Latest news with #Swiatek
New Straits Times
40 minutes ago
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Alcaraz fights into French Open last 16 as Swiatek, Sabalenka progress
PARIS: Carlos Alcaraz survived a scare to book his place in the French Open last 16 on Friday, with defending women's champion Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka also through to the fourth round at Roland Garros. Second seed Alcaraz won 6-1, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 against 69th-ranked Bosnian Damir Dzumhur in the night session to keep his title defence on course. Four-time Grand Slam champion Alcaraz arrived as the favourite at Roland Garros after securing the Monte Carlo Masters and Italian Open trophies in the build-up to the clay-court major. But his fluctuating performances in the past two rounds have given his rivals reason to believe he is vulnerable. "Today I honestly didn't enjoy it that much. I suffered quite a lot," said a relieved Alcaraz, who came from a break down in the fourth set to seal victory. "That's why doing a really good result in a Grand Slam is really difficult because you have to maintain a really high level for three to four hours." The 22-year-old next meets American 13th seed Ben Shelton who eased past Italian qualifier Matteo Gigante 6-3, 6-3, 6-4. Swiatek kept her bid for a fourth consecutive French Open title on track, coming through 6-2, 7-5 against Romania's world number 60 Jaqueline Cristian in sweltering conditions. Swiatek broke the 60th-ranked Cristian twice in a comfortable first set, but she was pushed a lot harder by her rival in the second and had to save six break points. "She really stepped up in the second set. I had to step up as well. It was an entertaining match," said Swiatek, hoping to become the first woman to win four successive Roland Garros titles since Suzanne Lenglen 102 years ago. The 23-year-old Pole will next play 12th seed Elena Rybakina after the Kazakh dispatched 2017 champion Jelena Ostapenko 6-2, 6-2 in a clash of big hitters. Swiatek has a 4-4 record against Rybakina but has lost both previous meetings on clay. However she was relieved at avoiding Ostapenko, who is 6-0 against her. A grinning Swiatek suggested earlier she had no preference as to her last-16 opponent before asking: "Am I a good liar?" "Let's say it doesn't matter, really. Oh, my God. I couldn't play poker," joked the world number five who has not won a title since last year's French Open. Sabalenka produced a dominant display in a 6-2, 6-3 win over 34th-ranked Serbian left-hander Olga Danilovic. But the Madrid Open winner, whose best result at Roland Garros was a semi-final in Paris two years ago, insisted the pressure was on Swiatek. "Let's just leave it (the pressure) on Iga (Swiatek) since she won it, what, three times in a row," said Sabalenka. The 27-year-old Belarusian next plays 16th-seeded American Amanda Anisimova who ousted Danish 22nd seed Clara Tauson 7-6 (7/4), 6-4 in their third-round tie. Zheng Qinwen ended the run of Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko 6-3, 6-4. The Chinese eighth seed has now won nine successive matches at Roland Garros following her run to Olympic gold last year. Zheng is through to the fourth round in Paris for the second time and will next play Russian 19th seed Liudmila Samsonova who brushed aside Ukraine's Dayana Yastremska 6-2, 6-3. Italian fourth seed Paolini eased past Ukrainian lucky loser Yuliia Starodubtseva 6-4, 6-1. Runner-up last year at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, Paolini next plays Ukrainian 13th seed Elina Svitolina who dug deep to see off American Bernarda Pera 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (7/5). Eighth seed Musetti won 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 against Argentine Mariano Navone as he follows on from his runner-up finish in Monte Carlo and semi-final runs in Madrid and Rome. But the Italian dropped his first set in Paris against world number 97 Navone. "I've grown up a lot. A match like this I don't know if I would (have) come back a few years ago," said Musetti. "The heat was pretty tough to manage. But happy to find a way to turn around the match." Musetti next plays Rune who was two points from defeat in the fourth set before rallying past France's Quentin Halys 4-6, 6-2, 5-7, 7-5, 6-2. American Tommy Paul, the 12th seed, got past Russian Karen Khachanov 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (9/7), 3-6, 6-3 and meets Australian Alexei Popyrin, the 25th seed, who beat Portugal's Nuno Borges 6-4, 7-6 (13/11), 7-6 (7/5).
New Straits Times
40 minutes ago
- Sport
- New Straits Times
'Nice show': Swiatek says women deserve French Open night matches
PARIS: Three-time reigning champion Iga Swiatek said women's matches can provide just as much entertainment as the men's as she weighed in Friday on the uneven scheduling of French Open night sessions. Tournament director Amelie Mauresmo has rejected accusations that the decision to only put men's matches in the primetime slot implies that women are "not worthy" of it. Swiatek has been reluctant to get drawn into a continuing debate but said after her third-round win over Romania's Jaqueline Cristian that women's matches should be treated evenly. "I think it should be equal. Like personally it's not like, you know, I have big feelings about it because I just do my job. I adjust to the schedule that I'm given," she said. "But, yeah, I think it should be equal, because the women's matches can be an entertainment the same way. "As you could see today on my match, they were giving waves and everything. So people like it. We can put on a nice show. That's why I think it should be equal." Four-time Roland Garros champion Swiatek battled past the 60th-ranked Cristian 6-2, 7-5 to reach the fourth round and improve her win-loss record at the tournament to 38-2. Swiatek broke Cristian twice in a comfortable first set, but she was pushed a lot harder by her rival in the second and had to save six break points. The 23-year-old Pole increased her winning run at the French Open to 24 matches as she looks to become the first woman to win four successive titles in Paris in over a century. Swiatek will play 12th seed Elena Rybakina for a place in the quarter-finals after the Kazakh dispatched 2017 champion Jelena Ostapenko 6-2, 6-2 in a clash of big hitters. She has a 4-4 record against Rybakina but has lost both previous meetings on clay. Swiatek though could scarcely hide her relief at avoiding Ostapenko, who is 6-0 against her. A grinning Swiatek suggested earlier she had no preference as to her last-16 opponent before asking: "Am I a good liar?"
Time of India
an hour ago
- Sport
- Time of India
French Open 2025: Carlos Alcaraz fights into last-16 as Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka progress
Carlos Alcaraz serves during his third round match against Damir Dzumhur at the 2025 French Open at Roland Garros in Paris. (AP) Paris: Carlos Alcaraz survived a scare to book his place in the French Open last 16 on Friday, with defending women's champion Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka also through to the fourth round at Roland Garros. Second seed Alcaraz won 6-1, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 against 69th-ranked Bosnian Damir Dzumhur in the night session to keep his title defence on course. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! Four-time Grand Slam champion Alcaraz arrived as the favourite at Roland Garros after securing the Monte Carlo Masters and Italian Open trophies in the build-up to the clay-court major. But his fluctuating performances in the past two rounds have given his rivals reason to believe he is vulnerable. "Today I honestly didn't enjoy it that much. I suffered quite a lot," said a relieved Alcaraz, who came from a break down in the fourth set to seal victory. "That's why doing a really good result in a Grand Slam is really difficult because you have to maintain a really high level for three to four hours." The 22-year-old next meets American 13th seed Ben Shelton who eased past Italian qualifier Matteo Gigante 6-3, 6-3, 6-4. Swiatek kept her bid for a fourth consecutive French Open title on track, coming through 6-2, 7-5 against Romania's world number 60 Jaqueline Cristian in sweltering conditions. Swiatek broke the 60th-ranked Cristian twice in a comfortable first set, but she was pushed a lot harder by her rival in the second and had to save six break points. "She really stepped up in the second set. I had to step up as well. It was an entertaining match," said Swiatek, hoping to become the first woman to win four successive Roland Garros titles since Suzanne Lenglen 102 years ago. The 23-year-old Pole will next play 12th seed Elena Rybakina after the Kazakh dispatched 2017 champion Jelena Ostapenko 6-2, 6-2 in a clash of big hitters. Swiatek has a 4-4 record against Rybakina but has lost both previous meetings on clay. However she was relieved at avoiding Ostapenko, who is 6-0 against her. A grinning Swiatek suggested earlier she had no preference as to her last-16 opponent before asking: "Am I a good liar?" "Let's say it doesn't matter, really. Oh, my God. I couldn't play poker," joked the world number five who has not won a title since last year's French Open. Sabalenka shrugs off the pressure Sabalenka produced a dominant display in a 6-2, 6-3 win over 34th-ranked Serbian left-hander Olga Danilovic. But the Madrid Open winner, whose best result at Roland Garros was a semi-final in Paris two years ago, insisted the pressure was on Swiatek. "Let's just leave it (the pressure) on Iga (Swiatek) since she won it, what, three times in a row," said Sabalenka. The 27-year-old Belarusian next plays 16th-seeded American Amanda Anisimova who ousted Danish 22nd seed Clara Tauson 7-6 (7/4), 6-4 in their third-round tie. Poll Who do you think has the best chance of winning the French Open this year? Carlos Alcaraz Iga Swiatek Aryna Sabalenka Elena Rybakina Zheng Qinwen ended the run of Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko 6-3, 6-4. The Chinese eighth seed has now won nine successive matches at Roland Garros following her run to Olympic gold last year. Zheng is through to the fourth round in Paris for the second time and will next play Russian 19th seed Liudmila Samsonova who brushed aside Ukraine's Dayana Yastremska 6-2, 6-3. Italian fourth seed Paolini eased past Ukrainian lucky loser Yuliia Starodubtseva 6-4, 6-1. Runner-up last year at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, Paolini next plays Ukrainian 13th seed Elina Svitolina who dug deep to see off American Bernarda Pera 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (7/5). Musetti, Rune battle through Eighth seed Musetti won 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 against Argentine Mariano Navone as he follows on from his runner-up finish in Monte Carlo and semi-final runs in Madrid and Rome. But the Italian dropped his first set in Paris against world number 97 Navone. "I've grown up a lot. A match like this I don't know if I would (have) come back a few years ago," said Musetti. "The heat was pretty tough to manage. But happy to find a way to turn around the match." Musetti next plays Rune who was two points from defeat in the fourth set before rallying past France's Quentin Halys 4-6, 6-2, 5-7, 7-5, 6-2. American Tommy Paul, the 12th seed, got past Russian Karen Khachanov 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (9/7), 3-6, 6-3 and meets Australian Alexei Popyrin, the 25th seed, who beat Portugal's Nuno Borges 6-4, 7-6 (13/11), 7-6 (7/5). Arthur Fils, the 14th seed, withdrew ahead of his third-round match on Saturday, extending the host nation's wait for a first men's champion at Roland Garros since Yannick Noah in 1983.
Gulf Today
2 hours ago
- Sport
- Gulf Today
Sabalenka and Swiatek through, Musetti battles into French Open last 16
Iga Swiatek kept her bid for a fourth consecutive French Open title on track on Friday, advancing to the last 16 at Roland Garros along with top women's seed Aryna Sabalenka and Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen. Italy's Lorenzo Musetti and Dane Holger Rune rallied to set up a fourth-round clash. Swiatek came through despite a very close second set against Romania's world number 60 Jaqueline Cristian, winning 6-2, 7-5 in nearly two hours in sweltering conditions on Court Suzanne Lenglen. 'Before it was 20 degrees when I played my first match but today it was 30 degrees. It is not easy to adjust but I have played in every condition,' said Swiatek. She will play 12th seed Elena Rybakina for a place in the quarter-finals after the Kazakh dispatched 2017 champion Jelena Ostapenko 6-2, 6-2 in a clash of big hitters. She has a 4-4 record against Rybakina but has lost both previous meetings on clay. Swiatek though could scarcely hide her relief at avoiding Ostapenko, who is 6-0 against her. A former world number one, who has fallen to fifth in the WTA rankings, Swiatek has not won a title since her third consecutive title on the Parisian clay in 2024. Swiatek broke the 60th-ranked Cristian twice in a comfortable first set, but she was pushed a lot harder by her rival in the second and had to save six break points. 'She went for it every time I gave her a chance,' said Swiatek, hoping to become the first woman to win four successive Roland Garros titles since Suzanne Lenglen 102 years ago. 'I'm just happy that I was super solid and didn't give any free points but she used her chances.' Earlier, Sabalenka produced a dominant display in a 6-2, 6-3 win over Serbian left-hander Olga Danilovic. 'Olga is a fighter. I enjoyed our battle,' said Madrid Open winner Sabalenka after beating her 34th-ranked rival in 79 minutes on Court Philippe Chatrier. The 27-year-old Belarusian next plays 16th-seeded American Amanda Anisimova for a place in the quarter-finals. Anisimova ousted Danish 22nd seed Clara Tauson 7-6 (7/4), 6-4 in their third-round tie. Zheng ended the run of Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko 6-3, 6-4. The Chinese eighth seed has now won nine successive matches at Roland Garros following her run to Olympic gold last year. Zheng is through to the fourth round in Paris for the second time and will next Russian 19th seed Liudmila Samsonova who brushed aside Ukraine's Dayana Yastremska 6-2, 6-3. Zheng and Samsonova will both be bidding for a first Roland Garros quarter-final berth. Eighth seed Musetti won 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 against Argentine Mariano Navone in three hours and 25 minutes. Musetti arrived in Paris as one of the form players in the world after backing up his runner-up finish in Monte Carlo with semi-final runs in Madrid and Rome. But the Italian dropped his first set in Paris against world number 97 Navone. 'I've grown up a lot. A match like this I don't know if I would (have) come back a few years ago,' said Musetti. 'The heat was pretty tough to manage. But happy to find a way to turn around the match.' Musetti, who reached the fourth round in Paris for the third time, next plays Rune who rallied past France's Quentin Halys in five sets. In the night session, second seed Alcaraz steps up for a third-round meeting with 69th-ranked Bosnian Damir Dzumhur. Four-time Grand Slam champion Alcaraz is the title favourite after securing the Monte Carlo Masters and Italian Open trophies in the build-up to the clay-court major. The 22-year-old Spaniard has reached the second week in 10 of his last 11 Slam appearances. Agence France-Presse
News18
2 hours ago
- Sport
- News18
French Open: Defending Champion Carlos Alcaraz Tested As He Enters Last 16
Last Updated: Carlos Alcaraz needed four sets to defeat Damir Dzumhur and later admitted he suffered a lot during the contest. Carlos Alcaraz overcame a tough challenge to secure his place in the French Open last 16 on Friday. Defending women's champion Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka also advanced to the fourth round at Roland Garros. Second seed Alcaraz won 6-1, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 against 69th-ranked Bosnian Damir Dzumhur in the night session, keeping his title defense intact. Four-time Grand Slam champion Alcaraz came to Roland Garros as the favorite after winning the Monte Carlo Masters and Italian Open. However, his inconsistent performances in the last two rounds have given his rivals hope that he might be vulnerable. 'Today I honestly didn't enjoy it that much. I suffered quite a lot," said a relieved Alcaraz, who came from a break down in the fourth set to secure the win. 'That's why doing really well in a Grand Slam is difficult; you have to maintain a very high level for three to four hours." The 22-year-old will next face American 13th seed Ben Shelton, who defeated Italian qualifier Matteo Gigante 6-3, 6-3, 6-4. Swiatek stayed on track for her fourth consecutive French Open title, defeating Romania's world number 60 Jaqueline Cristian 6-2, 7-5 in sweltering conditions. Swiatek broke Cristian twice in a comfortable first set, but faced a tougher challenge in the second, having to save six break points. 'She really stepped up in the second set. I had to step up as well. It was an entertaining match," said Swiatek, who aims to be the first woman to win four successive Roland Garros titles since Suzanne Lenglen 102 years ago. The 23-year-old Pole will next play 12th seed Elena Rybakina, who defeated 2017 champion Jelena Ostapenko 6-2, 6-2 in a clash of big hitters. Swiatek has a 4-4 record against Rybakina but has lost both previous meetings on clay. She was relieved to avoid Ostapenko, who holds a 6-0 record against her. A grinning Swiatek suggested earlier she had no preference regarding her last-16 opponent before asking, 'Am I a good liar?" 'Let's say it doesn't matter, really. Oh, my God. I couldn't play poker," joked the world number five, who has not won a title since last year's French Open. Sabalenka delivered a dominant performance, defeating 34th-ranked Serbian left-hander Olga Danilovic 6-2, 6-3. The Madrid Open winner, whose best result at Roland Garros was a semi-final in Paris two years ago, insisted the pressure was on Swiatek. 'Let's just leave it (the pressure) on Iga (Swiatek) since she won it, what, three times in a row," said Sabalenka. The 27-year-old Belarusian will next play 16th-seeded American Amanda Anisimova, who defeated Danish 22nd seed Clara Tauson 7-6 (7/4), 6-4 in their third-round match. Zheng Qinwen ended the run of Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko with a 6-3, 6-4 victory. The Chinese eighth seed has now won nine consecutive matches at Roland Garros, following her run to Olympic gold last year. Zheng is through to the fourth round in Paris for the second time and will next face Russian 19th seed Liudmila Samsonova, who defeated Ukraine's Dayana Yastremska 6-2, 6-3. Italian fourth seed Paolini defeated Ukrainian lucky loser Yuliia Starodubtseva 6-4, 6-1. Runner-up last year at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, Paolini will next face Ukrainian 13th seed Elina Svitolina, who dug deep to defeat American Bernarda Pera 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (7/5). Eighth seed Musetti won 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 against Argentine Mariano Navone, following his runner-up finish in Monte Carlo and semi-final runs in Madrid and Rome. However, the Italian dropped his first set in Paris against world number 97 Navone. 'I've grown up a lot. A match like this I don't know if I would (have) come back a few years ago," said Musetti. 'The heat was pretty tough to manage. But happy to find a way to turn around the match." Musetti will next play Rune, who was two points from defeat in the fourth set before rallying to overcome France's Quentin Halys 4-6, 6-2, 5-7, 7-5, 6-2. American Tommy Paul, the 12th seed, defeated Russian Karen Khachanov 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (9/7), 3-6, 6-3 and will face Australian Alexei Popyrin, the 25th seed, who beat Portugal's Nuno Borges 6-4, 7-6 (13/11), 7-6 (7/5). Arthur Fils, the 14th seed, withdrew ahead of his third-round match on Saturday, extending the host nation's wait for a first men's champion at Roland Garros since Yannick Noah in 1983. Watch CNN-News18 here. News18 Sports brings you the latest updates, live commentary, and highlights from cricket, football, tennis, badmintion, wwe and more. Catch breaking news, live scores, and in-depth coverage. Also Download the News18 App to stay updated! tags : Aryna Sabalenka Carlos Alcaraz Damir Dzumhur french open French Open 2025 Iga Swiatek Location : Paris, France First Published: May 31, 2025, 09:58 IST
