Latest news with #GrandSlam
Straits Times
24 minutes ago
- Sport
- Straits Times
Emma Raducanu outclassed by Iga Swiatek but unbowed after French Open defeat
Britain's Emma Raducanu in action during her second round match against Poland's Iga Swiatek at the French Open on May 28. PHOTO: REUTERS PARIS - Emma Raducanu admitted feeling exposed after a humbling second-round loss to defending French Open champion Iga Swiatek during her maiden appearance on Court Philippe Chatrier but the Briton said the experience had not left her demotivated. Raducanu won her maiden Grand Slam title as a teenager in the US Open while playing at the cavernous Arthur Ashe Stadium and has competed on the main showcourts at the Australian Open and Wimbledon in the past. Featuring on the premier stage at Roland Garros on May 28 proved an altogether different challenge for the 22-year-old, who also felt a bit uncomfortable during her 6-1, 6-2 defeat in the second round by four-time winner Swiatek. "It was a really difficult match. Iga played really well. It was tough. In the beginning of the match it was pretty tight. As it went on she grew in confidence. I just felt a bit exposed," Raducanu told reporters. "It was the first time playing a match on that court. It's also different when it's filled and it's got everything around. You do feel like it's a big court. It's... new for me. "It's a surrounding that she's obviously very comfortable with and she's played in it a lot of times. I think that did emphasise me feeling a bit uncomfortable. But it's a good experience for if I ever play on that court again." Raducanu will go back to the drawing board ahead of her preferred grass season and said she was feeling positive after enjoying her best run of the year after getting to the quarter-finals on the hardcourts of Miami in March. The road has not been easy for Raducanu, who has struggled with form and fitness issues since her 2021 Grand Slam triumph and has worked with a string of different coaches without any real success. "I don't feel demotivated," she said. "I feel like since Miami I've really started building some momentum compared to where I came from at the start of the year and it makes me just want to keep going after a couple of days off and then get on the grass." REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
37 minutes ago
- Sport
- Straits Times
Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic step up French Open challenges
Italy's Jannik Sinner in action during his first round match against France's Arthur Rinderknech in the French Open. PHOTO: REUTERS PARIS - Jannik Sinner takes on the retiring Richard Gasquet at the French Open on May 29, while Novak Djokovic looks to sharpen his game in the second round in his pursuit of a 25th Grand Slam title. Women's second seed and former Roland Garros finalist Coco Gauff also targets a place in the last 16 along with 18-year-old contender Mirra Andreeva. World No. 1 Sinner faces his second French opponent in a row at Roland Garros and is expecting a memorable encounter against the 38-year-old Gasquet, playing at the tournament for the 22nd and final time. 'I know you're going to support him (Gasquet), it's OK, I know that,' Sinner told the crowd after his first-round win over hope Arthur Rinderknech. 'I'm just happy to share a court with him.' The 23-year-old Italian showed some signs of rustiness against Rinderknech in just his seventh match back since returning from a three-month doping suspension. Sinner made his comeback at the Italian Open earlier in May, reaching the final before losing in straight sets to reigning Roland Garros champion Carlos Alcaraz. Djokovic, fresh off his 100th ATP title last weekend, got his tilt at a fourth French Open title off to a solid start on May 27. The Serbian sixth seed will need to be on his guard against crafty Frenchman Corentin Moutet. 'I don't know how many more Grand Slams I've got left in my body,' Djokovic said after the opening round. 'I spent quite a bit of time in making sure that every step of the way in preparation and prevention is respected in order for me to still be able to play on this level.' Serbia's Novak Djokovic in action during his first round Frech Open match against Mackenzie McDonald of the United States. PHOTO: REUTERS Third-ranked Alexander Zverev meets Jesper de Jong for a place in round three, with Alex de Minaur, Jakub Mensik, Arthur Fils and Joao Fonseca all returning to the court as well on Thursday. Gael Monfils looks to pull off an upset over British fifth seed Jack Draper in the night session after fighting back from two sets down under the lights on Court Philippe Chatrier in his opener. Gauff laughed off an amusing lapse that led to her arriving on court without any racquets ahead of her first-round win. The American said it actually helped her relax as she targets a first title since last year's WTA Finals, having come up just short in Madrid and Rome. 'I think as the rounds go, I think it's just with every tournament you feel more comfortable out there on the court,' said Gauff, who plays Czech qualifier Tereza Valentova in her second match. 'You have a match under your belt and know how to deal with certain situations. I think the first round is the most nervous I get. After that, you just feel like it's a little bit more smooth sailing.' Sixth seed Andreeva, who had an impressive run to the semi-finals at Roland Garros in 2024, plays American Ashlyn Krueger. Andreeva is playing her first Grand Slam as a top-10 seed after capturing WTA 1000 series titles in Dubai and Indian Wells. Third seed Jessica Pegula plays fellow American Ann Li, while Australian Open champion Madison Keys takes on Britain's Katie Boulter. Other past and present Grand Slam champions Marketa Vondrousova, Victoria Azarenka, Sofia Kenin and Barbora Krejcikova are also on the schedule. AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Kuwait Times
an hour ago
- Sport
- Kuwait Times
Taiwan's Garland vows to keep the faith on Grand Slam debut
PARIS: Taiwan's world number 175 Joanna Garland told AFP she will rely on her self-belief as she prepares for her second-round match at the French Open after overcoming a serious injury to qualify for a maiden Grand Slam appearance. After navigating her way through the qualifiers last week, Garland secured her first win at the main draw of a Grand Slam by battling past American Katie Volynets in three sets at Roland Garros. Tuesday's win was the culmination point of a long journey for the 23-year-old through injury and doubts to reach the pinnacle of tennis. "I'm still in a little bit of disbelief because I was quite far down in the third set and felt like I didn't have much more to give," Garland said after winning four straight games in the decider to beat her 65th-ranked opponent. "So yeah, quite a bit in disbelief, but of course I'm happy that I won and I really did, going out into the match, I did believe I could pull it off." After a promising junior career which featured a win over future Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen, Garland has endured an up-and-down start to life in the senior tour, missing most of 2024 with injury and dropping out of the top 500. "I rolled my ankle in practice and I actually did it quite badly," she explained. "Looking back at it, I didn't realize that at the time. I tried coming back too soon and messed it up even more. I really struggled and at times did question whether I was ever going to reach where I am now." But she fought her way back to fitness and quashed any uncertainty she may have had about continuing by racking up a 29-match ITF winning streak to end last season and reach a career-high ranking. Now Garland is in the second round of a major, where she will face 32nd seed Yulia Putintseva. "Obviously, she's a great player. I have a lot of respect for her and I know it's not going to be an easy match at all," Garland said. "I'm just going to try to get myself ready in the best way possible and back myself. That's what I've been doing this whole week. I've been believing in myself and hopefully that can bring out my best tennis." Should she beat the Kazakh former world number 20, she will likely move on to face the sixth seed and rising star of tennis Mirra Andreeva in the round of 32. 'Strong connection with Taiwan' Born in England, Garland moved to Taiwan with her parents before her teenage years. However, she said the choice to represent Taiwan rather than Britain was a natural one for her. "I didn't really give it (choosing her sporting nationality) much thought and neither did my parents," she explained. "I do remember being a 12-year-old and watching the Olympic Games in London and seeing the Chinese Taipei (Taiwan) team walk out and having such a small team. So I told my parents that I felt like the team's so small that I want to represent them in the future." Britain, as a host nation for one of the four tennis Grand Slams, is a tempting choice for any rising player and representing her country of birth could have provided Garland with an easier route to reaching the main draw of a major earlier in her career. "I did consider switching nationalities at times," Garland admitted. "But the Taipei federation has supported me financially throughout my whole career. "I wouldn't be here in this position if it wasn't for them. I do feel a strong connection with Taiwan." – AFP
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Sinner and Djokovic step up French Open challenges
Jannik Sinner has won the last two Grand Slams and three of the past five (Dimitar DILKOFF) Jannik Sinner takes on the retiring Richard Gasquet at the French Open on Thursday, while Novak Djokovic looks to sharpen his game in the second round in his pursuit of a 25th Grand Slam title. Women's second seed and former Roland Garros finalist Coco Gauff also targets a place in the last 16 along with 18-year-old contender Mirra Andreeva. Advertisement World number one Sinner faces his second French opponent in a row at Roland Garros and is expecting a memorable encounter against the 38-year-old Gasquet, playing at the tournament for the 22nd and final time. "I know you're going to support him (Gasquet), it's OK, I know that," Sinner told the crowd after his first-round win over hope Arthur Rinderknech. "I'm just happy to share a court with him." The 23-year-old Italian showed some signs of rustiness against Rinderknech in just his seventh match back since returning from a three-month doping suspension. Sinner made his comeback at the Italian Open earlier in May, reaching the final before losing in straight sets to reigning Roland Garros champion Carlos Alcaraz. Advertisement Djokovic, fresh off his 100th ATP title last weekend, got his tilt at a fourth French Open title off to a solid start on Tuesday. The Serbian sixth seed will need to be on his guard against crafty Frenchman Corentin Moutet. "I don't know how many more Grand Slams I've got left in my body," Djokovic said after the opening round. "I spent quite a bit of time in making sure that every step of the way in preparation and prevention is respected in order for me to still be able to play on this level." Third-ranked Alexander Zverev meets Jesper de Jong for a place in round three, with Alex de Minaur, Jakub Mensik, Arthur Fils and Joao Fonseca all returning to the court as well on Thursday. Advertisement Gael Monfils looks to pull off an upset over British fifth seed Jack Draper in the night session after fighting back from two sets down under the lights on Court Philippe Chatrier in his opener. - Gauff, Andreeva powering up - Gauff laughed off an amusing lapse that led to her arriving on court without any racquets ahead of her first-round win. The American said it actually helped her relax as she targets a first title since last year's WTA Finals, having come up just short in Madrid and Rome. "I think as the rounds go, I think it's just with every tournament you feel more comfortable out there on the court," said Gauff, who plays Czech qualifier Tereza Valentova in her second match. Advertisement "You have a match under your belt and know how to deal with certain situations. I think the first round is the most nervous I get. After that, you just feel like it's a little bit more smooth sailing." Sixth seed Andreeva, who had an impressive run to the semi-finals at Roland Garros last year, plays American Ashlyn Krueger. Andreeva is playing her first Grand Slam as a top-10 seed after capturing WTA 1000 series titles in Dubai and Indian Wells. Third seed Jessica Pegula plays fellow American Ann Li, while Australian Open champion Madison Keys takes on Britain's Katie Boulter. Other past and present Grand Slam champions Marketa Vondrousova, Victoria Azarenka, Sofia Kenin and Barbora Krejcikova are also on Thursday's schedule. mw/ea
Int'l Business Times
an hour ago
- Sport
- Int'l Business Times
Sinner And Djokovic Step Up French Open Challenges
Jannik Sinner takes on the retiring Richard Gasquet at the French Open on Thursday, while Novak Djokovic looks to sharpen his game in the second round in his pursuit of a 25th Grand Slam title. Women's second seed and former Roland Garros finalist Coco Gauff also targets a place in the last 16 along with 18-year-old contender Mirra Andreeva. World number one Sinner faces his second French opponent in a row at Roland Garros and is expecting a memorable encounter against the 38-year-old Gasquet, playing at the tournament for the 22nd and final time. "I know you're going to support him (Gasquet), it's OK, I know that," Sinner told the crowd after his first-round win over hope Arthur Rinderknech. "I'm just happy to share a court with him." The 23-year-old Italian showed some signs of rustiness against Rinderknech in just his seventh match back since returning from a three-month doping suspension. Sinner made his comeback at the Italian Open earlier in May, reaching the final before losing in straight sets to reigning Roland Garros champion Carlos Alcaraz. Djokovic, fresh off his 100th ATP title last weekend, got his tilt at a fourth French Open title off to a solid start on Tuesday. The Serbian sixth seed will need to be on his guard against crafty Frenchman Corentin Moutet. "I don't know how many more Grand Slams I've got left in my body," Djokovic said after the opening round. "I spent quite a bit of time in making sure that every step of the way in preparation and prevention is respected in order for me to still be able to play on this level." Third-ranked Alexander Zverev meets Jesper de Jong for a place in round three, with Alex de Minaur, Jakub Mensik, Arthur Fils and Joao Fonseca all returning to the court as well on Thursday. Gael Monfils looks to pull off an upset over British fifth seed Jack Draper in the night session after fighting back from two sets down under the lights on Court Philippe Chatrier in his opener. Gauff laughed off an amusing lapse that led to her arriving on court without any racquets ahead of her first-round win. The American said it actually helped her relax as she targets a first title since last year's WTA Finals, having come up just short in Madrid and Rome. "I think as the rounds go, I think it's just with every tournament you feel more comfortable out there on the court," said Gauff, who plays Czech qualifier Tereza Valentova in her second match. "You have a match under your belt and know how to deal with certain situations. I think the first round is the most nervous I get. After that, you just feel like it's a little bit more smooth sailing." Sixth seed Andreeva, who had an impressive run to the semi-finals at Roland Garros last year, plays American Ashlyn Krueger. Andreeva is playing her first Grand Slam as a top-10 seed after capturing WTA 1000 series titles in Dubai and Indian Wells. Third seed Jessica Pegula plays fellow American Ann Li, while Australian Open champion Madison Keys takes on Britain's Katie Boulter. Other past and present Grand Slam champions Marketa Vondrousova, Victoria Azarenka, Sofia Kenin and Barbora Krejcikova are also on Thursday's schedule. American Coco Gauff reached the singles semi-finals at the French Open in 2024 and won the doubles AFP
