Latest news with #wildcard
National Post
a day ago
- Entertainment
- National Post
French Open: 361st-ranked Lois Boisson upsets No. 3 Jessica Pegula. Gauff, Djokovic and Sinner win
PARIS — Lois Boisson never had played at the French Open, let alone in the biggest arena at Roland-Garros. Nothing fazed the French wild-card entry and now she is in the quarterfinals. Article content Article content Boisson, ranked just 361st, threw her head back and roared after beating No. 3 seed Jessica Pegula 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 on Court Philippe-Chatrier in the fourth round Monday. Article content She is by far the lowest-ranked woman to beat someone ranked in the top five at the French Open in 40 years. The lowest previously in that span was No. 179 Aniko Kapros, who eliminated No. 5 Justine Henin in the first round in 2002. Article content Article content Boisson also is the lowest-ranked woman to reach the quarterfinals at Roland-Garros since at least 1985. Article content Quite a victory, considering Pegula was the U.S. Open runner-up last year. Understandably, Boisson was nervous as she served for the match and saved three break points. Article content After Pegula missed an easy-looking winner at the net and clutched her head in her hands, Boisson had her first match point, the biggest point of her career. Article content Pegula returned a strong serve to the back of the court, where Boisson unleashed a forehand winner down the line. She then raised her arms and realized the enormity of her win. Article content 'Thank you to all of you,' Boisson told the crowd in her post-match interview. 'Playing on this court with such an atmosphere was really incredible.' Article content Boisson made the notoriously hard-to-please crowd laugh when she added: 'I'm really happy on here. I can stay a long time if you like.' Article content The crowd broke into chants of 'Lois! Lois!' and she waved back to them. Article content She is the only French singles player left in either bracket and feels comfortable on clay, having played on it regularly since taking up tennis when she was 8. Article content Asked what her ambitions were for the rest of the tournament _ she plays sixth-seeded Mirra Andreeva on Wednesday in the quarterfinals — Boisson replied, 'I hope to win, right?' Article content That prompted more laughter from the crowd, which included tournament director Amelie Mauresmo, who has been criticized for the lack of women's matches during night sessions. Article content Another women's quarterfinal was set up between No. 2 Coco Gauff and No. 7 Madison Keys, two Americans who each own one Grand Slam title. Gauff, the 2023 U.S. Open champion, won 6-0, 7-5 against No. 20 Ekaterina Alexandrova, and Keys, the Australian Open title winner in January, defeated yet another American, Hailey Baptiste, 6-3, 7-5. Article content Over on Court Suzanne-Lenglen, the 18-year-old Andreeva, who reached the semifinals at Roland-Garros last year for her best performance at a major, got past No. 17 Daria Kasatkina 7-5, 6-3. They are pals, and Kasatkina playfully threw her wristband at Andreeva when they came to the net; Andreeva joked she would keep it.
The Independent
a day ago
- Entertainment
- The Independent
French Open: 361st-ranked Frenchwoman Boisson upsets No. 3 Pegula. Gauff and Djokovic win
Loïs Boisson never had played at the French Open, let alone in the biggest arena at Roland-Garros. Nothing fazed the French wild-card entry and now she is in the quarterfinals. Boisson, ranked just 361st, threw her head back and roared after beating No. 3 seed Jessica Pegula 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 on Court Philippe-Chatrier in the fourth round Monday. She is by far the lowest-ranked woman to beat someone ranked in the top five at the French Open in 40 years. The lowest previously in that span was No. 179 Aniko Kapros, who eliminated No. 5 Justine Henin in the first round in 2002. Boisson also is the lowest-ranked woman to reach the quarterfinals at Roland-Garros since at least 1985. Quite a victory, considering Pegula was the U.S. Open runner-up last year. Understandably, Boisson was nervous as she served for the match and saved three break points. After Pegula missed an easy-looking winner at the net and clutched her head in her hands, Boisson had her first match point, the biggest point of her career. Pegula returned a strong serve to the back of the court, where Boisson unleashed a forehand winner down the line. She then raised her arms and realized the enormity of her win. 'Thank you to all of you," Boisson told the crowd in her post-match interview. 'Playing on this court with such an atmosphere was really incredible.' Boisson made the notoriously hard-to-please crowd laugh when she added: 'I'm really happy on here. I can stay a long time if you like.' The crowd broke into chants of 'Loïs! Loïs!" and she waved back to them. She is the only French singles player left in either bracket and feels comfortable on clay, having played on it regularly since taking up tennis when she was 8. Asked what her ambitions were for the rest of the tournament — she plays sixth-seeded Mirra Andreeva on Wednesday in the quarterfinals — Boisson replied, 'I hope to win, right?' That prompted more laughter from the crowd, which included tournament director Amelie Mauresmo, who has been criticized for the lack of women's matches during night sessions. What else happened at the French Open on Monday? Another women's quarterfinal was set up between No. 2 Coco Gauff and No. 7 Madison Keys, two Americans who each own one Grand Slam title. Gauff, the 2023 U.S. Open champion, won 6-0, 7-5 against No. 20 Ekaterina Alexandrova, and Keys, the Australian Open title winner in January, defeated yet another American, Hailey Baptiste, 6-3, 7-5. Over on Court Suzanne-Lenglen, the 18-year-old Andreeva, who reached the semifinals at Roland-Garros last year for her best performance at a major, got past No. 17 Daria Kasatkina 7-5, 6-3. They are pals, and Kasatkina playfully threw her wristband at Andreeva when they came to the net; Andreeva joked she would keep it. In men's action, Novak Djokovic earned his 100th career French Open victory and set up a quarterfinal against No. 3 Alexander Zverev, last year's runner-up. No. 62 Alexander Bublik surprised No. 5 Jack Draper 5-7, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 and next meets either No. 1 Jannik Sinner or No. 17 Andrey Rublev, who were scheduled to play Monday night for the last men's quarterfinal spot. Djokovic overwhelmed Cam Norrie 6-2, 6-3, 6-2, and Zverev was leading 6-4, 3-0 when Tallon Griekspoor quit because of an abdominal strain. Who is playing at Roland-Garros on Tuesday? The quarterfinals get started on Day 10. The women's matches are No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka vs. Olympic champion Qinwen Zheng, and three-time defending champion Iga Swiatek against No. 13 Elina Svitolina. The men's matches are No. 8 Lorenzo Musetti vs. No. 15 Frances Tiafoe, and defending champion Carlos Alcaraz vs. No. 12 Tommy Paul at night. Tiafoe and Paul give the United States two men's quarterfinalists for the first time since Jim Courier and Pete Sampras in 1996. There hadn't even been one from the country since Andre Agassi in 2003. ___ AP tennis:
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Britain's Got Talent fans all say the same thing minutes into the ITV finale
The finale of Britain's Got Talent is currently underway, and mere minutes into the show, everyone is saying the same thing. The hunt to find the UK's next star to perform at the Royal Variety will reach its end tonight. Simon Cowell, Alesha Dixon, Amanda Holden, and Bruno Tonioli will cast their eyes over the finalists in season 18's showpiece event as Ant and Dec front the show. 10 acts will take to the stage for the last time. The betting odds for the final have been revealed and indicate Hear Me Out will take home the crown in 2025. READ MORE: Gogglebox couple's five-word message as they bid farewell to show READ MORE: Britain's Got Talent fans have same verdict on Amanda Holden's finale outfit However, it is a completely different act that has got everyone talking on social media. As the finalists were being introduced on stage, many fans at home shared similar thoughts about this year's wild card, Han and Fran. The work besties-turned pop girlies got eliminated last weekend on Saturday, May 21, during the semi-finals. The two were vying to become the first Welsh winners of the show, but their dreams were crushed - or so they thought. The pair were called back for a second chance, with Simon explaining: 'They got a massive vote from the public, and therefore they deserve a chance at the final.' The two were the first to take to the stage tonight and performed an ABBA medley. But some fans were less than impressed. Alex said: 'Han and Fran got the judges wild card; I didn't expect them to get it.' Sarah said: 'They had all of those options and they picked them?' Phillip wrote: 'Han & Fran is the wildcard?! I loved them but surely there was better acts to bring to the final.' Zombi added: 'What a waste of a wildcard', whereas Phil said: 'Stop making excuses why Han and Fran made the wild card. A final place wasted.' However, the judges felt completely different about the two. Simon said their performance was the pair's best so far adding: 'You're gutsy and you sounded great.' Amanda claimed they were one of her favourite acts ever to grace the stage, reminding her of her friends, and Alesha had similar praise.'
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Britain's Got Talent final viewers disappointed as judges' wildcard act revealed
The wildcard act for the 2025 Britain's Got Talent final has been revealed, and fans are disappointed. After a number of weeks of exciting semi-finals, there were various acts that missed out on the chance to perform in the final. However, of all the acts, one is in the final as the wildcard. But some fans have been left disappointed by the decision. The wildcard act chosen for the 2025 Britain's Got Talent final is Han and Fran. They were chosen as the 11th act by the judges. Ant and Dec revealed the wildcard during the opening of the final, with Simon saying: "They got a massive vote from the public and therefore they deserve a shot in the final." Viewers quickly voiced their opinion, with many taking to X (formerly Twitter) to share what they thought of the pair's return. One said: "So has Simon just confirmed Han and Fran are the wild card because they got the highest 2nd place vote?" Another added: "So many better acts should've been chosen as the wildcard." "Why would you bring these two back?", a third said. And our Wildcard is... HAN & FRAN!!! 🪩🎶 Will you take a chance on the disco divas? #BGT #BritainsGotTalent #BGTFinal — BGT (@BGT) May 31, 2025 The vocalist duo quickly became fan favourites on their first appearance. Despite performing a second ABBA medley, the duo were eliminated on last weekend's (May 24) semi-final. They are vying to become the first Welsh winners of the show. Recommended reading: How to vote in the Britain's Got Talent 2025 Final on ITV tonight 'Unbelievable' act Simon Cowell credits for Britain's Got Talent's success Britain's Got Talent's most viewed audition that led to over 1bn streams of song The wildcard was first introduced back in series six when Alesha Dixon and David Walliams joined the panel Each year, the judges have chosen one wildcard, with the exception of series nine and series 10, in which there was both a judges' and a public wildcard. In series 14, there was no wildcard.
News.com.au
12-05-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Destanee Aiava and fellow Aussie Tristan Schoolkate given wildcards into French Open
Destanee Aiava has gone from crying after her last-start loss to buzzing with excitement after snaring a wildcard for the French Open. Aiava and fellow Aussie Tristan Schoolkate will get their main draw chances at Roland Garros in search of grand slam breakthroughs. Ranked world No.157, Aiava made it to the second round of the Australian Open, her first main draw appearance since 2021, after taking down Belgium's Greet Minnen in the opening round. She got the news of her Roland Garros wildcard from Australian Billie Jean King Cup captain Sam Stosur and conceded it came as a shock having been 'wallowing in my sadness' after a recent defeat. 'I'm so happy, honestly. I was not expecting it at all,' Aiava said on this week's episode of The Sit-Down 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 [Stosur], and I was like, 'oh, why is she calling me'? (laughter). '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.' West Australian Schoolkate has enjoyed a career-best 12 months and moved to 129 in the world having captured his first ATP Challenger title at the 2024 Guangzhou International Challenger. He made headlines at Australian Open 2025 by taking the first set against No.1 Jannik Sinner and now wanted to take advantage of his French Open opportunity. '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.' The addition of Aiava and Schoolkate bring the Australian contingent in Roland Garros singles to 15.
