Latest news with #Menšík
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Mashpee vs Amesbury girls tennis
Teenager Jakub Mensik recounts incredible Miami triumph One of the best tennis stories of 2025 saw teenager Jakub Menšík deny boyhood idol Novak Djokovic of his 100th career title, stunning the 24-time grand slam singles champion in the Miami Open final in March. The 19-year-old exhibited an impressively confident display of power and guile in what was by far the biggest moment of his young career. In claiming his first career ATP title, Menšík became the second-youngest winner of the Miami Open after Carlos Alcaraz in 2022. But incredibly, Menšík very nearly didn't play at all in Miami. Ahead of his first-round match against Jack Draper, Menšík was suffering with knee pain and went to the tournament referee's office with the intention of withdrawing from the Miami Open. Instead, Menšík received treatment from the physiotherapist and took some pain killers, relieving his knee pain enough to take the court. He's been looking back on his breakthrough and ahead to the French Open with Don Riddell. 3:32 Now Playing Paused Ad Playing
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
French Open recap: Chaos, comebacks, crowds and curious scheduling at Roland Garros
Welcome to the French Open briefing, where will explain the stories behind the stories on each day of the tournament. On day five, chaos reigned at Roland Garros with comebacks, crowds and curious scheduling under the sunniest day of the tournament so far — while Coco Gauff got past a name for the future from a tennis nation with a proud history. Is this French Open on the way to making comeback history? At Roland Garros, we have already seen eight comebacks from two sets down in the men's singles draw, ranging from collapses to heroic fightbacks. Advertisement For Jakub Menšík, Thursday's second-round loss against Portuguese qualifier Henrique Rocha continued an unwanted trend. Of his last four Grand Slam defeats, three have been after he led by two sets to love; the other came from two sets to one up. While Menšík has more Grand Slam experience than Rocha, he is also two years younger; still only 19, Menšík appears not yet attuned to the mental and physical rhythm of five-set matches. He smashed his racket after a bad forehand miss in the fifth set against Rocha, which put his opponent 3-1 up. In need of a whole comeback category of his own is Alexander Bublik, the mercurial Kazakh who came back from two sets down to win on Thursday for the third time in his career. The No. 9 seed, Alex de Minaur, was his latest victim, and Bublik, who delights in his unpredictability, explained that he had already started thinking about logistics for getting home when he went down 0-2. 'I was checking the tickets already in my head,' he said in a news conference. 'I didn't really care, in a way. I have won, what, 12 or 13 matches on clay this year. Being second round here, it's always like an achievement because I have never won as many matches on clay as I did. So I was a bit tired. Advertisement 'I told my team, they know it, so it was not like if I lose, I would be upset. No, I would be happy and I would be home today in Monaco at 9pm.' Bublik then started playing with the carefree attitude of someone whose mind was wandering — but with devastating effect. On set point to win the fourth set, he hit a tweener from the baseline and then nailed a backhand pass up the line. De Minaur, one of the toughest competitors on the tour, admitted afterwards that he started to get the sense that this wasn't going to be his day. Menšík, who went through a similar experience at Wimbledon last year, can identify with what happened to the Aussie: De Minaur found himself well and truly Bubliked. Why the tennis world should take notice of Tereza Valentová Remember the name Tereza Valentová of the Czech Republic. Advertisement She won the girls' tournament here last year. This year, she won three matches in qualifying and then beat French veteran, Chloe Paquet, coming back from a set down in her first Grand Slam main draw.. That's no easy feat when playing against a home crowd, especially at Roland Garros. She ran into the world No. 2, Coco Gauff, on Thursday. That was too tall an order for an 18-year-old who is still lugging textbooks around to tennis tournaments. She was balancing her matches with studying. She's got finals coming up, and another year of school — regular school, not online school (but with this success, that could change). Valentová is yet another uber-promising Czech player from a country that produces promising prospects on the women's side like no other. She said last week that she didn't think she had the goods to qualify. Her coach thought otherwise. Gauff wore down Valentová on Thursday, as she so often does to younger players who don't yet have her levels of endurance, beating her 6-3, 6-4. Advertisement 'It's tennis, you have to run,' Valentova said when it was over. Walking onto the court, she said she thought Gauff would be '10-times better' than her, but she wasn't, as anyone following the Czech's nascent career might have understood. She has not let being one of the top talents from the country rush her into playing too many matches after a series of injury setbacks. When she does play, she tends to win. She played 14 matches in 2022 and 2023, before playing 43 in 2024, winning 38 of them on the ITF World Tennis Tour. Gauff at a Grand Slam was a proposition from another galaxy in some ways, but like Victoria Mboko — who has reached the third round on her first Grand Slam appearance this week — Valentová's high, sustained win-rate at ITF level (she is 18-6 in 2025) suggests this breakthrough will be sustainable rather than fleeting. Advertisement 'I can play with her normally and if I improve some things, I can maybe win,' she said of Gauff. 'It's a motivation for me to get better and hopefully I'll play against her many times. I hope as soon as possible.' Another slow day on Court Philippe-Chatrier? With the febrile atmosphere on most of the smaller show courts, the sunny weather and the unexpected results all over the grounds, day five was the most engrossing, entertaining and enthralling of the tournament so far. Except for its most prestigious court. The comfortable wins for Jessica Pegula, Jannik Sinner and Madison Keys over Ann Li, Richard Gasquet and Katie Boulter were hardly matches to set the pulse racing. Gasquet was at least afforded an emotional farewell to the sport, but even that had a downside. Most spectators felt in need of a rest afterwards, leading to the stadium being all but empty for a match involving the most recent women's Grand Slam champion. Advertisement This couldn't have been in starker contrast to Court Suzanne-Lenglen and Court 14, which were rocking all day thanks to the razzmatazz provided by Arthur Fils, João Fonseca and others. The Chatrier schedule for Friday doesn't promise a great deal more excitement, but it feels as if that scenario was avoidable. The way the women's draw has fallen, the top half is more loaded than the other, with Iga Świątek, Aryna Sabalenka, Jasmine Paolini, Elena Rybakina and Jeļena Ostapenko all playing on the same day. But organizers have selected Paolini's match with lucky loser Yuliia Starodubtseva of Ukraine as the third match on Chatrier, ahead of four-time champion Świątek and the indisputable popcorn match of the day, which is Rybakina vs. Ostapenko. Sabalenka will play the other against Marie Bouzková of the Czech Republic, with Holger Rune vs. Quentin Halys and Carlos Alcaraz vs. Damir Džumhur the men's matches. The scheduling this week has left Chatrier feeling a little bit like the library at a university campus, while everyone else is enjoying themselves at the bar. Does a record for Portugal presage more consistent success? Let's start with an idea: Portugal should have more elite tennis players. Advertisement It has great weather. It produces elite athletes in other sports, notably soccer. There are some lovely clay courts throughout the country. It has about 11 million people. Not nearly as many as Spain or France or Italy, but nearly double the population of Serbia and triple that of Croatia. Those countries don't exactly lack for top-100 competition. People in Portugal like tennis. The ATP Tour stop in Estoril packs its stadium, even since it was downgraded to a Challenger Tour event. The country's president, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, is a tennis fan who makes a point of backing the tournament. It still took until May 29, 2025, for Portugal to get two men's players into the third round of the same Grand Slam. Advertisement Nuno Borges beat top-10 player Casper Ruud on Wednesday, then Rocha beat Menšík. It was the second time in a week that they had made history. Portugal had never had two players in the second round of a Grand Slam, either. We're not suggesting Portugal should be creating the next Jannik Sinner. These days, it takes a unicorn to rise to the top of the men's game. But two players winning one match in the same Grand Slam doesn't seem like too tall an order for a country with Portugal's demographics. Rocha said Thursday it's not a coincidence that it's happening now. He said he began getting support from the country's tennis federation about six years ago. Borges started working with the federation a couple years back, too. Advertisement 'We have a great team,' Rocha said. 'We have a fitness coach, psychologist, nutritionists, of course coaches, physios. We have everything we need to be very good players,' he said. 'The three of us were practicing together. It's also very good to always improve with each other.' French Open men's draw 2025 French women's draw 2025 Tell us what you noticed on the fifth day… This article originally appeared in The Athletic. Sports Business, Tennis, Women's Tennis 2025 The Athletic Media Company
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Eyes on Andreeva in French Open third round
Teenager Jakub Mensik recounts incredible Miami triumph One of the best tennis stories of 2025 saw teenager Jakub Menšík deny boyhood idol Novak Djokovic of his 100th career title, stunning the 24-time grand slam singles champion in the Miami Open final in March. The 19-year-old exhibited an impressively confident display of power and guile in what was by far the biggest moment of his young career. In claiming his first career ATP title, Menšík became the second-youngest winner of the Miami Open after Carlos Alcaraz in 2022. But incredibly, Menšík very nearly didn't play at all in Miami. Ahead of his first-round match against Jack Draper, Menšík was suffering with knee pain and went to the tournament referee's office with the intention of withdrawing from the Miami Open. Instead, Menšík received treatment from the physiotherapist and took some pain killers, relieving his knee pain enough to take the court. He's been looking back on his breakthrough and ahead to the French Open with Don Riddell. 3:32 Now Playing Paused Ad Playing
Mint
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Mint
French Open 2025: Who to watch for at Roland Garros
Mohamed, remember when tennis was easy?" Alexander Bublik needled chair umpire Mohamed Lahyani during a changeover in his round of 16 match against Jakub Menšík at the Madrid Masters last month. 'Like five years ago it was super easy to play tennis. A bunch of random people in the top 50, barely moving. Now this guy is not even top 5, not even top 10. F*** is that?" Though Bublik's entertaining tennis took him to World No.17 last year, the Kazakh is known more for his histrionics and sometimes controversial comments. But in Madrid, where he duly went on to lose 3-6, 2-6 to Menšík, the 27-year-old provided an incisive commentary on the changing landscape of men's tennis. A few years ago, it was a handful of players, namely Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, who dominated the sport, leaving the rest fighting for scraps. But the end of the Big 3 era means every player believes they are in with a fighting chance for the big prizes. Infused with this new sense of self-belief, the younger generation is hitting the ball bigger and bolder than ever. They are not bowing down to the established world order. Teen sensation Menšík blindsided everyone by racing to a title win at the Miami Masters, an ATP 1000 event that sits just below the Grand Slams in the sport's tournament hierarchy. The 19-year-old owns a powerful serve and has the big groundstrokes to dictate play from the baseline. He put them to great effect in Miami, blowing past more seasoned players like Arthur Fils and Taylor Fritz in the earlier round. In the final, he defeated Novak Djokovic to win his first tour title. Menšík fired 14 aces and faced just one break point against the best returner in the game to win in two tie-break sets. Also read: From local courts to global dreams: India's women are rewriting tennis from the ground up Menšík's triumph in Miami has created a definite buzz, but he is not the only one to defy odds and take coveted titles this year. Just two weeks before the Czech's breakthrough performance, Briton Jack Draper had snagged the Indian Wells Masters title. On the long clay stretch, Carlos Alcaraz won in Monte Carlo and Rome, Casper Ruud in Madrid. Alexander Zverev ruled in Munich; Holger Rune claimed the crown in Barcelona. There are no set narratives, no overwhelming favourites anymore. It's anyone's game now. CIRCLE OF LIFE That sense of flux can be felt most keenly on clay, at its showpiece event, the French Open. The former kingdom of Rafael Nadal. No athlete has ever dominated a tournament quite like 'Rafa" ruled Roland Garros. Fourteen titles, five in a row from 2010-14, a 112-4 win-loss record. Nadal was singular in his pursuit for greatness on terre battue (beaten earth), the most attritional playing surface in the game. That was another way of saying the most tedious surface, till Nadal came along in all his gladiatorial glory. Sleeveless T-shirts, cut-off pants, bulging biceps and flying locks. In the end, it was time, and not a young challenger that snatched away his crown. Having started his incredible run at Roland Garros with a title win on debut in 2005, Nadal was knocked out in the first round by Zverev last year. When the 2025 French Open begins, on Sunday, it will mark the first time in 20 years that Nadal is not in the reckoning. However, the 38-year-old, who retired from the sport in November, will still make the trip to Paris. The Grand Slam will honour Nadal, a 22-time Grand Slam champion, and his legacy with a special ceremony on the opening day. It may also remind us that Nadal was an anomaly in history. And a tough act to follow. In the run up to the 2025 French Open, responsibility to carry the torch forward has been foisted upon the top two players in the world—Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. Alcaraz and Sinner are not only the leaders of the new generation, but they also split the four Grand Slam titles in 2024. While the Italian clinched the hard-court majors, Australian Open and US Open, Alcaraz won the European Slams, French Open and Wimbledon. Sinner defended the Australian Open title earlier this year, but it hasn't been all smooth sailing for him. The Italian, who was caught in the doping net last year, as he twice tested positive for banned anabolic steroid clostebol, was finally suspended for three months this season. It had already been deemed that Sinner did not have 'intention to dope" and was thus given a reduced sentence. The timing of the ban could not have been better—tidily positioned in the window between the first two majors of the year. His ban ended just before the start of the Italian Open. During his time off, Sinner was not once knocked off his World No.1 pedestal. Cheered on belligerently by his home crowd at Rome's Foro Italico, Sinner showed very few signs of his three-month exile. A blazing 6-0, 6-1 win over Ruud, who was fresh off his Madrid triumph and is a two-time French Open finalist, was the highlight of his dominant run in Rome. It took an extraordinary performance from Alcaraz to stop Sinner in the final and snap his 26-match winning streak. With a 7-6 (5), 6-1 win over Sinner, the Spaniard ended the run up to the French Open the way he had started it—win an ATP 1000 Masters title triumph. 'Today I started the match really well," Alcaraz said of the Rome final. 'Tactically since the beginning till the last ball, I didn't lose the focus, which is great for me…I didn't do a roller-coaster." It was just the kind of result he needed as he prepares to defend his French Open crown for the very first time. Alcaraz comes from a long line of Spanish conquerors in Paris, but he doesn't have a game tailored for clay. He is a little more adventurous, likes to make the play rather than waiting, deep in the trenches, for his rivals to make mistakes. The Spaniard's bravado and versatility has already brought him four Grand Slam titles. But winning last year's French Open, a rite of passage for any good Spanish player, would have taken a weight off his back. Only 22, Alcaraz could be gearing up to building his own legacy in Paris. Also read: Against the odds: Meet the next generation of India's women tennis players This year's Roland Garros though feels the most open it has been in years. Not only because Sinner-Alcaraz are yet to ascend the level of consistency that set the Big 3 era apart, or because the second rung of players will come at them hard, but also because the last of the old guard is quickly fading. Djokovic stands on the brink of history, unsure of his future. The 38-year-old is one major short of becoming the most successful Grand Slammer, one tour title away from completing a tally of 100. But those milestones are looking too far. He hasn't won a Grand Slam title in over a year, and his last big win came at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The Serb began the European clay-court swing with two straight defeats and is reeling. '(This is) kind of new reality for me, trying to win a match or two, not really thinking about getting far in the tournament," he said after losing to Alejandro Tabilo in Monte Carlo. 'Things are different, obviously, with my strokes, with my body, with my movement. But that's, I guess, the circle of life and the career. I will try to make the most out of these new circumstances, particularly on Grand Slams, where it counts the most. I'm not going into Roland Garros as one of the main favourites. Maybe that can help, I don't know, we will see." SHIFTING SANDS The balance of power also seems to be shifting in the women's field. Iga Świątek, the French Open champion in four of the last five years, hasn't quite recovered ground since coming back from a doping suspension at the start of the season. Though she never enjoyed autonomy on hard courts, Świątek dominated the clay season. In 2025, however, she didn't even make the final in the three tournaments she played on the red dirt. While Jeļena Ostapenko stopped her in Stuttgart, Coco Gauff handed her a 6-1, 6-1 drubbing in Madrid semi-final while Danielle Collins swept past her in Rome. The Pole enters Roland Garros at World No.5, the lowest she has been ranked since 2022, and a crisis of confidence. In her absence, the list of challengers for the French crown has grown. World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka leads the WTA Tour with three titles and six finals so far this season. Even though Sabalenka's big-hitting game is somewhat muted on clay, she powered through to the finals in Stuttgart and won the title in Madrid. Then there is Jasmine Paolini, who captured the double crown at the Italian Open and Gauff, who reached the finals in Rome and Madrid. A little left of the field is Qinwen Zheng, whose most glorious moment came at Roland Garros last year, not at French Open but when she won gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The Chinese player scored another statement win over Sabalenka, in the Italian Open quarterfinals, to remind of the threat she poses. The one player though that has re-energised the women's field this season is Mirra Andreeva. The Russian prodigy proved her mettle on the big stage as she clinched back-to-back WTA 1000 titles in Dubai and Indian Wells. The 17-year-old has the firepower to unsettle the biggest names in the game, but what sets her apart is her tactical maturity and flexibility, drawing comparisons with the great Martina Hingis. Andreeva defeated four Grand Slam champions—Markéta Vondroušová, Elena Rybakina, Świątek and Sabalenka—during that dream run. It may only be a matter of time before she joins their elite club. Deepti Patwardhan is a sportswriter based in Mumbai. Also read: Tennis: Who will replace Rafael Nadal as the master of clay?
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Jannik Sinner wins first tennis match after three-month suspension
Teenager Jakub Mensik recounts incredible Miami triumph One of the best tennis stories of 2025 saw teenager Jakub Menšík deny boyhood idol Novak Djokovic of his 100th career title, stunning the 24-time grand slam singles champion in the Miami Open final in March. The 19-year-old exhibited an impressively confident display of power and guile in what was by far the biggest moment of his young career. In claiming his first career ATP title, Menšík became the second-youngest winner of the Miami Open after Carlos Alcaraz in 2022. But incredibly, Menšík very nearly didn't play at all in Miami. Ahead of his first-round match against Jack Draper, Menšík was suffering with knee pain and went to the tournament referee's office with the intention of withdrawing from the Miami Open. Instead, Menšík received treatment from the physiotherapist and took some pain killers, relieving his knee pain enough to take the court. He's been looking back on his breakthrough and ahead to the French Open with Don Riddell. 3:32 Now Playing Paused Ad Playing
