Sinner and Djokovic step up French Open challenges
Jannik Sinner has won the last two Grand Slams and three of the past five (Dimitar DILKOFF)
Jannik Sinner takes on the retiring Richard Gasquet at the French Open on Thursday, while Novak Djokovic looks to sharpen his game in the second round in his pursuit of a 25th Grand Slam title.
Women's second seed and former Roland Garros finalist Coco Gauff also targets a place in the last 16 along with 18-year-old contender Mirra Andreeva.
Advertisement
World number one Sinner faces his second French opponent in a row at Roland Garros and is expecting a memorable encounter against the 38-year-old Gasquet, playing at the tournament for the 22nd and final time.
"I know you're going to support him (Gasquet), it's OK, I know that," Sinner told the crowd after his first-round win over hope Arthur Rinderknech.
"I'm just happy to share a court with him."
The 23-year-old Italian showed some signs of rustiness against Rinderknech in just his seventh match back since returning from a three-month doping suspension.
Sinner made his comeback at the Italian Open earlier in May, reaching the final before losing in straight sets to reigning Roland Garros champion Carlos Alcaraz.
Advertisement
Djokovic, fresh off his 100th ATP title last weekend, got his tilt at a fourth French Open title off to a solid start on Tuesday.
The Serbian sixth seed will need to be on his guard against crafty Frenchman Corentin Moutet.
"I don't know how many more Grand Slams I've got left in my body," Djokovic said after the opening round.
"I spent quite a bit of time in making sure that every step of the way in preparation and prevention is respected in order for me to still be able to play on this level."
Third-ranked Alexander Zverev meets Jesper de Jong for a place in round three, with Alex de Minaur, Jakub Mensik, Arthur Fils and Joao Fonseca all returning to the court as well on Thursday.
Advertisement
Gael Monfils looks to pull off an upset over British fifth seed Jack Draper in the night session after fighting back from two sets down under the lights on Court Philippe Chatrier in his opener.
- Gauff, Andreeva powering up -
Gauff laughed off an amusing lapse that led to her arriving on court without any racquets ahead of her first-round win.
The American said it actually helped her relax as she targets a first title since last year's WTA Finals, having come up just short in Madrid and Rome.
"I think as the rounds go, I think it's just with every tournament you feel more comfortable out there on the court," said Gauff, who plays Czech qualifier Tereza Valentova in her second match.
Advertisement
"You have a match under your belt and know how to deal with certain situations. I think the first round is the most nervous I get. After that, you just feel like it's a little bit more smooth sailing."
Sixth seed Andreeva, who had an impressive run to the semi-finals at Roland Garros last year, plays American Ashlyn Krueger.
Andreeva is playing her first Grand Slam as a top-10 seed after capturing WTA 1000 series titles in Dubai and Indian Wells.
Third seed Jessica Pegula plays fellow American Ann Li, while Australian Open champion Madison Keys takes on Britain's Katie Boulter.
Other past and present Grand Slam champions Marketa Vondrousova, Victoria Azarenka, Sofia Kenin and Barbora Krejcikova are also on Thursday's schedule.
mw/ea
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
18 minutes ago
- New York Times
Ons Jabeur criticizes double standards in women's tennis after French Open night slot controversy
Three-time Grand Slam finalist Ons Jabeur has criticized double standards in the coverage and showcasing of women's tennis, writing on social media that 'the women's game has been writing its own legacy loudly, brilliantly, and for far too long without full recognition.' In a post on X Fri. May 30, Jabeur outlined the stark differences in the perception of success and dominance in the men's and women's games, discussing the chasm between how the two are talked about. Advertisement 'A lot of amazing athletes have been told the same things over and over,' she wrote. 'That no one watches. That no one cares. That women's sport doesn't 'move people.' 'Judgment comes quickly often from those who've never even watched a full match. One empty stadium is held up as proof. The packed ones? Conveniently ignored.' You don't have to agree , just read with an open heart❤️ — Ons Jabeur (@Ons_Jabeur) May 30, 2025 A 6-0, 6-0 win for a woman is called 'boring. Too easy,' she wrote. 'When a man does it? That's 'dominance.' 'Strength.' 'Unstoppable.'' Jabeur also echoed a line from four-time French Open champion Iga Świątek earlier this year, when she wrote of women's players: 'If they celebrate, they're dramatic. Too emotional. If they don't, they're cold. Too distant.' Świątek wrote in a post on social media in March that: 'When I'm highly focused and don't show many emotions on court, I'm called a robot, my attitude labeled as inhuman. Now that I'm more expressive, showing feelings or struggling internally, I'm suddenly labeled immature or hysterical.' Jabeur, a former world No. 2 now down at No. 36, has last year and this year spoken about the court scheduling at the French Open, where not a single women's match has been given the primetime night session slot on Court Philippe-Chatrier, the biggest stadium. 'I hope whoever is making the decision (on scheduling), I don't think they have daughters, because I don't think they want to treat their daughters like this,' she said in a news conference Tuesday. 'It's a bit ironic. They don't show women's sport, they don't show women's tennis, and then they (say), 'Yeah, but mostly they watch men.' Of course they watch men more because you show men more. Everything goes together.' In her social media post, Jabeur went on to outline the qualities of some of the stars of the women's game, most of whom remain at Roland Garros and none of whom will get the platform of the night session slot on Court Philippe-Chatrier. On the same day as Jabeur's post, the Roland Garros tournament director Amélie Mauresmo reiterated her stance from previous years that the decision to put men's matches in the night session rather than women's was solely based on the fact that the former are best of five sets as opposed to best of three. 'It's the length of the matches, not the level they reach,' Mauresmo said, arguing that their shorter durations meant that putting a woman's match on risked leaving spectators shortchanged. Advertisement This was the context for Jabeur's message, which she posted on X the same afternoon. Following Mauresmo's comments, a WTA spokesperson said in a statement: 'The WTA encourages all combined tournaments to provide a balanced match schedule that showcases the best of both women's and men's tennis – and in premium scheduling slots. 'The current generation and depth of talent in women's tennis is extraordinary, and fans deserve and also expect the opportunity to witness the elite performance, athleticism and excitement of these top-tier matchups on the sport's biggest stages.' Jabeur was eliminated in the French Open first round Tuesday by Magdalena Fręch. She will now focus on the grass-court season and preparing for Wimbledon, where she is a two-time finalist.
Yahoo
22 minutes ago
- Yahoo
'Macron's crusade against the Jewish state continues,' MFA responds to France sanctions threat
Instead of "applying pressure on the jihadist terrorists, Macron wants to reward them with a Palestinian state," the Foreign Ministry said. "There is no humanitarian blockade [in Gaza]. That is a blatant lie," the Israel Foreign Ministry wrote on Twitter/X on Friday, in response to comments made by French President Emmanuel Macron earlier in the day. "President Macron's campaign against the Jewish state continues. The facts do not interest Macron," the post added. Within the past week, Israel has facilitated the entry of nearly 900 aid trucks into Gaza, with hundreds more ready for UN collection and distribution, and the Gaza Humanitarian Fund has provided Gazans with two million meals and tens of thousands of aid packages, the MFA wrote. The distribution of aid directly to Gazans, sidestepping Hamas, has "already changed the situation on the group," according to the MFA. Yet, instead of "applying pressure on the jihadist terrorists, Macron wants to reward them with a Palestinian state," and is looking to impose sanctions on Israel, the statement added. Hamas has praised Macron's statements in response, it concluded. The early success of the American-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation-run aid centers has the ability to significantly dent Hamas's control over food distribution in the coastal enclave, The Jerusalem Post learned Friday. Aid has been flowing into the enclave, IDF spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin confirmed in a video on Friday morning, while at the Kerem Shalom crossing. "The responsibility now falls on the UN and international organizations to ensure its proper distribution." "Two centers are operating so far and the third will be ready in the coming days," Defrin said. "The aid is coming in, but UN organizations prefer to cooperate with Hamas than with us," he added. Macron on Friday said that France could harden its position on Israel if it continues to block humanitarian aid to Gaza and reiterated that Paris was committed to a two-state solution to resolve the Israel-Palestinian conflict. "The humanitarian blockade is creating a situation that is untenable on the ground," Macron said at a joint press conference in Singapore with Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. "And so, if there is no response that meets the humanitarian situation in the coming hours and days, obviously, we will have to toughen our collective position," Macron said, adding that France may consider applying sanctions against Israeli settlers. "But I still hope that the government of Israel will change its stance and that we will finally have a humanitarian response." French President Emmanuel Macron said in April that France could recognize a Palestinian state in June, adding that, in turn, some countries in the Middle East could recognize the state of Israel. "We need to move towards recognition [of a Palestinian state]. And so over the next few months, we will. I'm not doing it to please anyone. I'll do it because at some point it will be right," he said during an interview on France 5 television. "And because I also want to take part in a collective dynamic that should also enable those who defend Palestine to recognize Israel in their turn, something that many of them are not doing," the French president declared. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot delivered a speech on Wednesday, reiterating the country's stance on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, urging "the implementation of a two-state solution." Barrot also announced that France will co-host, alongside Saudi Arabia, a United Nations conference in June regarding this topic. The American embassy argued in response that the implementation of a two-state solution would constitute a "reward for Hamas' shocking attack on Israel," in reference to the Washington shooting attack at the Jewish Museum in which Elias Rodriguez killed two Israeli embassy staffers, Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim. Reuters contributed to this report.
Yahoo
22 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Comedian Reginald D Hunter prosecuted over ‘anti-Semitic messages'
Reginald D Hunter, the American comedian, is being prosecuted over alleged anti-Semitic social media posts, a court has heard. The stand-up is accused of three counts of sending an offensive communication on three different occasions – on Aug 24, Sept 10 and Sept 11 last year – to Heidi Bachram on X. He was due to appear at Westminster magistrates' court on Friday, but in his absence Tan Ikram, the deputy chief magistrate, issued a warrant for him to attend court on July 7. Donal Lawler, prosecuting, told the court that Hunter was a 'well-known comedian' who was being privately prosecuted by the Campaign Against Antisemitism. It is alleged Hunter sent a computer-generated sexual image to Ms Bachram in August last year, with the charges claiming it was 'grossly offensive'. On Sept 10, he is said to have tweeted Ms Bachram: 'THIS is why I HATE these people and am committed to their destruction not because JEW hatred Not even because they are European Nazis pretending to be JEWS Because of all the lying. Mama HATED liars and bequeathed that hatred to ALL of her children.' The following day, it is alleged he sent another message saying: 'Hey sugar. I don't hate you for being an agent of evil. Not new Not even uncommon. You being a liar a persistent liar KNOWING the truth, is why I will see you and your kind ended, even if it costs me EVERYTHING. You are not even a JEW. Run tell that.' Mr Hunter, who regularly tours the UK, has appeared on the comedy panel shows Never Mind The Buzzcocks, Have I Got News For You and 8 Out of 10 Cats. Mr Lawler told the court on Friday that the comedian was due to begin a tour of England and Wales. The prosecutor said Hunter was scheduled to do a gig in London on July 6, adding that his legal team may be able to serve him his court summons in person at the venue on that date. The Campaign Against Antisemitism describes itself as an organisation of volunteers which works to 'expose and counter anti-Semitism through education and zero-tolerance enforcement of the law'. Stephen Silverman, the group's director of investigations and enforcement, said: 'This is one of a number of private prosecutions that we are bringing, and there will be more to say on the case in due course.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
