Latest news with #FrancesTiafoe
Khaleej Times
38 minutes ago
- Entertainment
- Khaleej Times
Maestro Musetti beats Tiafoe to reach French Open semifinals
Italian craftsman Lorenzo Musetti used his full palette of shots to decorate Court Philippe Chatrier with blistering baseline winners, beating American Frances Tiafoe 6-2 4-6 7-5 6-2 to reach the French Open semifinals for the first time on Tuesday. Despite a few muddled moments, the world number seven set up a meeting with either defending champion Carlos Alcaraz or Tommy Paul of the US as he continues his renaissance after some soul searching. Musetti, who said he put some order in his mind and game, did not let frustration take the best of him after losing the second set and once he found his groove, there was no stopping him as 15th seed Tiafoe gradually lost the plot, twice arguing with the chair umpire over line calls. He bowed out with yet another routine shot into the net, his 'Big Foe' neck chain dripping with sweat as a testimony of the battle just fought. "Definitely Frances did not start the way he wanted but today was really complicated, it was so windy and difficult to manage to properly hit the ball," said Musetti, the only man to reach at least the semifinals of every main claycourt event this season. "The third set was a fight and even if I was a little tired I found the extra energy to win this set and the last set was probably the best set of this match." Musetti is one of the rare top players using the single-handed backhand, a vintage shot often praised by tennis connoisseurs. "We are Italian, we are elegant," he joked. "Joke aside, I have a little bit of a retro style."
The Sun
an hour ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Shocking moment tennis star Musetti BOOTS ball at female line judge's chest sparking fan fury at French Open
ITALIAN STALLION Lorenzo Musetti risked a possible default from the French Open after he kicked a ball into a line judge's chest. The Wimbledon semi-finalist, 23, beat American Frances Tiafoe 6-2 4-6 7-5 6-2 in the quarter-finals at Roland Garros. 7 7 7 Yet he was fortunate not to be disqualified from the competition for his actions after losing game eight of the second set when he kicked a stray ball in frustration right at a female official. Tiafoe, 27, highlighted the situation to the umpire as he went to change racquets. In the end, the No.8 seed received a warning for unsportsmanlike conduct but it could have been much worse. There have been precedents for this – Novak Djokovic was eliminated from the 2020 US Open for the same thing and Tim Henman was famously KO-ed from Wimbledon for injuring a poor ball girl in 1995. Henman, working as an analyst on TNT Sports, said: 'By the letter of the law, if you hit or kick a ball away in frustration, and it hits a ballboy, line-judge or umpire that can be a disqualification. 'When you look at that, the umpire could have interpreted that as a disqualification. 'If Musetti was disqualified for that, he'd feel very unlucky and aggrieved. 'But when you're kicking a ball away, you've either got to be a better footballer and kick it in the right direction. Or you are risking something like that.' 7 7 Musetti – who showed off his muscles to the crowd when he won – is the third Italian, after Matteo Berrettini and Jannik Sinner, to reach semi-finals on multiple surfaces at Grand Slams. Boris Becker, the three-time Wimbledon champion, said: 'The German umpire Timo Janzen did an excellent job. Novak Djokovic digs out French Open rival for 'spying' on him and seeing Champions League trophy 'You can't disqualify Musetti over something like that. The warning was justified, but you can't compare it to Djokovic. 'The internet needs to calm down. Everyone's trying to be holier than the Pope. But let's keep things in perspective. It was a warning, not a disqualification.' Fans online were less forgiving than the two retired pros, making their feelings clear on social media. One asked: "How is this not a default??" While another added: "Djokovic was banned for a whole tournament for a lot less!" A third wrote: "Default. Rules are rules. Foe should be through. It's a disgrace." And a fourth posted: "Default. The inconsistency and double standards in decision-making is making me grow cold toward tennis." 7
Scottish Sun
an hour ago
- Politics
- Scottish Sun
Shocking moment tennis star Musetti BOOTS ball at female line judge's chest sparking fan fury at French Open
COURT OUT Shocking moment tennis star Musetti BOOTS ball at female line judge's chest sparking fan fury at French Open ITALIAN STALLION Lorenzo Musetti risked a possible default from the French Open after he kicked a ball into a line judge's chest. The Wimbledon semi-finalist, 23, beat American Frances Tiafoe 6-2 4-6 7-5 6-2 in the quarter-finals at Roland Garros. 7 Lorenzo Musetti was warned for unsportsmanlike conduct during his French Open match with Frances Tiafoe Credit: Getty 7 Musetti furiously kicked a tennis ball away Credit: X @tntsports 7 The ball hit a line judge in the chest Credit: X @tntsports 7 Musetti apologised immediately afterwards Credit: X @tntsports Yet he was fortunate not to be disqualified from the competition for his actions after losing game eight of the second set when he kicked a stray ball in frustration right at a female official. Tiafoe, 27, highlighted the situation to the umpire as he went to change racquets. In the end, the No.8 seed received a warning for unsportsmanlike conduct but it could have been much worse. There have been precedents for this – Novak Djokovic was eliminated from the 2020 US Open for the same thing and Tim Henman was famously KO-ed from Wimbledon for injuring a poor ball girl in 1995. Henman, working as an analyst on TNT Sports, said: 'By the letter of the law, if you hit or kick a ball away in frustration, and it hits a ballboy, line-judge or umpire that can be a disqualification. 'When you look at that, the umpire could have interpreted that as a disqualification. 'If Musetti was disqualified for that, he'd feel very unlucky and aggrieved. 'But when you're kicking a ball away, you've either got to be a better footballer and kick it in the right direction. Or you are risking something like that.' 7 Musetti beat Frances Tiafoe 6-2 4-6 7-5 6-2 Credit: Getty 7 Musetti celebrated reaching the semi-finals Credit: Getty Musetti – who showed off his muscles to the crowd when he won – is the third Italian, after Matteo Berrettini and Jannik Sinner, to reach semi-finals on multiple surfaces at Grand Slams. Boris Becker, the three-time Wimbledon champion, said: 'The German umpire Timo Janzen did an excellent job. Novak Djokovic digs out French Open rival for 'spying' on him and seeing Champions League trophy 'You can't disqualify Musetti over something like that. The warning was justified, but you can't compare it to Djokovic. 'The internet needs to calm down. Everyone's trying to be holier than the Pope. But let's keep things in perspective. It was a warning, not a disqualification.' Fans online were less forgiving than the two retired pros, making their feelings clear on social media. One asked: "How is this not a default??" While another added: "Djokovic was banned for a whole tournament for a lot less!" A third wrote: "Default. Rules are rules. Foe should be through. It's a disgrace." And a fourth posted: "Default. The inconsistency and double standards in decision-making is making me grow cold toward tennis."
The Irish Sun
an hour ago
- Politics
- The Irish Sun
Shocking moment tennis star Musetti BOOTS ball at female line judge's chest sparking fan fury at French Open
ITALIAN STALLION Lorenzo Musetti risked a possible default from the French Open after he kicked a ball into a line judge's chest. The Wimbledon semi-finalist, 23, beat American Frances Tiafoe 6-2 4-6 7-5 6-2 in the quarter-finals at Roland Garros. 7 Lorenzo Musetti was warned for unsportsmanlike conduct during his French Open match with Frances Tiafoe Credit: Getty 7 Musetti furiously kicked a tennis ball away Credit: X @tntsports 7 The ball hit a line judge in the chest Credit: X @tntsports 7 Musetti apologised immediately afterwards Credit: X @tntsports Yet he was fortunate not to be disqualified from the competition for his actions after losing game eight of the second set when he kicked a stray ball in frustration right at a female official. Tiafoe, 27, highlighted the situation to the umpire as he went to change racquets. In the end, the No.8 seed received a warning for unsportsmanlike conduct but it could have been much worse. There have been precedents for this – Novak Djokovic was READ MORE IN TENNIS Henman, working as an analyst on TNT Sports, said: 'By the letter of the law, if you hit or kick a ball away in frustration, and it hits a ballboy, line-judge or umpire that can be a disqualification. 'When you look at that, the umpire could have interpreted that as a disqualification. 'If Musetti was disqualified for that, he'd feel very unlucky and aggrieved. 'But when you're kicking a ball away, you've either got to be a better footballer and kick it in the right direction. Or you are risking something like that.' Most read in Sport 7 Musetti beat Frances Tiafoe 6-2 4-6 7-5 6-2 Credit: Getty 7 Musetti celebrated reaching the semi-finals Credit: Getty Musetti – who showed off his muscles to the crowd when he won – is the third Italian, after Novak Djokovic digs out French Open rival for 'spying' on him and seeing Champions League trophy 'You can't disqualify Musetti over something like that. The warning was justified, but you can't compare it to Djokovic. 'The internet needs to calm down. Everyone's trying to be holier than the Pope. But let's keep things in perspective. It was a warning, not a disqualification.' Fans online were less forgiving than the two retired pros, making their feelings clear on social media. One asked: "How is this not a default??" While another added: "Djokovic was banned for a whole tournament for a lot less!" A third wrote: "Default. Rules are rules. Foe should be through. It's a disgrace." And a fourth posted: "Default. The inconsistency and double standards in decision-making is making me grow cold toward tennis." 7 Novak Djokovic was kicked out of the US Open in 2020 for hitting a line judge with a ball Credit: Reuters
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Musetti eases past Tiafoe to reach semi-finals
Italy's Lorenzo Musetti reached his first semi-final at the French Open, and second at a grand slam, by beating Frances Tiafoe 6-2 4-6 7-5 6-2 in the same stadium where he won a bronze medal at last year's Olympics. The 23-year-old No.8 seed will face defending champion Carlos Alcaraz or Tommy Paul on Friday for a place in Sunday's final. Tiafoe, the No.15 seed, reached Tuesday's quarter-final without dropping a single set. But he was not quite up to the task against Musetti, a semi-finalist at Wimbledon in 2024, and it showed right away. Tiafoe missed all eight first serves in his first service game and sent a backhand wide to give Musetti a break and a 2-0 lead. He looked up at his coach, David Witt — who's worked with Venus Williams and Jessica Pegula in the past — and complained about the wind. MUSETTI INTO THE SEMIS 💫#RolandGarros — Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 3, 2025 The deficit was 3-0 after just 13 minutes. By the time that set was over, 21 of Musetti's 30 points had arrived via mistakes by Tiafoe, nine forced and 12 unforced. Tiafoe's first break delivered a 2-1 lead in the second, and when he smacked a forehand winner to level the match at a set apiece, he let out a roar and shouted, "Let's go! Let's go!". During that set, Musetti was warned for unsportsmanlike conduct for kicking a tennis ball that inadvertently hit a linesperson. Unlike most top-level tennis tournaments, which rely on electronic line-calling, there are still humans on court at Roland Garros to decide whether shots land in or out. However, Musetti did not let the incident affect him as he moved to victory in four sets. He is now 13-4 in his French Open career, and three of those losses came against an opponent ranked No.1 — Novak Djokovic twice, Alcaraz once. The only way he'll need to deal with the top-ranked man again in Paris is if it's his pal Jannik Sinner standing across the net on Sunday with the trophy in the offing. Musetti is one of the rare top players using the single-handed backhand, a vintage shot often praised by tennis connoisseurs. "We are Italian, we are elegant," he joked afterwards. With agencies
