Latest news with #Wimbledon
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Sport
- Time of India
French Open: Emma Raducanu's journey ends with a heavy defeat to Iga Swiatek
Emma Raducanu's French Open journey ended abruptly with a decisive defeat against defending champion Iga Swiatek, who showcased her dominance on clay. Swiatek's powerful performance extended her Roland-Garros winning streak, highlighting the gap Raducanu aims to bridge. Despite the loss, Raducanu remains optimistic, shifting her focus to the upcoming grass-court season, while Swiatek continues her quest for another title. Emma Raducanu exits French Open after straight-sets defeat by world No.1 Iga Swiatek, highlighting the gap to the top as she sets sights on Wimbledon Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Other matches Britain's Emma Raducanu 's promising French Open campaign came to an abrupt end on Wednesday(May 28) after a commanding 6-1, 6-2 defeat to defending champion and four-time Roland-Garros winner Iga Swiatek From the start of the match, it was clear this would be a tough day for Raducanu. Despite a competitive opening few games, Swiatek quickly turned up the pressure, using her powerful groundstrokes and superior court coverage to pull Polish star, who has now won 23 consecutive matches at Roland-Garros dating back to 2022, broke Raducanu's serve twice to close the first set 6-1. The second set saw a similar pattern, with Swiatek breaking early and finishing the match with Britain's No. 2 player, acknowledged the challenge of facing a player of Swiatek's caliber. 'I think every time we have played she plays really well,' Raducanu said. 'It kind of puts really a lot of pressure on from the beginning, makes me feel like I have to maybe do something extra or I just don't know what to do in the moment.'This match was a tough replay of their Australian Open meeting earlier this year, where Raducanu won only a single game against Swiatek. 'It just shows, I guess, the distance that I have to improve,' she added journey at Roland-Garros, though brief this time, reflects the growing pains of a young player on the rise. After capturing global attention with her stunning 2021 US Open title as a qualifier, expectations have been high. But as she transitions from teenage prodigy to a consistent contender, matches like this are valuable the loss, Raducanu remained upbeat about the future. 'I don't feel demotivated,' she said. 'Since Miami, I've really started building some momentum compared to where I came from at the start of the year, and it makes me just want to keep going after a couple of days off and then get on the grass.' Raducanu will now turn her attention to the grass-court season, with Wimbledon just weeks Swiatek, the victory solidifies her status as the dominant force on clay. The 23-year-old Polish star, who won the French Open in 2020, 2022, 2023, and 2024, said, 'I honestly just love playing here, this place really inspires me and makes me work harder.' She admitted the tricky wind conditions required some adjustment but felt confident other notable results on Wednesday(May 28) included Italian fourth seed Jasmine Paolini and China's Qinwen Zheng advancing to the third round. On the men's side, defending champion Carlos Alcaraz cruised into the next round, while Norway's Casper Ruud suffered a shock defeat.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
King's royal seal of approval for Weymouth florist
A FLORIST won a royal seal of approval for her spectacular display at Chelsea Flower Show. Denise Jones, from Wyke Regis, won gold in the floristry category, with a nautical showstopper representing the mental health benefits of cold-water swimming. And to make her day, King Charles, who regularly attends the show in Chelsea, was drawn to her substantial flower piece and stopped to discuss the design with her. She said: 'He walked past my exhibit and came over to me and I wasn't on the protocol - it was completely off the cuff. 'He was really interested in the organic shape of the willow structures. It was a really warm conversation and totally unexpected.' Denise, who has been a florist for 25 years, committed to making it her full time job after the pandemic in 2020, but found working in a studio by herself isolating. As a result, she joined The Black Pigs swimming group and found the support, combined with the new hobby, greatly helped the mental health challenges she had been facing. (Image: Denise Jones) She said: 'They are amazing. In the first instance, I joined to sea swim as it's a good mood booster. 'As a group, it's not just about swimming – they check in with me and cheer me on. Even when I couldn't swim, they'd ask how I was doing. They were just amazing.' To represent the groups sense of unity, Denise created Ebb and Bloom: Textures of Emotion, a 3X3m structure in the shape of three waves. It was one of the most ambitious in the competition and represented the tumultuous nature of mental health, with currents that can take people under. The flowers weaved into the structure signified light at the end of the tunnel and were specially selected as plants that represent hope and healing. (Image: Denise Jones) Denise, 58, who had never previously worked with willow, chose the material as it grows close to the sea. She undertook workshops to learn how to work with the new material and the waves took two and a half months to produce. It was then compiled with the floral arrangements and presented on May 24. 'It needed to be impactful and not just a few flower arrangements,' Denise said, 'I created three huge willow waves, designed the frame and weaved green and white willow for the crest. 'The theme [was] that mental health can be overwhelming, so that was the thought process behind it.' (Image: Denise Jones) The RHS Chelsea Flower Show is hosted annually by the Royal Horticultural Society and shows off the work of world-renowned plant specialists, florists and garden designers. Denise qualified for the competition when she competed at the Maulvern Autumn RHS show in September, where she placed 1st against 16 areas in the UK. Speaking of her incredible achievement, she said: 'It is the Wimbledon of the flower world. I'm speechless. It's surreal because it was such a big space and I had a vision, and I can honestly say I was so happy I finished.' 'I didn't even think I'd get a medal [so] to get a gold first time competing, it was surreal.' (Image: Denise Jones) Denise also runs her own workshops in her shop, The Floral Peacock Studio, to boost creativity and wellbeing in the community, as the swimming group did for her. The Black Pigs Swimming Group, named after a boat on Smallmouth Beach, are an open water swimming group based in Weymouth. Many of its members have accredited the group to helping them through turbulent times and mental health issues. Denise said: 'I started sea swimming because I thought it would give me purpose and boost my own mood which it did and that has become a big integral part of my life. 'Two came to see me at Chelsea and they were a big part of that journey. It's an amazing group of people. We're like minded and local and everybody is looking out for everybody else.'
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Sabalenka surges into third round after slow start
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 Top seed Aryna Sabalenka continued her strong start to the French Open with a confident win against Switzerland's Jil Teichmann to reach the third round. The Belarusian lost just one game in her Paris opener against Kamilla Rakhimova, but she surprisingly dropped serve early on against Teichmann. However, the three-time major winner composed herself and recovered well from her sluggish start, winning five games in a row to grab the first set. Sabalenka continued her charge in the second set with 17 winners to Teichmann's two, and she wrapped up a 6-3 6-1 win after 79 minutes. "It doesn't matter what the scoreboard says, she really made me work for every point. I'm really happy with this win," Sabalenka said afterwards. "It's always a tough match against her, she is a very tricky opponent with great tennis." Sabalenka, one of the pre-tournament favourites, will face world number 34 Olga Danilovic after the Serb beat American Danielle Collins 6-4 3-6 6-4. Earlier on Wednesday, last year's runner-up Jasmine Paolini moved past Australia's Ajla Tomljanovic with a routine 6-3 6-3 victory. Fresh from from lifting a WTA 1,000 title in Rome earlier this month, the victory was Paolini's eighth in a row. The Italian enjoyed a memorable 2024 season, soaring up the WTA rankings after reaching the finals of both the French Open and Wimbledon, while she also won Olympic gold in the women's doubles in Paris with compatriot Sara Errani. Asked if she felt calmer playing on Court Philippe Chatrier this year, Paolini replied: "It's a different feel I guess because last year I played a few matches here, and then again at the Olympics, so I am a bit more used to this court. Before, I had never played here. "I like this court, I have great memories here and it is great to be back in Paris in front of this crowd." Paolini will face Ukraine's Yuliia Starodubtseva next. Raducanu outclassed by Swiatek at French Open Alcaraz overcomes blip to progress - but Ruud exits French Open night session debate reignites Teenager Victoria Mboko reached round three on her Grand Slam debut by easing to a 6-4 6-4 win over German world number 58 Eva Lys. The 18-year-old from Canada came through qualifying without dropping a set, and will next face Olympic champion and eighth seed Zheng Qinwen of China, who earlier beat Colombian Emiliana Arango 6-2 6-3. Ranked 333rd at the start of the year, this was Mboko's 39th win of the season and moves her into the world's top 100. "I feel really happy right now, of course there is so much happening, even behind the scenes," said the former Wimbledon juniors semi-finalist. "But I feel like my family has been doing a good job of keeping me really isolated from it all." Meanwhile, 2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia battled back to win 5-7 6-3 6-3 against American Caroline Dolehide. Ukrainian 13th seed Elina Svitolina defeated Hungarian Anna Bondar 7-6 (7-4) 7-5 but Croatia's 18th seed Donna Vekic, who won Olympic silver at Roland Garros last year, was beaten 6-2 4-6 7-6 (10-3) by American world number 83 Bernarda Pera. In the women's doubles, Britain's Jodie Burrage and Sonay Kartal fought back from a set down to win 6-7 (5-7) 7-5 6-3 against China's Guo Hanyu and Japan's Ena Shibahara in a rain-disrupted first-round match. But Briton Harriet Dart and Australian partner Kimberly Birrell were beaten 7-6 (7-5) 3-6 6-2 by Romanian-Belgian duo Irina-Camelia Begu and Yanina Wickmayer. Live scores, results and order of play Get tennis news sent straight to your phone
Mint
9 hours ago
- Sport
- Mint
Roland Garros 2025: Iga Swiatek brushes aside Emma Raducanu in 79 minutes, extends winning run to 23 matches
The Iga Swiatek juggernaut rolls. The Polish superstar registered her 23rd consecutive win at the Roland Garros, Great Britain's Emma Raducanu being the latest victim, losing 6-1, 6-2 in straight sets. Swiatek's previous defeat at the French Open came against Greece's Maria Sakkari on June 9, 2021. Chris Evert (USA) - 29 matches (1974-1981) Monica Seles (Yugoslavia/USA) - 25 matches (1990-1996) Justine Henin (BEL) - 24 matches 2005-2010) Iga Swiatek (POL) - 23 matches (2022-2025) Swiatek can extend her streak to 28 matches if she manages to lift the trophy on June 7. She will also become the first woman to win four consecutive titles in more than a century. Jeanne Matthey (FRA), 1909-1912 Suzanne Lenglen (FRA), 1920-1923 In fact, only two women have managed to win four straight titles at any Grand Slam event. Martina Navratilova (USA) - Wimbledon (1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987) Chris Evert (USA) - US Open (1975, 1976, 1977, 1978).
NBC Sports
12 hours ago
- Sport
- NBC Sports
João Fonseca beats Hubert Hurkacz in French Open debut
PARIS — João Fonseca is making a habit of drawing big crowds at tennis tournaments — and of beating seeded opponents in his Grand Slam debuts. The 18-year-old from Brazil delighted a loud and overflowing group of spectators at 1,500-capacity Court 7 and won the first French Open match of his nascent career, beating 30th-seeded Hubert Hurkacz 6-2, 6-4, 6-2. 'I'm young, and I'm getting the experience of everything now,' Fonseca said. 'So I'm learning a lot from this circuit and this environment.' Fonseca needed just 1 hour, 40 minutes to wrap up the victory, producing more than twice as many winners, 36, as unforced errors, 15, and repeatedly delivering booming forehands. 'I mean, he's (got) a very powerful game,' said Hurkacz, who reached the Wimbledon semifinals in 2021 by beating Roger Federer in the last match of the 20-time major champion's career. 'He's definitely an all-around player and can develop a lot. It's difficult to play against him.' All along, Fonseca heard plenty of support from the Brazilians who haven't had a Grand Slam champion to cheer for since Gustavo Kuerten was winning three French Open titles in 1997, 2000 and 2001. Fonseca, the 2023 U.S. Open junior champion and currently ranked 65th, played his first match in the main draw of a major at the Australian Open in January, when he knocked off No. 9 seed Andrey Rublev.
