Keys reflects on Aussie Open fairytale
Madison Keys reflects on her Aussie Open fairytale with Stan Sport ahead of the French Open.
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ABC News
2 hours ago
- ABC News
Daria Kasatkina pays tribute to Australian fans after bowing out of French Open
A proud Daria Kasatkina has declared the embrace shen has felt from Australia during her first grand slam under its flag at the French Open was like nothing she had ever known before in her tennis career. Kasatkina finally bowed out at Roland Garros on Monday, beaten by the 18-year-old phenom and her fellow Russian-born friend Mirra Andreeva 6-3, 7-5 after what the victorious teenager rightly called a "hell of a match" in the fourth round at Roland Garros. Two months since being granted permanent residency, Kasatkina's hopes of becoming the first Australian woman to reach the quarter-finals since Ash Barty's triumphant year of 2019 fell short, but the 28-year-old said she enjoyed being the 'last Aussie standing'. "It's been a good start," she said. "First of all it's been a good result but also, I felt super good to step on the court as an Australian player. "To feel the support from the stands so many times. I don't know if everyone who was screaming, 'Aussie', were from Australia, but I felt this support. Also, on social media I'm getting a lot of support from the Australians that they are so happy to welcome me, and they're happy for me. "So this is the kind of support which I honestly didn't have before, it feels like it's something new to me — but it feels so nice." When asked if everyone was now allowed to call her "an Aussie battler" after she had given the sixth seed a real scare with her second-set counter-attack when she even earned a set point, Kasatkina offered a wry smile and replied: "If you want to …" It was a tremendous match full of variety, like blitz chess between two all-court grandmasters, played in a fabulous spirit by two training partners. Their 94-minute duel on Court Suzanne Lenglen ended with Kasatkina chucking her wristband jokingly at her conqueror at the net, while Andreeva informed the crowd tongue-in-cheek that she only practised with the Aussie because she hated her. "Maybe we know each other too good, maybe we have to take a break in practising … no, I'm kidding," Kasatkina said. The only other time they had played a match was in the final of last October's Ningbo Open in China, with Andreeva ending in tears and needing to be comforted by the player 10 years her senior after blowing a 3-0 lead in the final set. Things have clearly changed. Andreeva has grown up. This time, she said it was easy to put friendship aside as she repelled Kasatkina's second-set surge when the world No.17 went from 3-1 down to 5-3 up, with a combination of the most extraordinary defensive resolve and some ferocious attacking shots. All looked lost for Kasatkina at the start of the second, but she lived up to her promise that she was ready to "die on court" as she chased down seemingly impossible causes and even outlasted the youngster to win one remarkable 26-shot rally. And that utter determination did give Andreeva problems as Kasatkina earned a set point on the youngster's delivery at 5-4, only to be deprived by a powerful forehand. Once back level, Andreeva began to dictate. One piece of amazing retrieving also induced a dismal Kasatkina smash into the net, and enabled her to break to love, before she sealed the deal on her second match point when the Aussie hit a forehand long. Andreeva has reached the quarters without dropping a set and is the youngest woman this century to achieve back-to-back last-eight appearances. Martina Hingis last did it in 1998. Asked if her input in practice might have helped Andreeva mature, Kasatkina said: "I hope not!" But she did recognise a completely different force to the player she played in Ningbo . "Well, she grew so much. I feel like she's taller and taller every single week, her serve's improving all the time and her movement is very good," she said. Australian interest remains strong around the grounds, with world No.2 junior Emerson Jones through to the second round of the girls' event with a 6-1, 1-6, 6-2 win over American Capucine Jauffret. Olympic men's doubles champions John Peers and Matt Ebden beat Italian fourth seeds Andrea Vavassori and Simone Bolelli 6-2, 7-6 (8-6) to make the quarter-finals. AAP
West Australian
2 hours ago
- West Australian
'Didn't know what to do': Brit baffled by Bublik puzzle
Alexander Bublik continues to write the most amazing and unlikely story at the French Open, making Alex de Minaur's defeat by the crazy Kazakh look better by the day. Bublik's second-round win over ninth seed de Minaur left the Australian bereft and in the mood for a spot of self-blame, but he found himself in good company on Monday when British hotshot Jack Draper, the fifth seed, also simply couldn't handle his demise by drop shot from the inspired world No.62. "I didn't know what to do," admitted a flustered Draper, who'd been compared physically to a UFC fighter by Bublik but who was pummelled into submission by his stringbean adversary's fabulous shot-making. "I have a certain skill set to play tennis, and it worked marvellously today. One hundred percent, one of the best days of my life and one of the best matches I have ever played in my life. As simple as that," said Bublik, who's reached the quarter-final . He had had everyone laughing the previous round when he explained how a "hangover" trip to Las Vegas had been his way of escaping the pressures off too much hard training, the sort indulged in by what he felt were athletic "robots". And the father of a young son was quick to double down after his win over Draper that he's not prepared to sacrifice everything to push his tennis life to new levels. "There's no way around hard work — don't get me wrong, I work hard — but on my terms. Will I put my life and health on the line to have a "might"? Maybe? No," he affirmed. "I will continue my path. I will work my way because I still practise, guys. I still do the exact minimum and maximum at the same time in order to be the player I am, to be in the position I am, and I will continue with this path because I think I prioritise tennis and life in equal ways." It sounds a refreshing approach but, frankly, he'll have to top even his recent miracles to down Jannik Sinner next as the Italian blitzed Andrey Rublev 6-1 6-3 6-4, making the world No.17 largely look like helpless fodder. He's not the first one to feel that way. The Italian has now marched to the last-eight without losing a set and for the loss of just 30 games. Who can beat him? Novak Djokovic doubtless fancies his chances as he ticked off another landmark in his peerless career, earning his 100th career French Open victory, a mark surpassed among men only by Rafael Nadal, as he demolished Briton Cam Norrie 6-2 6-3 6-2. Like Sinner, he still hasn't ceded a set and "everything is solid and positive", he declared. But it will start to get interesting next up when the record 25th grand-slam seeking Djokovic tackles last year's finalist, No.3 seed Alexander Zverev, who progressed when his Dutch opponent, Tallon Griekspoor, quit with abdominal trouble when 6-4 3-0 down. "He definitely knows how to play tennis. He definitely knows what it means to be on the big stage and to play big matches," Zverev said about Djokovic. "There is no doubt about that." Djokovic improved to 100-16 at the French Open, while Nadal, who retired at the end of last season, went an unbelievable 112-4 while winning 14 championships. "From now on I have the toughest draw in the tournament," Zverev said. "I'm looking forward to the battles ahead, and I'm looking forward to playing the best in the world."
7NEWS
2 hours ago
- 7NEWS
French Open's last Aussie standing Emerson Jones eyes 57-year first after opening win
Daria Kasatkina's exit may have marked the end of the seniors' challenge at the French Open but 16-year-old Emerson Jones has ensured the Australian singles quest surges on at the junior event in Paris. Gold Coast's exceptional Jones, who's already reached two junior grand slam finals, both last year in Melbourne and Wimbledon, got past her first hurdle as the world's No.2 junior and top seed here, defeating Capucine Jauffret, an American with a French tennis background, 6-1 1-6 6-2. The Aussie youngster, who also got knocked out in the semi-finals of the Australian Open in January, overcame a second-set blip on Monday to get back on course in the most difficult tournament for any Aussie junior to win. Lesley Hunt was the last Australian junior winner at Roland Garros in 1968 and no Australian girl has won in any of the slams since Ash Barty in 2011 at Wimbledon. But Jones is a rare talent and has already earmarked the prospect of the sort of dramatic rise in the junior game that another Queensland-based teenager, Maya Joint, has been making. 'It's great. I mean, Maya pretty much went from not having a ranking to pretty much the top 50 really quick, which shows obviously that anything's possible,' said Jones. 'She's really inspiring and she is a great person, so it is really great for her.' Jones' mum is Loretta Harrop, an Olympic silver medallist triathlete, while her dad Brad Jones is a former Australian Rules footballer who won the 1999 Grogan Medal in the Queensland State League, so her sporting genes run deep. Jones, who's currently at a career-high No.206, is already enjoying her first professional outings, explaining: 'When I play WTA, I guess there's no pressure on me. 'I'm only young and I'm not really too high yet. It's obviously an experience every women's WTA match I play, because you can also learn a lot from your opponent.' She quickly adapted on Monday against Jauffret, whose French grandfather Francois was twice a French Open semi-finalist, losing in 1966 to Australian great Tony Roche. 'She lifted her level, definitely, in the second set and I probably dropped mine a bit and realised I needed to probably up my level in the third set and play the same way as I did in the first,' reflected Jones. She's the last Aussie singles competitor left in the junior draws, after Ty Host went down 6-3 7-6 (8-6) to American sixth seed Benjamin Willwerth in the first round of the boys' competition.
