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New York Times
5 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
French Open recap: Crowd seizes its moment during Mirra Andreeva vs. Lois Boisson
Follow The Athletic's French Open coverage Welcome to the French Open briefing, where The Athletic will explain the stories behind the stories on each day of the tournament. On day 11, Mirra Andreeva showed how far she has come by cracking under pressure, Jessica Pegula reminded the world of the impact of angry bettors on tennis players and Madison Keys made plans for grass — already. It wasn't long ago that Mirra Andreeva was pretty regularly letting her emotions get the better of her tennis. Two years ago, against Coco Gauff, Andreeva swatted a ball into the crowd on Court Suzanne-Lenglen. She was lucky it didn't connect with a fan and get her disqualified. A month later, a chair umpire ruled that she had thrown her racket during the final moments of her match against Madison Keys at Wimbledon. She maintained that it slipped from her hand, but Wimbledon is famously protective of its grass. The umpire docked her a point, which gave Keys match point. Andreeva lost the match and received an £8,000 fine. Advertisement Andreeva, still just 18, rarely does that sort of stuff anymore. Changing her mentality, with the help of her coach, Conchita Martinez, has helped turn her into a top-10 player and a two-time WTA 1,000 champion. But 15,000 screaming fans trying to fry a player's brain can make them go a bit mad, whatever their age. That's what Andreeva had to face against Loïs Boisson, the French wild card, for a place in the French Open semifinals. Andreeva lost leads in both sets. She lost a set point at 5-3 in the first one. While the second set was getting away from her, she caught a ball and swatted it at the roof. Having kept the crowd at bay for the entire match by refusing to show much emotion, she gave them the bait they had been looking for. Boos and whistles echoed around the stadium in a din designed to put her off her game. She started battling the people in her box, including her mother and Martinez, the coach she reveres. The pressure to win and the pressure from the crowd combined to overwhelm her, she said. 'I will learn from this,' she said. 'I will do everything that I can to maybe not do it the next time I play a big match like this.' As for the exchange with her box, which saw her gesturing at them to leave at one point, Andreeva said it grew out of frustration when she looked for some guidance after mistakes, as though it was their fault, not hers. 'Today was one of those days when it's just a bit harder to deal with everything that's going on in the court,' she said. Matt Futterman With grim predictability, Jessica Pegula's shock defeat to Boisson in the French Open fourth round led to the American receiving a torrent of social media abuse. The vast majority of the online abuse tennis players receive tends to come from bettors, and upsets — especially one involving a rankings gap of 358 places — provoke even more vitriol. Advertisement Pegula, the American world No. 3, shared some of the worst examples she received after the Boisson match on her Instagram story, and wrote: 'These bettors are insane and delusional.' 'I don't allow DMs, and try to remember when to shut my comments off during tournament weeks, but they always find a way to my timeline. This stuff has never really bothered me much, but does any other sport deal with this to our level? I'd love to know because it seems to be predominantly tennis? It's so disturbing.' 'Every person on tour deals with it. It's so bad. Those are just really small snippets. I get told my family should get cancer and die from people on here on a regular basis. Absolutely crazy.' A professional tennis player posting hate messages on social media after a loss is now an almost weekly occurrence. For Pegula and every other player across both tours, it's fast becoming a reality of their existence that they are powerless to negate. Charlie Eccleshare The footage that caught the imagination of the French Open ricocheted around social media Wednesday morning. Jannik Sinner, the world No. 1, and Boisson, the world No. 361 French wild card and the story of the tournament, were clasping hands over the net on Court Philippe-Chatrier following a morning hit. It was raining early at Roland Garros, so court space and time were limited. Sinner was playing right after the two women's matches, and he didn't want to take the court without a warm-up hit, preferably on Chatrier. He called the player relations desk searching for an opening. They told him to hustle over. When he got to the court, there was Boisson, whom he knew from years ago when they trained at the same tennis center. Lois has a new sparring 🚀#RolandGarros — Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 4, 2025 'She said straightaway yes,' Sinner said of Boisson. 'It was a very consistent warmup for a different game style for a woman, because the ball is quite high and quite spinny.' Sinner said Boisson was 'exactly what France needs,' given that the French don't exactly have a roster of stars beyond Arthur Fils. 'Something very new, very special, great mentality,' he said. Advertisement 'She deserves to be in the position where she is right now, and we wish her all the best for the future.' Matt Futterman Madison Keys offered an insight into the relentlessness of the tennis calendar when she revealed that she plans to be on the grass getting ready for Wimbledon in just two days' time. Keys, who lost her three-set French Open quarterfinal to Coco Gauff after losing her way in the decider, was able to go back to Florida between an early exit from the Italian Open in Rome and the start of Roland Garros. . However, there will be no such luxury ahead of the grass-court season, which begins Monday with the new WTA 500 event at the Queen's Club in west London. Keys is wasting no time in getting ready. 'The tennis season doesn't really allow you to ease into anything, so I'm going to London tomorrow, and I imagine I'll be on grass on Friday,' Keys said in a news conference after losing 6-7(6), 6-4, 6-1 to her fellow American. 'That's kind of the reality of the sport.' Keys was coy about whether she would continue with her previous policy of playing the week before majors. She is not currently entered for the WTA 250 event in Eastbourne, England, where she is a two-time winner, or the 500 event in Bad Homburg, Germany, but she said with a smile: 'We'll see, we'll see how things go.'' A week off ahead of Wimbledon could be what Keys needs to recharge after what's been a grueling year. Charlie Eccleshare Tell us what you noticed on the 11th day… (Top photo of Mirra Andreeva: Getty Images; design: Eamonn Dalton / The Athletic)
CNA
21-05-2025
- Sport
- CNA
Andreeva bids for Paris glory after stellar start to season
Mirra Andreeva will be looking to build on her excellent season when she arrives at Roland Garros and the Russian teenager has the mental strength and attitude needed to upset the top players again at this year's French Open. Last year, Andreeva was the only unseeded player to reach the quarter-finals, but comes into this year's tournament ranked sixth in the world as she looks to at least match her 2024 semi-final appearance. Andreeva, who turned 18 last month, became the youngest player to capture a WTA 1000 title with her Dubai win in February, beating three Grand Slam champions - Marketa Vondrousova, Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina - along the way. After winning her first, Andreeva won back-to-back WTA 1000 crowns with her Indian Wells triumph the following month, beating world number one Aryna Sabalenka in the final having dispatched number two Swiatek in the semis. Since partnering with coach Conchita Martinez a year ago, Andreeva's career has really taken off, and even the Spanish former Wimbledon champion has been surprised by the Russian's rise. "Winning Dubai and winning Indian Wells, that was a little bit… I don't know, I don't want to say she couldn't do it, but it was a progress and all of a sudden it just went like a sky rocket," Martinez said. "She's getting stronger and now I feel like she of course can compete with the big girls. That's probably the progress that does surprise me more." In the clay season, Andreeva has reached the quarter-finals of both the Madrid and Italian Open quarter-finals, losing to Coco Gauff on each occasion, but that marks an improvement on her French Open preparations 12 months ago. Andreeva went out in the opening round in Rome last year, but followed up with her march to the semis in Paris, beating Sabalenka on the way, and will be a player most will want to avoid in the draw. Along with her mobility and court awareness, her mental strength, discipline and fearlessness belie her age, and Andreeva has shown she has what it takes to go toe to toe with the biggest names in tennis, and come out on top. She had lost to Sabalenka twice this year before their meeting in the Indian Wells decider and despite losing the opening set, Andreeva battled back to down the world's top player. "I would like to thank myself for fighting until the end and for always believing in me and for never quitting," Andreeva said. Andreeva goes into the French Open even more confident than last year, and with three-times defending champion Iga Swiatek struggling for form, the Russian's first Grand Slam crown looks within reach.
Reuters
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Andreeva bids for Paris glory after stellar start to season
May 21 (Reuters) - Mirra Andreeva will be looking to build on her excellent season when she arrives at Roland Garros and the Russian teenager has the mental strength and attitude needed to upset the top players again at this year's French Open. Last year, Andreeva was the only unseeded player to reach the quarter-finals, but comes into this year's tournament ranked sixth in the world as she looks to at least match her 2024 semi-final appearance. Andreeva, who turned 18 last month, became the youngest player to capture a WTA 1000 title with her Dubai win in February, beating three Grand Slam champions -- Marketa Vondrousova, Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina -- along the way. After winning her first, Andreeva won back-to-back WTA 1000 crowns with her Indian Wells triumph the following month, beating world number one Aryna Sabalenka in the final having dispatched number two Swiatek in the semis. Since partnering with coach Conchita Martinez a year ago, Andreeva's career has really taken off, and even the Spanish former Wimbledon champion has been surprised by the Russian's rise. "Winning Dubai and winning Indian Wells, that was a little bit… I don't know, I don't want to say she couldn't do it, but it was a progress and all of a sudden it just went like a sky rocket," Martinez said. "She's getting stronger and now I feel like she of course can compete with the big girls. That's probably the progress that does surprise me more." In the clay season, Andreeva has reached the quarter-finals of both the Madrid and Italian Open quarter-finals, losing to Coco Gauff on each occasion, but that marks an improvement on her French Open preparations 12 months ago. Andreeva went out in the opening round in Rome last year, but followed up with her march to the semis in Paris, beating Sabalenka on the way, and will be a player most will want to avoid in the draw. Along with her mobility and court awareness, her mental strength, discipline and fearlessness belie her age, and Andreeva has shown she has what it takes to go toe to toe with the biggest names in tennis, and come out on top. She had lost to Sabalenka twice this year before their meeting in the Indian Wells decider and despite losing the opening set, Andreeva battled back to down the world's top player. "I would like to thank myself for fighting until the end and for always believing in me and for never quitting," Andreeva said. Andreeva goes into the French Open even more confident than last year, and with three-times defending champion Iga Swiatek struggling for form, the Russian's first Grand Slam crown looks within reach.
Reuters
12-05-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Champions Italy drawn to face hosts China in BJK Cup Finals
May 12 (Reuters) - Holders Italy will meet hosts China while 18-times winners the United States face Kazakhstan in the last eight after the draw for the Billie Jean King Cup Finals to be held in Shenzhen in September was made on Monday. Spain take on Ukraine in another quarter-final at the elite women's team competition while Britain play Japan, organisers the International Tennis Federation said following a ceremony in the south-eastern Chinese city. The game's global body added that former world number two and Grand Slam champion Conchita Martinez would return as the tournament director for a third consecutive year. "Last year's Finals were a powerful reminder of just how much this competition means - not only to the players, but to fans around the world," Martinez said. "Returning as tournament Director for a third year is an opportunity to build on that energy and continue shaping an event that celebrates the very best of team tennis." The ITF announced in January that the Finals would be held in Shenzhen until 2027. This year's edition takes place from September 16-21 after being rescheduled from its November slot. WTA tournaments will take place in Asia in Seoul, Beijing, Hong Kong, Wuhan, Osaka, Ningbo, Guangzhou, Tokyo and Jiujiang between September and October and the ITF's move is aimed at helping players navigate the calendar better. Italy eased past Slovakia 2-0 in last year's Billie Jean King Cup final to claim their fifth title.
Hindustan Times
12-05-2025
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Tennis-Champions Italy drawn to face hosts China in BJK Cup Finals
May 12 - Holders Italy will meet hosts China while 18-times winners the United States face Kazakhstan in the last eight after the draw for the Billie Jean King Cup Finals to be held in Shenzhen in September was made on Monday. Spain take on Ukraine in another quarter-final at the elite women's team competition while Britain play Japan, organisers the International Tennis Federation said following a ceremony in the south-eastern Chinese city. The game's global body added that former world number two and Grand Slam champion Conchita Martinez would return as the tournament director for a third consecutive year. "Last year's Finals were a powerful reminder of just how much this competition means - not only to the players, but to fans around the world," Martinez said. "Returning as tournament Director for a third year is an opportunity to build on that energy and continue shaping an event that celebrates the very best of team tennis." The ITF announced in January that the Finals would be held in Shenzhen until 2027. This year's edition takes place from September 16-21 after being rescheduled from its November slot. WTA tournaments will take place in Asia in Seoul, Beijing, Hong Kong, Wuhan, Osaka, Ningbo, Guangzhou, Tokyo and Jiujiang between September and October and the ITF's move is aimed at helping players navigate the calendar better. Italy eased past Slovakia 2-0 in last year's Billie Jean King Cup final to claim their fifth title.
