolini a day on from a superb win over Iga Swiatek.

Garcia defeated Swiatek in three sets on Friday, ending the world number one's 18-match winning streak on clay.

Paolini should have provided a far more straightforward task, and so it proved, as Garcia raced through 6-1 6-2 to make the title match.

The fifth seed will now face first-time WTA Tour finalist Ana Bogdan – a 7-5 7-5 victor against Kateryna Baindl – in that Warsaw decider.

Garcia will hope for better conditions for the showpiece, with rain having added another factor on Saturday, when the in-form French star was still recovering from stopping Swiatek.

"It's been a challenging week, especially today, with the big win yesterday, only a couple of hours to recover and be ready," Garcia explained.

"Conditions were very difficult, a lot of rain. I'm just very happy with the way I played, and I stayed very focused on the present, and it paid off."

At the Prague Open, Anastasia Potapova will face Marie Bouzkova in the final, the seventh seed playing the eighth seed.

Potapova had it largely her own way against Wang Qiang, who succumbed to a second-set bagel in going down 6-3 6-0, while Bouzkova also won in two but needed a tie-break in the opener against Linda Noskova, progressing 7-6 (7-4) 6-3.

Potapova faces a busy Sunday, as she had already advanced to the doubles final alongside partner Yana Sizikova.

Roberto Bautista Agut made light work of underdog Filip Misolic in the Austrian Open final on Saturday.

Bautista Agut entered the day's play not knowing the identity of his opponent, as Misolic's semi-final against Yannick Hanfmann had been halted in a third-set tie-break.

Misolic – a 20-year-old from Graz ranked 205th in the world – was the man to advance, continuing his dream run with a 6-2 2-6 7-6 (7-4) success.

But his fairytale campaign came to a disappointing conclusion soon after as he was quickly thrust into action against the ruthless Bautista Agut.

Misolic scarcely laid a glove on the third seed, unable to convert any of his three break points in a 6-2 6-2 defeat.

Bautista Agut insisted afterwards this had been no straightforward task as he celebrated his 11th ATP Tour title, but only his second on clay, following on from a 2014 victory in Stuttgart.

"I enjoyed the final," he said. "I think I managed the pressure very well.

"I knew I was a little bit the favourite today, but he had so many good wins this tournament and I knew it was going to be difficult. I played a very good match."

Misolic added: "I want to congratulate Roberto. I have watched you on television, and to play here against you in the final is an honour for me."

Novak Djokovic hopes he could still be allowed to play at the US Open despite refusing a coronavirus vaccination.

The 35-year-old Wimbledon champion has his route to Flushing Meadows blocked by red tape at present, with the United States refusing to allow unvaccinated foreign visitors to enter the country.

US tennis authorities have pledged to adhere to government rulings surrounding coronavirus protocols, despite including Djokovic on their entry list.

For Djokovic to be allowed into the United States, it appears he would require a change of policy from law-makers, or he would have to be considered suitable for an exemption.

Among those who would be eligible for such an exemption are "persons whose entry would be in the national interest".

Djokovic said in a statement on Saturday: "I am preparing as if I will be allowed to compete, while I await to hear if there is any room for me to travel to US. Fingers crossed!"

With 21 grand slam titles, Djokovic sits second on the men's all-time list behind Rafael Nadal, who has 22 victories at the majors.

Djokovic was not allowed to play in Australia, where issues surrounding his visa ended with him being deported from Melbourne on public health grounds due to not taking the vaccine.

The three-time US Open winner senses a pull of public support for his situation, as he insists he will not consider receiving a vaccine.

In his message on Saturday, Djokovic said: "I just wanted to take a moment and say to all of you how grateful I am to see so many messages of support and love from all around the world these days.

"I wasn't expecting it, and that's why it feels so mindblowing. Just wanted to say THANK YOU.

"It feels special that people connect with my tennis career in such a loving and supportive way and wish for me to continue to compete."

He has found backing from John McEnroe, the American tennis great, who told Tennis 365 in July: "I hope someone finds a way to sort this out. It's crazy that Novak misses the US Open at this stage."

Djokovic lost to Daniil Medvedev in last year's men's singles final in New York, when the current entry rules were not in place.

Senator Marsha Blackburn also spoke out, saying last week that it was "absurd that Novak Djokovic is not allowed to enter the USA".

Frances Tiafoe was an impressive winner of his quarter-final matchup against Brandon Nakashima in Friday's action at the Atlanta Open, cruising in straight sets 6-4 6-2.

Tiafoe, the fourth seed, was in control throughout, capitalising on a pair of double faults in the first set to grab the early break. 

He also had a clear advantage with his second serve, winning 76 per cent of those opportunities (13-of-17) compared to 36 per cent for Nakashima (five-of-14).

Tiafoe will play Jenson Brooksby in the semi-final after he defeated big-serving 37-year-old John Isner 3-6 6-1 6-4.

Isner's serve was uncharacteristically vulnerable after the first set, winning 90 per cent of his successful first serves in the opener, before that number plummeted to 46 per cent in the second, and 59 per cent in the last.

Ilya Ivashka pulled off the upset of the day by knocking out fifth seed Tommy Paul, continuing a terrific run of form. Ivashka is now 7-3 from his past 10 matches, with his three-losses coming against superstars Stefanos Tsitsipas and Daniil Medvedev (twice).

He will play Australian Alex de Minaur in the other semi-final after he came from a set behind to run over the top of Adrian Mannarino 4-6 6-3 6-0.

Mannarino showed he has what it takes to compete with a top-30 talent like De Minaur, but the 34-year-old simply ran out of gas towards the end of the second set.

In the deciding set, De Minaur won 70 per cent of his points on serve (14-of-20) and 72 per cent of his return points (13-of-18).

Roberto Bautista Agut beat Albert Ramos-Vinolas in straight sets to reach the Austrian Open final, but the Spaniard must wait until Saturday to discover his opponent.

Third seed Bautista Agut proved too strong for compatriot Ramos-Vinolas as he prevailed 6-3 7-6 (7-3) in a little over two hours, despite squandering three match points.

The world number 20 now can now look forward to a first clay-court final since suffering defeat to Matteo Berrettini at the 2018 Swiss Open Gstaad.

However, the other semi-final between Yannick Hanfmann and home wild card Filip Misolic was dramatically suspended in a third-set tie-break due to heavy rain.

Misolic, who had earlier beaten Dusan Lajovic in a clash delayed from Thursday, led 1-0 in the breaker against Hanfmann when play was halted and ultimately called off until Saturday.

The final between Bautista Agut and either Hanfmann or Misolic is still scheduled to go ahead as planned shortly after that second semi-final concludes.

At the Croatian Open, defending champion Carlos Alcaraz beat Facundo Bagnis 6-0 6-4 and will now face Giulio Zeppieri, who saw off Bernabe Zapata Miralles in straight sets.

Jannik Sinner is also through to his first semi-final of 2022 after beating Roberto Carballes Baena 6-4 7-6 (7-5), with Franco Agamenone up next after overcoming Marco Cecchinato.

Iga Swiatek's lengthy unbeaten run on clay was brought to a surprise end by Caroline Garcia at the Poland Open on Friday. 

The world number one succumbed to a 6-1 1-6 6-4 defeat to the fifth seed, who ended the French Open champion's 18-match winning streak on the dirt. 

It was Garcia's first win over a top-ranked player and sent her into a semi-final against Jasmine Paolini after the Italian came from behind to beat Viktorija Golubic 1-6 6-2 6-2. 

Swiatek said: "Maybe I wasn't as disciplined as in previous tournaments, but I'm happy. I felt like my brain didn't intuitively predict where the ball would go, but I'm still learning, right? 

"The first two sets depended on her – whether or not she would be in control. At the end of the second she lost control and took advantage. 

"In the third set, she got back to her game. But if I had a better first serve percentage, maybe it would have been different. 

"I don't know what decision I will make next year. Maybe longer preparation [on clay] will be necessarily, or maybe I'll give up this tournament. We'll see." 

Kateryna Baindl became the first lucky loser to reach a WTA Tour semi-final this year by overcoming Petra Martic 1-6 6-3 6-4. Next up for Baindl is Ana Bogdan, who beat Laura Pigossi 6-1 6-1.  

World number two Anett Kontaveit was also on the receiving end of an upset, going down 6-1 6-1 to Anastasia Potapova in 49 minutes at the Prague Open. 

Potapova will take on qualifier Wang Qiang for a place in the final, with Czech pair Marie Bouzkova and Linda Noskova – only the second female player born after 2004 to reach the last four of a WTA Tour tournament – in action on the other side of the draw. 

Reigning US Open champion Emma Raducanu believes she needs to cut herself some slack as she aims to improve her consistency on the court.

Having made her breakthrough at last year's Wimbledon championships, Raducanu went on to claim a stunning success at the US Open.

The Briton defeated fellow teenager Leylah Fernandez in straight sets, becoming the first singles qualifier in the Open Era to win a grand slam title.

Yet with the North American swing fast approaching, Raducanu has not yet come close to replicating that form in 2022.

Indeed, since winning the US Open, she has reached just two WTA Tour-level quarter-finals, while she has failed to progress past the second round in any of the three majors.

While acknowledging she needs to add more consistency to her game, the 19-year-old remains relaxed, insisting she is learning to take a step back and enjoy her situation.

"My goal would be towards consistency," she told the Evening Standard. "But equally, I'm going to try and cut myself some slack.

"I'm young and I have achieved something great. I think I should step back and enjoy it.

"I'd say I am too much of a perfectionist. That drives me crazy sometimes. I obviously think it's a great trait, because I don't think I would have had the results I did without that drive and that wanting to be better.

"But it can be really self-destructive at the same time, because you're never happy and you'll always complain or find something wrong."

The Canadian-born star cites her upbringing, and the high standards set by her parents, as crucial to her success.

She added: "They've always had high standards, and told me when things weren't very good, whereas other people might have wanted to encourage me. My parents always told me how it is, and I always had this sense of wanting to prove them wrong.

"Even in primary school, we had a sprint race on sports day and for seven years straight, I won it. I'm undefeated! I really like to win. I love the fight.

"When things get tough, keep getting yourself back up. Keep persevering. Each time you do, it teaches you a lesson and you accumulate experience. Then you can grow a big bank of knowledge that you can tap into."

Raducanu is ranked 10th in the world by the WTA, and this week joined up with Dmitry Tursunov, who will coach her on a trial basis for next week's Citi Open. She split with former mentor Torben Beltz in April.

The top seeds were all victorious in Thursday's action at the Atlanta Open, with John Isner prevailing 7-6 (10-8) 4-6 7-6 (7-3) in an all-American showdown against Ben Shelton to close the day's play.

Isner, 37, relied as he usually does on his trusty serve to get the job done in tiebreakers, winning the match despite not breaking Shelton's serve a single time.

The second seed won 85 per cent (60-of-71) of his successful first serves, while Shelton was similarly stout, converting 83 per cent (50-of-60).

Isner will meet fellow American Jenson Brooksby in the quarter-finals after he came back from an early break to defeat Mackenzie McDonald 6-3 6-4.

The biggest differentiating factor between the two players was Brooksby's effectiveness off his second serve, winning 61 per cent (14-of-23) of those opportunities compared to just 22 per cent (four-of-18) from McDonald.

Fourth seed Alex de Minaur defeated fellow Australian James Duckworth 6-4 6-4 in a competitive match, but De Minaur simply created more chances for himself, with five break point opportunities while Duckworth had two.

De Minaur will play France's Adrian Mannarino after he defeated American Andres Martin 7-5 6-3.

Mannarino's main advantage was with his return game, securing four breaks of serve while dropping his own serve only once.

Carlos Alcaraz got his Croatia Open title defence off to a strong start with a straight-sets victory over Norbert Gombos on Thursday.

The Spaniard, who this week became the second-youngest player to break into the top five of the ATP rankings this century, behind only compatriot Rafael Nadal, saw off Gombos 6-2 6-3 in Umag.

Alcaraz, handed a first-round bye, will now face Facundo Bagnis in the last eight after the Argentinian beat Corentin Moutet 6-3 6-1.

Despite the straightforward nature of his victory over Gombos, the top seed was regularly tested on his own serve.

"It was a really tough match," said Alcaraz, whose triumph in Umag last year marked his first ATP Tour-level title.

"It wasn't as easy as the result seems. Norbert played a really good game and the first round of every tournament is never easy. 

"I had to get used to the conditions. It was tough for me, but at the end I found a way to play better and get the win."

Franco Agamenone also advanced to his first ATP Tour quarter-final with a 3-6 6-1 7-5 comeback over Sebastian Baez, while Marco Cecchinato upset Lorenzo Musetti 6-4 6-3.

At the Austrian Open, Dominic Thiem was eliminated in the quarter-finals of his home tournament by Yannick Hanfmann, the former world number three going down 6-4 3-6 6-4 in a rain-affected contest.

Roberto Bautista Agut prevailed 4-6 7-5 7-5 against Jiri Lehecka in a match lasting nearly three hours. A meeting with fellow Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas, who defeated Pedro Martinez 6-4 6-2, is his reward.