Sinner sends Gasquet into retirement, Djokovic marches on
Tennis - French Open - Roland Garros, Paris, France - May 29, 2025 Ashlyn Krueger of the U.S. in action during her second round match against Russia's Mirra Andreeva REUTERS/Denis Balibouse
Tennis - French Open - Roland Garros, Paris, France - May 29, 2025 Jessica Pegula of the U.S. reacts during her second round match against Ann Li of the U.S. REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq
Tennis - French Open - Roland Garros, Paris, France - May 29, 2025 Russia's Mirra Andreeva in action during her second round match against Ashlyn Krueger of the U.S. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse
Tennis - French Open - Roland Garros, Paris, France - May 29, 2025 Russia's Mirra Andreeva shakes hands with Ashlyn Krueger of the U.S. after winning her second round match REUTERS/Denis Balibouse
PARIS - French Open veteran Richard Gasquet's career ended in defeat by Jannik Sinner while seasoned campaigner Novak Djokovic continued his bid for a record 25th Grand Slam title by battling into the Roland Garros third round on Thursday.
Third seed Alexander Zverev, teenager Mirra Andreeva and American title contenders Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula and Madison Keys all won on a windy afternoon but former champion Barbora Krejcikova and ninth seed Alex De Minaur crashed out.
Top seed Sinner brought the curtain down on Gasquet's long professional journey, hammering the 38-year-old 6-3 6-0 6-4 for his second win over the local favourite in as many editions of Roland Garros and then led the tributes.
"We're different generations, but it's your moment. You played in such an incredible era of tennis and everyone will recognise you, even after retirement," said Sinner, before a touching video tribute featuring Gasquet's peers.
While Sinner and Gasquet showcased clean hitting in their match, third seed Alexander Zverev had to chase down dozens of drop shots from Dutchman Jesper de Jong before securing a 3-6 6-1 6-2 6-3 victory.
Surprise 2024 semi-finalist Andreeva took apart the powerful Ashlyn Krueger 6-3 6-4 with her inventive approach and confirmed her calibre on the sport's slowest surface after runs to the Madrid and Rome quarter-finals this season.
"This match wasn't easy, I'd lost to her at the U.S. Open," Andreeva said, reflecting on her second-round defeat by Krueger in New York last August.
"She's a powerful and aggressive player. I knew I had to play well ... I suffered and struggled with my serve, but I'm happy I found a way to stay calm."
Pegula, Krueger's frequent doubles partner this season and the third seed, had to battle against fellow American Ann Li but found her best level when it mattered to prevail 6-3 7-6(3).
Up next for the 2024 U.S. Open runner-up is former Paris finalist Marketa Vondrousova, after the Czech sent 25th seed Magdalena Frech packing 6-0 4-6 6-3.
GAUFF CRUISES
Gauff moved ahead by beating unseeded Czech Tereza Valentova 6-2 6-4 while fellow Grand Slam champion Keys overcame Briton Katie Boulter 6-1 6-3 but it was the end of the road for 2021 champion Krejcikova who fell 6-3 6-3 to Veronika Kudermetova.
Three-time French Open champion Djokovic had to work but the 38-year-old continued his quest for more history after his 100th title in Geneva last week as he beat Frenchman Corentin Moutet 6-3 6-2 7-6(1).
The Serbian's sixth victory in a row marked his longest winning streak since his run to the Paris Olympics gold at the same venue last year.
"Mentally you have to be concentrated throughout such a match. Corentin is very quick, he is a fighter, especially in the third set," said Djokovic, who came close to losing the third set.
"He had set point. At that moment anything could happen but I stayed in the set. At the right time I found a good serve."
Teen sensation Joao Fonseca beat Pierre-Hugues Herbert 7-6(4) 7-6(4) 6-4 in a clash where French and Brazilian fans competed for vocal superiority at a packed Court 14.
Czech Jakub Mensik, who at 19 is a year older than Fonseca but equally talented as confirmed by his Miami triumph, failed to conjure up any magic and fell 2-6 1-6 6-4 6-3 6-3 against Henrique Rocha of Portugal.
Local crowds had reason to cheer despite Gasquet, Moutet and Herbert falling, however, as 14th seed Arthur Fils rallied for a 7-6(3) 7-6(4) 2-6 0-6 6-4 win over Spaniard Jaume Munar.
"In the fifth set, I thought about Gael Monfils, who has flipped millions of matches," said Fils, referring to his 38-year-old compatriot who earned his 12th five-set win at the French Open on Tuesday.
Jiri Lehecka earlier took out Spanish 26th seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-3 3-6 6-1 6-2 and Kazakh Alexander Bublik awoke from his slumber to upset Australian ninth seed Alex De Minaur 2-6 2-6 6-4 6-3 6-2.
De Minaur put down his own problems in the match down to fatigue amid a gruelling season and called for changes to the calendar to prevent players from burning out. REUTERS
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
39 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Andy Murray leaves door open to coaching return
Novak Djokovic worked with Andy Murray for six months but did not win any title. PHOTO: REUTERS LONDON – Former world No. 1 Andy Murray has left the door open to a coaching return after his short stint with Novak Djokovic ended without a trophy, but the Scot said he did not expect to be working with another player anytime soon. Serbian great Djokovic appointed Murray ahead of this season's Australian Open and said at the Qatar Open in February they would continue working together for an indefinite period. However, the 24-time Grand Slam champion then endured a woeful run of form and the pair parted ways in May ahead of the French Open. 'I would do it again (coaching) at some stage. But I don't think that will happen immediately,' Murray told the BBC on June 9. 'I wasn't planning on going into coaching as soon as I finished playing but it was a pretty unique opportunity. 'It was a chance to learn from one of the best athletes of all time. You also learn a lot about how to work with a team. You're working with a physio, physical trainers, agents, and you need to know how to get your message across to the player and find out what makes them tick. 'That was the thing I learnt and something I need to work on if I want to do it again in the future.' Though they won no titles in their six-month partnership, Murray said he had good memories of his time working with former rival Djokovic. 'It was a brilliant opportunity for me. We got to spend some really nice moments away from the court,' the three-time Grand Slam champion added. 'Results weren't as we wanted but we gave it a go. We'll see about coaching in the future but I don't think that will happen for a while.' Djokovic, meanwhile, had suggested that he may have played his last French Open after the 38-year-old was defeated in the semi-finals by eventual runner-up Jannik Sinner. Following his 6-4, 7-5, 7-6 (7-3) loss to the world No. 1 Italian, he stopped briefly on his way off Court Philippe-Chatrier and took a moment to 'show his gratitude' to the Paris crowd. He stills stands on the brink of history after his latest tilt at a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title was foiled. One more Major victory would take him beyond Margaret Court and into outright-first on the list of players with the most Grand Slams. 'At the moment I will try to stick with the plan what I had, which is play the Grand Slams,' Djokovic said. 'Those tournaments are the priorities of my schedule, my calendar. Wimbledon and US Open, yes, they are in plans. That's all I can say right now.' REUTERS, AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
CNA
an hour ago
- CNA
Murray leaves door open to coaching return
Former world number one Andy Murray has left the door open to a coaching return after his short stint with Novak Djokovic ended without a trophy, but the Scot said he did not expect to be working with another player anytime soon. Serb Djokovic appointed Murray ahead of this year's Australian Open and said at the Qatar Open in February they would continue working together for an indefinite period. However, the 24-times Grand Slam champion then endured a woeful run of form and the pair parted ways last month ahead of the French Open. "I would do it again at some stage. I don't think that will happen immediately," Murray told the BBC on Monday. "I wasn't planning on going into coaching as soon as I finished playing but it was a pretty unique opportunity. "It was a chance to learn from one of the best athletes of all time. You also learn a lot about how to work with a team. "You're working with a physio, physical trainers, agents, and you need to know how to get your message across to the player and find out what makes them tick. "That was the thing I learned and something I need to work on if I want to do it again in the future," added Murray. Though they won no titles in their six-month partnership, Murray said he had good memories of his time working with former rival Djokovic. "It was a brilliant opportunity for me. We got to spend some really nice moments away from the court," the three-times Grand Slam champion added.
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Murray leaves door open to coaching return
FILE PHOTO: Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 22, 2025 Serbia's Novak Djokovic celebrates with his coach Andy Murray after winning his quarter final match against Spain's Carlos Alcaraz REUTERS/Edgar Su/File Photo Former world number one Andy Murray has left the door open to a coaching return after his short stint with Novak Djokovic ended without a trophy, but the Scot said he did not expect to be working with another player anytime soon. Serb Djokovic appointed Murray ahead of this year's Australian Open and said at the Qatar Open in February they would continue working together for an indefinite period. However, the 24-times Grand Slam champion then endured a woeful run of form and the pair parted ways last month ahead of the French Open. "I would do it again at some stage. I don't think that will happen immediately," Murray told the BBC on Monday. "I wasn't planning on going into coaching as soon as I finished playing but it was a pretty unique opportunity. "It was a chance to learn from one of the best athletes of all time. You also learn a lot about how to work with a team. "You're working with a physio, physical trainers, agents, and you need to know how to get your message across to the player and find out what makes them tick. "That was the thing I learned and something I need to work on if I want to do it again in the future," added Murray. Though they won no titles in their six-month partnership, Murray said he had good memories of his time working with former rival Djokovic. "It was a brilliant opportunity for me. We got to spend some really nice moments away from the court," the three-times Grand Slam champion added. "Results weren't as we wanted but we gave it a go. We'll see about coaching in the future but I don't think that will happen for a while." REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
