French Open: Jannik Sinner drops just 3 games to extend Grand Slam unbeaten run to 17 matches
Social Sharing
When Jannik Sinner's opponent in the French Open's third round finally won a single game Saturday, the Court Suzanne-Lenglen crowd responded with a standing ovation. Sinner was simply too good on this day, extending his Grand Slam winning streak to 17 matches and looking very much like the No. 1-ranked man.
Sinner dominated Jiri Lehecka 6-0, 6-1, 6-2 in just 1 hour, 34 minutes, the quickest men's match at Roland-Garros this year and, measured by games lost, the most lopsided victory at a major tournament of Sinner's career.
"We try to improve," Sinner said. "Today, I don't think there are many things I can improve."
Can say that again.
Check out some of the numbers: Sinner delivered 31 winners and made only nine unforced errors. He accumulated 18 break points, converting seven, and faced just one, which he saved.
The first 11 games went Sinner's way. When Sinner missed a return wide, making the score 6-0, 5-1 after 55 minutes of action, Lehecka raised his arm and pumped his fist in a bit of sarcastic celebration. The fans went wild, rising out of their seats and clapping and shouting, eliciting a smile from Lehecka.
Make no mistake, though. Lehecka is no also-ran. The 23-year-old from the Czech Republic is ranked 34th and has been a Grand Slam quarterfinalist.
But he was completely overmatched by Sinner, who has won the past two major championships — at the U.S. Open in September and the Australian Open in January — and is now the owner of an unbeaten run at the sport's most important tournaments that's been surpassed this century only by a trio of guys by the names of Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
Sinner's bid for a first French Open title, and fourth Slam trophy overall, will continue Monday, when he'll face No. 17 Andrey Rublev for a quarterfinal berth. Rublev advanced when his opponent, No. 14 Arthur Fils, withdrew from the tournament because a stress fracture in his lower back.
Other results
Jessica Pegula, the No. 3-seeded American who was the runner-up at the U.S. Open, came back to eliminate 2019 French Open finalist and 2023 Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 and reach the fourth round. Another American, 70th-ranked Hailey Baptiste, made it into Week 2 at a major for the first time by beating Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 7-6 (4), 6-1 and will play Madison Keys or Sofia Kenin next. No. 6 Mirra Andreeva, an 18-year-old Russian who reached the semifinals a year ago, advanced to a fourth-round showdown against No. 17 Daria Kasatkina. American qualifier Ethan Quinn, the 2023 NCAA champion for the University of Georgia, played his second consecutive five-setter and was beaten by Tallon Griekspoor of the Netherlands 4-6, 6-1, 6-7 (2), 6-1, 6-4. Griekspoor came into the day 0-4 in third-round matches at majors. Griekspoor next meets 2024 runner-up Alexander Zverev, while No. 5 Jack Draper takes on Alexander Bublik. Draper defeated 18-year-old Brazilian João Fonseca 6-2, 6-4, 6-2.
Coming Up at Roland-Garros on Sunday
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Globe and Mail
6 hours ago
- Globe and Mail
Poland presidential election result too close to call, both candidates claim victory
Conservative historian Karol Nawrocki has taken a narrow lead in the race to become the next president of Poland, but the final result is too close to call and won't be known until Monday. Mr. Nawrocki was projected to win 51 per cent of the vote according to two late exit poll released Sunday night that also took into account returns from several regions. A pair of earlier exit polls had given his centrist opponent, Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski, a slight lead, although those surveys did not include actual results. Ballot counting was expected to continue into Monday, but both candidates claimed victory Sunday night. 'We won,' Mr. Trzaskowski told supporters at an election night gathering in a Warsaw museum. 'This is a special moment in the history of Poland. I am convinced that this will allow us to move forward like a torpedo and focus primarily on the future.' Mr. Nawrocki, who is backed by the populist Law and Justice party, or PiS, told his supporters that 'we will win and save Poland. We have to win tonight and we know that we will.' Poland's president is largely ceremonial, but oversees foreign policy, heads the military and can block legislation passed by parliament. If the two earlier polls are correct, Mr. Trzaskowski's win would be transformative for Poland's centrist government led by Prime Minister Donald Tusk and a welcome relief for the European Union. It would also be a further rebuke of PiS, which ruled Poland for eight years until the party was ousted by Mr. Tusk's Civic Coalition in October, 2023. Mr. Tusk has blamed the current President, PiS supporter Andrzej Duda, for thwarting his legislative agenda, which includes liberalizing Poland's strict abortion laws and unwinding changes to the judiciary introduced by PiS. Mr. Duda was elected in 2015 and 2020, but he couldn't run for a third term. Mr. Trzaskowski is staunchly pro-EU. His victory would follow a week after Bucharest mayor Nicusor Dan, another pro-EU candidate, won the presidential election in Romania – defeating ultranationalist George Simion, who threatened to weaken the country's role in the bloc. 'Rafał Trzaskowski's victory will be of great importance for Donald Tusk's government, because it will unblock the legislative paralysis,' said Anna Siewierska, a political science professor at the University of Rzeszow. 'Trzaskowski's election win will also be a clear strengthening of Poland's European course and, importantly, a guarantee of strong and unconditional support for Ukraine fighting Russia.' But if Mr. Nawrocki wins, he is expected to block Mr. Tusk's reforms, Prof. Siewierska added. 'Nawrocki is a staunch critic of the European Union, and many of his statements can be perceived as a real risk of Polexit,' she said, referring to Poland possibly leaving the EU. Mr. Trzaskowski, 53, has come to epitomize the modern, outward-looking Poland. The son of a jazz pianist, he speaks six languages, attended the University of Oxford and earned a doctorate in political science from Warsaw University where he wrote a thesis on 'reforming the decision-making system of the European Union.' He got involved in politics in 1989, when the country held its first free election since the fall of communism. He was a high school student at the time and campaigned for Solidarity, the trade-union movement that opposed Poland's communist leadership for years. Mr. Trzaskowski served as a Member of the European Parliament from 2009 to 2013, and held a seat in the Polish parliament from 2015. He was elected mayor of Warsaw in 2018 and re-elected last year. He has been a divisive figure nationally, and critics say his liberal values and support for causes such as LGBTQ rights has put him out of touch with ordinary Poles. The fact that Mr. Nawrocki, a political novice with a checkered background, is leading in late polls reflects the deep fractures in the country. Mr. Nawrocki, 42, ran on a platform that focused on Christian values, reducing immigration and fierce opposition to Mr. Tusk. Despite his background as a soccer hooligan and a series of salacious allegations that he denies – including claims he procured prostitutes for guests while working as a security guard at a resort and swindled an elderly man out of his apartment – Mr. Nawrocki picked up support by tapping into the disgruntlement many Poles have for Mr. Tusk's government and their uncertainty about Mr. Trzaskowski. He also proudly sought the backing of U.S. President Donald Trump, who met Mr. Nawrocki in the White House in May. Prof. Siewierska said Poland has always had political divisions but that the polarization has become more pronounced in recent years. 'This polarization is driven by two opposing narratives. One refers to history, tradition, Christianity, to some mythical greatness of Poland,' she said. 'The second narrative refers more to the future, the concept of a common Europe, a secular state. These are two different stories, two different sets of values, two different emotions.' She said both PiS and the Civic Coalition have fuelled the division. 'In this election campaign, it turned out that for a large part of society, the truth no longer matters.'
CBC
9 hours ago
- CBC
Edmonton's Marco Arop claims Grand Slam Track Philadelphia title with 4th place finish in 1,500m
After winning his signature 800-metre event on Saturday, Canada's Marco Arop is crowned the men's short distance Grand Slam Track Philadelphia champion after placing fourth in the 1,500-metre race.
Winnipeg Free Press
9 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Canada's Marco Arop wins short-distance title at Grand Slam Track stop
PHILADELPHIA – Edmonton's Marco Arop won the short-distance title at a Grand Slam Track event after finishing fourth in Sunday's men's 1,500-metre race. Arop finished in a personal-best time of three minutes 35.38 seconds to take five points from the race. He had 17 points altogether in the short distances after winning Saturday's 800 metres. That was one point better than Britain's Josh Kerr, who won the 1,500 in 3:34.44 but was fifth in the 800. Arop, the Olympic silver medallist at the Paris Games, has won all three 800-metre Grand Slam races so far. He finished second overall in short distance at the first two stops on the circuit after finishing sixth and seventh in the 1,500. Andre De Grasse of Markham, Ont., was fifth and Aaron Brown of Toronto was seventh in Sunday's 100 metres to finish fourth and fifth respectively in the short sprint category. American Kenny Bednarek swept the races after winning Saturday's 200m. Grand Slam Track was started by American track and field legend Michael Johnson, and is in its inaugural season. The first event was in Kingston, Jamaica, the second in Miami, and the fourth and last one will be in Los Angeles June 27-29. All competitors have to compete in two events and are split into categories — short sprints (100, 200), long sprints (200, 400), short hurdles (100 hurdles for women, 110 hurdles for men, 100 for both), long hurdles (400 hurdles, 400), short distance (800, 1,500), long distance (3,000, 5,000) — with a points system in place. Winners get 12 points, second place gets eight points, third gets six points, fourth gets five points, fifth gets four points, sixth gets three points, seventh gets two points and eighth gets one point. The athlete with the most points after competing in both races from each category is named the 'Slam Champion' for their race group. The overall season leader in points for each race group will be recognized as 'Racer of the Year.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 1, 2025.
