Musetti can prove his elite status at French Open
Jay Croucher and Drew Dinsick break down Q3 of the men's French Open draw, which could be dominated by one star in Lorenzo Musetti.
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Musetti eases past Tiafoe to reach semi-finals
Italy's Lorenzo Musetti reached his first semi-final at the French Open, and second at a grand slam, by beating Frances Tiafoe 6-2 4-6 7-5 6-2 in the same stadium where he won a bronze medal at last year's Olympics. The 23-year-old No.8 seed will face defending champion Carlos Alcaraz or Tommy Paul on Friday for a place in Sunday's final. Tiafoe, the No.15 seed, reached Tuesday's quarter-final without dropping a single set. But he was not quite up to the task against Musetti, a semi-finalist at Wimbledon in 2024, and it showed right away. Tiafoe missed all eight first serves in his first service game and sent a backhand wide to give Musetti a break and a 2-0 lead. He looked up at his coach, David Witt — who's worked with Venus Williams and Jessica Pegula in the past — and complained about the wind. MUSETTI INTO THE SEMIS 💫#RolandGarros — Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 3, 2025 The deficit was 3-0 after just 13 minutes. By the time that set was over, 21 of Musetti's 30 points had arrived via mistakes by Tiafoe, nine forced and 12 unforced. Tiafoe's first break delivered a 2-1 lead in the second, and when he smacked a forehand winner to level the match at a set apiece, he let out a roar and shouted, "Let's go! Let's go!". During that set, Musetti was warned for unsportsmanlike conduct for kicking a tennis ball that inadvertently hit a linesperson. Unlike most top-level tennis tournaments, which rely on electronic line-calling, there are still humans on court at Roland Garros to decide whether shots land in or out. However, Musetti did not let the incident affect him as he moved to victory in four sets. He is now 13-4 in his French Open career, and three of those losses came against an opponent ranked No.1 — Novak Djokovic twice, Alcaraz once. The only way he'll need to deal with the top-ranked man again in Paris is if it's his pal Jannik Sinner standing across the net on Sunday with the trophy in the offing. Musetti is one of the rare top players using the single-handed backhand, a vintage shot often praised by tennis connoisseurs. "We are Italian, we are elegant," he joked afterwards. With agencies
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29 minutes ago
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Novak Djokovic vs Alexander Zverev start time: When is French Open quarter-final?
Novak Djokovic faces Alexander Zverev in a blockbuster French Open quarter-final as the Serbian continues his bid for a record-extending 25th grand slam singles title. Djokovic is yet to drop a set at this year's tournament and defeated Cameron Norrie on Monday to claim his 100th career win at Roland Garros, as well as his 19th French Open quarter-final. Advertisement Zverev, the third seed, will be the toughest test Djokovic has faced by far, with the German having reached last year's final in Paris where he lost in five sets to Carlos Alcaraz. Zverev won his last meeting with Djokovic, but that came when the 38-year-old retired from their Australian Open semi-final after losing the opening set on a tiebreak. Here's everything you need to know. When is Novak Djokovic vs Alexander Zverev? The match has been scheduled for the night session, which won't start before 7:15pm BST (UK time) on Wednesday 4 June. It could start later than that if the previous matches run over. French Open order of play - Wednesday 4 June (from 10am BST) Court Philippe-Chatrier Madison Keys [7] vs Coco Gauff [2] Advertisement Mirra Andreeva [6] vs Lois Boisson Jannik Sinner [1] vs Alexander Bublik not before 7.15pm Alexander Zverev [3] vs Novak Djokovic [6] What happened in the fourth round? Djokovic defeated Norrie in straight sets, 6-2, 6-3, 6-2, to extend his winning streak on clay after winning the title in Geneva before the French Open began. 'I can always expect myself to play better,' he said. 'Considering the opponent's form, as well, and the last‑16 round and the occasion, I think was a very good match. From my side, a very solid performance.' Zverev progressed to his fifth consecutive French Open quarter-final after his opponent Tallon Griekspoor retired while trailing 6-3 4-0, having struggled with an injury during the match. Zverev has won his last four French Open quarter-finals but trails the head-to-head against Djokovic 8-5. However, they have only played each other twice from the 2022 season onwards, with the record 1-1.
Yahoo
41 minutes ago
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Lorenzo Musetti escapes French Open disqualification after kicking ball at line judge
Lorenzo Musetti escaped being disqualified from the French Open after accidentally kicking a ball at a line judge during this quarter-final win over Frances Tiafoe. The Italian progressed to his first Roland Garros semi-final after beating Tiafoe in four sets and will play either Carlos Alcaraz or Tommy Paul on Friday for a place in the final. Advertisement But the eighth seed had a fortunate escape during his contest with Tiafoe where Musetti risked being defaulted from the tournament when he struck a line judge by volleying the ball with his foot. Musetti, who had lost the previous point on serve and was down 3-5 in the second set, was receiving balls from a ball boy when he dropped one of them behind the baseline as he faced the back of the court. Instead of reaching down to catch it, the 23-year-old decided to swing his left foot at the ball, kicking it on the half-volley. The ball unintentionally struck the line judge in the chest and when he realised his mistake, Musetti moved towards her before holding his racket up in a gesture of apology. Advertisement Musetti received a warning for unsportsmanlike conduct from the chair umpire but no further action was taken, with the Italian going on to win 6-2 4-6 7-5 6-2 and reach the semi-finals. The incident had similarities to when Novak Djokovic was disqualified from the US Open in 2020 for mistakenly striking a line judge in the throat when he hit a ball towards the back of the court. Djokovic was defaulted by tournament officials following a lengthy on-court after taking a ball from his pocket and hitting it behind him with his racket, hitting the female line judge in the throat. On TNT Sports, Tim Henman, who was disqualified from a Wimbledon men's doubles match in 1995 when he accidentally hit a ball girl in the head, said Musetti had taken a huge risk. Advertisement The former British No 1 said: 'By the letter of the law, if you hit or kick a ball away in frustration and it hits a ball boy or a line judge or the umpire, that can be a disqualification. 'When you look at that, the umpire could have interpreted that as a disqualification. However, if Musetti was disqualified for that I think he would have felt very unlucky and very aggrieved. 'But when you kick the ball away, you've either got to be a better footballer and hit it in the right direction or you are risking something like that.'
