Latest news with #DaniilMedvedev
BBC News
3 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Nasty fall helps Fearnley set up Norrie meeting
Jacob Fearnley moved into an all-British meeting with Cameron Norrie in the French Open third round after his opponent Ugo Humbert retired following a nasty who replaced Norrie as the British number two earlier this year, was leading 6-3 4-4 when French 22nd seed Humbert tumbled as he stretched for a return at 40-40 in the eighth game and instantly clutched his right receiving treatment and wearing heavy strapping, Humbert gamely tried to continue and finished the game before deciding it would not be sensible to carry a result, 23-year-old Fearnley - who is 55th in the world after a rapid rise over the past 12 months - moved into the last 32 on his French Open booked his place earlier on Thursday with a 7-6 (9-7) 6-2 6-1 win over Argentine qualifier Federico 29-year-old has slipped to 81st in the rankings, but has rediscovered his form on the clay and earned one of the most satisfying wins of his career when he beat former world number one Daniil Medvedev at Roland Garros earlier this week.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Cam Norrie into French Open third round with straight sets victory over Federico Gomez - where he could face a fellow Brit
The renaissance of Cam Norrie continued as the British No3 swept into the third round of the French Open. Having escaped from a tight opening set against world No144 Federico Gomez, Norrie assumed full control to win 7-6, 6-2, 6-1. The 29-year-old arrived in the second round via a monumental, four-hour upset of No11 seed Daniil Medvedev. He was a massive underdog for that match, given he had not taken a single set off the Russian in four previous meetings, but the outlook was very different against Gomez. The Argentine world No144 only snuck into the draw as a lucky loser after Emil Ruusuvori withdrew, so Norrie looked a decent favourite - not that he was having any of it. 'Nothing changes,' he said after the Medvedev win. 'Different challenge, same level, same mindset.' It certainly was a different challenge: instead of the rake-thin Medvedev came Gomez, a hulking specimen built more on the lines of a Pumas flanker than a tennis player. But he subsequently hit his stride to win in straight sets and ease into the third round If Norrie's first-round win was a tale of perseverance rewarded, he had nothing on Gomez. The 28-year-old Argentine played college tennis in the US, then toiled around on the lower reaches of the tennis circuit for years without a breakthrough. In March of this year he posted on Instagram, describing his thought of quitting the sport and even suicide. Days after that post, Novak Djokovic reached out to Gomez, inviting him to practice with him in Miami. They had another session together here in Paris; the Serb's many ill-informed detractors would do well to realise that such acts of kindness towards his fellow professionals are characteristic. Gomez's first-round win here - on his Grand Slam debut - was a demonstration of the power of a kind gesture. It was also a reminder of the vast sea of largely unknown talent to be found beneath tennis's top level. Gomez is a damn fine player, with huge power on the serve and forehand. His backhand was a little vulnerable, though, and he was liable to break down in the longer rallies. An ideal opponent for Norrie, then, who could just stick to his metronomic, high-margin tennis and wait for his man to crack. Gomez hit far more winners - 39 to 22 - but made far more errors, too, 56 to 22. Norrie needed seven set points to take the opener but his higher class told eventually. From there he assumed full control of the match and is into the third round of the French Open for a fourth time in the last five years. He was awaiting the winner of last night's match between his countryman - and fellow Texas Christian University grad - Jacob Fearnley, and French No2 Ugo Humbert.
New York Times
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
The twilight of the tennis sandwich generation, foiled by the Big Three, Sinner and Alcaraz
ROLAND GARROS, PARIS — The 'sandwich generation' of men's tennis increasingly look like the lost boys. They are the players born in the 1990s who were tipped for big things, but suffered a double misfortune of circumstance. The first was that they entered the sport when it was in the vice-like grip of the Big Three: Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. Those three hoovered up titles for longer than anybody expected, and no sooner had their collective powers waned than Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner arrived, seemingly fully formed, to steal away the promises that were made to the children of the 1990s. Advertisement In the last couple of days at the French Open, their diminishing hopes of staying among the truly elite have dwindled further. Daniil Medvedev, 29 and the only one still active to win a Grand Slam, lost on Tuesday to the world No. 81 Cameron Norrie. On Wednesday, Casper Ruud (26) was beaten in four sets by world No. 41 Nuno Borges, and revealed afterwards that he's been suffering for almost two months with a knee problem. Stefanos Tsitsipas (26), a two-time Grand Slam finalist and one-time Next Big Thing, was beaten by Matteo Gigante, the 23-year-old Italian No. 167 who has never been inside the world's top 100. As the second round winds down, world No. 3 Alexander Zverev (28) and No. 15 Andrey Rublev (27) remain, but neither are in great form. Twilight has fallen in Paris on a cohort of tennis players whose window of opportunity has less slammed shut than never truly opened. Only two men born in the 1990s have won a Grand Slam — Medvedev and Dominic Thiem, who retired in 2024 and attributed his relatively early exit from the sport to the demands of keeping up with Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Andy Murray. They arrived in the middle of the 2010s, when the ATP Tour was in need of a crop of young players to offer a future for a sport that had become more relevant than it had been for some years, thanks to the Big Three's rivalries. Zverev, Tsitsipas, Medvedev and Matteo Berrettini, the Italian who had to miss this French Open through injury, were chief among them. Ruud and Rublev were never quite tipped in the same way, but Ruud's three Grand Slam finals — one defeat to Alcaraz, one to Nadal and one to Djokovic — before turning 25 changed the record. All of them have had great results along the way, with Medvedev spending 16 weeks at world No. 1 as well as winning the 2021 U.S. Open. All of them have won ATP Masters 1,000 titles and all of them bar one has has reached a Grand Slam final, but, Zverev aside, all of them feel further away from winning one than ever. Advertisement In the long view, the Big Three won 66 Grand Slam titles between them; Alcaraz and Sinner have shared the last five majors. Of the original four, Medvedev's 16 weeks at world No. 1 pale in comparison to a combined 1,034 for the Big Three, Alcaraz and Sinner — 947 between Federer, Nadal and Djokovic; 36 for Alcaraz and 51 and counting for Sinner. More immediately and concerningly, all of them are showing signs that the unfulfilled expectations and desires are getting to them. Medvedev, like many players — Zverev included — has complained about the balls on the ATP Tour. He believes that they are so slow and heavy that players can no longer hit winners, except for players like Alcaraz or Sinner who can generate frightening pace from just about anywhere on the court. The Russian has started changing his strings mid-match in the hope that doing so might give him an edge, and did so on Tuesday against Norrie, but ultimately to no avail. It's true that a combination of slower balls and faster courts favors players like Alcaraz and Sinner once rallies begin, because they are able to go on attack or use the front of the court more effectively than players who have less power, or more discomfort at the net. Where Medvedev had an edge was his serve. Together with Zverev, his ability to win free points and then counterpunch — or employ his octopus-like defense to steal more points — fundamentally altered men's tennis, relegating one-dimensional big-servers to irrelevance and testing Nadal and Djokovic, who had perfected baseline tennis in their primes. What was once revolutionary eventually looks out of date. 'It's just tennis,' Medvedev said in a news conference after losing to Norrie, and he's right: the game changes and players who cannot keep up are left behind. Tsitsipas also acknowledged pre-tournament that the rest of the field is stronger. 'I feel like the lineup right now is much more difficult than it was back then (2021),' he said in a news conference. Advertisement 'Players are so much more mature. Shots have changed. Players have second forehands in this very moment. I have to adapt my game. 'Tennis is very much different now than it was before Jannik and Carlos come around the corner.' After losing to Gigante, Tsitsipas said that he needed to use his experience on the tour 'more wisely,' explaining that of late it 'stabs him,' rather than being of use. Where Medevdev changed his strings, Tsistipas tried to find salvation in a new racket. He changed it earlier in the year and waxed lyrical after winning the Dubai Tennis Championships in March. But he found that the new racket was causing him lower-back pain when the clay swing started, and so he reverted to the old one. And after losing to Gigante, Tsitsipas will drop out of the world's top 20 for the first time since August 2018. Ruud, who like Medvedev will be out of the world's top 10 when the rankings update a week on Monday, can identify with the feeling of the tennis world passing him by. At the ATP Tour Finals last November, Ruud said in an interview that Sinner and Alcaraz's way of playing had made him reconsider everything. 'They can turn around the point with one shot on the run, even from the forehand or backhand,' he said. 'That's something in the next weeks and months I'll try to keep working on. But I'm not going to change my game in one day or one week. It's going to take time.' Five months later, Ruud hadn't made much progress. 'My game style is vulnerable to big hitters,' he said in a huddle at the Madrid Open. 'For flat hitters and those guys who play aggressive. When it goes in for them, I struggle to find answers.' Ruud went on to win the Madrid Open, his first at 1,000 level, a rung below the Grand Slams. Then he faced Sinner, on the Italian's return to tennis in Rome. The world No. 1 eviscerated the Norwegian 6-0, 6-1, with Ruud's gently disbelieving reaction betraying a player watching their specialism pass them by. Advertisement Rublev, who reacted similarly after João Fonseca dismantled him at the Australian Open, has sought to manage the self-flagellating anger that has marked his worst moments on court, but still feels further away from the top of the sport than ever. On Tuesday, after a spotty four-set win over world No. 227 Lloyd Harris, he said of Sinner and Alcaraz: 'They're the best players at the moment. I don't know what else to say. I mean, I'm trying to improve, get better. We'll see.' Then there's Zverev, who is in a different but no less difficult place. He reached the Australian Open final in January, and the French Open final last year and is, in theory, closer than ever to winning that elusive first Grand Slam. It doesn't feel that way. The pasting he took from Sinner in Melbourne four months ago underlined the chasm that exists between Zverev and the top two. The German talked about trying to change his mindset ahead of that final, putting in extra practice to try and bridge the gap. The end result was the same. 'I wish I would not have had the three greatest players of all time for the first 10 years of my career, because I think I would have won maybe one or two Slams by now,' Zverev said in his pre-French Open news conference. 'At the same time, it was a privilege playing them and I enjoyed every moment of it.' What is happening to Zverev and his cohort happened to generations before them and will happen to Alcaraz and Sinner one day. But enjoying every moment? It doesn't feel like that right now. (Top photo of Stefanos Tsitsipas: Aurelien Morissard / Associated Press)
Free Malaysia Today
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Free Malaysia Today
Gauff finds groove after forgetting rackets, Medvedev exits French Open
Coco Gauff returns the ball to Australia's Olivia Gadecki during their first-round French Open match at Roland Garros stadium. (AP pic) PARIS : Coco Gauff forgot to take her rackets to the court but reminded her rivals of her French Open title ambitions with a commanding first-round win, while Daniil Medvedev was unable to string out his journey beyond the first round on a wet and windy Tuesday. Three-times champion Novak Djokovic overcame the difficult conditions to begin his bid for a record 25th Grand Slam title with a victory after last year's finalist Alexander Zverev got off to a flier in his hunt for an elusive maiden major trophy. Former Roland Garros runner-up Gauff provided some early comic relief as the second seed grinned sheepishly and showed her empty bag to her entourage, who scampered to reunite her with her equipment before she beat Olivia Gadecki 6-2, 6-2. 'The most important thing is to play with a racket,' said Gauff, who jokingly posted a photo on X later of a to-do list that had 'put tennis rackets in bag' unchecked. 'It probably relaxed me going into the match, because it was such a funny thing. I'm just happy to get through. I'll remember my rackets next time.' The Madrid and Rome finalist made up for a slightly delayed start to her match on Court Philippe Chatrier by easing through the first three games and wrapped up the opening set with a brave hold after dropping serve earlier. There was no looking back from there as Gauff tightened her grip on the contest and booked a clash with Tereza Valentova. On the men's side, third seed Zverev sealed a comprehensive 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 victory over Learner Tien, avenging a defeat by the 19-year-old American in Acapulco earlier this year. Medvedev was not as efficient, losing eight consecutive games after taking a 3-1 lead in the opening set against Cameron Norrie and his frustrations boiled over in a series of animated gestures towards his team during a 7-5, 6-3, 4-6, 1-6, 7-5 loss. Norrie enjoyed every bit of the Russian's meltdown. 'Every time I played Daniil, he's never snapped. He's never said anything. He's just completely locked in and chops me every time,' Norrie said. 'It was quite nice in the first set to see him freaking out and talking to his box and trying to look for answers.' Fellow Briton Jack Draper found all the answers after dropping the opening set against Mattia Bellucci, as the world number five prevailed 3-6, 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 after 17th seed Andrey Rublev kept his cool to beat Lloyd Harris 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1. Brazilian 18-year-old Joao Fonseca, after making a strong impression on his Grand Slam main draw debut at the Australian Open, hit the ground running in Paris by hammering 30th seed Hubert Hurkacz 6-2, 6-4, 6-2. French showman Gael Monfils then produced a comeback for the ages in the evening, as the 38-year-old fought past Hugo Dellien 4-6, 3-6, 6-1, 7-6(4), 6-1 to equal compatriot Yannick Noah on 40 Roland Garros singles victories. Spirits lifted Earlier, Dusan Lajovic crashed out 6-2, 6-4, 7-6(4) to Kazakh lucky loser Alexander Shevchenko while Laslo Djere fell 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(6) to Australian ninth seed Alex De Minaur to the disappointment of Serbian fans. Sixth seed Djokovic lifted their spirits, though, as the 38-year-old wrestled Mackenzie McDonald into submission with a 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 win on the same court where he captured singles gold at the Olympics last year. 'It's great to return here a year later. I don't know how many Grand Slams I have left but this is special,' he said. 'I know I can play at a better level than today but I'm satisfied. There's the chance to make further history, that's the biggest motivation to work, improve and be here.' It was the end of the road for Bulgarian veteran Grigor Dimitrov after the 16th seed pulled up with a left thigh injury during his match against Ethan Quinn to exit a fourth straight Grand Slam due to retirement. In the women's draw, former runner-up Sofia Kenin advanced to the second round after a 6-3, 6-1 win over French number one Varvara Gracheva while Hailey Baptiste beat 2023 semi-finalist Beatriz Haddad Maia 4-6, 6-3, 6-1. Former world number one Victoria Azarenka became the oldest woman in the professional era since 1968 to win a singles Grand Slam main-draw match with a 6-0, 6-0 scoreline, after the 35-year-old dished out a double bagel to Yanina Wickmayer. Marketa Vondrousova, the 2023 Wimbledon champion, breezed past Oksana Selekhmeteva 6-4, 6-4 while sixth seed Mirra Andreeva beat Cristina Bucsa 6-4, 6-3 to underline her title credentials after a run to last year's semi-finals. Andreeva's idol Ons Jabeur suffered a shock first round defeat by Magdalena Frech on Court Simonne Mathieu, as the twice quarter-finalist went down 7-6(4), 6-0. Witness football history in Malaysia as Manchester United take on the Asean All-Stars – it's the clash you can't afford to miss. Book your seat now at before they're gone!
Glasgow Times
5 days ago
- Sport
- Glasgow Times
Cameron Norrie stuns Daniil Medvedev in epic first-round French Open clash
The British number three threw his racket high into the air in delight after a marathon 7-5 6-3 4-6 1-6 7-5 victory over a player he had lost all four of his previous matches to without winning a set. 'That was just a nice release of energy,' said Norrie after his first top-20 win in 16 months. 'I think it was a good throw. I threw it pretty well, pretty accurate. I was happy it stayed on the court, it wasn't broken. It was just kind of instinct.' Norrie admitted he would have to run for four hours to stand any chance against the Russian, and he was not far wrong. The 29-year-old won the first two sets but was pegged back to 2-2 and fell a break down in the decider. However, he showed incredible resilience to win the last three games to wrap up a memorable victory in a baseline slugfest lasting three hours and 52 minutes. 'He is so tough to beat, I think I deserve a diploma for beating him because he's beaten me the last four times,' added Norrie. Daniil Medvedev was angry with his team (Thibault Camus/AP) 'For me, it's in my top three wins I think in terms of pure match-ups. I have an absolutely terrible match-up against Daniil in terms of the way we play, the game style. 'He's so tough to play, for me anyway. He absolutely gives you nothing. There's no easy way to win points against him. 'Especially in a slam, obviously I know he doesn't like clay as much, but he's won a Masters 1000 on the clay. I lost to him two weeks ago – he completely chopped me in Rome. 'For me, outside of Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic, he would be probably the fourth toughest draw for me. 'It's an extremely good win, especially my record with him. Yeah, what's his ranking, 11 in the world? In a slam, best-of-five, beating him in five sets is impressive for me.' Norrie has a great chance to equal his best run at Roland Garros when he faces Argentinian lucky loser Federico Gomez in the second round. Medvedev, who yelled and gesticulated to his team in the players' box throughout the match, had a simple explanation for how he lost. 'I didn't manage to serve it out,' he said. 'I mean, kind of a close match. Great fight. Disappointed to lose. He played well. I didn't play good enough. So that's why I lost.'
