Latest news with #Schoolkate
The Advertiser
11 hours ago
- Sport
- The Advertiser
Schoolkate triumph heads Aussies' pre-Wimbledon push
Australian Tristan Schoolkate has lifted his first grass-court title in England - only to celebrate his breakthrough triumph by cadging a lift to his next tournament from the man he beat in the final. Schoolkate's victory in the Ilkley Trophy was the highlight of a weekend when Australia's tennis men began some impressive muscle-flexing on the grass with Wimbledon in their sights. The rising Perth professional who began the year by taking a set off world No.1 Jannik Sinner at the Australian Open, moved towards the edge of the game's top 100 with his win on Sunday. The traditional, picturesque grass-court Challenger event adjacent to the famous Ilkley Moor in Yorkshire has become a pre-Wimbledon staple and it was a real feather in the 24-year-old's cap to become the second Australian holder of the Trophy after Jason Kubler prevailed two years ago. Schoolkate, who will rise to a new career-high of 106 in Monday's rankings, had to battle back from a set down to beat British wildcard Jack Pinnington Jones 6-7 (8-10) 6-4 6-3 and grab his first ever title on a grass court. As he enjoyed his victory at the trophy presentation, Schoolkate had the crowd laughing when he revealed that Pinnington Jones was due to be chauffeuring him to his next event 145km away at the Nottingham Open Challenger later on Sunday evening. "Hopefully, Jack still wants to take me tonight!" smiled Schoolkate. "He offered to drive us! I'll shout the Guinnesses!" Looking at the patriotic crowd, he added: "They all got behind you today - I tried to pretend that my name was Jack..." Schoolkate is yet to win a match on grass at tour-level but he'll go into Wimbledon qualifying in eight days time high on confidence after a tournament in which he had to battle through four three-setters to take the crown. It was the second Australian title success of the weekend after the fledgling doubles partnership of Jordan Thompson and Matt Ebden picked up the title at Rosmalen in the Netherlands in just their first ATP tournament together. The duo, who'd previously won their only Davis Cup rubber together, beat British duo Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool 6-4 3-6 [10-7] on Saturday as Thompson celebrated his eighth tour-level doubles crown and Ebden his 13th - and first since he won Olympic gold with John Peers. The pair will next play in the prestigious Queen's Club Championship where the Australian men's contingent will be out in full force after two more battled through all-Aussie qualifying ties on Sunday to make the singles main draw alongside Thompson, Alexei Popyrin and Alex de Minaur. Aleksandar Vukic defeated Adam Walton 6-4 6-4 while Alex Bolt, the 32-year-old veteran world No.186 who always seems to come alive with the scent of the grass in his nostrils, upset world No.80 Chris O'Connell 3-6 7-6 (7-4) 6-3. Vukic's reward is another all-Australian clash in the first round against Popyrin, while Bolt will play rising Briton Jacob Fearnley. De Minaur, back in business after taking a break following his early exit at the French Open, will open up against Czech Jiri Lehecka, while Thompson will play Spain's Jaume Munar. Australian Tristan Schoolkate has lifted his first grass-court title in England - only to celebrate his breakthrough triumph by cadging a lift to his next tournament from the man he beat in the final. Schoolkate's victory in the Ilkley Trophy was the highlight of a weekend when Australia's tennis men began some impressive muscle-flexing on the grass with Wimbledon in their sights. The rising Perth professional who began the year by taking a set off world No.1 Jannik Sinner at the Australian Open, moved towards the edge of the game's top 100 with his win on Sunday. The traditional, picturesque grass-court Challenger event adjacent to the famous Ilkley Moor in Yorkshire has become a pre-Wimbledon staple and it was a real feather in the 24-year-old's cap to become the second Australian holder of the Trophy after Jason Kubler prevailed two years ago. Schoolkate, who will rise to a new career-high of 106 in Monday's rankings, had to battle back from a set down to beat British wildcard Jack Pinnington Jones 6-7 (8-10) 6-4 6-3 and grab his first ever title on a grass court. As he enjoyed his victory at the trophy presentation, Schoolkate had the crowd laughing when he revealed that Pinnington Jones was due to be chauffeuring him to his next event 145km away at the Nottingham Open Challenger later on Sunday evening. "Hopefully, Jack still wants to take me tonight!" smiled Schoolkate. "He offered to drive us! I'll shout the Guinnesses!" Looking at the patriotic crowd, he added: "They all got behind you today - I tried to pretend that my name was Jack..." Schoolkate is yet to win a match on grass at tour-level but he'll go into Wimbledon qualifying in eight days time high on confidence after a tournament in which he had to battle through four three-setters to take the crown. It was the second Australian title success of the weekend after the fledgling doubles partnership of Jordan Thompson and Matt Ebden picked up the title at Rosmalen in the Netherlands in just their first ATP tournament together. The duo, who'd previously won their only Davis Cup rubber together, beat British duo Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool 6-4 3-6 [10-7] on Saturday as Thompson celebrated his eighth tour-level doubles crown and Ebden his 13th - and first since he won Olympic gold with John Peers. The pair will next play in the prestigious Queen's Club Championship where the Australian men's contingent will be out in full force after two more battled through all-Aussie qualifying ties on Sunday to make the singles main draw alongside Thompson, Alexei Popyrin and Alex de Minaur. Aleksandar Vukic defeated Adam Walton 6-4 6-4 while Alex Bolt, the 32-year-old veteran world No.186 who always seems to come alive with the scent of the grass in his nostrils, upset world No.80 Chris O'Connell 3-6 7-6 (7-4) 6-3. Vukic's reward is another all-Australian clash in the first round against Popyrin, while Bolt will play rising Briton Jacob Fearnley. De Minaur, back in business after taking a break following his early exit at the French Open, will open up against Czech Jiri Lehecka, while Thompson will play Spain's Jaume Munar. Australian Tristan Schoolkate has lifted his first grass-court title in England - only to celebrate his breakthrough triumph by cadging a lift to his next tournament from the man he beat in the final. Schoolkate's victory in the Ilkley Trophy was the highlight of a weekend when Australia's tennis men began some impressive muscle-flexing on the grass with Wimbledon in their sights. The rising Perth professional who began the year by taking a set off world No.1 Jannik Sinner at the Australian Open, moved towards the edge of the game's top 100 with his win on Sunday. The traditional, picturesque grass-court Challenger event adjacent to the famous Ilkley Moor in Yorkshire has become a pre-Wimbledon staple and it was a real feather in the 24-year-old's cap to become the second Australian holder of the Trophy after Jason Kubler prevailed two years ago. Schoolkate, who will rise to a new career-high of 106 in Monday's rankings, had to battle back from a set down to beat British wildcard Jack Pinnington Jones 6-7 (8-10) 6-4 6-3 and grab his first ever title on a grass court. As he enjoyed his victory at the trophy presentation, Schoolkate had the crowd laughing when he revealed that Pinnington Jones was due to be chauffeuring him to his next event 145km away at the Nottingham Open Challenger later on Sunday evening. "Hopefully, Jack still wants to take me tonight!" smiled Schoolkate. "He offered to drive us! I'll shout the Guinnesses!" Looking at the patriotic crowd, he added: "They all got behind you today - I tried to pretend that my name was Jack..." Schoolkate is yet to win a match on grass at tour-level but he'll go into Wimbledon qualifying in eight days time high on confidence after a tournament in which he had to battle through four three-setters to take the crown. It was the second Australian title success of the weekend after the fledgling doubles partnership of Jordan Thompson and Matt Ebden picked up the title at Rosmalen in the Netherlands in just their first ATP tournament together. The duo, who'd previously won their only Davis Cup rubber together, beat British duo Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool 6-4 3-6 [10-7] on Saturday as Thompson celebrated his eighth tour-level doubles crown and Ebden his 13th - and first since he won Olympic gold with John Peers. The pair will next play in the prestigious Queen's Club Championship where the Australian men's contingent will be out in full force after two more battled through all-Aussie qualifying ties on Sunday to make the singles main draw alongside Thompson, Alexei Popyrin and Alex de Minaur. Aleksandar Vukic defeated Adam Walton 6-4 6-4 while Alex Bolt, the 32-year-old veteran world No.186 who always seems to come alive with the scent of the grass in his nostrils, upset world No.80 Chris O'Connell 3-6 7-6 (7-4) 6-3. Vukic's reward is another all-Australian clash in the first round against Popyrin, while Bolt will play rising Briton Jacob Fearnley. De Minaur, back in business after taking a break following his early exit at the French Open, will open up against Czech Jiri Lehecka, while Thompson will play Spain's Jaume Munar. Australian Tristan Schoolkate has lifted his first grass-court title in England - only to celebrate his breakthrough triumph by cadging a lift to his next tournament from the man he beat in the final. Schoolkate's victory in the Ilkley Trophy was the highlight of a weekend when Australia's tennis men began some impressive muscle-flexing on the grass with Wimbledon in their sights. The rising Perth professional who began the year by taking a set off world No.1 Jannik Sinner at the Australian Open, moved towards the edge of the game's top 100 with his win on Sunday. The traditional, picturesque grass-court Challenger event adjacent to the famous Ilkley Moor in Yorkshire has become a pre-Wimbledon staple and it was a real feather in the 24-year-old's cap to become the second Australian holder of the Trophy after Jason Kubler prevailed two years ago. Schoolkate, who will rise to a new career-high of 106 in Monday's rankings, had to battle back from a set down to beat British wildcard Jack Pinnington Jones 6-7 (8-10) 6-4 6-3 and grab his first ever title on a grass court. As he enjoyed his victory at the trophy presentation, Schoolkate had the crowd laughing when he revealed that Pinnington Jones was due to be chauffeuring him to his next event 145km away at the Nottingham Open Challenger later on Sunday evening. "Hopefully, Jack still wants to take me tonight!" smiled Schoolkate. "He offered to drive us! I'll shout the Guinnesses!" Looking at the patriotic crowd, he added: "They all got behind you today - I tried to pretend that my name was Jack..." Schoolkate is yet to win a match on grass at tour-level but he'll go into Wimbledon qualifying in eight days time high on confidence after a tournament in which he had to battle through four three-setters to take the crown. It was the second Australian title success of the weekend after the fledgling doubles partnership of Jordan Thompson and Matt Ebden picked up the title at Rosmalen in the Netherlands in just their first ATP tournament together. The duo, who'd previously won their only Davis Cup rubber together, beat British duo Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool 6-4 3-6 [10-7] on Saturday as Thompson celebrated his eighth tour-level doubles crown and Ebden his 13th - and first since he won Olympic gold with John Peers. The pair will next play in the prestigious Queen's Club Championship where the Australian men's contingent will be out in full force after two more battled through all-Aussie qualifying ties on Sunday to make the singles main draw alongside Thompson, Alexei Popyrin and Alex de Minaur. Aleksandar Vukic defeated Adam Walton 6-4 6-4 while Alex Bolt, the 32-year-old veteran world No.186 who always seems to come alive with the scent of the grass in his nostrils, upset world No.80 Chris O'Connell 3-6 7-6 (7-4) 6-3. Vukic's reward is another all-Australian clash in the first round against Popyrin, while Bolt will play rising Briton Jacob Fearnley. De Minaur, back in business after taking a break following his early exit at the French Open, will open up against Czech Jiri Lehecka, while Thompson will play Spain's Jaume Munar.
Perth Now
15 hours ago
- Sport
- Perth Now
Schoolkate triumph heads Aussies' pre-Wimbledon push
Australian Tristan Schoolkate has lifted his first grass-court title in England - only to celebrate his breakthrough triumph by cadging a lift to his next tournament from the man he beat in the final. Schoolkate's victory in the Ilkley Trophy was the highlight of a weekend when Australia's tennis men began some impressive muscle-flexing on the grass with Wimbledon in their sights. The rising Perth professional who began the year by taking a set off world No.1 Jannik Sinner at the Australian Open, moved towards the edge of the game's top 100 with his win on Sunday. The traditional, picturesque grass-court Challenger event adjacent to the famous Ilkley Moor in Yorkshire has become a pre-Wimbledon staple and it was a real feather in the 24-year-old's cap to become the second Australian holder of the Trophy after Jason Kubler prevailed two years ago. Schoolkate, who will rise to a new career-high of 106 in Monday's rankings, had to battle back from a set down to beat British wildcard Jack Pinnington Jones 6-7 (8-10) 6-4 6-3 and grab his first ever title on a grass court. As he enjoyed his victory at the trophy presentation, Schoolkate had the crowd laughing when he revealed that Pinnington Jones was due to be chauffeuring him to his next event 145km away at the Nottingham Open Challenger later on Sunday evening. "Hopefully, Jack still wants to take me tonight!" smiled Schoolkate. "He offered to drive us! I'll shout the Guinnesses!" Looking at the patriotic crowd, he added: "They all got behind you today - I tried to pretend that my name was Jack..." Schoolkate is yet to win a match on grass at tour-level but he'll go into Wimbledon qualifying in eight days time high on confidence after a tournament in which he had to battle through four three-setters to take the crown. It was the second Australian title success of the weekend after the fledgling doubles partnership of Jordan Thompson and Matt Ebden picked up the title at Rosmalen in the Netherlands in just their first ATP tournament together. The duo, who'd previously won their only Davis Cup rubber together, beat British duo Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool 6-4 3-6 [10-7] on Saturday as Thompson celebrated his eighth tour-level doubles crown and Ebden his 13th - and first since he won Olympic gold with John Peers. The pair will next play in the prestigious Queen's Club Championship where the Australian men's contingent will be out in full force after two more battled through all-Aussie qualifying ties on Sunday to make the singles main draw alongside Thompson, Alexei Popyrin and Alex de Minaur. Aleksandar Vukic defeated Adam Walton 6-4 6-4 while Alex Bolt, the 32-year-old veteran world No.186 who always seems to come alive with the scent of the grass in his nostrils, upset world No.80 Chris O'Connell 3-6 7-6 (7-4) 6-3. Vukic's reward is another all-Australian clash in the first round against Popyrin, while Bolt will play rising Briton Jacob Fearnley. De Minaur, back in business after taking a break following his early exit at the French Open, will open up against Czech Jiri Lehecka, while Thompson will play Spain's Jaume Munar.
The Advertiser
12-05-2025
- Sport
- The Advertiser
Schoolkate and Aiava earn wildcards into French Open
Tristan Schoolkate and Destanee Aiava have been rewarded for their striking breakthrough performances at the Australian Open with wildcard places at the French Open. Schoolkate, who ended Jannik Sinner's set-winning streak on Rod Laver Arena in January, and Aiava, who enjoyed a sparkling run through qualifying into the Open second round, will feature in at least a 15-strong Aussie contingent in the Paris main draw. It could well be even more than that with another dozen Australians battling in qualifying for places at Roland Garros the week after next, with the tournament proper starting on May 25. The duo are Tennis Australia's picks as part of the reciprocal wildcard agreements between the four grand slams. Schoolkate, the Perth 24-year-old who caused a mini-sensation by taking the first stanza off champion Sinner to end a three-month spell when the Italian world No.1 didn't lose a set, has been largely playing second-tier Challenger events since then. The world No.129 did win one in Brisbane in February and made the final in Guangzhou earlier this month, but he hasn't yet played a tour-level match on clay, so is effectively being thrown in at the deep end. Aiava, the 25-year-old Melburnian, has also been battling in lower-level events since the giddy high of Melbourne. There she battled through three qualifying matches, defeated Belgian Greet Minnen in a third-set tiebreaker and gave former finalist Danielle Collins a scare in the second round, continuing the good work of the 2024 US Open where she also got through qualies. Her best result since the Australian Open was reaching the final of an ITF event in Prague but she too is an absolute beginner on clay. Aiava will be the sixth Australian woman guaranteed a spot in the main draw at Roland Garros alongside Daria Kasatkina, Kim Birrell, Maya Joint, Ajla Tomljanovic and Olivia Gadecki. In the men's draw, Schoolkate will take his place alongside Alex de Minaur, Alexei Popyrin, Jordan Thompson, Aleksandar Vukic, Rinky Hijikata, Adam Walton, Chris O'Connell and James Duckworth. Tristan Schoolkate and Destanee Aiava have been rewarded for their striking breakthrough performances at the Australian Open with wildcard places at the French Open. Schoolkate, who ended Jannik Sinner's set-winning streak on Rod Laver Arena in January, and Aiava, who enjoyed a sparkling run through qualifying into the Open second round, will feature in at least a 15-strong Aussie contingent in the Paris main draw. It could well be even more than that with another dozen Australians battling in qualifying for places at Roland Garros the week after next, with the tournament proper starting on May 25. The duo are Tennis Australia's picks as part of the reciprocal wildcard agreements between the four grand slams. Schoolkate, the Perth 24-year-old who caused a mini-sensation by taking the first stanza off champion Sinner to end a three-month spell when the Italian world No.1 didn't lose a set, has been largely playing second-tier Challenger events since then. The world No.129 did win one in Brisbane in February and made the final in Guangzhou earlier this month, but he hasn't yet played a tour-level match on clay, so is effectively being thrown in at the deep end. Aiava, the 25-year-old Melburnian, has also been battling in lower-level events since the giddy high of Melbourne. There she battled through three qualifying matches, defeated Belgian Greet Minnen in a third-set tiebreaker and gave former finalist Danielle Collins a scare in the second round, continuing the good work of the 2024 US Open where she also got through qualies. Her best result since the Australian Open was reaching the final of an ITF event in Prague but she too is an absolute beginner on clay. Aiava will be the sixth Australian woman guaranteed a spot in the main draw at Roland Garros alongside Daria Kasatkina, Kim Birrell, Maya Joint, Ajla Tomljanovic and Olivia Gadecki. In the men's draw, Schoolkate will take his place alongside Alex de Minaur, Alexei Popyrin, Jordan Thompson, Aleksandar Vukic, Rinky Hijikata, Adam Walton, Chris O'Connell and James Duckworth. Tristan Schoolkate and Destanee Aiava have been rewarded for their striking breakthrough performances at the Australian Open with wildcard places at the French Open. Schoolkate, who ended Jannik Sinner's set-winning streak on Rod Laver Arena in January, and Aiava, who enjoyed a sparkling run through qualifying into the Open second round, will feature in at least a 15-strong Aussie contingent in the Paris main draw. It could well be even more than that with another dozen Australians battling in qualifying for places at Roland Garros the week after next, with the tournament proper starting on May 25. The duo are Tennis Australia's picks as part of the reciprocal wildcard agreements between the four grand slams. Schoolkate, the Perth 24-year-old who caused a mini-sensation by taking the first stanza off champion Sinner to end a three-month spell when the Italian world No.1 didn't lose a set, has been largely playing second-tier Challenger events since then. The world No.129 did win one in Brisbane in February and made the final in Guangzhou earlier this month, but he hasn't yet played a tour-level match on clay, so is effectively being thrown in at the deep end. Aiava, the 25-year-old Melburnian, has also been battling in lower-level events since the giddy high of Melbourne. There she battled through three qualifying matches, defeated Belgian Greet Minnen in a third-set tiebreaker and gave former finalist Danielle Collins a scare in the second round, continuing the good work of the 2024 US Open where she also got through qualies. Her best result since the Australian Open was reaching the final of an ITF event in Prague but she too is an absolute beginner on clay. Aiava will be the sixth Australian woman guaranteed a spot in the main draw at Roland Garros alongside Daria Kasatkina, Kim Birrell, Maya Joint, Ajla Tomljanovic and Olivia Gadecki. In the men's draw, Schoolkate will take his place alongside Alex de Minaur, Alexei Popyrin, Jordan Thompson, Aleksandar Vukic, Rinky Hijikata, Adam Walton, Chris O'Connell and James Duckworth. Tristan Schoolkate and Destanee Aiava have been rewarded for their striking breakthrough performances at the Australian Open with wildcard places at the French Open. Schoolkate, who ended Jannik Sinner's set-winning streak on Rod Laver Arena in January, and Aiava, who enjoyed a sparkling run through qualifying into the Open second round, will feature in at least a 15-strong Aussie contingent in the Paris main draw. It could well be even more than that with another dozen Australians battling in qualifying for places at Roland Garros the week after next, with the tournament proper starting on May 25. The duo are Tennis Australia's picks as part of the reciprocal wildcard agreements between the four grand slams. Schoolkate, the Perth 24-year-old who caused a mini-sensation by taking the first stanza off champion Sinner to end a three-month spell when the Italian world No.1 didn't lose a set, has been largely playing second-tier Challenger events since then. The world No.129 did win one in Brisbane in February and made the final in Guangzhou earlier this month, but he hasn't yet played a tour-level match on clay, so is effectively being thrown in at the deep end. Aiava, the 25-year-old Melburnian, has also been battling in lower-level events since the giddy high of Melbourne. There she battled through three qualifying matches, defeated Belgian Greet Minnen in a third-set tiebreaker and gave former finalist Danielle Collins a scare in the second round, continuing the good work of the 2024 US Open where she also got through qualies. Her best result since the Australian Open was reaching the final of an ITF event in Prague but she too is an absolute beginner on clay. Aiava will be the sixth Australian woman guaranteed a spot in the main draw at Roland Garros alongside Daria Kasatkina, Kim Birrell, Maya Joint, Ajla Tomljanovic and Olivia Gadecki. In the men's draw, Schoolkate will take his place alongside Alex de Minaur, Alexei Popyrin, Jordan Thompson, Aleksandar Vukic, Rinky Hijikata, Adam Walton, Chris O'Connell and James Duckworth.
7NEWS
12-05-2025
- Sport
- 7NEWS
Aussie tennis star Destanee Aiava and Tristan Schoolkate awarded French Open wildcards
Tristan Schoolkate and Destanee Aiava have been rewarded for their striking breakthrough performances at the Australian Open with wildcard places at the French Open. Schoolkate, who ended Jannik Sinner's set-winning streak on Rod Laver Arena in January, and Aiava, who enjoyed a sparkling run through qualifying into the Open second round, will feature in at least a 15-strong Aussie contingent in the Paris main draw. It could well be even more than that with another dozen Australians battling in qualifying for places at Roland Garros the week after next, with the tournament proper starting on May 25. Aiva and Schoolkate are Tennis Australia's picks as part of the reciprocal wildcard agreements between the four grand slams. It means the duo can scrap plans to go through qualifying and instead look forward to a guaranteed €78,000 ($A136,500) in first-round prize money, and more if they win through. Aiava, whose selection comes after she celebrated her 25th birthday on Saturday, has been battling in lower-level events since the giddy high of Melbourne. She was digesting being knocked out of a tournament last week when Sam Stosur called to inform her she had received the French Open wildcard. 'I'm so happy, honestly. I was not expecting it at all,' Aiava said on a Tennis Australia podcast. 'I literally had just lost my match last week. It was a really tight match and I was crying. And I was just like laying down, you know, wallowing in my sadness, and then I got a call from Sam, and I was like, oh, why is she calling me?. 'She said 'I hope this cheers you up, to offer you the French wildcard'. And I was like, excuse me? I had to look around to make sure like this was real life. 'I was just really happy, I was over the moon. Honestly it's so special and I don't think it's sunk in yet, but I'm training on the clay and trying to prepare as best I can. 'There's always something good around the corner, I guess, in this sport.' Aiava battled through three qualifying matches at the Australian Open then defeated Belgian Greet Minnen in a third-set tiebreaker in the first round proper. She gave former finalist Danielle Collins a scare in the second round, continuing the good work of the 2024 US Open where she also got through qualies. Her best result since the Australian Open was reaching the final of an ITF event in Prague but she too is an absolute beginner on clay. Aiava will be the sixth Australian woman guaranteed a spot in the main draw at Roland Garros alongside Daria Kasatkina, Kim Birrell, Maya Joint, Ajla Tomljanovic and Olivia Gadecki. In the men's draw, Schoolkate will take his place alongside Alex de Minaur, Alexei Popyrin, Jordan Thompson, Aleksandar Vukic, Rinky Hijikata, Adam Walton, Chris O'Connell and James Duckworth. Schoolkate, the Perth 24-year-old who caused a mini-sensation by taking the first stanza off champion Sinner to end a three-month spell when the Italian world No.1 didn't lose a set, has been largely playing second-tier Challenger events since then. The world No.129 did win one in Brisbane in February and made the final in Guangzhou earlier this month, but he hasn't yet played a tour-level match on clay, so is effectively being thrown in at the deep end. 'Thank you to Tennis Australia for this incredible opportunity,' Schoolkate said. 'My team and I have been putting in the work every day, always striving to reach new heights. 'I'm excited for the chance to compete against the world's best on the clay in Paris.' French Open 2025 prize money First round: €78,000 ($A136,500) Second round: €117,000 ($A205,000) Third round: €168,000 ($A294,000) Round of 16: €265,000 ($A464,000) Quarter-finals: €440,000 ($A770,000) Semi-finals: €690,000 ($A1.2m) Runner-up: €1.275m ($A2.23m) Champion: €2.55m ($A4.5m)
West Australian
12-05-2025
- Sport
- West Australian
Schoolkate and Aiava earn wildcards into French Open
Tristan Schoolkate and Destanee Aiava have been rewarded for their striking breakthrough performances at the Australian Open with wildcard places at the French Open. Schoolkate, who ended Jannik Sinner's set-winning streak on Rod Laver Arena in January, and Aiava, who enjoyed a sparkling run through qualifying into the Open second round, will feature in at least a 15-strong Aussie contingent in the Paris main draw. It could well be even more than that with another dozen Australians battling in qualifying for places at Roland Garros the week after next, with the tournament proper starting on May 25. The duo are Tennis Australia's picks as part of the reciprocal wildcard agreements between the four grand slams. Schoolkate, the Perth 24-year-old who caused a mini-sensation by taking the first stanza off champion Sinner to end a three-month spell when the Italian world No.1 didn't lose a set, has been largely playing second-tier Challenger events since then. The world No.129 did win one in Brisbane in February and made the final in Guangzhou earlier this month, but he hasn't yet played a tour-level match on clay, so is effectively being thrown in at the deep end. Aiava, the 25-year-old Melburnian, has also been battling in lower-level events since the giddy high of Melbourne. There she battled through three qualifying matches, defeated Belgian Greet Minnen in a third-set tiebreaker and gave former finalist Danielle Collins a scare in the second round, continuing the good work of the 2024 US Open where she also got through qualies. Her best result since the Australian Open was reaching the final of an ITF event in Prague but she too is an absolute beginner on clay. Aiava will be the sixth Australian woman guaranteed a spot in the main draw at Roland Garros alongside Daria Kasatkina, Kim Birrell, Maya Joint, Ajla Tomljanovic and Olivia Gadecki. In the men's draw, Schoolkate will take his place alongside Alex de Minaur, Alexei Popyrin, Jordan Thompson, Aleksandar Vukic, Rinky Hijikata, Adam Walton, Chris O'Connell and James Duckworth.
