logo
Emma Raducanu on early collision course with Iga Swiatek at the French Open

Emma Raducanu on early collision course with Iga Swiatek at the French Open

Swiatek has won the title for the last three years while Raducanu, who must first get past China's Wang Xinyu, has only played the tournament once before.
That was back in 2022, when she reached the second round, with the former US Open champion missing 2023 following operations on both wrists and one ankle and then opting not to compete in qualifying last year.
Textbook performance 📚@iga_swiatek puts on a dominate display to defeat Raducanu in straight sets, 6-1, 6-0!#AO2025 pic.twitter.com/rHzRbz0lJm
— wta (@WTA) January 18, 2025
She returns to Paris ranked back inside the top 50 and will hope to continue her encouraging form on the clay, which included a run to the fourth round of the Italian Open.
Raducanu struggled with a recurrence of a back problem during a second-round loss to Danielle Collins at the WTA event in Strasbourg on Wednesday but it is understood there is no concern around her participation at Roland Garros, with the 22-year-old on her way to the French capital.
While Swiatek, who defeated Raducanu for the loss of just one game at the Australian Open in January, would represent a formidable challenge, it has been a difficult season for the Pole.
She has not won a title since last year's French Open and has slipped to fifth in the rankings after uncharacteristic performances on her favourite surface.
Swiatek, who faces Slovakia's Rebecca Sramkova first up, joined Paris St Germain star Ousmane Dembele at the draw, and said: 'Everybody's here to win. I'm working hard to be ready and to play as good tennis as possible.
A post shared by @jackdraper
'For sure this season had more ups and downs but I know my game is there. I just have to figure out how to use it in the best possible way. Tennis is sometimes a complicated sport but we should make it easy in our heads.'
Swiatek is in the top half of the draw along with Aryna Sabalenka, who faces Russian Kamilla Rakhimova in the first round, and could face a repeat of last year's final against Jasmine Paolini in the last eight.
Second seed Coco Gauff is the highest-ranked player in the bottom half and will open against Australia's Olivia Gadecki.
British number one Jack Draper is a leading seed at a grand slam for the first time as the world number five and will face Italian Mattia Bellucci in the first round.
The 23-year-old has landed on the strong side of the draw with top seed Jannik Sinner in his quarter and both Alexander Zverev and Novak Djokovic also in his half.
Cameron Norrie was given the toughest draw of the British players against 11th seed Daniil Medvedev while debutant Jacob Fearnley will face former champion Stan Wawrinka.
In the women's draw, Katie Boulter will face a qualifier ahead of a potential second-round meeting with Australian Open champion Madison Keys while Sonay Kartal meets Erika Andreeva and Jodie Burrage plays Collins.
Sinner, who is bidding for a third consecutive grand slam title after returning from his three-month doping ban, plays France's Arthur Rinderknech in the first round.
The title defence starts here 👑#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/lOZSix58zq
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) May 22, 2025
Djokovic, who turned 38 on Thursday, opens his latest campaign for a 25th slam crown against Mackenzie McDonald while defending champion and second seed Carlos Alcaraz faces former US Open runner-up Kei Nishikori.
Britain could yet have an eighth player in the main singles draw, with Fran Jones battling to a 2-6 6-3 6-4 victory over Japan's Mai Hontama in the second round of qualifying.
She will face Ukraine's Anastasiia Sobolieva in the final round but Dan Evans is out after losing 6-1 6-3 to France's Clement Tabur.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

USGA chief insists the 'juice is not worth the squeeze' of changing equipment testing despite Rory McIlroy driver debacle
USGA chief insists the 'juice is not worth the squeeze' of changing equipment testing despite Rory McIlroy driver debacle

Daily Mail​

time15 minutes ago

  • Daily Mail​

USGA chief insists the 'juice is not worth the squeeze' of changing equipment testing despite Rory McIlroy driver debacle

The Rory McIlroy driver debacle will not lead to a change in equipment testing, according to the United States Golf Association. The USGA, which carries out the pre-tournament checks, had faced calls from Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele to overhaul their procedures last month. Scheffler and McIlroy were both forced to change a non-conforming driver in the build up to the championship, after each was found to have become too springy, and the world No 1 went on to argue against the current method of randomly selecting only a third of each field for testing. Scheffler's view was that the entire field should have their equipment checked if the measure was to be considered fair. However, USGA chief Mike Whan, whose organisation is running this week's US Open, has dismissed that possibility, saying that the nature of any advantage and the prevalence of failures were both too small to justify. 'With what we're seeing today, it would be a greater interruption,' Whan said. 'The juice wouldn't be worth the squeeze.' He added: 'If I'm being honest with you, I think in terms of what happened at the PGA Championship, it made us more committed to not wanting to have this be the topic of the town because I think when you talked about a rules violation or somebody who's playing with a hot driver, that gets so much more sensational than the reality. 'I can tell you as a rules body, if we had concern about this incredible advantage, we would change the degree in which we test. 'But we think the testing that we're doing now is commensurate with the size of both the issue and the size of the reality of the issue. 'I know we tested this week. I couldn't tell you if we had failures, and if so, what those failures were at the time. 'I know that if we saw a trend that was alarming in terms of either how many or how far they were moving beyond (the permissible limit), we would change the way we approach it.'

Scottie Scheffler is golf's most dominant force since Tiger Woods but he's no shoo-in at the year's most sadistic major, writes RIATH AL-SAMARRAI
Scottie Scheffler is golf's most dominant force since Tiger Woods but he's no shoo-in at the year's most sadistic major, writes RIATH AL-SAMARRAI

Daily Mail​

time30 minutes ago

  • Daily Mail​

Scottie Scheffler is golf's most dominant force since Tiger Woods but he's no shoo-in at the year's most sadistic major, writes RIATH AL-SAMARRAI

On the basis of range talk and betting odds, it will presumably be a source of some relief to 155 of the 156 men at the US Open that a tournament has even been deemed necessary here in the suburbs of Pittsburgh. If conventional wisdom was all that mattered, then plenty of time and money would be saved by signing over the trophy to Scottie Scheffler at the outset. But thankfully golf is a fickle game and Oakmont Country Club is quite capable of burying form guides beneath five inches of dense rough. And therein lies one of the fascinating subplots of this 125th edition of golf's most sadistic major. By that, we mean Scheffler's ability to withstand the really nasty stuff between Thursday morning and Sunday evening. Across the past three years or so, there has been a rapid dwindling in the areas where we can legitimately scrutinise his talent and progress. His three major titles, Olympic gold medal and 16 other wins on the PGA Tour have made Scheffler the most dominant force since Tiger Woods in consideration of the speed and performance metrics with which they were acquired. Amid such brilliance, there are precious few loose ends but this is one: can he do it when the setting is truly fiendish and as far removed from the usual target golf as we will ever see? It is among the last questions at the bottom of a barrel he has emptied with his remarkable acquisition of trophies, including three in his past four starts. By that reasoning, the coming five weeks are intriguing. That applies most glaringly to The Open next month and the quirks of links golf, where he is yet to master an idiosyncratic format of the game. But it also applies here, purely for the fact he has not yet won a US Open and because this particular course is so viciously extreme. Similar to The Open, this major tests resilience to breaking point and its champions are celebrated accordingly. None of which is to say Scheffler is a glorified flat-track bully - that nonsense would be dismissed instantly by his four wins across Bay Hill and Augusta. But Oakmont, while less revered, approaches mythical status for its savagery and the wind has started to build. Taming such a place would be a huge feather in the cap. At halfway to the career slam – Scheffler added the PGA Championship added last month to his two green jackets – we can assume he is rather comfortable with his astonishing rate of progress by the age of 28. But there is always interest in seeing how quickly a star can pass the mile markers. By that standard, it is fun to wonder if his game and temperament can translate to a course where life can often feel unfair. Given his mind is even stronger than his play from tee to green, and indeed his putting, which in the past year ranks among the best on tour, the prognosis is good. Now he just needs to tick the box, if ever a complicated task could be reduced to such basic terms. THREE TO WATCH AT OAKMONT AARON RAI 75-1 : The understated Englishman is yet to finish higher than 19th in a major but is one of the most accurate drivers on tour. That will be worth its weight in gold on this course. SHANE LOWRY 25-1 : His game is in good shape and the 2019 Open champion has previous on this fiendish course, having reached seven under par here through 54 holes in 2016. A poor fourth round kept him from the title. XANDER SCHAUFFELE 18-1: Injury decimated early part of his season, but the two-time major winner has shown strong signs of a return to form. Game and temperament to make a big impact here. SELECTED FIRST-ROUND TEE TIMES 12.07* J-H Kim (Kor), T Pendrith (Can), JJ Spaun (US) 12.18 K Bradley (US), H English (US), T Fleetwood (Eng) 12.18* L Aberg (Swe), H Matsuyama (Jpn), A Scott (Aus) 12.29 JL Ballester (Spa), B DeChambeau (US), X Schauffele (US) 12.40 W Clark (US), M Fitzpatrick (Eng), G Woodland (US) 12.40* S Lowry (Ire), R McIlroy (NI), J Rose (Eng) 12.51 A Bhatia (US), R MacIntyre (Sco), M McCarty (US) 12.51* P Cantlay (US), L Glover (US), S-W Kim (Kor) 18.03 B Koepka (US), M W Lee (Aus), J Thomas (US) 18.14* D Johnson (US), J Rahm (Spa), J Spieth (US) 18.25 V Hovland (Nor), C Morikawa (US), S Scheffler (US) 18.25* T Hatton (Eng), S-J Im (Kor), S Straka (Aut) 18.58* N Dunlap (US), M Leishman (Aus), A Rai (Eng) UK time, *starting from 10th hole 'This is probably the hardest golf course that we'll play, maybe ever,' Scheffler told us this week, and for one of the more understated personalities in the game, that was close to bombastic. 'I kind of equate some of the major tests to the majors in tennis. You're playing on a different surface - you've got grass, clay and then the hard court, and it's a different style of game. The US Open compared to the Masters is a completely different type of test.' For a measure of how Scheffler's character differs to his closest theoretical rival here, consider the prose adapted by Bryson DeChambeau: 'Oakmont wasn't designed to be fair, it was designed to be feared.' Having won this tournament for a second time last year, DeChambeau is the only man within a postcode of Scheffler in bookmaker eyes. His LIV form is also hot and he is still bristling from the way in which he was blown away by Rory McIlroy in the final round of the Masters. Since then he has finished second at the PGA Championship, fixed a few issues with his wedge game via some typically wild equipment tweaks, and he has seen McIlroy fall into a post-Augusta lull. A McIlroy challenge would be a surprise unless his new driver prompts a dramatic upturn; a DeChambeau win would not be a shock. Generally, this course throws up big-name winners – they include Jack Nicklaus and Ben Hogan historically and Dustin Johnson last time, in 2016. But such is the premium on driving accuracy and putting on those rapid surfaces, Aaron Rai and Shane Lowry are the sorts of players who might threaten from a lower position of expectation. Of more familiar challengers, Xander Schauffele's recovery in health and form is also promising and Jon Rahm brought life to a dormant volcano at the PGA Championship. They could all go well. But it is one thing to navigate Oakmont and another to do it in fewer strokes than Scheffler. Of all the data in his favour, it is interesting to note he has shot higher than 72 in only five of his past 139 rounds. Compare that to McIlroy (15 in 108) and DeChambeau (15 in 86) and a picture is drawn of a sportsman who has mastered the ability to avoid high numbers. If he can do that across 72 holes here, it will rank among his finest achievements, which is no easy list to gatecrash.

Liverpool target PSG star Barcola after Wirtz with transfer spending to top £300MILLION – and haven't ruled out Isak
Liverpool target PSG star Barcola after Wirtz with transfer spending to top £300MILLION – and haven't ruled out Isak

Scottish Sun

timean hour ago

  • Scottish Sun

Liverpool target PSG star Barcola after Wirtz with transfer spending to top £300MILLION – and haven't ruled out Isak

Liverpool ready to sell three stars to raise funds LIV IN HOPE Liverpool target PSG star Barcola after Wirtz with transfer spending to top £300MILLION – and haven't ruled out Isak Advertisement LIVERPOOL are set to swoop for Paris Saint-Germain star Bradley Barcola — pushing their summer spending over £300MILLION. Advertisement The Premier League champs intend to spend big on another attacker even after they complete a British-transfer record £127million deal for Bayer Leverkusen's Florian Wirtz. Advertisement 5 Bradley Barcola has emerged as a shock target for Liverpool Credit: Getty Advertisement 5 Liverpool still have hope of signing Alexander Isak Credit: Getty 5 Florian Wirtz is set to move to Anfield in a record £127m deal Credit: Shutterstock Editorial Advertisement And they are prepared to battle Bayern Munich for £100m-rated winger Barcola, 22. Advertisement Liverpool have also not given up all hope of prising Alexander Isak away from Newcastle. Advertisement Kop chiefs would still love 23-goal Isak to lead their new-look frontline. But if the Toon insist on a fee of around £150m for the 25-year-old Sweden international, Liverpool will bow out and look for an alternative. And Barcola has emerged as a spectacular Plan B after doubts emerged over his future with Champions League winners PSG. The Anfield giants have already spent £29.5m on Wirtz's Leverkusen team-mate, defender Jeremie Frimpong, 24, with another £40m-plus earmarked for Bournemouth's 21-year-old left-back Milos Kerkez. Advertisement But it is the prospect of Barcola teaming up with Wirtz, 22, and Anfield icon Mo Salah, 32, which will have fans pinching themselves. Advertisement Barcola, who is Bayern's No 1 target, is no longer part of PSG's first-choice front three. Advertisement JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS Advertisement 5 He found himself on the bench again for last month's Champions League final against Inter Milan, coming on in the 67th minute and teeing up Senny Mayulu for the last goal in the 5-0 thrashing. Advertisement Bayern have made no secret of their intention to test PSG's resolve to keep Barcola, who they signed from Lyon for £38m in 2023. Advertisement Liverpool will look to raise funds by offloading erratic forward Darwin Nunez, 25, and will also consider offers for 28-year-old pair Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota. 5 Advertisement TRANSFER NEWS LIVE - KEEP UP WITH ALL THE LATEST FROM A BUSY SUMMER WINDOW

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