Djokovic, Sinner into French Open quarters as No. 361 Boisson springs upset
tennis
By Martyn WOOD
Novak Djokovic sailed into a record 19th French Open quarterfinal on Monday, while world number one Jannik Sinner dismantled Andrey Rublev in straight sets.
World number 361 Lois Boisson knocked out women's third seed Jessica Pegula to become the first home quarterfinalist at Roland Garros since 2017.
The 38-year-old Djokovic dusted aside Britain's Cameron Norrie in three sets, his 6-2, 6-3, 6-2 victory on Court Philippe Chatrier bringing up the Serbian's 100th match win at the French Open.
His tally of 19 quarterfinal appearances at Roland Garros is the record for a single Grand Slam tournament, surpassing Roger Federer's 18 Wimbledon quarterfinals.
But Djokovic, a three-time French Open champion, is focused on much bigger goals as he chases a new outright record of 25 Grand Slam titles this week.
"I feel good. I know I can play better. But 12 sets played, 12 sets won, it's been solid so far," said Djokovic, who will likely face a much more difficult test against world number three Alexander Zverev. "It's great, but victory number 101 would be better. I'm very honored... But I need to continue now."
Djokovic has not played anyone ranked higher than 73rd through the first four rounds. Zverev is last year's runner-up and advanced when Djokovic retired injured from their last meeting in the Australian Open semifinals in January.
Zverev moved into his seventh Roland Garros quarterfinal when Dutch opponent Tallon Griekspoor quit with an abdominal problem while trailing 6-4, 3-0.
The German is still hunting a first Grand Slam title. He lost the 2024 final to Carlos Alcaraz and then finished runner-up to Sinner in Melbourne.
"Novak Djokovic will never be a (dark) horse. For me, Carlos is the favourite," said Zverev. "Then I would say the next three in line are Jannik, myself, and Novak, right? I still believe that."
World number one Sinner fired a warning shot to his title rivals with a ruthless 6-1, 6-3, 6-4 victory over Russian 17th seed Rublev in the night session.
Sinner, who returned from a three-month doping ban last month at the Italian Open, will face the unseeded Alexander Bublik for a place in the last four.
Italy's Sinner is targeting a third consecutive Grand Slam title after lifting the U.S. Open trophy last year and winning his second successive Australian Open in January.
"Today was a very good performance but we try to keep going and see how it goes," said the three-time major champion.
Bublik took down his second top-10 rival in Paris as the rejuvenated Kazakh came from a set behind to defeat British fifth seed Jack Draper 5-7, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4.
Bublik, ranked 62nd, is into his first Grand Slam quarterfinal.
Boisson sent shockwaves through Roland Garros as she kept the French flag flying with an improbable 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 win over 2024 US Open runner-up Pegula, to join Coco Gauff and Mirra Andreeva in the last eight.
Boisson, 22, came from a set down against last year's U.S. Open runner-up to prolong her dream run on her Grand Slam debut.
She is the first French singles quarter-finalist in Paris since Caroline Garica and Kristina Mladenovic made it to the same stage eight years ago. Mary Pierce was the tournament's last French champion in 2000.
"I really don't know what to say," said Boisson, who was roared on by the home fans on Court Philippe Chatrier. "To play on this court with such an atmosphere was incredible. I was confident before the match and knew I could do it even if she was really strong."
Boisson missed last year's French Open after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee a week before it started.
She is the lowest-ranked woman to reach a Grand Slam quarter-final since former top-20 player Kaia Kanepi at the 2017 U.S. Open. Kanepi had dropped to 418th at the time.
Boisson goes on to face 18-year-old Russian rising star Andreeva on Wednesday for a place in the semi-finals.
Sixth seed Andreeva moved through in straight sets as she cut short an attempted fightback by Daria Kasatkina to advance 6-3, 7-5.
Andreeva is through to her second major quarter-final, having reached the last four at Roland Garros 12 months ago when she knocked out Aryna Sabalenka.
World number two Gauff brushed Russian 20th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova aside 6-0, 7-5 to step up her pursuit of a first Roland Garros crown, and second Grand Slam title.
Former U.S. Open champion Gauff will play reigning Australian Open champion Madison Keys in an all-American quarter-final.
© 2025 AFP
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Mainichi
2 hours ago
- The Mainichi
French Open: No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka faces No. 2 Coco Gauff in the women's final
PARIS (AP) -- No.1 Aryna Sabalenka faces No. 2 Coco Gauff in the French Open final on Saturday with both women aiming to win the title for the first time. Gauff lost the 2022 French Open final at age 18 but the American beat Sabalenka in the 2023 U.S. Open final, Gauff's only major so far. The 27-year-old Sabalenka, who is from Belarus, has won three majors but is appearing in her first French Open final. It is the first No. 1 vs. No. 2 final in Paris since 2013, when Serena Williams defeated Maria Sharapova, and just the second in the last 30 years. Sabalenka and Gauff have split their 10 previous matchups evenly, but Sabalenka won their most recent encounter, also on a clay court at the Madrid Open a month ago.
Japan Times
5 hours ago
- Japan Times
'Honoured' Djokovic hints at possible Roland Garros farewell after semifinal loss
Novak Djokovic suggested he may well have bidden adieu to Roland Garros after the 38-year-old was defeated in the semifinals by Jannik Sinner on Friday. Following his 6-4, 7-5, 7-6 (3) loss to the world No. 1, Djokovic stopped briefly on his way off Court Philippe Chatrier and took a moment to "show his gratitude" to the Paris crowd. "This could have been the last match ever I played here, so I don't know. That's why I was a bit more emotional even in the end," said three-time champion Djokovic. "But if this was the farewell match of Roland Garros for me in my career, it was a wonderful one in terms of the atmosphere and what I got from the crowd. "Not the happiest because of the loss, but, you know, I tried to show my gratitude to the crowd, because they were terrific." Djokovic has on occasion had a fraught relationship with the Parisian public, but hailed the backing he received against Sinner. "I don't think I have ever received this much support in this stadium in my career in big matches against the best players in the world. So very, very honoured to experience that," he added. However, the Serb allayed fears he would be calling time on his career just yet. He stills stands on the brink of history as he seeks a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title. 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," he said. "Those tournaments are the priorities of my schedule, my calendar. Wimbledon and U.S. Open, yes, they are in plans. That's all I can say right now. "I'm going to, unless something, I don't know, happens, whatever. But I feel like I want to play Wimbledon, I want to play U.S. Open. Those two, for sure. For the rest, I'm not so sure." Despite the latest setback, Djokovic insisted he still has the record in his sights and hoped it will be seventh time lucky when Wimbledon starts on June 30. "Obviously Wimbledon is next, which is my childhood favorite tournament. I'm going to do everything possible to get myself ready," he said. "I guess my best chances (of winning) maybe are Wimbledon, you know, to win another Slam, or faster hard court, maybe Australia or something like that." Djokovic has won the title at Wimbledon seven times and is the the most dominant men's player in the history of the Australian Open with 10 victories in Melbourne. When asked how long he had been considering his future at Roland Garros, Djokovic cryptically replied: "Not long. You know, I don't know. "I don't know really what tomorrow brings in a way at this point in my career. You know, I going to keep on keeping on." Djokovic has appeared in the last 21 editions of the French Open — lifting the Coupe des Mousquetaires in 2016, 2021 and 2023. Last summer, he secured the only big title to have eluded him through the majority of his career when he won Olympic gold on center court at Roland Garros. "We hope that it's not the case, because I feel like tennis needs him in a way," said Sinner when told of Djokovic's comments. "He said 'maybe', so you never know." Sinner will face Carlos Alcaraz, who beat Lorenzo Musetti in his semifinal, for a Grand Slam title for the first time on Sunday, adding another chapter to their already gripping rivalry. "He won here last year, so let's see what's coming. "But for sure, the tension you feel before the match and during the match is a little bit different in a way, because we are both very young, we are both different, but talented," Sinner said.
Japan Today
13 hours ago
- Japan Today
Sinner beats Djokovic to set up final against defending champion Alcaraz
Italy's Jannik Sinner plays a shot against Serbia's Novak Djokovic during their semifinal match of the French Tennis Open at the Roland-Garros stadium in Paris, Friday, June 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson) tennis By JEROME PUGMIRE Top-ranked Jannik Sinner beat Novak Djokovic 6-4, 7-5, 7-6 (3) on Friday to set up a French Open final against defending champion Carlos Alcaraz. Djokovic is the men's record 24-time Grand Slam champion but could not counter Sinner's relentless accuracy and pounding forehands on Court Philippe-Chatrier. Sinner became only the second Italian man to reach the final at Roland-Garros after Adriano Panatta, the 1976 champion. Earlier, Alcaraz led 4-6, 7-6 (3), 6-0, 2-0 against Lorenzo Musetti when the eighth-seeded Italian retired with a leg injury. Sinner is aiming for his fourth major title, Alcaraz his fifth. © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
