logo
Wheelchair tennis star Kgothatso Montjane makes it to the Roland Garros quarter-finals

Wheelchair tennis star Kgothatso Montjane makes it to the Roland Garros quarter-finals

Eyewitness News2 days ago

Palesa Manaleng 4 June 2025 | 13:50 Kgothatso Montjane
French Open
wheelchair tennis
Wheelchair tennis player Kgothatso Montjane arrived to a hero's welcome at the OR Tambo International Airport on 15 July 2024 after winning the Wimbledon Women's Wheelchair doubles final with her partner, Yui Kamiji. Picture: Katlego Jiyane/EWN
JOHANNESBURG – Wheelchair tennis star Kgothatso Montjane is through to the quarter-finals of the French Open at Roland Garros in Paris on Tuesday.
The three-time semi-finalist on the red clay beat Macarena Cabrillana of Chile 6-3 6-3 to set up a contest against No4 seed Ziying Wang of China in the quarters.
The five-time Paralympian was last at Roland Garros at the 2024 Paris Olympics Games, where she had to withdraw due to personal issues.
She reached the semi-final at the French Open in 2013, 2021 and 2022.
READ MORE:
Roland Garros: Kgothatso Montjane grabs doubles Grand Slam
US Open: Kgothatso Montjane claims second grand slam of the year
Montjane secures a spot in French Riviera Open quarter-finals
In doubles, Montjane will partner with Yui Kamiji, the 2023 Roland Garros champions, as they begin their campaign on Wednesday.
Montjane was the first African wheelchair tennis player to compete at Wimbledon when she was handed a wild card for the Wimbledon Grand Slam tournament in London in 2018.
In 2012, she made Wimbledon history by being the first black South African woman to reach the final at Wimbledon while reaching the doubles final as well.
Montjane competed at her first Paralympics in Beijing (2008), then in London and Rio de Janeiro. In 2018, she became the first African wheelchair tennis player to compete in the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open in the same calendar year.
Meanwhile, in the quads event, Donald Ramphadi kicks off his campaign today against Dutch second seed Sam Schroder.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Alcaraz returns to French Open final after ailing Musetti retires
Alcaraz returns to French Open final after ailing Musetti retires

TimesLIVE

time9 hours ago

  • TimesLIVE

Alcaraz returns to French Open final after ailing Musetti retires

Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz composed himself after a slow start before charging into back-to-back French Open finals when eighth seed Lorenzo Musetti retired with a left thigh injury while trailing 4-6 7-6(3) 6-0 2-0 on Friday. Alcaraz, who is attempting to become only the third man to retain his Roland Garros title this century after Rafa Nadal and Gustavo Kuerten, will face either world number one Jannik Sinner or 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic in Sunday's final. 'It's never great to go through like this,' Alcaraz said, before hailing Musetti's achievement of reaching at least the semifinals of all four elite clay court events this year. 'He's a great player, he has had an incredible clay court season ... I wish him a speedy recovery and I'm sure we'll be enjoying his tennis pretty soon.' Musetti twice denied Alcaraz the chance to break in the opening nine games before the 23-year-old suddenly dialled up the intensity and snatched the opening set when his Spanish opponent produced errors in a poor service game.

'I advised Chiefs to sign Mayele but Bobby ignored me'
'I advised Chiefs to sign Mayele but Bobby ignored me'

The South African

time9 hours ago

  • The South African

'I advised Chiefs to sign Mayele but Bobby ignored me'

Former Kaizer Chiefs striker Kanga Nzenza says he once advised Amakhosi to sign Congolese top striker Fiston Mayele, but his plea was left unheard. Mayele is one of the hottest strikers on the African continent, having helped Pyramids win the CAF Champions League this past weekend. The 30-year-old finished the competition as the top goalscorer, having scored in the semi-final and final. Since last year, Kaizer Chiefs have been linked to Mayele, but no formal bid has been made by the Soweto giants. Nzenza mentioned that he spoke with Amakhosi boss Bobby Motaung about the striker. 'I once advised Chiefs to acquire Mayele,' Nzenza told KickOff. 'Just look at what he is doing now. I was clear that Chiefs needed to sign him because he has the ability to do well here. He can blend well with the Chiefs players and has been performing well, even though he may not be in top form at the moment. 'I even mentioned to that I was struggling to reach Bobby Motaung about Mayele because he is always busy. My plea was that Chiefs must sign him. They received my message, but they didn't act on it,' added the retired footballer. 'At the time, he was playing for Yanga in Tanzania, but then a club from Egypt signed him. He's an exceptional player. Whenever he comes to play for the national team, they refer to him as a super sub. 'Whenever he comes on, he changes the game. Look at how Sundowns lost the [Caf] Champions League because of him.' Given how much Mayele earns at Pyramids, Kaizer Chiefs are unlikely to afford his wages. The striker is set to leave the Egyptian club at the end of the season, according to reports. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.

Ruthless Sinner humbles Lehecka as Pegula digs deep at French Open
Ruthless Sinner humbles Lehecka as Pegula digs deep at French Open

TimesLIVE

time12 hours ago

  • TimesLIVE

Ruthless Sinner humbles Lehecka as Pegula digs deep at French Open

World No 1 Jannik Sinner flattened Jiri Lehecka into the French Open clay to make the fourth round but third seed Jessica Pegula had to dig her way out of trouble to beat 2019 runner-up Marketa Vondrousova yesterday. As grey skies enveloped Roland Garros, Sinner gave Lehecka no respite to win the opening 11 games as fans checked their watches against the scoreboard in disbelief. Lehecka drew loud cheers when he finally got on the board but Sinner continued his Roland Garros masterclass with brutal clarity to secure a 6-0 6-1 6-2 win. 'I think in early stages of Grand Slams, it's good that you don't spend so much time, if you have the chance, on court. So I'm happy to do that,' Sinner said. 'In the other way, matches like this can change quickly, because if you don't start well in one set and the match can go long, then you cannot control it.' Up next for Sinner is a clash with Andrey Rublev, who advanced after injured Frenchman Arthur Fils pulled out. Vondrousova is also no stranger to injuries and the Czech looked to be finding her best form again on Parisian clay yesterday. She claimed the opening set on Court Philippe Chatrier but American Pegula proved too good when it mattered to close out a 3-6 6-4 6-2 win, She will next face Lois Boisson, who won the all-French clash against Elsa Jacquemot 6-3 0-6 7-5. Third seed Alexander Zverev sparkled as sunshine parted the clouds in the afternoon, the German downing Flavio Cobolli 6-2 7-6(4) 6-1 to reach the fourth round in Paris for an eighth consecutive year. He faces Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor, who outlasted American Ethan Quinn 4-6 6-1 6-7(2) 6-1 6-4. Russia's 18-year-old Mirra Andreeva outclassed Kazakh Yulia Putintseva 6-3 6-1 at Court Suzanne Lenglen, and the sixth seed attributed the comfortable win to a colourful drawing a young supporter left on her bench. 'Wherever that little girl is, I want to thank her, because it's my lucky charm,' said the sixth seed, who became the youngest woman to complete 10 Roland Garros singles match wins since Swiss two-time runner-up Martina Hingis. Tenth seed Paula Badosa from Spain would have wished for a bit of luck to force a third set against a dominant Daria Kasatkina but crashed 6-1 7-5 to the Russian-born 17th seed who now represents Australia. 'I was ready for a difficult match,' said Kasatkina, who can expect another big test against Andreeva next. 'I knew if she got a chance, she would take it straight away. But I'm really proud of myself and how I handled the situation.' Jack Draper's campaign continued in style when the Briton ended Brazilian poster boy Joao Fonseca's run with a ruthless 6-2 6-4 6-2 victory. Three-times champion Novak Djokovic plays qualifier Filip Misolic in the evening session seeking his 99th match victory at Roland Garros to equal his tally at the Australian Open, where he has won 10 titles.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store