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Tag: French Open

  • Andy Murray’s hopes of winning French Open dashed

    Andy Murray’s hopes of winning French Open dashed

    Andy Murray’s Sojourn at the French Open came to an end on Sunday after suffering defeat to a straight sets first-round defeat to 2015 champion and fellow three-time Grand Slam title winner Stan Wawrinka who hailed the Briton as “a great champion”

    Murray, a losing finalist  at Roland Garros in 2016, lost 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 in his last appearance at the tournament before retiring later this year.

    Wawrinka becomes only the third man over the age of 39 to win a match at the French Open since 1980.

    Murray, 37, had already announced he plans to retire later in the summer with Wimbledon and the Paris Olympics as the two high-profile events left on his schedule.

    On Sunday, he left to a standing ovation from the crowd on Court Philippe Chatrier and Murray returned the gesture by applauding the fans.

    Wawrinka, who has now defeated Murray three times in four meetings in Paris, described his opponent as a “great champion”.

    The Swiss veteran goes on to face either Cameron Norrie of Britain or Russia’s Pavel Kotov for a place in the third round.

    “My first words are for a great champion,” Wawrinka told Eurosport courtside after the pair’s 23rd career meeting.

     

  • French Open: Djokovic wins record 23rd grand slam

    French Open: Djokovic wins record 23rd grand slam

    Novak Djokovic today made history by winning a record 23rd Grand Slam title (men’s category)with victory over Norway’s Casper Ruud in the French Open final.

    Djokovic showed his greatness once again by overcoming a sticky start to defeat the Norwegian in the French Open.

    Djokovic, 36, initially showed some sloppiness but rediscovered his form during the game to win his record 23rd grand slam with 7-6 (7-1) 6-3 7-5.

    The Serb moves into the outright lead of men’s majors ahead of Rafael Nadal.

    He also becomes the first man to win all four majors at least three times.

    Victory on the Paris clay moves Djokovic alongside Serena Williams in terms of Grand Slam titles, with only Margaret Court standing in front of him with 24 majors.

    “I’m beyond fortunate to win 23 Grand Slams in my life, it is incredible,” said Djokovic, who also won the French Open in 2016 and 2021.

    “I was a seven-year-old dreaming I could win Wimbledon one day and become number one in the world. I’m beyond grateful and and blessed to be standing here.

    “I feel I had the power to create my own destiny. I want to say to every young person if you want a better future, you can create it.”

    Minutes after Djokovic won, Nadal paid tribute to his long-time rival.

    “Many congratulations on this amazing achievement, 23 is a number that just a few years back was impossible to think about and you made it,” the Spaniard wrote.

  • French Open: Rafael Nadal sees off spirited Diego Schwartzman to reach semi-finals

    French Open: Rafael Nadal sees off spirited Diego Schwartzman to reach semi-finals

    Rafael Nadal reached a record-extending 14th French Open semi-final on Wednesday with a 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-0 win over Diego Schwartzman, setting up a potential last-four showdown with world number one Novak Djokovic.

    Nadal, bidding for a 14th Roland Garros title and record 21st major triumph, dropped his first set at the tournament since 2019 — ending a run of 36 consecutive sets won in Paris by the Spanish third seed.

    The 35-year-old Nadal improved his incredible French Open record to 105 wins and two losses as he advanced to his 35th Grand Slam semi-final. He beat Argentine 10th seed Schwartzman in the last four of the 2020 edition.

    “It’s always incredible for me to return to the semi-finals for another time,” said Nadal.

    “Diego is such an amazing player with so much talent, today was a very difficult challenge.”

    Nadal and Schwartzman had both progressed to the last eight without dropping a set.

    After Nadal took the opener he faltered while serving to stay in the second set, shanking long to concede his first set at Roland Garros since beating Dominic Thiem in four sets in the 2019 final.

    “I started bad the second set and then was able to come back, but then the game at 4-4, returning with the wind helping, I played a bad game and had a tricky situation serving to not lose the set. Well done to him, he played well,” said Nadal.

    The Spaniard regrouped and grabbed a decisive break in the ninth game of the third set, winning the final nine games against a weary Schwartzman to close out victory.

    “I needed to play a little bit more aggressive and I think I did later, so I am very happy for that,” added Nadal.

  • Nadal marches into quarter-finals at French Open

    Nadal marches into quarter-finals at French Open

    Rafael Nadal continued his march towards what he hopes will be a 14th French Open title with a straight-sets win over Jannik Sinner.

    After the drama of Novak Djokovic’s comeback against Lorenzo Musetti, Nadal also faced a test against an exciting 19-year-old Italian.

    But this was much more straightforward, with the 35-year-old winning 7-5 6-3 6-0.

    It did not appear that way through the first eight games, with Nadal searching for his game and trailing 5-3.

    But Sinner was unable to serve out the set and, although he fought back from 4-0 down in the second with three straight games, he could not do the expected.

    He was not able to find the sustained level of hitting that he needed to apply any real pressure.

  • Serena offers support to Osaka after French Open withdrawal

    Serena offers support to Osaka after French Open withdrawal

    Serena Williams offered her support to Naomi Osaka on Monday after the Japanese player’s decision to withdraw from the French Open in the wake of her boycott of press conferences.

    In a statement on Monday, Osaka said she did not want her stance to become a distraction and said that she had been dealing with mental health issues since 2018.

    Williams, 39, was inevitably asked for her reaction to Osaka’s decision following her first-round win over Romanian Irina-Camelia Begu.

    “Honestly I just found out before I walked into the press conference. So, that’s the extent of it right now for me,” Williams told reporters.

    Pushed for her opinion on Osaka’s claim last week that post-match media conferences were damaging her mental well-being, and Monday’s unexpected development, Williams said: “The only thing I feel is that I feel for Naomi.

    “I feel like I wish I could give her a hug because I know what it’s like. Like I said, I’ve been in those positions.

    “We have different personalities, and people are different.

    “Not everyone is the same. I’m thick (skinned). Other people are thin. Everyone is different and everyone handles things differently.

    “You just have to let her handle it the way she wants to, in the best way she thinks she can, and that’s the only thing I can say. I think she’s doing the best that she can.”

    Williams said it was important for players to have someone to use as a “sounding board” in tough times.

    “You have to be able to make an effort and say, I need help with A, B, C and D, and talk to someone,” she said.

    “Whether it’s someone at the WTA or whether it’s someone in your life. Maybe it’s someone that you just talk to on a weekly basis. I’ve been in that position, too.

    “I’ve definitely had opportunities to talk to people, kind of get things off my chest that I can’t necessarily talk to anyone in my family or anyone that I know.”

  • The twists and turns of 13th French Open as Djokovic bows to Nadal and 19-year-old Swiatek kisses first women Grand Slam trophy, By Osayande Ero

    The twists and turns of 13th French Open as Djokovic bows to Nadal and 19-year-old Swiatek kisses first women Grand Slam trophy, By Osayande Ero

    By Osayande Ero

     

    It’s been a fantastic two weeks of high-class tennis delivered by players who would simply not be put down by happenings around them, and it ended up serving what has been one of the most enthralling Roland Garros tournaments we have ever had. Starting with the men’s tour, we had some mouth-watering first-round clashes between multiple Grand Slam winners with Stan Wawrinka easily dispatching Andy Murray in straight sets, and newly crowned US Open champion, Dominic Thiem seeing off the challenge of 2014 US Open champion, Marin Cilic also in straight sets.

     

    World number one, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Sascha Zverev, Diego Schwartzman, and Roberto Bautista Agut came through their first round matches unscathed. The biggest upset on day one was the elimination of world number five, Danil Medvedev falling at the hands of Hungarian Marton Fucsovics in four sets. Other notable first round exits were David Goffin, falling at the hands of talented Italian next gen star, Jannik Sinner in straight sets; world number 29, Filip Krajinovic, falling to fellow Serb ranked outside the world’s top 100, on tour Nikola Milojevic in four sets.

     

    We also witnessed a few breakout stars making it as far as the fourth round and even the quarterfinals. Twenty-year-old American, Sebastian Korda, Frenchman, Hugo Gaston also aged 20, and German qualifier, Daniel Altmaier, made it to the fourth round eventually falling to Nadal, Thiem, and Pablo Carreno Busta respectively. Italian next gen star, Jannik Sinner, made it to the quarterfinals in his first appearance at Roland Garros, but his quarter final opponent was none other than 12-time champion, Rafael Nadal who had just too much experience in the important moments to knock out the teenage sensation.

     

    Other quarter-final matches saw world number one, Novak Djokovic dispatch Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta in a re-match of the US Open quarter final when Djokovic was disqualified for hitting a lines judge with the Serb coming through in four sets. Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas saw off the challenge of the spirited Russian Andrey Rublev in straight sets, and Diego Schwartzman upsetting tournament favorite and two-time finalist, Dominc Thiem in five entertaining sets. These set up very captivating semi-final clashes. First up on semi-finals day was Diego Schwartzman looking to be only the third man to beat Rafael Nadal on the Paris dirt with the Spaniard looking to further his amazing 98-2 win/loss record at Roland Garros.

     

    And as expected, Nadal just had too much for his opponent, sealing the win in straight sets to reach yet another final in Paris and possibly lay his hands on his 13th French Open title. The second semi-final saw world number one, Djokovic race to two sets to love lead, and was serving for the match in the third set when Tsitsipas broke back playing lights out tennis, and thus taking the third set. The Greek’s resurgence continued in the fourth set as he pushed Djokovic to a fifth set shoot-out for a place in the final but Djokovic would not be denied his chance at a showcase meeting with his rival, Nadal in the final as he breezed through the deciding set to set up the blockbuster final the tournament deserved.

     

    Finals Sunday at Court Philippe-Chartier in Paris definitely didn’t disappoint. We got the final everybody wanted. World number one, Novak Djokovic facing off against his biggest rival, world number two and 12-time champion, Rafael Nadal, in a suspense-filled 2 hours, 41 minutes contest. It was Nadal who sped out the blocks breaking Djokovic in the very first game; and he went on to deliver the biggest shock of the final, winning the first set to love. Nadal was on attack mode from the get go and this continued in the second set allowing Djokovic just two games. The third set was a tight affair with the world number one showing signs of life, but Nadal was just too good on the big points and would wrap up his 100th win and 13th title here in Paris in straight sets.

     

    It was a clinical display of attacking clay court tennis from the Spaniard which saw him wallop his opponent 6-0, 6-2, 7-5 to pick the much coveted trophy. Djokovic, in his on court interview, paid homage to his great rival, acknowledging that Nadal played at such a high level that took him by surprise. The win is more memorable for Nadal because he had reservations about the heavy balls and conditions prior to the tournament. But in true Nadal style, he went on to seal his victory without dropping a set. It’s his fourth straight title here in Paris and he has tied Roger Federer as players with the most grand slam wins with 20 in the kitty.

     

    On the women’s tour, it had been nonstop entertainment with so many highlights that had made the “COVID’ slam a huge thrill. The first round saw the usual suspects go through unscathed; a couple scares for Karolina Pliskova and former champion, Garbine Muguruza who both avoided upsets in three sets. Simona Halep, Victoria Azarenka, Serena Williams, Petra Kvitova, Elina Svitolina, Petra Martic, and Aryna Sabalenka, all came through their first. There were some notable first-round exits with seeds like Donna Vekic, Jenifer Brady, Angelique Kerber, Madison Keys, Dayana Yastremska, Anett Kontaveit, seven-time Grand Slam champion, Venus Williams; and most notably, Johanna Konta, losing to 16-year-old American, Cori Gauff.

     

    If the first round wasn’t dramatic enough, things went up a notch in round two with underdogs getting lots of scalps, most notably Karolina Pliskova, falling to 2017 champion, Jelena Ostapenko in straight sets. Also, US Open finalist, Victoria Azarenka, lost to Slovakian Schmiedlova Anna-Karolina in straight sets. The biggest news of the second round was the withdrawal of Serena Williams, citing the injury she sustained at the US Open. She disclosed that she’s been having difficulty walking so there obviously was no way she could compete at the level needed to mount a title charge.

     

    We were blessed with a bunch of surprise names making their way through the draws, as far as the semi-finals. Iga Swiatek, Nadia Podoroska, Martina Trevisan, and Laura Siegemund, all made their way through tough draws, upsetting seeded players to make their way to the business end of the championships. In the first quarter-final, Elina Svitolina lost to Nadia Podoroska in straight sets; Iga Swiatek dispatched Martina Trevisan, also in straight sets. Petra Kvitova saw off the challenge of Laura Siegemund; and the last quarter-final saw Sofia Kenin defeat fellow American, Danielle Collins in three sets.

     

    The first semi-final saw 19-year-old Iga Swiatek looking to be the first Polish player on either tour to win a Grand Slam. She quickly dispatched her opponent, Nadia Podoroska in straight sets thus booking her place in her maiden grand slam final. The second semi-final saw Australian Open champion, Sofia Kenin defeat Petra Kvitova in straight sets and booking her place in her second Slam final of the year.

     

    We had a final not too many saw coming, but a welcome development as two stars of the future battled it out for a chance to lift the coveted trophy – Iga Swiatek, looking to make history as the first polish player ever to win a grand slam, and Sofia Kenin, looking to make it her second Slam of the year. The match promised a lot but it was Iga Swiatek who took her chance at a first slam with both hands seeing off Kenin in straight sets. The Pole, winning her first grand Slam at 19 without dropping a set, is definitely a remarkable feat. Considering the circumstances in which the tournament was staged, all cannot but agree that it was a fantastic tournament with plenty of memorable moments. Congratulations Rafael Nadal and Iga Swiatek on winning Roland Garros 2020.

  • Nadal beats Djokovic to win 13th French Open title

    Nadal beats Djokovic to win 13th French Open title

    Rafael Nadal scripted history on Sunday by winning a record-extending 13th French Open title as he lifted his 20th Grand Slam trophy and equalled Roger Federer’s record for most Major titles.

    The Spaniard defeated Novak Djokovic 6-0, 6-2, 7-5 in 2 hours and 41 minutes at Court Philippe-Chatrier in Paris.

    “Congrats to Novak for another great tournament. Sorry for today, said Nadal.

    “It’s clear today was for me. That’s part of the game. We’ve played plenty times together – one day one wins, another the other.”

  • French Open: Teenager Swiatek wins first Grand Slam title

    French Open: Teenager Swiatek wins first Grand Slam title

    Securing a first Grand Slam title is supposed to be an arduous task but Iga Swiatek won the French Open in a blaze of winners on Saturday.

    The 19-year-old crushed Sofia Kenin 6-4 6-1 to crown an extraordinary fortnight.

    Swiatek, who had dropped only 23 games en route to the final, produced another audacious display as she became the first Polish player to win a Grand Slam singles title.

    Only briefly in the first set did Swiatek show any weakness, letting slip a 3-0 lead.

    But having edged a tightly-contested opening set she romped to victory, although fourth seed Kenin’s challenge appeared to be hampered by a thigh injury.

    Australian Open champion Kenin, herself only 21, needed treatment at 1-2 in the second set and on the resumption Swiatek was utterly ruthless.

    She conceded only three more points, sealing the title with an unstoppable forehand, her 25th winner.

    Unseeded Swiatek, who was ranked 54th at the start of the tournament, is the youngest woman to win the French Open since Monica Seles in 1992.

    She is also the first to do so without dropping a set during the fortnight since Justine Henin in 2007.

    After claiming victory she made her way into the stands to celebrate with her family which includes former Olympic rower father Tomasz and her coach Piotr Sierzputowski.

    “It was overwhelming for me. Two years ago I won a junior grand slam and now I’m here. It feels like such a short time.

    “I’m just overwhelmed,” Swiatek, the lowest-ranked woman to win the French Open since rankings were introduced in 1975, said after returning to the court.

    “Another underdog wins a Grand Slam in women’s tennis, it’s crazy.”

    It was a sad end to the tournament for Kenin who was unable to find the form that saw her past Petra Kvitova in the semi-finals.

    Swiatek began the match on the shady side of the Court Philippe Chatrier court with Kenin in bright sunshine, but it was the Pole’s tennis that illuminated the 84-minute final.

    She began as freely as if it was match down at her local club in Warsaw, sprinting into a 3-0 lead.

    Kenin, whose tightly-wound and expressive demeanour was a stark contrast to Swiatek’s calm approach, fought back to 3-3 as her backhand began to do some damage.

    Swiatek came through a tense service game at 3-3 and in the best passage of play in the final then broke Kenin after another long game.

    It was a game in which she saved a game point with a superb drop volley, having chased down a drop shot.

    Kenin broke serve with a glorious backhand to trail 5-4 but Swiatek was feasting on the American’s serve and broke for the third time in the set to move to take the opener.

    Swiatek dropped serve at the start of the second set but hit back immediately and Kenin’s challenge faded rapidly after she had her left thigh heavily taped.

    Logic suggests nerves might have became a factor as glory beckoned but Swiatek bashed winners all over the court to announce herself as the sport’s latest sensation in style.(

  • Nadal downs Schwartzman to reach 13th French Open final

    Nadal downs Schwartzman to reach 13th French Open final

    Rafael Nadal moved within one win of a record-equalling 20th Grand Slam title by reaching the French Open final with a comfortable 6-3 6-3 7-6(0) victory over Diego Schwartzman on Friday.

    Nadal was beaten by the 12th seed a little over two weeks ago on the claycourts in Rome but the 12-times French Open champion was a different proposition this time around.

    The Spaniard showed he was still the undisputed king of Roland Garros as he notched up a 10th win in 11 meetings over the Argentine.

    “Two and a half weeks ago, I lost in Rome,” Nadal said in an on-court interview.

    “I’m happy the way I played, how I’ve improved. Today was a very positive win for me.”

    A victory on Sunday for the 34-year-old left-hander will bring him at par with Roger Federer in terms of men’s singles record of 20 major titles.

    He will be up against either world number one Novak Djokovic or fifth-seeded Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas.

    The Spaniard reached his 13th French Open final without dropping a set in this year’s edition.

    Schwartzman, playing his first Grand Slam semi-final, had two breakpoints in the opening game but Nadal saved both to win the game after battling for 14 minutes.

    The Spaniard went on to break the Argentine twice in each of the first two sets.

    The duo traded double service-breaks in the third set before Nadal aced the tiebreak without losing a point.

    Schwartzman found the net with a return to hand Nadal victory in three hours and nine minutes.

    “It’s a very difficult year. Thank you everyone for coming,” said Nadal, who hit 38 winners during the contest.

    “With these conditions it’s very difficult, and it’s still incredible to be in the final again. Thanks to my team, my family. It’s a beautiful moment for me.”

    Schwartzman had his chances but could convert only three of his 12 breakpoint chances against the Spaniard, who raised his level under pressure.

  • Andy Murray given French Open wildcard

    Andy Murray given French Open wildcard

    Britain’s former world number one Andy Murray has been given a wildcard to the main draw of this month’s French Open.

    The 33-year-old Scot, currently ranked 110, required hip resurfacing surgery in 2019 to save his career and reached the US Open second round this month.

    Murray, winner of three Grand Slams and French finalist in 2016, has not appeared at the event since losing to Stan Wawrinka in the 2017 semi-finals.

    This year’s first round begins at Roland Garros on 27 September.

    All the other wildcards in the men’s competition are French, while in the women’s singles, there are places for Canada’s Eugenie Bouchard, a French Open semi-finalist and Wimbledon finalist in 2014, and 2020 US Open quarter-finalist Tsvetana Pironkova.

    Murray qualified for the semi-finals at Roland Garros for four consecutive years from 2014-2017 but will enter the tournament without any competitive action on clay after he decided against playing at the Italian Open this week.