French Open 2025: Jannik Sinner outclasses Alexander Bublik
Jannik Sinner beat Alexander Bublik in the quarterfinals to book a spot in the semi-final of French Open 2025 (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
The Times of India at Roland Garros
: Jannik Sinner is quick - ly becoming the
French Open
's blink-and-you-will-miss-it sto - ry. The World No.1 reels off 25-minute sets with the zeal of a motorist beating morning traffic to get to work.
The Italian ended the run of the entertaining Kazakh Alexander Bublik 6-1, 7-5, 6-0 in one-hour and 49 minutes to make the semifinals at Roland Garros.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!
Sinner has won his past 19 matches at majors, having emerged victorious at the US Open and the Australian Open. The top-seed on a 17-1 run this season joined compatriot Lor - enzo Musetti in the last four.
IPL 2025 Final | Rishi Sunak Interview: 'I am a big Virat Kohli fan... RCB is my team'
It is the first time in the Open Era that two Italian men have reached the semifinals of the same Grand Slam.
'We played a couple times already, so you know a little bit what to expect,' Sinner said of Bublik. 'But in another way, with him, you never know what is happening. He deserved to be in the quarterfinals, he beat very tough opponents. I tried to stay focused from my side of the court and play as solid as possible as he can have some ups and downs. I am trying to serve very well in important moments, which I have done.'
Poll
Do you think Jannik Sinner will win the French Open this year?
Yes
No
Sinner has spent less than 10 hours on court through his first five matches as he has taken apart his opponents for the loss of very few games.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
19 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Gen-Next in focus: Kriish Tyagi steps into the big league
Kriish Tyagi, India's top-ranked junior player, is No. 44 on the ITF World Junior Tennis Tour and has seven singles titles to his name. But having turned 18 in April, he is now in his final year competing as a junior. The young player from Sarjapur, Bengaluru, now finds himself at a defining crossroads — where the river of junior tennis meets the vast, uncharted ocean of the senior circuit. While a strong finish in his final showing at the Junior Grand Slams remains important, Kriish isn't afraid to make sacrifices for the bigger picture — which is why, after completing his Class 12 exams last month and facing limited clay-court training options in India, he and coach Harsha Lingappa chose to skip the French Open this year. 'The quality of clay courts in Europe is something you don't get in India. I don't feel my game is ready for that kind of clay. It's just tough to get a hang of it when you go for tournaments,' Kriish told Sportstar. He is, however, looking forward to Wimbledon and the US Open. 'Playing on grass courts is mainly about hand skills, slices, volleys and serves, and I feel I'm good at that. As far as the US Open is concerned, I've won all my titles on hard courts. So, I'm confident about that surface,' said Kriish. Looking to build his ATP ranking, Kriish has also been adding more Futures events to his calendar — a move that's already showing results. He reached the semifinals as a qualifier at a $30,000 tournament in Ahmedabad and followed it up with another semifinal finish at a $15,000 event in Tashkent. Once a swimming enthusiast, Kriish took up tennis at the age of 10 during his after-school lessons. Sapna, Kriish's mother, has been a huge pillar of strength for him as his father, Ajay, works in the port sector in Jeddah, while his elder brother, Akash, is employed at Procter & Gamble in Pennsylvania. When a young Kriish, inspired after watching a match between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal on TV, told his mother about his desire to give tennis a try, she didn't discourage him despite knowing well the tough road ahead for Indian tennis players. 'I just told him to be prepared and work very hard — don't worry about the results. You have to be ready for all the ups and downs,' recalled Sapna. While other top Indian juniors, such as Manas Dhamne and Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi, went abroad to train, Kriish chose to stay in India, joining the Harsha Lingappa Tennis Academy in Bengaluru in 2021. 'I saw Kriish for the first time in 2021 at an ITF tournament in Nepal,' said coach Harsha. 'He was a very gritty player. He wanted to win the match but didn't know how to do it — strategy or technique-wise. It was easy for me to train this kid because he gave his 100 per cent on the court. We worked completely on his serve, his forehand, added a bit of strategy, and created a weapon out of it.' A few months before appearing for his Class 12 exams via the National Institute of Open Schooling, Kriish received an offer from a US college to play on the NCAA circuit — a path many young tennis players around the world have taken. However, whether he takes that route will depend on how the coming months unfold. 'At the moment, I'm signed up with Texas A&M University, but I feel if I do something big — like maybe get into a Grand Slam or perform really well at the men's level — I'm going to take a one-year break, train more, and try to see if I can go further up before rushing to college,' said Kriish. STATFILE ITF Juniors Ranking 46 (as of June 3, 2025) ATP Ranking 1166 ITF Juniors Titles 7 Junior Grand Slam Appearances Australian Open (2023–2025) Coach Harsha Lingappa Sponsors IndianOil and Yonex Favourite Players Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka
Hindustan Times
20 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
RCB's IPL celebration-turned-tragedy—who is to blame?
Death is used liberally in cricket as a metaphor. Bowling at the death. Reviving an innings. Coming back from the dead. Nobody ever expects it to stop being a metaphor, though. When that happens, the cricketing world stands numb with shock, grief and even fury. But the people who died in the stampede-like situation at the Royal Challengers Bangalore's celebration event won't be around to register the deluge of outrage and sympathy their deaths have caused. It was perhaps the strangest two days in the life of any cricket team or its fans. On June 3, there was a peak of euphoria like no other. On June 4, there was a depth of despair that couldn't have been fathomed. There are 11 fans whose families will never hear them smile, laugh, reminisce again. They had gone to the event thinking it was an extension of the happiest day of their lives. Everyone who was there at the event would have gone to celebrate. Everyone. And therein lies the issue. When it's to do with a franchise like RCB, 'everyone' is a massive number. Why the hurry to celebrate? There are questions that must arise from the tragedy. Who decided that a celebration involving the teeming public of a metropolis, less than 24 hours after a momentous win, was a good idea? Didn't anyone understand the emotional magnitude of the victory? RCB had won the IPL after 18 years, having come close several times, having had the players to go all the way often, but never winning? They had become the favourite punchline of IPL trophy jokes. And then to actually win it, was like deliverance. If it was so for players, it would have been doubly so for fans. The players get to pack up after a disappointing season and move on to the next tournament. They have to compartmentalise to succeed, because it is their profession. The fan has carried the hurt for 18 years. Did no one expect an absolute outpouring of fandom on the streets then? Perhaps most important of all, even if the franchise wanted to celebrate in that giddy rush of a first-time victory, why were the officials responsible for logistics and security so blase about letting the event take place? Why were they not forcefully saying it was not possible at such short notice? A 'no' from the authorities would have meant a postponing of the celebration. It would have allowed the initial adrenaline rush to at least dissipate. There would have still been massive throngs of people - but better security and planning would have been in place. The answers to these questions will be lost amidst the blame-game that inevitably emerges whenever there's a national tragedy. There have already been arrests, or calls to arrest, officials from the franchise, the event management company and those from the Karnataka State Cricket Association. These bodies were part of organising the celebration, sure. But could they have done it without official sanction? The other fallout of any national tragedy is that there is never one tragedy: there are two. First, is the tragic event itself. And that is followed by a howling lynch mob online who want their bloodlust satisfied by ritual sacrifice. So you have social media abuzz with trends that call for the arrest of Virat Kohli. You have editorials that demand victims' families be compensated X amount or Y amount. You have people call for the banning of RCB. I'd be willing to bet that none of those making these sorts of outrageous demands feel as much sadness for the victims as they feel joy in tearing down people for their own agendas. Because how is a Virat Kohli responsible for any of the tragic events, in any manner whatsoever? How does banning the franchise address why the stampede happened and how to ensure it never gets repeated? How does an internet warrior sitting at home determine not just what sum of money should be paid, but who should be paying it? The stampede, the loss of lives, and the injuries and trauma was a tragedy. It's important to hold people accountable for it. It's equally important to not point the finger at those who weren't central to the decisions that led to the tragedy.
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
an hour ago
- First Post
French Open: Sinner denies Djokovic 25th Grand Slam win with semi-final victory, faces Alcaraz for title
World number one Sinner held off a record-chasing Djokovic with an impressive 6-4, 7-5, 7-6 (7/3) win on Court Philippe Chatrier to reach his maiden Roland Garros final, where he faces defending champion Carlos Alcaraz. read more World No 1 Jannik Sinner shakes Novak Djokovic's hand after defeating the 24-time Grand Slam champion in the semi-finals of the French Open on Friday, 6 June. AP Jannik Sinner battled past Novak Djokovic in a gripping French Open semi-final on Friday to book a first Grand Slam final meeting with reigning champion Carlos Alcaraz after the Spaniard saw off Lorenzo Musetti. World number one Sinner held off a record-chasing Djokovic with an impressive 6-4, 7-5, 7-6 (7/3) win on Court Philippe Chatrier to reach his maiden Roland Garros final. 'He is the best player in the history of our sport, playing against him here is amazing,' said the 23-year-old Sinner. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'Of course I try to not think about this but before coming on court you feel the tension.' Djokovic showed his trademark fighting qualities in a dramatic contest that lasted three hours and 16 minutes, but three missed set points late in the third set ultimately put paid to his hopes of a comeback. The 38-year-old will next attempt to win a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title at Wimbledon next month. 'Obviously Wimbledon is next, which is my childhood favourite tournament,' said the world number six. 'I'm going to do everything possible to get myself ready. I guess my best chances maybe are Wimbledon, to win another Slam, or faster hard court, maybe Australia or something like that.' Alcaraz earlier booked his place in Sunday's final when opponent Musetti retired with a leg injury in the fourth set of their last-four tie. Sinner, who is yet to drop a set in the tournament, will be hoping to gain revenge on Alcaraz after losing to the Spaniard in five sets in the semi-finals last year. Alcaraz has won his last four matches against Sinner, including in the Italian Open final in May when Sinner returned from a three-month doping ban. 'Sunday is going to be very difficult, I know my head-to-head lately doesn't look great against Carlos but let's see what I can do,' added Sinner. Djokovic's exit ensures that a sixth successive major title will be lifted by either Sinner or world number two Alcaraz, in what appears increasingly likely to be a permanent changing of the guard. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'This could have been the last match ever I played here, so I don't know,' said Djokovic. 'I don't know really what tomorrow brings in a way at this point in my career. You know, I'm going to keep on keeping on.' Sunday will see the first Grand Slam final to be played between two men born in the 2000s. Neither Sinner or Alcaraz have ever lost a major final. It is also the first Grand Slam tournament in which the top two seeds will contest both the men's and women's finals since the 2013 US Open, with Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff set to face off for the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen on Saturday. Djokovic had his chances, but Sinner consistently proved too strong in the key moments, including when breaking immediately after failing to serve out the second set. The Italian hit 44 winners in total over the gruelling three sets, showing excellent resilience to stave off three set points in the 10th game of the third. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Musetti retires injured Earlier, world number two Alcaraz was leading 4-6, 7-6 (7/3), 6-0, 2-0 under the Court Philippe Chatrier roof when Italian Musetti called it quits due to a thigh injury. 'It's never great to go through or win a match when it's like this,' said the 22-year-old. 'He's done an incredible clay season. I wish him all the best, a quick recovery and that he'll be back soon.' Alcaraz will aim to win his fifth Grand Slam title in two days' time. 'It's been three intense weeks and now I have one step to make,' he said. 'I'll give everything on Sunday, I've been playing great tennis this tournament.' Musetti saved break points in the first and seventh games before grabbing a one-set lead with a break in the 10th game. The Spaniard raced through a second-set breaker, though, taking his third set point when Musetti fired an attempted passing shot into the net. Musetti could not deal with the power coming from the other side of the net in the third set and briefly received treatment on his left thigh. Alcaraz went on to romp through the set, in which eighth seed Musetti mustered only five points, in just 22 minutes. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Musetti surrendered another break early in the fourth set as Alcaraz thumped a forehand return into the corner, and the 23-year-old immediately headed to the net to shake his opponent's hand.
