
Top seed Borna Coric stunned by wildcard Titouan Droguet in French Open qualifier
Droguet's Breakthrough Performance
Live Events
Wide Open Qualifying Draw
(You can now subscribe to our
(You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel
There was a dramatic upset on Court Suzanne-Lenglen when top seed Borna Coric was eliminated in the first round of French Open qualifying by French wildcard Titouan Droguet , who won 7-5, 6-7, 7-6 in an engrossing three-set match.Top seed Coric, No. 83 and former No. 12 was heavily favored to cruise through qualifying, having met with a 26-8 win-loss record this year and four Challenger titles, two of them on clay. His recent playing record and Grand Slam experience also made him the heavy favorite, but he found it difficult to get his rhythm going against the bold Droguet.Even after coming back to win the second set in a tiebreak, Coric was not able to resist the Frenchman's consistent aggression in the deciding set. Ranked No. 232, Droguet kept his cool in front of a raucous home crowd, winning the final set tiebreak and securing a spot in the second round.For Droguet, this win is the largest of his career and a coming-out party on one of tennis's largest stages. The 23-year-old, who had never faced Coric previously, equaled the Croatian in consistency from the baseline and seized upon important moments, especially in the intense third set.With momentum firmly on his side, Droguet will return to the courts on Thursday, May 22, for a second-round qualifying match against fellow Frenchman Arthur Gea . Gea, also a wildcard, advanced after defeating Alexander Blockx in his own opening round. The all-French encounter promises to be a dynamic battle, with both players eyeing a breakthrough at Roland Garros Following the first seed's early elimination, Coric's loss expands the field for the men's qualifiers, creating additional opportunities for other aspirants and lower-seeded players. The surprise serves as a reminder of how difficult and unpredictable Grand Slam qualifying is, with any match having the potential to completely change the course of events.Final Score: Titouan Droguet defeated Borna Coric 7-5, 6-7, 7-6

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Economic Times
an hour ago
- Economic Times
Gianni Infantino and Donald Trump: Handshakes, warmth and a mutual interest
Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel The heads of state who have felt the lash of US President Donald Trump's tongue in the Oval Office could do worse than seek advice from FIFA chief Gianni Infantino, who seems to have got their relationship down to a fine has shown a deft touch when it has come to dealing with hard-nosed leaders, from Russian President Vladimir Putin, when Russia hosted the 2018 World Cup, and now Trump with the United States set to co-host football's global showpiece next has been quite the opposite, showing no mercy to those who have dared challenge him -- he has laid into Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa in extraordinary scenes at the White with Infantino it is all smiles, compliments and Trump's traditional use of the words "great" and "greatest" when he likes something or was one of just a handful of prominent sports figures present at Trump's inauguration."Infantino handles Trump really well," Martin Sorrell, the founder of advertising giants WPP who is putting together a documentary for next year's World Cup, told pointed to when Infantino was filmed with Trump in March, showing off the trophy for the upcoming Club World Cup."Trump, who had the FIFA trophy behind him in the Oval Office on the video, said... 'as one president to another'," he appears to have placed his relationship with Trump front and centre -- perhaps unsurprising as the women's 2031 World Cup is also expected to be hosted in the US as well as the inaugural women's Club World Cup in there are signs that the relationship can grate with others as it did with UEFA representatives when Infantino arrived late at a FIFA Congress in Paraguay in May having been with Trump on the US president's visit to Qatar and then Saudi Arabia.- 'My great friend' -Nevertheless, whether some like it or not Infantino has restored relations with the US which reached its nadir under his predecessor Sepp the US lost out to Qatar for the right to host the 2022 World Cup, a FBI investigation resulted in 'Fifagate', leading to several of the governing body's senior figures going to jail and Blatter 2018, two years after Infantino was elected, the US were named co-hosts of the 2026 World Cup, earning him an invitation to the White years later the 'bromance' was strengthened when Trump asked Infantino to deliver the address at a dinner he hosted at the Economic Forum in Davos."America is on the verge of becoming a great soccer power," purred Infantino."The 'American dream' is something we all need to have. All those who love soccer."Trump responded by praising FIFA as a "steadfast movement" and Infantino as "my great friend."Infantino's loyalty -- a characteristic Trump values in others above all else -- has remained rock press conference-shy football boss has in his social media posts steered clear of commenting on the slights made by Trump regarding his World Cup co-hosts Mexico and keen is he to maintain smooth relations, he did not even step in to correct Trump, sitting behind him, when the US president said inviting Russia to the 2026 World Cup could facilitate them making peace with are barred from the qualifiers due to the 2022 invasion of both have so much invested in the World Cup being a success that nothing must blight the landscape."Gianni's obviously got a very close relationship with Trump and he's leveraging that because both sides have a mutual interest for 2026 to work," John Zerafa, an experienced sports communications strategist based in the UK, told AFP."Trump is a guy that's driven by headlines and being in the spotlight, and he's going to love being in the spotlight in the run-up to and during the World Cup, and he knows that it's got to go smoothly."So they've got a mutual interest for 2026 to work."


Economic Times
2 hours ago
- Economic Times
'I‘m still in shock, honestly can't find...': Coco Gauff after winning maiden French Open crown
Coco Gauff became the first American player to lift the trophy since Serena Williams in 2015. (Twitter Photo) 'I'm still in shock, honestly can't find the words,' said an emotional Coco Gauff after clinching her maiden French Open crown at the Roland Garros in Paris on Saturday (June 7). The 21-year-old American produced a fearless display, after losing the opening set, to beat the top seed and world number one Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka of 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-4 in just over two and half hours. She clinched her first Grand Slam title on the red clay and her second Major championship after the 2023 US Open. Before her success in Paris, she had experienced defeats in the finals of clay court tournaments in both Madrid and Rome. By achieving this milestone, Gauff also became the first American since Serena Williams in 2015 to secure this prestigious trophy. Her remarkable ability to clinch victories after losing the opening set has been evident in both her major championships, including her triumph against Sabalenka at the US Open two years ago. Taking to social media platform X, the young American spoke her heart out filled with emotions."wow. this means so much to me truly….french open champion. i worked so hard for this moment and for it to have happened is insane. thank you God and thank you everyone. this means the world…. I 'm still in shock honestly can't find the words but all I can say for now is just thank you and never give up on your dreams," her post read."Honestly, I didn't think I could do it," the American world number two said between tears after the victory."I was going through a lot of things when I lost here three years ago," Gauff, who lost to Iga Swiatek in the final in 2022, was visibly heartbroken after her defeat to Gauff in the final. The Belarusian star broke down in tears as she described her performance as 'terrible'.Following her loss to Gauff in the championship match, Sabalenka was visibly heartbroken. She broke down in tears while expressing her disappointment, describing her performance as 'terrible'.'Honestly guys, this one hurts so much. Especially after such a tough two weeks — playing great tennis, and then in these terrible conditions, to show such terrible tennis in the final, it really hurts. But it's ok,' Sabalenka said while fighting back tears and holding the runner-up trophy.


Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
'I‘m still in shock, honestly can't find...': Coco Gauff after winning maiden French Open crown
Never give up on your dreams: Gauff Live Events — CocoGauff (@CocoGauff) Sabalenka terms her performance 'terrible' (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel 'I'm still in shock, honestly can't find the words,' said an emotional Coco Gauff after clinching her maiden French Open crown at the Roland Garros in Paris on Saturday (June 7).The 21-year-old American produced a fearless display, after losing the opening set, to beat the top seed and world number one Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka of 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-4 in just over two and half clinched her first Grand Slam title on the red clay and her second Major championship after the 2023 US Open. Before her success in Paris, she had experienced defeats in the finals of clay court tournaments in both Madrid and achieving this milestone, Gauff also became the first American since Serena Williams in 2015 to secure this prestigious trophy. Her remarkable ability to clinch victories after losing the opening set has been evident in both her major championships, including her triumph against Sabalenka at the US Open two years to social media platform X, the young American spoke her heart out filled with emotions."wow. this means so much to me truly….french open champion. i worked so hard for this moment and for it to have happened is insane. thank you God and thank you everyone. this means the world…. I 'm still in shock honestly can't find the words but all I can say for now is just thank you and never give up on your dreams," her post read."Honestly, I didn't think I could do it," the American world number two said between tears after the victory."I was going through a lot of things when I lost here three years ago," Gauff, who lost to Iga Swiatek in the final in 2022, was visibly heartbroken after her defeat to Gauff in the final. The Belarusian star broke down in tears as she described her performance as 'terrible'.Following her loss to Gauff in the championship match, Sabalenka was visibly heartbroken. She broke down in tears while expressing her disappointment, describing her performance as 'terrible'.'Honestly guys, this one hurts so much. Especially after such a tough two weeks — playing great tennis, and then in these terrible conditions, to show such terrible tennis in the final, it really hurts. But it's ok,' Sabalenka said while fighting back tears and holding the runner-up trophy.