Latest news with #PeytonStearns
New York Times
25-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Swift exit for Stearns
Follow our live coverage from the French Open at Roland Garros, with the tournament honoring 14-time champion Rafael Nadal Getty Images Stearns 0-6, 3-6 Lys Peyton Stearns is the first seed to exit this year's French Open, going down in straight sets to Eva Lys. The American, seeded No. 28 after her run to the quarterfinals of the Italian Open in Rome, never really got going against her German opponent. Stearns beat Grand Slam champions Madison Keys and Naomi Osaka, and the resurgent Elina Svitolina, on her run in Italy — winning all three matches in third-set tiebreaks having suffered a series of close defeats to higher-ranked players in the past. This time, she found herself on the other end of the bargain. Sönmez 1-6, 1-6 Svitolina Game over for Zeynep Sönmez, as she is swept away convincingly by Elina Svitolina in the end on Court Suzanne-Lenglen. Next up there will be a home talent in 21-year-old French 37th seed Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, taking on Belgian Zizou Bergs. Svitolina is not the only woman through to the second round of the singles, by the way… It was a topsy-turvy first set that went the way of young Dane Elmer Møller, against Tommy Paul. Møller had a set point when serving at 5-4, got broken, but then rebounded to take the tiebreak 7-5. The owner of a devastating if unconventional backhand, Møller is playing his first match at a Grand Slam — and is now a couple of sets away from a big upset and a first ATP-level match win. Møller 7-6(5), 1-0* Paul How hard is Tommy Paul being made to work in his first-round match? I think the expression on Elmer Møller's face above says it all. The 21-year-old Dane is making his Grand Slam debut — and he takes the opening set over the 12th seed in a tiebreak. It's been an impressive start. Can Paul respond? We are up and running on Court Philippe-Chatrier, with the seats slowly filling up and the No. 1 seed, Aryna Sabalenka up against Kamilla Rakhimova. These two also met in the early rounds of the French Open two years ago, with Sabalenka winning in straight sets. Let's see what we get today. Elina Svitolina has a 25-8 record in 2025 and as you will have seen below, she is well on her way to adding win No. 26 against Turkey's Zeynep Sönmez. The Ukrainian started the year at No. 27 in the world, but deep runs at some of the biggest events of the year to date — and a title in Rouen, France — have propelled her back inside the world's top 15. Keep an eye too on Victoria Mboko, the Canadian 18-year-old who has already won 38 matches in 2025 and is playing in her first Grand Slam main draw. She's up a set on Lulu Sun, the New Zealander who made last year's Wimbledon quarterfinals as a qualifier. Getty Images No early dramas for the women's 13th seed so far. Elina Svitolina rattled through her opening set inside 33 minutes against Turkey's Zeynep Sonmez, 6-1. She is also a break up in the second set and looking good for a swift conclusion off the back of a strong returning display. Svitolina is a former world No. 3 and reached the fourth round at Roland Garros last year, as well as the quarterfinals of the Australian Open in January. We also have play underway on Court Simonne-Mathieu, and with U.S. interest too. Tommy Paul is 12th seed at this French Open, and opening against qualifying lucky loser, Elmer Moller. It's not been the best start either, with Paul already a break down in the opening set. Here's the rest of the order for today: E. Møller (LL) 4-2 T. Paul (12) (LL) 4-2 (12) D. Shnaider (11) vs. A. Sobolieva (Q) (11) vs. (Q) D. Vekić (18) vs. A. Blinkova (18) vs. T. Macháč (21) vs. Q. Halys Again, these are all currently pencilled in for the afternoon session today. The second show court at Roland Garros is Court Suzanne-Lenglen, and you will know that play has already begun here. Elina Svitolina has made a fast start too, against the world No. 76. This is the order of play for today beyond the opening match… Z. Sönmez 1-4 E. Svitolina (13) 1-4 (13) G. Mpetshi Perricard vs. Z. Bergs vs. F. Tiafoe vs. R. Safiullin vs. J. Paolini vs. Y. Yuan The first and last match take place in the women's singles and all are scheduled for today's afternoon session. Let's take you through today's order of play, starting with the first-round matches on the high profile show Court Philippe-Chatrier. Play is due to start here at the top of the coming hour… A. Sabalenka (1) vs. K. Rakhimova (1) vs. A. Pavlyuchenkova vs. Q. Zheng (8) vs. (8) L. Musetti (8) vs. Y. Hanfmann (Q) (8) vs. (Q) B. Shelton (13) vs. L. Sonego So it's two women's singles ties followed by the men, with Ben Shelton's first-round match coming in the evening session — meaning it will not start before 8:15 p.m. local time (2:15 p.m. ET). A very good morning, wherever you are in the world, and welcome again to our live coverage of the French Open at Roland Garros. I have good news. We have tennis taking place in Paris! Specifically, Zeynep Sönmez taking on 13th seed Elina Svitolina on Court Suzanne-Lenglen in the first round of the women's singles. We'll bring you updates from that match and all the key action across the courts at Roland Garros throughout the sessions, today and each day of the championships. But we won't stop there. You'll get insights, stories, analysis, things you didn't know and sidenotes you weren't aware you needed. Welcome to the ride and get in touch with me and my colleagues throughout the French Open, with an email to live@ Getty Images The first day of a Grand Slam is always special — even those on a Sunday, which can feel a little bit like a soft start. This one should be a bit different though, as the main event will be a ceremony for Rafael Nadal to honour the 14-time champion. Last year was his final Roland Garros, but the goodbyes then felt a bit awkward and bittersweet given his clear injury issues (and the fact we didn't know for definite it actually was goodbye, even though everyone kind of did). Hopefully this will be more of a celebration, and some special guests are due to attend. No player has made themselves feel at home like Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros. The Spaniard dominated the men's singles event for 20 years, picking up a record 14 titles along the way. It earned the now-retired Nadal his own statue outside the famous old venue, where he amassed a remarkable 112 wins and just three defeats in his career. He won his first title as a 19-year-old in 2005 and the French Open did not see another winner until 2009. The last of Nadal's titles came in 2022 after years of sweeping aside every possible record. Here are some of the best: Record titles won: 14 14 Highest number of victories at a single major: 112 112 Longest winning streak in Roland Garros history: 39 matches (2010-2015) 39 matches (2010-2015) Seven finals won in straight sets finals won in straight sets Four titles won without dropping a set The first major of the year saw Aryna Sabalenka attempt to become the first woman since Martina Hingis to win three Australian Open titles in a row. And it very nearly happened for Sabalenka, who finished as runner-up to Madison Keys as the American secured her first major title. The 6-3, 2-6, 7-5 match was a thriller with Keys winning match point against the top seed with a forehand in a thrilling final set. On the men's side of the competition, top seed Jannik Sinner secured his second major and second consecutive Australian Open title with victory against Alexander Zverev. He won in three sets, with a backhand to finish things off in a rally that featured a lovely drop shot to get Zverev scampering across the court. As a warm-up on clay for Roland Garros, the Italian Open proved to be an intriguing tournament. Jasmine Paolini was crowned the winner as she overpowered Coco Gauff in the final, 6-4, 6-2. By doing so, she became the second Italian woman in the open era to to win the tournament. Defending champion Iga Świątek went out in the third round while winner of the first major of the year, Madison Keys, exited in the third with world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka eliminated in the quarterfinals. It sets up a tantalising French Open where form and being a favourite could go out of the window. In the last clay competition before Roland Garros, we were treated to a thriller. Carlos Alcaraz picked up his seventh Masters 1000 title with a straight-sets victory against Jannik Sinner to win the Italian Open in Rome. Defending champion Alexander Zverev went out in the quarterfinals against Lorenzo Musetti, while Sinner made his first tournament appearance since serving a three-month ban imposed by the World Anti-Doping Agency. Sinner's appearance in the final made him the first Italian to reach that stage since 1978. Alcaraz's victory made him the youngest man since Rafa Nadal to reach the quarterfinals of all nine ATP 1000 events. Getty Images Welcome to Roland Garros, where it rains! Something the English are very familiar with. The 2025 French Open will begin under grey skies in Paris, with a smattering of rain disrupting players' practices this morning. The usual calculus for tennis is rain stops play. At a clay-court tournament, things are a little more complicated. Cooler weather means a given shot will fly more slowly through the air than in warmer conditions; the ball will also bounce lower when it lands. Clay is already the slowest surface in tennis and in damp, cool weather the matches can very quickly get sludgy. If it really starts raining, the two biggest courts have roofs. Court Philippe-Chatrier is the biggest and has had coverage since 2020, while Court Suzanne-Lenglen unveiled its flowing canopy in 2024. The latter is a bit different to other tennis roofs, because it is open to the elements at the sides of the court, while Chatrier's roof — like those at Wimbledon plus the U.S. Australian Opens — creates a more hermetic seal. For now, only clouds loom before play begins at 11 a.m. local time (5 a.m. Eastern). We would love to hear from you. Be it a comment, question, observation, prediction, or something else — we welcome it all. Email us at: live@ and we'll feature the best in our live coverage. So get involved! And what about the women's tournament? Well, that threw up some tantalising first-round matches too. We can't wait for these: Naomi Osaka vs Paula Badosa Jasmine Paolini vs Yue Yuan Rebecca Sramkova vs Iga Świątek Olivia Gadecki vs Coco Gauff
Reuters
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Don't tell me who I am playing next, says Lys after winning start to French Open
PARIS, May 25 (Reuters) - If there is one thing 23-year-old Eva Lys does not want to know it is who she is playing next at the French Open, the German said after making a winning start at the tournament on Sunday. Lys, ranked 59th in the world, advanced easily to the second round with a 6-0 6-3 win over American Peyton Stearns. For Lys, who reached the fourth round at the Australian Open this year, it was her first ever main-draw win at the French Open. But asked at a press conference later about her opponent in the next round, Lys urged reporters not to reveal the name. "Usually I find out somehow," Lys said. "Someone texts me. Obviously if someone came in and told me, I wouldn't be too mad about it. Now I'm trying to enjoy the win I had, especially today." For the record, Lys will face Canadian Victoria Mboko on Wednesday. "Today when I'm back in practice, I'll have my coach, my mom. My little sister is probably going to tell me who I'm playing so I can prepare and practise," she said. "For today I'm just trying to enjoy what I have."
CNA
25-05-2025
- Sport
- CNA
Don't tell me who I am playing next, says Lys after winning start to French Open
PARIS :If there is one thing 23-year-old Eva Lys does not want to know it is who she is playing next at the French Open, the German said after making a winning start at the tournament on Sunday. Lys, ranked 59th in the world, advanced easily to the second round with a 6-0 6-3 win over American Peyton Stearns. For Lys, who reached the fourth round at the Australian Open this year, it was her first ever main-draw win at the French Open. But asked at a press conference later about her opponent in the next round, Lys urged reporters not to reveal the name. "Usually I find out somehow," Lys said. "Someone texts me. Obviously if someone came in and told me, I wouldn't be too mad about it. Now I'm trying to enjoy the win I had, especially today." For the record, Lys will face Canadian Victoria Mboko on Wednesday. "Today when I'm back in practice, I'll have my coach, my mom. My little sister is probably going to tell me who I'm playing so I can prepare and practise," she said. "For today I'm just trying to enjoy what I have."
The Independent
16-05-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Jasmine Paolini on verge of Italian Open history after setting Coco Gauff final
Jasmine Paolini will bid to become the first Italian woman to win the Italian Open in 40 years when she faces Coco Gauff in Saturday's Rome final. The 29-year-old advanced to her first Italian Open by staging another comeback to defeat American Peyton Stearns 7-5 6-1 on Thursday. The French Open and Wimbledon runner-up was 4-1 down in in the first set and saved set points before managing to turn the momentum around. Paolini, the sixth seed, had also found herself a set and 4-0 down to Diana Shnaider in the quarter-final, but stormed back to the delight of the crowd. She is the first Italian to reach the final since her doubles partner Sara Errani lost to Serena Williams in 2014. Raffaella Reggi was the last home champion in 1985. "I am very happy, I don't know what to say! It's a dream to be here, it's a dream to play in Italy, it's a dream to be able to play the final,' Paolini said. "You (the crowd) gave me a boost because today it was a bit of an uphill start and I struggled at the beginning, thank goodness you were there. "We won this match together. Point after point I managed to fight, to turn it around, even if at the beginning I did not have a good feeling. But I am happy with the way I managed to turn this match around." Paolini will face Gauff in the final, in a meeting of two former French Open finalists. Gauff is also through to her first final in Rome after defeating Olympic champion Qinwen Zheng in an epic semi-final, with the American winning 7-6(3) 4-6 7-6(4) in a match that lasted over three and a half hours. It's Gauff's second straight WTA 1000 final, following her defeat to World No 1 Arnya Sabalenka in the Madrid Open final. There are two Italian men in the semi-finals of the men's draw, with World No 1 Jannik Sinner set to face American Tommy Paul and Lorenzo Musetti taking on Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz.
CNA
15-05-2025
- Sport
- CNA
Paolini first Italian in 11 years to reach Rome final, Sinner thrashes Ruud
ROME :Jasmine Paolini became the first Italian woman in more than a decade to reach the final of her home Italian Open when she beat American Peyton Stearns 7-5 6-1 on Thursday. Paolini is the first Italian to advance to the final in Rome since her doubles partner Sara Errani lost to Serena Williams in 2014. Paolini had found herself a set and 4-0 down to Diana Shnaider in her quarter-final tie before storming to victory and once again the world number five had a slow start in the opening set before mounting a comeback. "I am very happy, I don't know what to say! It's a dream to be here, it's a dream to play in Italy, it's a dream to be able to play the final," the 29-year-old said. Any hopes of a quick start for Paolini were put to rest when Stearns jumped into a 3-0 lead amid muted applause from the home crowd and the Italian soon found herself 4-1 down. The American looked comfortable and poised to take the opening set before Paolini clawed her way back as she saved set points to level it at 5-5, pumping her fist with a triumphant scream that got the crowd roaring again. The comeback was complete when Paolini, having won four games in a row, took the opening set after more than an hour of play. The momentum was firmly with Paolini as she broke Stearns for a fifth time to go 4-1 up in the second set and the deflated American had no answer as the Italian's winners whizzed past her. Stearns fired a forehand wide on match point as the crowd erupted and Paolini raised her arms in celebration. "You (the crowd) gave me a boost because today it was a bit of an uphill start and I struggled at the beginning, thank goodness you were there," she added. "We won this match together. Point after point I managed to fight, to turn it around, even if at the beginning I did not have a good feeling. But I am happy with the way I managed to turn this match around." Paolini will face either Zheng Qinwen or Coco Gauff in Saturday's final. RUTHLESS SINNER It was a good day for Italy as men's world number one Jannik Sinner put in a ruthless display in the evening session to dismantle newly-crowned Madrid Open champion Casper Ruud 6-0 6-1 in the quarter-final. Sinner dropped only seven points in the opening set while he won eight games in a row before Ruud managed to get on the board. The Norwegian even raised his arms in mock celebration when he finally won a game amid cheers from the home fans but Sinner was in no mood to hang around as he wrapped up the match in 63 minutes to reach his first semi-final in Rome. "I was feeling great on court today. I think we all saw that. My goal was trying to understand where my level is here in this tournament. It raised day by day, so I'm very happy about that," Sinner said. "It doesn't matter really, the result, but how I felt today was a very, very positive sign for me... I think today everything worked very, very well. I was serving well and also returning well, moving great on the court."
