Latest news with #Rybakina
Dubai Eye
16 hours ago
- Sport
- Dubai Eye
Swiatek digs herself out of deep hole, Alcaraz powers on at French Open
Iga Swiatek clawed her way back from the brink to reach the French Open quarter-finals by defeating Elena Rybakina while men's title holder Carlos Alcaraz also went through on Sunday. Fifth seed Swiatek looked out of sorts as she trailed 6-1 2-0 on Court Philippe Chatrier, leaving the crowd stunned. But Swiatek found her groove and some grit to prevail 1-6 6-3 7-5. Her final opponent from last year, Jasmine Paolini, was on the wrong end of another last-16 clash against 13th seed Elina Svitolina of Ukraine, the Italian wasting three match points in a 4-6 7-6(6) 6-1 defeat. Svitolina will provide the next test for Swiatek, who continues her quest to become the first female player since tennis turned professional to claim the singles' title four times in a row at Roland Garros. The only women to win the singles at Roland Garros in four straight years were Jeanne Matthey from 1909-12 and Suzanne Lenglen from 1920-23 when only French players competed. Since tennis turned professional in 1968, Swiatek is one of three women with Monica Seles and Justine Henin to enjoy three consecutive triumphs in Paris and on Sunday it looked like her quest for a fourth straight was going to crash to a halt. The 12th-seeded Rybakina made a bullet start, putting Swiatek on the back foot with some powerful baseline play and racing to a 5-0 lead, threatening to inflict on the former world number one her first bagel at a Grand Slam. "It was as if I was playing (men's world number one and heavy hitter) Jannik Sinner," Swiatek joked. Double Faults If there was any sign that Swiatek was rattled, it was her three double faults at 2-2 in the second set. The fifth seed still held though and it proved to be a turning point as she went on to break to love and move 4-2 up, bagging 10 consecutive points in the process to send the clash into a decider. At 4-4, with Rybakina serving at 15-40, the Kazakh appeared to have double-faulted on break point. Both players were walking towards their benches when chair umpire Kader Nouni's deep voice overruled the line judge's call. The reversal offered Rybakina an unexpected lifeline as the air filled with electricity. Swiatek later saved a game point with a blistering forehand winner, but it was Rybakina who ultimately secured the crucial hold, shifting the weight of expectation squarely onto her opponent's shoulders. Swiatek cooled down and held, then broke and finished it off on the second match point before unleashing a huge scream and bumping her chest in a mix of released anger and relief. "In the first set, with her playing like that I felt I did not have a single chance," said Swiatek, who had lost to Rybakina in their two previous encounters on clay. "Using the top spin was the plan from the beginning but I did not feel she gave me the space to do that. But I'm happy that I was patient enough to stay in the game and use any opportunity that came to me." Elsewhere in the top half of the draw, Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen battled on, the Chinese eighth seed overcoming Russia's Liudmila Samsonova 7-6(5) 1-6 6-3, with a potential clash against world number one Aryna Sabalenka looming. In the men's draw, Carlos Alcaraz etched his name deeper in clay by overcoming American Ben Shelton 7-6(8) 6-3 4-6 6-4 for his 100th tour-level win on the surface to reach the quarter-finals for a fourth successive year. Victory was far from simple and Alcaraz said he fought against himself in the mind. "I just tried to calm myself. In some moments I was mad, I was angry with myself. Talking not really good things but I am happy to not let those thoughts play against me," he added. "I tried to calm myself down and I tried to keep going." Up next for him is world number 12 Tommy Paul, who blitzed Alexei Popyrin 6-3 6-3 6-3 to become the first American male player to reach the French Open quarter-finals in 22 years. Paul matched Andre Agassi's run from 2003 after Americans on Saturday equalled a 40-year-old record with five women and three men reaching round four of the clay court Grand Slam. Another American in the last eight is Frances Tiafoe, who beat Germany's Daniel Altmaier but will find himself with a mountain to climb in the next round as he takes on Italian craftsman Lorenzo Musetti. World number seven Musetti beat Denmark's Holger Rune 7-5 3-6 6-3 6-2, showing his impressive palette of claycourt game. He has reached at least the semi-finals of all three Masters events on the slow surface this season. Sabalenka battled past 16th-seed Amanda Anisimova 7-5 6-3 to become the first player to reach the quarter-finals in 10 straight Grand Slams since American Serena Williams between 2014-17.
CNN
a day ago
- Entertainment
- CNN
Iga Świątek records 25th straight French Open win with hard-fought comeback against Elena Rybakina
Iga Świątek came from a set and a break down against Elena Rybakina to extend her winning run at the French Open, prevailing 1-6, 6-3, 7-5 on Sunday. Three-time defending champion Świątek has now recorded 25 consecutive main draw wins at Roland-Garros, with Chris Evert the only woman in the Open Era to have more on 29. She was made to work hard for it against former world No. 3 Rybakina, who battled hard to cause a huge upset on Court Philippe-Chatrier. Having raced into a 5-0 lead before wrapping up the opening set in just 35 minutes, Rybakina won the first eight points of the second set to put her in full control of the fourth-round contest. But Świątek rallied in the second part of the match, edging out Rybakina in a tight deciding set to continue her hunt for a sixth grand slam title and fifth at the French Open. 'I was feeling pretty bad (at the start of the match), so I was kind of accepting that I can lose it,' Świątek later told reporters. 'But it didn't change the fact that I wanted to fight for it anyway.' The world No. 5 will next play 13th seed Elina Svitolina in the quarterfinals after the Ukrainian beat last year's runner-up Jasmine Paolini on Sunday. Having won in straight sets across the opening three rounds of the tournament, Świątek faced her first real test of this year's French Open against Rybakina. She saved 10 break points over the course of the match, only edging in front in the final stages of the deciding set. It was a gutsy, rather than an accomplished, victory for the Polish star. She made an uncharacteristic seven double faults during the match, including three in one game in the second set. But in the context of her title defense, this sort of victory might feel more significant than the many routine wins she has had in Paris. 'I think I needed that kind of win … That I'm able to win under pressure, and even if it's not going the right way, still turn the match around to win it,' Świątek said. 'For sure, it's a great confirmation for me. Obviously, it's great to also have full control over the match, but against great players, it's not always going to be possible. I'm happy that I fought and also problem-solved on court.' Another defending champion, Carlos Alcaraz, also overcame a challenging opponent to reach the quarterfinals, defeating American 13th seed Ben Shelton 7-6(8), 6-3, 4-6, 6-4. Alcaraz had to save three set points to avoid handing Shelton the early lead, and he then faced six break points in the first game of the second set, only to survive and get a break of his own at 4-3. Although Shelton had a glimmer of hope when he took the third set, the Spaniard hit back in the fourth, once again demonstrating his supremacy on clay to secure his 100th victory on the surface. Coming into the tournament off the back of wins in Monte-Carlo and Rome, Alcaraz is looking to capture his fifth grand slam title and second at the French Open. On Tuesday, he faces American Tommy Paul for a spot in the final four.
CNN
a day ago
- Entertainment
- CNN
Iga Świątek records 25th straight French Open win with hard-fought comeback against Elena Rybakina
Iga Świątek came from a set and a break down against Elena Rybakina to extend her winning run at the French Open, prevailing 1-6, 6-3, 7-5 on Sunday. Three-time defending champion Świątek has now recorded 25 consecutive main draw wins at Roland-Garros, with Chris Evert the only woman in the Open Era to have more on 29. She was made to work hard for it against former world No. 3 Rybakina, who battled hard to cause a huge upset on Court Philippe-Chatrier. Having raced into a 5-0 lead before wrapping up the opening set in just 35 minutes, Rybakina won the first eight points of the second set to put her in full control of the fourth-round contest. But Świątek rallied in the second part of the match, edging out Rybakina in a tight deciding set to continue her hunt for a sixth grand slam title and fifth at the French Open. 'I was feeling pretty bad (at the start of the match), so I was kind of accepting that I can lose it,' Świątek later told reporters. 'But it didn't change the fact that I wanted to fight for it anyway.' The world No. 5 will next play 13th seed Elina Svitolina in the quarterfinals after the Ukrainian beat last year's runner-up Jasmine Paolini on Sunday. Having won in straight sets across the opening three rounds of the tournament, Świątek faced her first real test of this year's French Open against Rybakina. She saved 10 break points over the course of the match, only edging in front in the final stages of the deciding set. It was a gutsy, rather than an accomplished, victory for the Polish star. She made an uncharacteristic seven double faults during the match, including three in one game in the second set. But in the context of her title defense, this sort of victory might feel more significant than the many routine wins she has had in Paris. 'I think I needed that kind of win … That I'm able to win under pressure, and even if it's not going the right way, still turn the match around to win it,' Świątek said. 'For sure, it's a great confirmation for me. Obviously, it's great to also have full control over the match, but against great players, it's not always going to be possible. I'm happy that I fought and also problem-solved on court.' Another defending champion, Carlos Alcaraz, also overcame a challenging opponent to reach the quarterfinals, defeating American 13th seed Ben Shelton 7-6(8), 6-3, 4-6, 6-4. Alcaraz had to save three set points to avoid handing Shelton the early lead, and he then faced six break points in the first game of the second set, only to survive and get a break of his own at 4-3. Although Shelton had a glimmer of hope when he took the third set, the Spaniard hit back in the fourth, once again demonstrating his supremacy on clay to secure his 100th victory on the surface. Coming into the tournament off the back of wins in Monte-Carlo and Rome, Alcaraz is looking to capture his fifth grand slam title and second at the French Open. On Tuesday, he faces American Tommy Paul for a spot in the final four.
Kuwait Times
a day ago
- Sport
- Kuwait Times
Swiatek passes Rybakina test at French Open
PARIS: Iga Swiatek kept her bid for a fourth successive French Open title alive as she fought back from a set and a break down to defeat Elena Rybakina on Sunday. The four-time Roland Garros champion, who has been struggling for her best form and has not reached a final since winning the title last year, was in serious trouble when trailing 2-0 in the second set. But the 24-year-old dug deep to clinch a 1-6, 6-3, 7-5 victory. Swiatek is aiming to become the first woman to win four straight Roland Garros crowns since Suzanne Lenglen 102 years ago. The Pole will next face Ukraine's Elina Svitolina, who knocked out 2024 losing finalist Jasmine Paolini, in the last eight on Tuesday. Swiatek is now on a 25-match winning streak at the French Open and boasts a remarkable 39-2 win-loss record in the tournament. Rybakina had won both of her previous career meetings with Swiatek on clay and the Kazakh dominated the opening set, hammering 12 winners past her bewildered opponent. "Well it was tough you know, first set I felt like I was playing against Jannik Sinner," said Swiatek. "I needed to do something to get back in the game, but with her playing like that I didn't feel like I had much hope." Rybakina broke in the first game of the second set as she threatened to run away with the match. But Swiatek impressively turned the set around with a run of five straight games. The fifth seed looked to have finally seized total control with a break to lead 4-3 in the deciding set, only to hand it straight back. Swiatek was one game from defeat when trailing 5-4, but she managed to end Rybakina's resistance and held her nerve to serve out the match. Svitolina made the quarter-finals for the fifth time with a comeback 4-6, 7-6 (8/6), 6-1 win over last year's runner-up Paolini, saving three match points in a dramatic opening match on Court Philippe Chatrier. The former world number three, who has never made a Grand Slam final, will be bidding to reach a first Roland Garros semi-final when she faces Swiatek. "I still cannot believe that this match finished my way," said Svitolina. "It was a really difficult match today, Jasmine was playing really well. It was really tough for me but I'm very happy I was able to stay composed and fight until the very last point." Fourth seed Paolini, who won the Italian Open last month, fell to the same opponent for the second straight major tournament. Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen secured a quarter-final place with a hard-fought three-set victory over 19th-seeded Russian Liudmila Samsonova. The Chinese eighth seed extended her winning streak at Roland Garros to 10 matches, winning 7-6 (7/5), 1-6, 6-3 on Court Suzanne Lenglen. - AFP
TimesLIVE
a day ago
- Sport
- TimesLIVE
Swiatek digs herself out of deep hole, Alcaraz powers on at French Open
Four-time champion Iga Swiatek clawed her way back from the brink to reach the French Open quarterfinals by defeating her clay court nemesis Elena Rybakina while men's title holder Carlos Alcaraz also went through after a tough workout on Sunday. Fifth seed Swiatek looked out of sorts as she trailed 6-1 2-0 on Court Philippe Chatrier, leaving the crowd stunned. But Swiatek found her groove and some grit to prevail 1-6 6-3 7-5. Her final opponent from last year, Jasmine Paolini, was on the wrong end of another last-16 clash against 13th seed Elina Svitolina of Ukraine, the Italian wasting three match points in a 4-6 7-6(6) 6-1 defeat. Svitolina will provide the next test for Swiatek, who continues her quest to become the first female player since tennis turned professional to claim the singles' title four times in a row at Roland Garros. The only women to win the singles at Roland Garros in four straight years were Jeanne Matthey from 1909-12 and Suzanne Lenglen from 1920-23 when only French players competed. Since tennis turned professional in 1968, Swiatek is one of three women with Monica Seles and Justine Henin to enjoy three consecutive triumphs in Paris and on Sunday it looked like her quest for a fourth straight was going to crash to a halt. The 12th-seeded Rybakina made a bullet start, putting Swiatek on the back foot with some powerful baseline play and racing to a 5-0 lead, threatening to inflict on the former world number one her first bagel at a Grand Slam. 'It was as if I was playing [men's world number one and heavy hitter] Jannik Sinner,' Swiatek joked. If there was any sign that Swiatek was rattled, it was her three double faults at 2-2 in the second set. The fifth seed still held though and it proved to be a turning point as she went on to break to love and move 4-2 up, bagging 10 consecutive points in the process to send the clash into a decider. At 4-4, with Rybakina serving at 15-40, the Kazakh appeared to have double-faulted on break point. Both players were walking towards their benches when chair umpire Kader Nouni's deep voice overruled the line judge's call. The reversal offered Rybakina an unexpected lifeline as the air filled with electricity. Swiatek later saved a game point with a blistering forehand winner, but it was Rybakina who ultimately secured the crucial hold, shifting the weight of expectation squarely onto her opponent's shoulders. Swiatek cooled down and held, then broke and finished it off on the second match point before unleashing a huge scream and bumping her chest in a mix of released anger and relief. 'In the first set, with her playing like that I felt I did not have a single chance,' said Swiatek, who had lost to Rybakina in their two previous encounters on clay. 'Using the top spin was the plan from the beginning but I did not feel she gave me the space to do that. But I'm happy that I was patient enough to stay in the game and use any opportunity that came to me.' Elsewhere in the top half of the draw, Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen battled on, the Chinese eighth seed overcoming Russia's Liudmila Samsonova 7-6(5) 1-6 6-3, with a potential clash against world number one Aryna Sabalenka looming. In the men's draw, Carlos Alcaraz etched his name deeper in clay by overcoming American Ben Shelton 7-6(8) 6-3 4-6 6-4 for his 100th tour-level win on the surface to reach the quarterfinals for a fourth successive year. Victory was far from simple and Alcaraz said he fought against himself in the mind. 'I just tried to calm myself. In some moments I was mad, I was angry with myself. Talking not really good things but I am happy to not let those thoughts play against me,' he added. 'I tried to calm myself down and I tried to keep going.' Up next for him is world number 12 Tommy Paul, who blitzed Alexei Popyrin 6-3 6-3 6-3 to become the first American male player to reach the French Open quarterfinals in 22 years. Paul matched Andre Agassi's run from 2003 after Americans on Saturday equalled a 40-year-old record with five women and three men reaching round four of the clay court Grand Slam. Another American in the last eight is Frances Tiafoe, who beat Germany's Daniel Altmaier but will find himself with a mountain to climb in the next round as he takes on Italian craftsman Lorenzo Musetti. World number seven Musetti beat Denmark's Holger Rune 7-5 3-6 6-3 6-2, showing his impressive palette of clay court game. He has reached at least the semifinals of all three Masters events on the slow surface this season. Sabalenka battled past 16th-seed Amanda Anisimova 7-5 6-3 to become the first player to reach the quarterfinals in 10 straight Grand Slams since American Serena Williams between 2014-17. The Belarusian squandered a total of seven match points before seeing off Anisimova to set up a clash with Zheng.
