Latest news with #CourtSuzanneLenglen
The Herald
16 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Herald
Djokovic beats Norrie to join Nadal in French Open century club
The seventh-seeded Keys cantered through the opening set before Baptiste broke for 3-1 in the second, pushing the Australian Open champion to the limit on Court Suzanne Lenglen. Baptiste eventually cracked, allowing her opponent and friend to set up a meeting with second seed Coco Gauff in the next round, ensuring an American presence in the semifinals. 'Hailey is such an amazing player, it was such a tough second set. Today I just had to kind of make as many balls as possible,' said Keys. The 30-year-old could count on the support of new US Billie Jean King Cup captain and former coach Lindsay Davenport plus 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens, who is sidelined through injury and was also watching from the stands. 'We've a lot of really great players constantly helping us, inspiring us and if we have any questions they're of great help. It's great being friends with such amazing players,' she added.
The Guardian
a day ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Jack Draper stunned by Alexander Bublik in four-set defeat at French Open
With his presence at the French Open hanging desperately in the balance, Jack Draper stepped up to the baseline down two sets to one hoping that he would begin the new set with a fresh, clean slate to plot his recovery. Instead, he could only watch on helplessly as his opponent threaded four outlandish winners to break his serve to love. It was that kind of evening for Draper, the fifth seed in Paris, who was outplayed by a stunning performance from the unseeded Alexander Bublik. The Kazakhstani, 26, held his nerve in front of a raucous Court Suzanne Lenglen crowd to close out an immense 5-7, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 win and reach the quarter-finals of the French Open for the first time in his career. After working through his early tension last week to achieve his first win in Paris before putting away an inspired Gaël Monfils in frigid, heavy conditions, Draper entered the fourth round with expectations high after he completely dismantled the 18-year-old João Fonseca on Saturday. Instead of a tough, attritional battle with Alex de Minaur, the highest-ranked seed in his section, Draper found himself against the enigmatic Bublik, who dramatically toppled De Minaur from two sets down in the second round. Bublik has been as high as No 17 in the rankings and on a good day he is an incredibly dangerous and unpredictable player. Today was the best day of his career. From the very beginning, Bublik showed just how dangerous and unpredictable he can be as he rolled through his early service games with a mixture of destructive, pinpoint serving, sweet two-handed backhands and a constant stream of drop shots. The first set, however, progressed just how many thought it would. In the tight moments, Draper's superior return of serve, movement and point-by-point focus separated him in a battle between two big servers as he emerged with the set. The start of the second set was similarly unsurprising as Bublik, still reeling from the abrupt end to the first set, handed over a service game with a series of ill-advised drop shots. Just as it seemed like Draper had the match under control, however, it all fell apart. Bublik immediately forced himself back into the match with a spectacular exhibition of varied attacking tennis. He served brilliantly, keeping Draper out of his service games, pounding his excellent two-handed backhand and he continued to suffocate the left-hander with sickly sweet drop shots from all parts of the court. Against an opponent who seemed to be able to do anything he could possibly want with the ball, Draper just couldn't keep up. As his first serve crumbled, he lost confidence in his forehand and retreated into his shell. Most notably of all, for some time he seemed too stressed out to think clearly. From a set and a break down, Bublik rolled through 12 of the next 16 games to establish a two sets to one lead. Before the fourth set began, both players took a bathroom break. Draper emerged from the short intermission hoping to find his rhythm and force himself back into the match, but Bublik had other ideas. He immediately broke Draper's serve to love with an unforgettable return game, closing it off with an effortless forehand return winner off Draper's first serve. With the break in hand, Bublik served spectacularly while continuing to dominate from the baseline and weave his web of maddening drop shots. After a breathless, theatrical final game as Draper fought admirably until the end and generated five break points, Bublik found the courage to close out the best win of his career. Sign up to The Recap The best of our sports journalism from the past seven days and a heads-up on the weekend's action after newsletter promotion Considering the momentum and positivity surrounding Draper during this tournament, this will be an incredible tough loss for him to digest. He sees himself competing for these titles, not merely reaching the second week. However, after starting this season simply seeking his first breakthrough on red clay, he ends this period having won many matches, beaten quality players and established himself as a real threat. This loss will simply form another part of his development.
France 24
2 days ago
- Sport
- France 24
Olympic champion Zheng battles into French Open last eight
The reigning Olympic champion extended her winning streak at Roland Garros to 10 matches, winning 7-6 (7/5), 1-6, 6-3 on Court Suzanne Lenglen. Zheng said that she does not feel like a defending champion despite winning Olympic gold at the same venue last summer. "It's different because Grand Slam we need to play seven matches, and the Olympic Games is six matches to get a gold medal," she said. "I really don't consider myself as defending champion. Right now even though I'm in (the) quarter-final, I think I'm still a bit far, and I just want to stay calm and fight every single match. "Forget what happened last year, but just fight at this moment in Roland Garros." Zheng will continue her bid for a maiden Grand Slam title against world number one Aryna Sabalenka after she beat Amanda Anisimova. The winner of that clash could face three-time defending champion Iga Swiatek in the semi-finals. Zheng is the only woman to beat Swiatek at Roland Garros in the last four years after her semi-final win at the Paris Games. "I feel she's doing amazing here, but you know, for me I will just keep going because, like I said before, I want to stay longer here in Roland Garros," she added.
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Tommy Paul ends Alexei Popyrin's French Open run with swift victory
Alexei Popyrin could find no way through the American iron man Tommy Paul as the Australian men's challenge at the French Open petered out tamely. Popyrin, the Australian men's No 2, never looked like grasping the opportunity to earn his first grand slam quarter-final date. He succumbed 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 on a sun-soaked Court Suzanne Lenglen in a bloodless fourth-round clash on Sunday. Outplayed by the world No 12 in all departments, this was a huge let down for 25th seed Popyrin who had been hoping to go at least one round further than last year's US Open, when he had downed Novak Djokovic before falling in the last 16 to another American, Frances Tiafoe. Popyrin's exit means that only Daria Kasatkina, in her first slam since gaining permanent residency, is now the last Australian standing. Kasatkina faces the Russian teenage sensation Mirra Andreeva in Monday's fourth-round match. Popyrin had harboured such high hopes going into the match after not dropping a set in his first three contests, and all started swimmingly as he broke the 28-year-old Paul in the opening game. Alas, that was as good as it got for the Sydneysider. Paul saved the rest of the 10 break points he faced throughout the match, never allowing the Australian to get a foothold, while 37 unforced errors told of Popyrin's underwhelming day. The tough American had battled through two consecutive five-setters to reach this stage but was relieved to advance quickly past Popyrin. Paul becomes the first American man in the quarter-finals here since Andre Agassi in 2003, and could still be joined by compatriots Ben Shelton and Tiafoe. 'I am very glad [about] a straight-sets win. I have been playing some long matches, so that one felt really good,' said Paul, who had spent more than three-and-a-half hours more on court than Popyrin before Sunday's match. 'My team has been doing a great job getting ready for each match but definitely shorter matches like this help a lot.' Paul's toughness was evident when Popyrin had two break points at 3-3, which the American repelled in the opening set before cashing in on a Popyrin double fault for a 5-3 lead. Serving for the set, Paul found himself for once on the back foot as Popyrin earned three break-back points. But the 12th seed showed huge resolve to fight back and seal the set in 42 minutes. Sign up to The Recap The best of our sports journalism from the past seven days and a heads-up on the weekend's action after newsletter promotion At the start of the second, a horrendous missed forehand sitter from Popyrin handed Paul an immediate break and the sad-eyed exchanges with his box demonstrated only the Australian's frustration. Popyrin has been lamenting all season his inability to find a consistency of performance and, again, this display was nowhere near the standard he had displayed in beating Portugal's Nuno Borges in the previous round. The Aussie's forehand, so reliable against Borges, began to malfunction alarmingly as he was again broken for Paul to race to a two-set lead. Any chance of a comeback was soon extinguished when Paul, for a third set running, struck with an early break. Popyrin cut a forlorn figure by the time a 26th Paul winner flashed by him on match point, the contest over inside two hours. Paul will next face either Shelton or the reigning champion, Carlos Alcaraz, in the quarter-finals.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Draper downs Fonseca to reach the French Open last 16
Britain's Jack Draper proved too strong for Brazilian teenage sensation Joao Fonseca in the third round at Roland Garros on Saturday as he progressed to the last 16 in straight sets. The fifth seed produced a polished performance in seeing off the 18-year-old 6-2, 6-4, 6-2 in front of a Court Suzanne Lenglen which featured an audible core of Brazilian supporters. Advertisement "I played good, the conditions were quite difficult here," said Draper after reaching the second week for the first time at the French Open. "I thought the first set was key and I got on top of him a little bit. "Joao has caught the attention of players and fans here... I think he's got an unbelievably bright future and I think he'll be right at the top of the game," Draper added. Draper, the runner-up at the Madrid Open this season, will face Alexander Bublik for a spot in the quarter-finals, after the former world number 17 defeated 200th-ranked Henrique Rocha 7-5, 6-1, 6-2. Advertisement Draper eased ahead of Fonseca with an early break to lead 2-1 in the first set, before the world number five broke again and held service to clinch the opener. The Briton survived two break-back points while serving for the second set but managed to see out the tightly-contested frame when Fonseca dumped an attempted forehand winner into the net. Defeat in the 10th game of the second set seemed to deflate Fonseca as Draper immediately broke him twice to race into a 4-0 lead in the decider before serving out for the win. Draper now holds a 2-0 record over Fonseca, with their previous meeting ending in a straight-sets victory for the 23-year-old at Indian Wells earlier this year. That match was the start of Draper's successful run in the Californian desert, which culminated in his first Masters title. nf/ea
