Nadal touch helps Paolini reach French Open third round
The Italian fourth seed said she tried to mix it up and play aggressively herself. (AP pic)
PARIS : Last year's French Open runner-up Jasmine Paolini gave a touch to Rafael Nadal's footprint on Court Phlippe Chatrier before racing into the third round with a 6-3 6-3 victory against Australia's Ajla Tomljanovic on Wednesday.
The Italian fourth seed was barely bothered in a one-sided affair on a gloomy Parisian day as she set up a meeting with Ukrainian lucky loser Yuliia Starodubtseva or Russian Anastasia Potapova.
During the warm-up, Paolini, who is trained by Nadal's former coach Marc Lopez, approached the permanent footprint of the 14-times French Open champion that was installed next to the net on Roland Garros's main court during a ceremony in the Spaniard's honour last Sunday, and gave it a light touch.
'It's hard to play against Ajla, she's very aggressive but I tried to mix it up and play aggressively myself,' Paolini said.
'Last year, I played two matches here and a bit at the Olympics, now I'm a bit more used to it (Court Philippe Chatrier).
The diminutive Paolini, who easily handled Tomljanovic's all-in approach, sealed the opening set with a cross-court passing shot after dragging her opponent to the net with a subtle drop shot.
She kept her focus in the second set, wrapping it up in front of a barely half-capacity crowd – a common occurrence for the French Open opening match on the main court.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Djokovic, Sinner continue Paris quests as Gauff eyes week two
NOVAK DJOKOVIC will have to share the spotlight in his pursuit of a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam as the Serb plays his French Open third-round match during the UEFA Champions League final. Five US women will feature during the day with Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula, Madison Keys and Sofia Kenin all chasing a place in the last 16 along with unseeded Hailey Baptiste. Djokovic takes on 23-year-old Austrian qualifier Filip Misolic in the primetime night session on Court Philippe Chatrier. The three-time French Open champion had issued a playful appeal to tournament organisers not to schedule the match on Saturday night, to avoid a clash with the football. Paris Saint-Germain will be bidding for a first European crown against Inter Milan. Kick-off in Munich is roughly 30 minutes after the evening session begins at Roland Garros. 'It's going to be PSG that I will support. I will definitely watch it if I'm not playing night session,' said Djokovic. 'Yeah, that will be nice. FYI, Roland Garros schedule...' But Djokovic faces 153rd-ranked Misolic who withstood a comeback from Canadian 27th seed Denis Shapovalov to prevail in a marathon five-set second-round match. The 38-year-old Djokovic received treatment for a blister on his left foot during his match on Thursday but insisted it was not 'going to be an issue for me to recover'. He is through to the last 32 in Paris for the 20th time, more than even 14-time champion Rafael Nadal managed. World number one Jannik Sinner of Italy plays 34th-ranked Czech Jiri Lehecka earlier in the day. Although he is a big AC Milan fan, Sinner would not be against an Inter victory. 'Rooting for whom? I don't want to say anything because I don't want to put anyone in a difficult spot. I'm a Milan fan, but as an Italian, it would be nice if an Italian team won. 'Gigio (Donnarumma, the PSG goalkeeper) and I have been friends for a long time. We have our priorities, and he is about to play one of the most important matches of his life. 'But if it were Gigio, I'd be happy.' 'Tricky' Sinner made his comeback from a three-month doping ban at the Italian Open earlier in May, reaching the final before losing in straight sets to reigning Roland Garros champion Carlos Alcaraz. German third seed Alexander Zverev, who lost last year's final to Alcaraz, will next face Italian Flavio Cobolli, the world number 26. Women's second seed and former finalist Gauff will be on Court Philippe Chatrier to play Czech world number 47 Marie Bouzkova. Third-seeded American Pegula will be up against former French Open runner-up Marketa Vondrousova. She beat Pegula in their only previous meeting -- the Wimbledon quarter-finals in 2023 -- where the Czech became the lowest-ranked winner of the tournament in the Open era. 'I know she struggled with a lot of injuries at the beginning of the year,' said Pegula. 'And she's won some good matches, obviously is a finalist here. She obviously knows how to play good tennis here at Roland Garros. 'I think that's going to be the trickiest part for me.' The 31-year-old Pegula, who missed the 2024 tournament at Roland Garros, reached the quarter-finals three years ago. Former French Open runner-up Kenin plays reigning Australian Open champion and fellow American Keys for a place in the last 16. Eighteen-year-old Mirra Andreeva will open the day's play on Court Suzanne Lenglen against Kazakh Yulia Putintseva. The all-French duel between Lois Boisson, ranked 361, and Elsa Jacquemot, 138th, is scheduled on Court Simonne Mathieu. They are only French survivors in the women's draw. That will followed by fifth seed Jack Draper of Britain against rising Brazilian teen star Joao Fonseca, before an all-British clash between Cameron Norrie and Jacob Fearnley.
Malay Mail
an hour ago
- Malay Mail
World Boxing mandates gender tests for all fighters, targets Olympic champion Khelif
PARIS, May 31 — World Boxing announced yesterday it will introduce mandatory gender testing to determine the eligibility of male and female athletes wanting to take part in its competitions. The international federation said it was introducing the policy after the furore surrounding boxers including women's welterweight gold medallist Imane Khelif of Algeria at the Paris Olympics last year. World Boxing will organise the boxing competition at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics after being granted provisional recognition by the International Olympic Committee. World Boxing said it had informed the Algerian Boxing Federation that Khelif would have to undergo the test if she wanted to compete at the Eindhoven Box Cup in the Netherlands on June 5-10. 'World Boxing has written to the Algerian Boxing Federation to inform it that Imane Khelif will not be allowed to participate in the female category at the Eindhoven Box Cup or any World Boxing event until Imane Khelif undergoes sex testing,' it said in a statement. Under the new policy, all athletes over 18 that want to participate in a World Boxing owned or sanctioned competition will need to undergo a PCR, or polymerase chain reaction genetic test, to determine what sex they were at birth and their eligibility to compete. The PCR test is a laboratory technique used to detect specific genetic material, in this case the SRY gene, that reveals the presence of the Y chromosome, which is an indicator of biological sex. The test can be conducted by a nasal or mouth swab, or by taking a sample of saliva or blood. National federations will be responsible for testing and will be required to confirm the sex of their athletes when entering them into World Boxing competitions by producing certification of their chromosomal sex, as determined by a PCR test. Khelif said in March: 'For me, I see myself as a girl, just like any other girl. I was born a girl, raised as a girl, and have lived my entire life as one.' The 26-year-old is targeting a second gold medal at the 2028 Games in Los Angeles after her triumph in Paris. Her success, along with that of Taiwan's Lin Yu-ting, sparked a raging gender eligibility debate, with high-profile figures such as US President Donald Trump and Elon Musk weighing in. Khelif and Lin were disqualified from the International Boxing Association's 2023 world championships after the organisation, the long-standing governing body of amateur boxing, said they had failed gender eligibility tests. The IOC has severed links with the IBA over financial, governance and ethical concerns. The IBA is led by the Kremlin-linked Russian Umar Kremlev. Last month the IOC provisionally recognised World Boxing as the body to oversee the sport at future Games. — AFP
Malay Mail
an hour ago
- Malay Mail
Sabalenka, Zheng cruise into fourth round while Alcaraz survives scare at Roland Garros
Alcaraz stumbles against Dzumhur before going through Sabalenka, Zheng manage conditions to power into round four Swiatek stretches Roland Garros winning streak to 24 matches Musetti advances before Rune, Paul survive tough encounters PARIS, May 31 — Carlos Alcaraz made heavy weather of his French Open clash with Damir Dzumhur but moved into the fourth round while world number one Aryna Sabalenka and Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen blazed a trail on a hot Friday at Roland Garros. Defending champion Iga Swiatek continued her bid for a fifth Roland Garros title when the fifth seed stayed calm on a searing afternoon on Court Philippe Chatrier to beat Jaqueline Cristian while Holger Rune edged a brutal five-setter with Quentin Halys. Alcaraz was expected to sizzle in the cool of the evening but the second seed found himself in hot water after his level dipped against Dzumhur before recovering to seal a 6-1 6-3 4-6 6-4 win and book a clash with Ben Shelton. 'It was under control during the first two sets, and then I don't know what happened,' Alcaraz said. 'I think he started to play, but I let him get into the match, get into a good rhythm. I let him get into his game and I didn't know what to do. 'I was a break down in the fourth, and I just tried to calm myself a little bit, think much clearer, and try to do the good things again. Just happy to take the chances he gave me in the fourth set and play great tennis at the end.' Sabalenka avoided the worst of the heat in the morning but had to stave off the plucky Olga Danilovic to win 6-2 6-3 and continue her bid for a maiden Roland Garros title after major triumphs at the Australian and US Opens. The three-time Grand Slam champion looked in ruthless form while racing ahead 5-0 but Danilovic avoided the bagel by taking the sixth game on serve and pulled a break back. The resurgence did not last long as Sabalenka closed out the opening set with another break and withstood a stern test in the second set to beat her 34th-ranked opponent. Zheng, who won her biggest title at last year's Paris Games, continued her good form on the Roland Garros clay as the Chinese eighth seed made the second week by beating Grand Slam debutant Victoria Mboko 6-3 6-4 at Court Simonne Mathieu. That match was halted briefly when the 18-year-old Mboko was down 5-3 in the second set as a fan needed medical attention but Zheng was not affected when play resumed and quickly dispatched the Canadian. Former semi-finalist Amanda Anisimova required treatment for a blister on her right hand before the American secured a 7-6(4) 6-4 victory over Clara Tauson to reach the last 16 of the major where she announced herself in 2019. Belarus' Aryna Sabalenka (right) shakes hands with Serbia's Olga Danilovic after winning their women's singles match on day 6 of the French Open tennis tournament on Court Philippe-Chatrier at the Roland-Garros Complex in Paris May 30, 2025. — AFP pic 'Big hitters' Anisimova, seeded 16th, takes on Sabalenka in the next round aiming to improve her 5-2 win-loss record against the top seed. 'We're both big hitters, so I'm sure we're going to be going at it back and forth,' Anisimova said. Liudmila Samsonova will expect to be tested against Zheng after beating Dayana Yastremska 6-2 6-3. Swiatek extended her spectacular French Open winning streak to 24 matches after seeing off Jaqueline Cristian 6-2 7-5 as the temperature soared. 'It was 20 degrees Celsius when I played my first match but today it was 30 degrees,' Swiatek said. 'It's not easy to adjust but I've played in every condition. Last year at the Olympics it was super hot, so I was ready.' Up next for Swiatek is fellow Grand Slam champion Elena Rybakina, who ousted 2017 Roland Garros winner Jelena Ostapenko 6-2 6-2. Last year's runner-up Jasmine Paolini eased past Yuliia Starodubtseva 6-4 6-1 and faces another Ukrainian after Elina Svitolina beat Bernarda Pera 7-6(4) 7-6(5). Eighth seed Lorenzo Musetti blew hot and cold against Mariano Navone before winning 4-6 6-4 6-3 6-2 while Rune beat Halys 4-6 6-2 5-7 7-5 6-2. 'It was a brutal match,' Rune said. 'I tried to change things... I had to put more spin on the ball because of the conditions. 'The player who took the opportunities to be aggressive was the player who won.' Tommy Paul also needed five sets, the 12th seed defeating Karen Khachanov 6-3 3-6 7-6(7) 3-6 6-3, while American fans had more joy as 13th seed Shelton downed Matteo Gigante 6-3 6-3 6-4 and Frances Tiafoe beat Sebastian Korda 7-6(6) 6-3 6-4. Alexei Popyrin overcame Nuno Borges 6-4 7-6(11) 7-6(5) to fly the flag for Australia while Daniel Altmaier sent Hamad Medjedovic packing 4-6 6-3 6-3 6-2. French hopes suffered a blow as Arthur Fils pulled out of Saturday's clash against Andrey Rublev with a back injury. — Reuters
