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New York Times
2 hours ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
French Open recap: Mirra Andreeva, Daria Kasatkina and tennis friendships
Follow The Athletic's French Open coverage Welcome to the French Open briefing, where The Athletic will explain the stories behind the stories on each day of the tournament. On day nine, two good friends showed off the two sides of knowing each other's games, a day of freshness arrived for two quarterfinalists and a window of opportunity opened for Jannik Sinner's next opponent. Unless you are Zheng Qinwen, who has strategically decided that she cannot be friends with anyone on the WTA Tour because it would make competing with them too difficult, playing a big match against a buddy eventually happens. On Monday it was Mirra Andreeva and Daria Kasatkina's turn. For the 18-year-old Andreeva, Kasatkina, with a decade more of wear on her tires, has become a significant role model. They are both Russian by birth and irreverent souls by spirit. Andreeva often appears on Kasatkina's vlog documenting her escapades on the tour. Advertisement Last fall Kasatkina, consoled Andreeva after beating her in the Ningbo final. No more consoling is necessary. Andreeva, now the world No. 6, is 11 spots ahead of Kasatkina. When she beat her in the round of 16 Monday, Kasatkina threw her wristband at the teenager as they approached the net after Andreeva's straight-sets win. Andreeva loved it. Playing against a friend is way easier than it once was. 'I don't know what changed, but today was not that hard to, you know, kind of change my mindset and step on court and kind of be opponents,' she said. 'I managed to kind of tell myself that I'm playing against the ball, not against the opponent. I just tried to focus on the ball that I have to hit.' For, Kasatkina, a regular practice partner for Andreeva, an adjustment might be in order, especially in terms of showing Andreeva the ropes. 'If I'm responsible for her matureness, then I have to now shut up,' she said. Matt Futterman Given the problems Dutch player Tallon Griekspoor has given world No. 3 Alexander Zverev previously, Novak Djokovic would have been forgiven for hoping for more of the same on Monday. When Zverev and Griekspoor met at Roland Garros last year, the match went all the way to a fith-set tiebreak. The duo also went the distance at Indian Wells, Calif. earlier this year, this time in three sets. Going into Monday's round of 16 at the French Open, Djokovic knew that if he could get past Cameron Norrie, he'd be playing the winner of the latest instalment of Griekspoor vs. Zverev. Another battle royale would suit him just fine. Another seesaw battle looked possible early on, when Griekspoor broke early for 3-0. But the Dutchman had suffered an abdominal injury in practice earlier that day, and after 13 games, he had to retire when trailing 6-4, 3-0. A nice bonus for Zverev, who will want all the rest he can get before the big tests ahead. Zverev said after beating Griekspoor that he would definitely be watching Djokovic's match against Norrie, and he too would have been hoping for a tiring, drawn-out affair. Given Norrie's ability to run all day and turn matches into wars of attrition, he might have held out some hope. He ended up disappointed, as Djokovic eased to a 6-2, 6-3, 6-2 win in two hours and 14 minutes. Advertisement Djokovic and Zverev should both be well rested then for Wednesday's meeting, which should make for a competitive, very physical match. When they met at the Australian Open in January, the first set alone lasted 81 minutes, before Djokovic retired with the hamstring injury he'd picked up in the previous round against Carlos Alcaraz. Zverev knows that he'll be facing a far less physically compromised Djokovic this time around. Charlie Eccleshare Men's world No. 1 Jannik Sinner has lost just 11 games in his past two matches, and he was almost as dominant in his 6-1, 6-3, 6-4 win over Andrey Rublev Monday as he had been in the previous round against Jiří Lehečka. Rublev, the No. 17 seed, and Lehečka, the world No. 34, are by no means weak opposition, but they are both pretty one-dimensional. Rublev and Lehečka play in much the same style as Sinner, and he just does just about everything better than they do. Both tried to outhit the Italian; both were left shaking their heads at the futility of their approach. There isn't exactly a winning strategy for beating Sinner right now, apart from being Carlos Alcaraz, but the Italian's next opponent, Alexander Bublik, has some of the tools that make Alcaraz such a difficult opponent. What discomfits Sinner is changes in rhythm: being asked to hit balls that are coming with different heights, speeds, and spins is one of the only tennis questions that he is yet to fully answer, especially on clay. Bublik, a mercurial talent from Kazakhstan, is capable of asking that question. He has a massive serve and power off the ground, but he's also one of the trickiest, most unpredictable players on the tour. He fried No. 5 seed Jack Draper's brain in a four-set win Monday and will ask Sinner different questions than the minimal ones Rublev and Lehecka have posed over the last few days. Advertisement It's hard to make a case for Bublik ultimately winning the match, but it has better evidence than just about everybody else in the ATP top 30 can muster. Charlie Eccleshare There are plenty of layers to the upcoming quarterfinal matchup between Coco Gauff and Madison Keys. It's a matchup of styles, a matchup between the two most recent Grand Slam champions from the U.S.. It's also a matchup between two women who have lived the hype of being the next big thing. Keys has had the benefit of watching Gauff live that in real time. She's known Gauff since she was a pre-teen and has watched her evolve from a hot prospect into a seasoned pro, the same thing that she had to do roughly a decade before. 'I'm always really impressed with the fact that she handles it so well, because she's had even more success and more media attention than I had, and I know that it was definitely really hard for me,' Keys said Monday after beating another hot young American prospect, Hailey Baptiste, in straight sets. 'I feel like you watch her, and she just takes it all in stride and continues to just be 100 percent her, and I'm always just really impressed by it.' Matt Futterman Tell us what you noticed on the eighth day… (Top photo of Daria Kasatkina and Mirra Andreeva: Robert Prange / Getty Images; design: Eamonn Dalton / The Athletic)
CNA
6 hours ago
- Business
- CNA
Boisson smells success as French hope reaches Paris last eight
PARIS : The last time Lois Boisson talked about getting a big sponsor it was a joke, but now France's new tennis hope might actually land one. In April, Boisson made headlines off the court when Britain's Harriet Dart complained about her body odour during a match. The 20-year-old responded with humour, posting a photoshopped image of herself mid-serve holding a deodorant can and tagging Dove for a 'much-needed collab.' Fast forward to Monday and Boisson is not just making memes, she's making history. The world number 361 stunned third seed Jessica Pegula in front of a roaring home crowd at Roland Garros to book a place in the quarter-finals and secure at least $500,000 in prize money. 'It's already a big achievement to be in the quarters,' Boisson said, still remarkably grounded in her post-match press conference. 'My ranking will open doors to bigger tournaments, and that's what will change my life.' It marked only her second appearance on Court Philippe Chatrier — the first was a single training session four years ago during qualifying. This time, though, she has looked perfectly at home in her first participation in the main draw of a Grand Slam. "When I came in, I didn't feel any more pressure than usual. The more matches I play here, the better I feel,' she said. Boisson had won in three sets against compatriot Elsa Jacquemot in the third round to set up her clash with Pegula. 'Of course, the last two matches were tense. I made a few mistakes because of the pressure, but in the end, it worked out — and that's what counts,' she added. Boisson will next face sixth-seeded Russian Mirra Andreeva in what promises to be another electric showdown on the clay.
Reuters
7 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Reuters
Sabalenka eyes revenge against Zheng in French Open quarter-finals
PARIS, June 2 (Reuters) - The French Open quarter-finals start on Tuesday with top seed Aryna Sabalenka facing Zheng Qinwen, who won gold when Roland Garros hosted the tennis tournament at last year's Paris Olympics. The defending champions are also in action, with Iga Swiatek taking on Elina Svitolina and Carlos Alcaraz facing Tommy Paul. TOP WOMEN'S MATCH: ARYNA SABALENKA V ZHENG QINWEN World number one Sabalenka, yet to drop a set at the French Open this year, looked unstoppable as she weathered first-set pressure against Amanda Anisimova and landed 11 aces to reach the quarter-finals. But the 27-year-old's toughest test yet comes from a player the Belarusian defeated the first six times they met. Chinese eighth seed Zheng Qinwen secured her first win over Sabalenka last month, beating the Belarusian in straight sets at the Italian Open, the first time they played on clay. "The few times I faced her in the beginning, I gave her too much respect," Zheng said. Zheng has dropped only one set in reaching the last eight for the first time as she bids for her first Grand Slam title. "She's a great player," Sabalenka said. "Of course, I expect a great battle, and I'm super excited to face her in the quarter-finals, and I want to get my revenge." TOP MEN'S MATCH: TOMMY PAUL V CARLOS ALCARAZ Two five-set clashes tested Paul as his French Open campaign got off to a tough start, but the American looked more solid when he beat Alexei Popyrin in straight sets to reach the quarter-finals for the first time. Paul must overcome defending champion Alcaraz in the quarter-finals to keep his quest for a maiden Grand Slam title alive. The 12th seed's source of inspiration to upset the world number two is not one of his two wins over Alcaraz but the latest of his four losses to the Spaniard. Paul lost in straight sets to the Spaniard at the Paris Olympics last year, but the American did have his moments in the match. "I know a lot of things that I could have done better... I think we would go into the match with some good, new ideas." Alcaraz has beaten Paul the last three times they met. "I remember that every match I've played against him he was really tough," he said. "We make really good rallies, good points... it's going to be a good quarter-final." Swiatek bounced back after losing the first set 6-1 to beat Elena Rybakina on Sunday, staying on track to win a fourth straight French Open crown. Svitolina has played four tiebreakers in her last three matches, grinding out hard-fought victories to reach the quarter-finals for the fourth time. But Svitolina, who has lost three of her four matches against Swiatek, showed the two had something important in common when the Ukrainian shocked last year's finalist Jasmine Paolini in the fourth round after saving three match points. "I tried to really stick to my game plan, tried to stay in the match, keep fighting," Svitolina said. Swiatek, on a 25-match winning streak at Roland Garros, spoke of playing with a similar spirit after her win over Rybakina. "I kind of accepted that I can lose it the match but it didn't change the fact that I wanted to fight for it anyway," the Polish fifth seed said. FRENCH OPEN ORDER OF PLAY ON TUESDAY (prefix number denotes seeding) COURT PHILIPPE-CHATRIER (play begins at 0900 GMT) 1-Aryna Sabalenka (Belarus) v 8-Zheng Qinwen (China) 13-Elina Svitolina (Ukraine) v 5-Iga Swiatek 8-Lorenzo Musetti (Italy) v 15-Frances Tiafoe (U.S.) 12-Tommy Paul (U.S.) v 2-Carlos Alcaraz (Spain)
Free Malaysia Today
9 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Free Malaysia Today
Teenager Andreeva beats Kasatkina to reach French Open quarters
Mirra Andreeva is the youngest player to reach back-to-back French Open quarter-finals in nearly three decades. (AP pic) PARIS : Mirra Andreeva became the youngest player to reach back-to-back French Open quarter-finals in nearly three decades after the gifted Russian teenager overcame Australian 17th seed Daria Kasatkina 6-3, 7-5 today. The powerful 18-year-old has scythed through the women's field at Roland Garros without dropping a set and her fourth round victory on a sunbathed Court Suzanne Lenglen helped her match the feat of Swiss Martina Hingis between 1997 and 1998. 'Honestly, I'm so happy I won. I hate playing against her, we practise a lot and even that is a torture,' Andreeva said with a smile in her on-court interview. 'It was a hell of a match. I'm super happy I stayed calm in the second set when she raised her level… I had to fight and continue playing my game. 'I knew if I believed in myself I would win a third set.' Andreeva came up with a tight hold to thwart her frequent practice partner in the seventh game and grabbed the break in the next game when Kasatkina sent a backhand long. Russian-born Kasatkina, who switched nationalities this year, beat Andreeva in three sets when they met in last year's Ningbo final and the 28-year-old showcased her fighting spirit in the next set to recover a break and lead 5-3. 'My coach (Conchita Martinez) says you've got to practise with the people you don't like. That's why I practise with her because I hate her,' Andreeva joked. 'I knew this match would be tough.' Sixth seed Andreeva broke back and defended valiantly to level at 5-5, before edging ahead again to close out the victory and book a meeting with either French wildcard Lois Boisson or American third seed Jessica Pegula.
The Guardian
11 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Daria Kasatkina bows out at French Open with defeat to familiar foe Mirra Andreeva
Daria Kasatkina's first grand slam as an Australian is over, ended at the French Open by her teenage phenomenon friend Mirra Andreeva. Two months since being granted permanent residency, Kasatkina's hopes of becoming the first Australian woman to reach the quarter-finals since Ash Barty's triumphant year of 2019 finally unravelled 6-3 7-5 at the hands of the exceptional Russian-born 18-year-old. The only other time the pair had played, in the final of last October's Ningbo Open in China, Andreeva had ended in tears and needed to be comforted by Kasatkina after blowing a 3-0 lead in the final set. On Monday, though, the French-based teen who has rocketed to No 6 in the world didn't let Kasatkina, 10 years her senior, off the hook on Court Suzanne Lenglen despite another nervy blip. Kasatkina even earned a set point to level the match after rallying in gritty fashion but Andreeva showed steely resolve to the win a compelling 94-minute duel. Defeat for Kasatkina meant the end of the green-and-gold singles challenge, but she could pride herself on having been the last Australian standing among the 16 starters in the draw. The youngest player to reach back-to-back women's singles quarter-finals at Roland Garros since Martina Hingis!Catch up on the highlights from Mirra Andreeva's straight-sets victory over Kasatkina 👇#RolandGarros 'It was a hell of a match,' Andreeva said after the friends hugged at the net. 'I'm super happy I stayed calm in the second set when she raised her level. Honestly, I'm so happy I won. I hate playing against her, we practise a lot and even that is a torture. 'My coach [Conchita Martinez] says you've got to practise with the people you don't like. That's why I practise with her because I hate her!' she added with a big smile. A tactical affair between two mates with terrific all-court games – Andreeva comes over like a younger, more power-laden version of Kasatkina – broke out on Roland Garros's second biggest arena as the Australian comfortably held her own at the start. Kasatkina even looked set to strike first in the seventh game, carving out two break points as Andreeva grew impatient. But the youngster is as tough as she is gifted. She held serve then induced five errors from Kasatkina in the next game to annex the key break. Under increasing pressure from the depth and accuracy of the teen's laser groundstrokes, Kasatkina scooped a backhand long to gift the first set in 40 minutes. Her problems were immediately compounded when Andreeva pulled off a lovely move at the start of the second set, a neat drop shot followed by a lofted winning pass that sealed an immediate break. Sign up to Australia Sport Get a daily roundup of the latest sports news, features and comment from our Australian sports desk after newsletter promotion Kasatkina had promised she was ready to 'die on court' and she looked absolutely spent after prevailing in one remarkable 26-shot rally. And that utter determination started to gnaw away at Andreeva as the Australian reeled off four games in a row from 3-1 down to serve for the set. But Andreeva immediately counter-attacked to break back, then battled to hold after Kasatkina earned a set point on the youngster's delivery at 5-4, only to be deprived by a powerful forehand. Once back level, Andreeva began to dictate. One piece of amazing defensive retrieving also induced a dismal Kasatkina smash into the net, and enabled her to break to love. She then sealed the deal on her second match point with Kasatkina hitting a forehand long. Andreeva has now reached the quarters without dropping a set and she's the youngest to achieve back-to-back last-eight appearances since Martina Hingis 27 years ago.
