Latest news with #QueenOfClay
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Coco Gauff Earns New Nickname After Winning French Open
Coco Gauff Earns New Nickname After Winning French Open originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Coco Gauff made history at the French Open as just the fifth American woman to win multiple singles Grand Slam titles in the Open era at age 21 or younger. Not only that, but she's also the first American woman to secure the Roland-Garros title since Serena Williams did so in 2015. Advertisement Gauff took down World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka on Saturday to claim her second Grand Slam title following her 2023 US Open win. It wasn't an easy match for the youngster after losing a tight first set, but she was able to secure the victory thanks to her defense, lob shots and overall smart play. It also helped Gauff that Sabalenka committed 70 unforced errors in a rather uncharacteristic performance. After Gauff bagged the Suzanne-Lenglen Cup — the trophy awarded to the women's singles champion at the French Open since 1979 — fans were quick to crown her and give her a new nickname: the "Queen of Clay." "The new queen of clay," the BNP Paribas Open's X account wrote. Wide World of Sports echoed the same thing, writing, "There's a new queen of clay!" Advertisement "HUGE CONGRATS TO THE NEW QUEEN OF CLAY!!!" a fan shared. Another one remarked, "Common queen of clay!!" "The Queen of Clay!" a social media user wrote. "My clay Queen. My Lawn Tennis court Queen. My Winning Queen. Keep winning for Jesus Christ," a supporter stated. Coco Gauff of the United States poses with the trophy after winning the women's French Open.© Susan Mullane-Imagn Images For what it's worth, many consider World No. 5 Iga Swiatek as the Queen of Clay, and for good reason. She has four French Open titles to her name, winning the competition in 2020 and for three straight years from 2022 to 2024. Coco Gauff, for her part, is certainly making a case to dethrone Swiatek, though. It should be noted that she's the youngest player to reach 25 wins at Roland-Garros since Martina Hingis in 2000. Advertisement By reaching the Roland-Garros final, the USA tennis star also made history as the youngest player to reach the title match of the Madrid Open, Italian Open and French Open in the same year — all three are the biggest clay-court tournaments in the tennis season. Gauff probably needs to win consistently in the French Open to become the undisputed "Queen of Clay," but she's definitely on the right track. Related: Aryna Sabalenka Facing Backlash for Coco Gauff Message After French Open Loss Related: Coco Gauff's Behavior After Winning French Open Final is Turning Heads This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 8, 2025, where it first appeared.
BBC News
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Raducanu outclassed by Swiatek at French Open
Emma Raducanu's miserable record against Iga Swiatek continued as she was outclassed by the defending champion in their French Open second-round British number two was beaten 6-1 6-2 on the Paris clay and has now lost all five of her matches against the five-time Grand Slam was another reminder of the gulf that still exists between 41st-ranked Raducanu and the leading players on the WTA being unable to convert a break point in the second game, 22-year-old Raducanu quickly lost her way as fifth seed Swiatek rattled off five games in a second serve was placed under serious pressure and her groundstrokes became increasingly ragged as the 23-year-old from Poland secured the opening set in 35 who has won four of the past five Roland Garros titles, is known as the 'Queen of Clay' because of her formidable record here and quickly moved a break ahead at 2-1 in the second a below-par clay-court swing, though, there are some questions about her level and they resurfaced when Raducanu threatened to break back Swiatek managed to maintain her intensity under pressure - one of the key differences between players of her status and Raducanu - to save three break points in a lengthy fourth who was sick before her opening match on Monday, began to run out of steam and lost the final three games with little resistance.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Rivals attempt to dethrone Swiatek at French Open
French Open 2025 Dates: 25 May-8 June Venue: Roland Garros Coverage: Live radio commentaries across 5 Live Sport and BBC Sounds, plus live text commentaries on the BBC Sport website and app Will Iga Swiatek's reign at the French Open continue - or can one of her rivals dethrone the 'Queen of Clay'? The 23-year-old is the three-time defending champion in Paris and has won four of the past five titles there. But Poland's former world number one does not arrive at Roland Garros with her usual air of invincibility. Swiatek has not lifted a trophy, or even made a final, since winning the French Open 12 months ago - a period during which she served a one month doping suspension. Why Swiatek's reign as 'Queen of Clay' is under threat Among the main threats to Swiatek's bid to become the first woman to win four consecutive French Open titles are Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff. Sabalenka replaced Swiatek as world number one towards the end of 2024, having won two of the four Grand Slams that year. The Belarusian, runner-up at the Australian Open in January, is in imperious form. She won the Madrid Open in the build-up to Roland Garros and has won 34 of her 40 matches this season. American Gauff, meanwhile, has not lost before the quarter-finals in her past four French Open appearances. Runner-up three years ago, 2023 US Open champion Gauff was denied another title tilt by Swiatek in the semi-finals last year. American world number three Jessica Pegula is chasing a first major but, after missing last year's tournament through injury, is yet to go beyond the quarter-finals at the French Open. Italy's Jasmine Paolini reached two major finals in a breakout 2024 season, including losing to Swiatek in Paris, and beat Gauff to the Italian Open title in May. History-making teenager Mirra Andreeva is also a contender. The 18-year-old Russian reached the semi-finals last year and, after becoming the youngest player to win a WTA 1,000 title in February, could become the youngest woman to win a major since 2004. China's Zheng Qinwen, meanwhile, won Olympic gold at on the Roland Garros clay last summer and stunned Sabalenka at the Italian Open earlier in May. Katie Boulter is the top-ranked British woman in the singles draw but the 28-year-old has never won a match at the French Open. However, Boulter won her first WTA Tour match on clay in Madrid last month before celebrating her first clay-court title at a WTA 125 event in Paris last week. Former US Open champion Emma Raducanu said she was beginning to "build a relationship" with clay courts while completing her French Open preparations in Strasbourg, but suffered an injury scare in her second-round exit. Raducanu will hope to overcome any back issue quickly, having returned to the world's top 50, reached the Italian Open fourth round and beat world number 17 Daria Kasatkina on the clay in recent months. Fellow Britons Sonay Kartal and Jodie Burrage will also contest the women's singles. Britons Olivia Nicholls is in the women's doubles with partner Tereza Mihalikova of Slovakia, while Harriet Dart will play alongside Australia's Kimberley Birrell.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Why Swiatek's reign as 'Queen of Clay' is under threat
French Open 2025 Dates: 25 May-8 June Venue: Roland Garros Coverage: Live radio commentary on BBC 5 Sports Extra, plus live text commentaries on the BBC Sport website and app Iga Swiatek's recent dominance at the French Open - and the tournaments leading up to it - has led to a regal nickname: the Queen of Clay. The 23-year-old Pole has won four of the past five Roland Garros women's singles titles and arrives in Paris as the three-time defending champion. But this year there are considerable doubts about if she can continue her reign. For the first time since 2020 - when she claimed her maiden title as an unheralded teenager - Swiatek arrives without winning a WTA tournament in the first five months of the season. As a result, the former long-time world number one has dropped to fifth in the rankings. It begs the obvious question: can she still be considered the favourite to lift the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen? Alcaraz and Sinner renew rivalry - Second Serve Paolini ends wait for home winner of Italian Open Former champion Wawrinka, 40, gets French Open wildcard Most players on the WTA Tour would be envious of Swiatek's record this season. She has won 27 of her 36 matches so far, reaching four semi-finals and contesting another three quarter-finals in eight tournaments. But Swiatek has rarely reached her dominant best over the past few months. She has often looked tense, tightly wound with emotion, and it has poured out after tough defeats. Swiatek was inconsolable after losing in the Olympics semi-finals at Roland Garros last summer, saying she cried for "six hours" afterwards. Two weeks later came a bombshell - Swiatek had failed a doping test. It was announced in November she had tested positive for heart medication trimetazidine (TMZ) in an out-of-competition sample and was subsequently given a one-month ban after the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) accepted the result was caused by contamination. "Truth to be told, over the last months, there has always been something," Swiatek told BBC Sport in Madrid earlier in May. "My life went upside down in November. It wasn't easy and wasn't easy to accept afterwards. "It took me a long time to do that, but now I feel like I have space just to work and hopefully I'm going to use that. "I'm looking for a peaceful time and just waiting for it to happen." Swiatek was alluding to a series of issues that have cropped up this year. In March, Swiatek was criticised for reacting angrily towards a ball boy at Indian Wells, then given extra security after being verbally abused by an "aggressive and taunting" fan in Miami. She made a short trip back to Warsaw last month for the funeral of her grandfather before her Madrid Open title defence began. During a heavy semi-final defeat by Coco Gauff, Swiatek broke down at a changeover and sobbed beneath her towel. And in Rome, she was visibly upset during a brief chat with the media after a chastening third-round loss to Danielle Collins. "For sure it hasn't been easy. For sure I'm doing something wrong," she said afterwards. "I need to regroup and change some stuff." With these issues lingering in the background, Swiatek has been nowhere near her best level throughout the clay-court swing. Her destructive forehand - arguably her most effective tool - has lost its reliability, while her service game has been picked apart by big-hitting opponents. The mistakes, according to Swiatek, are because of slight technical tweaks she is making. But there is also an element of uncertainty in her usually sharp footwork, hinting at her crisis of confidence. The manner of the early exit in Rome - a 6-1 7-5 loss to Collins - was particularly concerning, with Swiatek converting just two of 10 break opportunities. "I'm making decisions that are not really good at the moment because I just remember how it felt in previous tournaments or previous years," Swiatek said. "I kind of assume it's going to go in and then I make mistakes. "It's not the same - I'm confused." Swiatek appointed Wim Fissette - a leading coach who has helped several players win Grand Slams - after parting ways with Tomasz Wiktorowski last year. In a recent interview with a Polish journalist, Swiatek said it was "very harsh and unfair" to blame Fissette for her recent results. "During a tournament, under the influence of various factors, including stress, I sometimes make a mistake and go back to my old technique," she told the Sportowefakty website. "But it's not the coach's fault - that's how training and sport work. "The whole process is much more complicated than it might seem to someone watching from the couch in front of the TV." For Swiatek, the clay-court events leading up to the French Open usually build her rhythm and confidence, ensuring she can peak at the business end of the tournament. Clearly that has not happened this year, but Roland Garros is the one place where you would back Swiatek to rediscover her mojo. The statistics underline her recent dominance: 21 victories in a row 35 wins in her 37 career matches 0 defeats since 2021 "Sometimes you can start the Grand Slam in really bad shape and not playing perfectly, but then find your game during," Swiatek told BBC Sport. "This is a two-week tournament so I think it's impossible to peak for the whole event - you just need to kind of survive." Swiatek's speed and agility of movement give her time to unleash her Rafael Nadal-esque top-spin forehand - a key component in her success. American world number two Gauff, one of the main contenders for the trophy, insists it would be foolish to rule Swiatek out. "I always think if someone wins a tournament that many times, regardless of what shape they're in, they can definitely figure out a way to win again," Gauff said. But immediately after her Rome defeat, Swiatek seemed unsure. She curtly dismissed suggestions that returning to Roland Garros could rekindle positive feelings. Yet her early arrival in Paris - practising on Court Philippe Chatrier at the end of last week - showed she hopes familiarity will breed success. Live scores, results and order of play Get tennis news sent straight to your phone
BBC News
20-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Why Swiatek's reign as 'Queen of Clay' is under threat
French Open 2025Dates: 25 May-8 June Venue: Roland GarrosCoverage: Live radio commentary on BBC 5 Sports Extra, plus live text commentaries on the BBC Sport website and app Iga Swiatek's recent dominance at the French Open - and the tournaments leading up to it - has led to a regal nickname: the Queen of 23-year-old Pole has won four of the past five Roland Garros women's singles titles and arrives in Paris as the three-time defending this year there are considerable doubts about if she can continue her the first time since 2020 - when she claimed her maiden title as an unheralded teenager - Swiatek arrives without winning a WTA tournament in the first five months of the a result, the former long-time world number one has dropped to fifth in the begs the obvious question: can she still be considered the favourite to lift the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen? 'My life turned upside down' - the mental toll Most players on the WTA Tour would be envious of Swiatek's record this has won 27 of her 36 matches so far, reaching four semi-finals and contesting another three quarter-finals in eight Swiatek has rarely reached her dominant best over the past few has often looked tense, tightly wound with emotion, and it has poured out after tough was inconsolable after losing in the Olympics semi-finals at Roland Garros last summer, saying she cried for "six hours" weeks later came a bombshell - Swiatek had failed a doping was announced in November she had tested positive for heart medication trimetazidine (TMZ) in an out-of-competition sample and was subsequently given a one-month ban after the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) accepted the result was caused by contamination."Truth to be told, over the last months, there has always been something," Swiatek told BBC Sport in Madrid earlier in May. "My life went upside down in November. It wasn't easy and wasn't easy to accept afterwards."It took me a long time to do that, but now I feel like I have space just to work and hopefully I'm going to use that."I'm looking for a peaceful time and just waiting for it to happen."Swiatek was alluding to a series of issues that have cropped up this March, Swiatek was criticised for reacting angrily towards a ball boy at Indian Wells, then given extra security after being verbally abused by an "aggressive and taunting" fan in made a short trip back to Warsaw last month for the funeral of her grandfather before her Madrid Open title defence a heavy semi-final defeat by Coco Gauff, Swiatek broke down at a changeover and sobbed beneath her in Rome, she was visibly upset during a brief chat with the media after a chastening third-round loss to Danielle Collins."For sure it hasn't been easy. For sure I'm doing something wrong," she said afterwards."I need to regroup and change some stuff." 'I'm focusing on mistakes' - the technical uncertainty With these issues lingering in the background, Swiatek has been nowhere near her best level throughout the clay-court destructive forehand - arguably her most effective tool - has lost its reliability, while her service game has been picked apart by big-hitting mistakes, according to Swiatek, are because of slight technical tweaks she is there is also an element of uncertainty in her usually sharp footwork, hinting at her crisis of manner of the early exit in Rome - a 6-1 7-5 loss to Collins - was particularly concerning, with Swiatek converting just two of 10 break opportunities."I'm making decisions that are not really good at the moment because I just remember how it felt in previous tournaments or previous years," Swiatek said."I kind of assume it's going to go in and then I make mistakes."It's not the same - I'm confused." Swiatek appointed Wim Fissette - a leading coach who has helped several players win Grand Slams - after parting ways with Tomasz Wiktorowski last a recent interview with a Polish journalist, Swiatek said it was "very harsh and unfair" to blame Fissette for her recent results."During a tournament, under the influence of various factors, including stress, I sometimes make a mistake and go back to my old technique," she told the Sportowefakty website., external"But it's not the coach's fault - that's how training and sport work."The whole process is much more complicated than it might seem to someone watching from the couch in front of the TV." Can she bounce back at the French Open? For Swiatek, the clay-court events leading up to the French Open usually build her rhythm and confidence, ensuring she can peak at the business end of the that has not happened this year, but Roland Garros is the one place where you would back Swiatek to rediscover her statistics underline her recent dominance:21 victories in a row35 wins in her 37 career matches0 defeats since 2021"Sometimes you can start the Grand Slam in really bad shape and not playing perfectly, but then find your game during," Swiatek told BBC Sport."This is a two-week tournament so I think it's impossible to peak for the whole event - you just need to kind of survive." Swiatek's speed and agility of movement give her time to unleash her Rafael Nadal-esque top-spin forehand - a key component in her world number two Gauff, one of the main contenders for the trophy, insists it would be foolish to rule Swiatek out."I always think if someone wins a tournament that many times, regardless of what shape they're in, they can definitely figure out a way to win again," Gauff immediately after her Rome defeat, Swiatek seemed curtly dismissed suggestions that returning to Roland Garros could rekindle positive her early arrival in Paris - practising on Court Philippe Chatrier at the end of last week - showed she hopes familiarity will breed success.
