Latest news with #defendingChampion
Washington Post
a day ago
- General
- Washington Post
French Open: Carlos Alcaraz beats a hurting Tommy Paul 6-0, 6-1, 6-4 to return to the semifinals
PARIS — It's tough enough for any player to deal with Carlos Alcaraz at the French Open . When you're not at your absolute best against the defending champion, as was the case for Tommy Paul in the quarterfinals Tuesday night, there's no chance. No. 2 seed Alcaraz returned to the semifinals at Roland-Garros for the third consecutive year with a 6-0, 6-1, 6-4 victory over No. 12 Tommy Paul, who had his right thigh heavily taped and was unable to run, serve or hit groundstrokes at full force.
Independent Singapore
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Independent Singapore
Carlos Alcaraz triumphed over 'battle in the mind' to reach the French Open quarterfinals
Carlos Alcaraz won not just against a formidable opponent, but also a 'battle in the mind' as he defeated Ben Shelton of the United States of America to secure a spot in the French Open quarterfinals. The Spaniard, 22 and the defending champion, showed his determination and skills in a four-set match, winning with a final scoreline of 7-6 (10-8), 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 on the iconic Court Philippe Chatrier. This victory also marks his 100th career win on the clay surface on the ATP Tour, cementing him as one of the athletes who has grown dominance on the said surface. Despite his win, it was the toughest match that the young athlete had faced. With this, Alcaraz admitted, ' Honestly, today I fought against myself in the mind… I just tried to calm myself – in some moments I was mad.' He added, 'I was angry with myself, talking not good things. I'm happy that I didn't let that thought play against me… I tried to calm myself and tried to keep going.' Highlights of the match The opening set had a difficult start as Alcaraz was unable to convert the only break point. In the tie-break, Shelton played aggressively and strongly, but held his nerve, eventually taking the set. Moreover, Shelton created six break point chances in the first game of the second set, but Alcaraz saved them all, and broke Shelton to win the set. In the third set, both players exchanged early breaks before Shelton saved a break point at 4-4. Alcaraz responded with professionalism and broke early in the fourth set for a 2-1 lead. Shelton couldn't close the lead, and Alcaraz won the match with a powerful forehand, sealing his 100th clay-court win and a spot in the last eight. 'Every time we face each other, I said we brought the level to the top… We entertained the people. He is a really powerful player. He can make any shots,' Alcaraz admitted. He added, 'I think we played really great tennis. Drops, coming to the net, big shots, and we stayed there the whole match… For me, it is great having Ben around, a great energy for tennis and for the people. I love watching him play.' Alcaraz shared a social media post captioned: 'Well played @benshelton! 🤝🏻 It was a fun match! Happy to be in the quarters! @rolandgarros' in which Ben Shelton replied to saying 'Too good 🙏🏽' Netizens showed their support for both athletes, praising their sportsmanship and the excitement of the match. Many described it as inspiring and a great example for young tennis fans. One fan commented, 'Cancel the final, we already watched it!! 🙌🙌' while another wrote, 'Fierce battle today, Carlitos! Great play and sportsmanship from both you and Ben! Tennis is in good hands with you two. Congrats on making the QFs. Vamos! 🩵🔥💪🗼' Others chimed in with messages like, 'Phenomenal Tennis boys!!! Thank you for the joy you give us!!! 🎾🎾🎾'
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
French Open 2025: Iga Świątek outlasts Elena Rybakina to advance to quarterfinals
No. 5 seed Iga Świątek moved closer to winning a fourth consecutive French Open championship, advancing to the quarterfinals after outlasting No. 12 Elena Rybakina in a thrilling three-set match that lasted 2 1/2 hours, 1-6, 6-3, 7-5. Rybakina won the first set decisively, dominating Świątek with her serve and overpowering her returns. She also had Świątek running from side-to-side, and she looked slow in doing so early in the match. The defending champion showed her frustration after failing to catch up to Rybakina's shots, something of a rarity for a player who shows remarkable calm on the court. Advertisement With the crowd at Court Philippe-Chatrier cheering for her, Świątek found the energy and movement she lacked in that first set, getting to some tough shots in the corners. As the pace of the match picked up, Świątek appeared to gain speed and evened it with some long rallies. Rybakina began to falter as Świątek made her work, especially in having to reach for lower returns. Not being able to square up for a shot resulted in a few errors that allowed Świątek to break her serve. Also important for Świątek was finding her backhand, which she had difficulty hitting well in the first set. Getting to play more proactively, rather than react defensively also made a major difference for Świątek, allowing her to dictate pace. Hitting shots far into the corner, out of from Rybakina's reach, was also a factor in taking control of the match. Advertisement Again, Świątek benefited from long rallies that appeared to tire Rybakina out. When she was dominating with her serve and winning points quickly, Rybakina had Świątek playing defensively. But that changed in the second set and continued into the third. As the match went longer, Świątek seemingly got stronger. Świątek finally landed the key blow to take a 6-5 lead in the third set when Rybakina attempted a drop shot that didn't land as short as hoped. Świątek was able to get to it and returned a shot that Rybakina couldn't recover, hitting it into the net. "First set, I felt like I was playing against Jannik Sinner," Świątek joked after the match, acknowledging how imposing Rybakina was in taking an early advantage. Up next for Świątek as she pursues her fifth French Open title is Elina Svitolina in the quarterfinals. Sviitolina upset Jasmine Paolini in three sets.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
French Open: Carlos Alcaraz shows sportsmanship by conceding a point to Ben Shelton
Ben Shelton of the U.S. returns the ball to Spain's Carlos Alcaraz during their fourth round match of the French Tennis Open, at the Roland-Garros stadium, in Paris, Sunday, June 1 2025. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena) Spain's Carlos Alcaraz returns the ball to Ben Shelton of the U.S. during their fourth round match of the French Tennis Open, at the Roland-Garros stadium, in Paris, Sunday, June 1 2025. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena) Spain's Carlos Alcaraz returns the ball to Ben Shelton of the U.S. during their fourth round match of the French Tennis Open, at the Roland-Garros stadium, in Paris, Sunday, June 1 2025. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena) Ben Shelton of the U.S. returns the ball to Spain's Carlos Alcaraz during their fourth round match of the French Tennis Open, at the Roland-Garros stadium, in Paris, Sunday, June 1 2025. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena) Spain's Carlos Alcaraz returns the ball to Ben Shelton of the U.S. during their fourth round match of the French Tennis Open, at the Roland-Garros stadium, in Paris, Sunday, June 1 2025. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena) PARIS (AP) — Carlos Alcaraz called himself for breaking the rules at the French Open and conceded a point to Ben Shelton on Sunday. Early in the second set of their fourth-round match, Shelton whipped a passing shot well out of Alcaraz's reach up at the net. So Alcaraz, the defending champion at Roland-Garros, flung his racket — and, as his equipment flipped through the air, its strings somehow not only made contact with the ball but sent it back over the net and onto the other side of the court. Advertisement Initially, the second-seeded Alcaraz was awarded the point. But he immediately went over to the chair umpire to admit that he wasn't holding his racket when it touched the ball. That's not allowed, so the point went to Shelton, an American seeded 13th. When the official informed the Court Philippe-Chatrier crowd what had happened, Alcaraz was given a round of applause. Making the moment possibly critical, instead of leading 40-30 on his serve, Alcaraz was now down 30-40, giving Shelton his first break point of the match. But Alcaraz saved that one — and five others in that game — along the way to taking a two-set lead in the best-of-five match. ___ More AP tennis:
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
French Open 2025: Iga Świątek outlasts Elena Rybakina to advance to quarterfinals
No. 5 seed Iga Świątek moved closer to winning a fourth consecutive French Open championship, advancing to the quarterfinals after outlasting No. 12 Elena Rybakina in a thrilling three-set match that lasted two and a half hours, 1-6, 6-3, 7-5. Rybakina won the first set decisively, dominating Świątek with her serve and overpowering on her returns. She also had Świątek running from side-to-side and she looked slow in doing so early in the match. The defending champion showed her frustration with failing to catch up to Rybakina's shots, something of a rarity for a player who shows remarkable calm on the court. Advertisement With the crowd at Court Philippe Chatrier cheering for her, Świątek found the energy and movement she lacked in that first set, getting to some tough shots in the corners. As the pace of the match picked up, Świątek appeared to gain speed and evened it with some long rallies. Elena Rybakina controlled her fourth-round match versus Iga Swiatek at the French Open early on with her serve, But the defending champion eventually found her footwork and created long rallies that tired her opponent out. (Photo by Burak Akbulut/Anadolu via Getty Images) (Anadolu via Getty Images) Rybakina began to falter as Świątek made her work, especially in having to reach for lower returns. Not being able to square up for a shot resulted in a few errors that allowed Świątek to break her serve. Also important for Świątek was finding her backhand, which she had difficulty hitting well in the first set. Getting to play more proactively, rather than react defensively also made a major difference for Świątek, allowing her to dictate pace. Hitting shots far into the corner, out of from Rybakina's reach, was also a factor in taking control of the match. Advertisement Again, Świątek benefited from long rallies that appeared to tire Rybakina out. When she was dominating with her serve and winning points quickly, Rybakina had Świątek playing defensively. But that changed in the second set and continued into the third. As the match went longer, Świątek seemingly got stronger. Świątek finally landed the key blow to take a 6-5 lead in the third set when Rybakina attempted a drop shot that didn't land as short as hoped. Świątek was able to get to it and returned a shot that Rybakina couldn't recover, hitting it into the net. "First set, I felt like I was playing against Jannik Sinner," Świątek joked after the match, acknowledging how imposing Rybakina was in taking an early advantage. Up next for Świątek as she pursues her fifth French Open title is Elina Svitolina in the quarterfinals. Sviitolina upset Jasmine Paolini in three sets.
