PARIS: Aryna Sabalenka and Karolina Muchova are in the French Open semifinals for the first time.
The second-seeded Sabalenka overpowered Elina Svitolina 6-4, 6-4 on Tuesday to set up a semifinal against the unseeded Muchova. The Czech beat 2021 runner-up Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia 7-5, 6-2.
Muchova and Sabalenka had never progressed beyond the third round in Paris.
Svitolina was booed by some sections of the crowd because she snubbed the Australian Open champion after the final point, instead of shaking her hand at the net.
Sabalenka walked up to the net, and leaned on the top of it with both hands, looking at Svitolina as she walked. Svitolina did not look in her direction and went straight to the sideline.
Sabalenka is from Belarus, and Svitolina — playing in her first major since becoming a mother — is from Ukraine. Belarus aided Russia in its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and the war continues. Like other players from Ukraine, including Sabalenka’s first-round opponent last week, Svitolina has not been shaking hands with players from Belarus or Russia after matches.
Sabalenka’s all-risk tennis paid dividends despite 37 unforced errors. Her aggressive returns and deep groundstrokes put Svitolina on the backfoot from the start. Under pressure at the beginning of the second set and 2-0 down, Sabalenka raised her game to win four games in a row and sealed the match with a forehand winner.
Sabalenka has yet to drop a set in the tournament.
Pavlyuchenkova played for more than three hours in her previous match and appeared tired as she got off a sluggish start and gave away too many easy points.
She tried to fight back using her powerful groundstrokes but her hopes of a comeback were dashed when she went down 4-1 in the second set after another big forehand bounced wide.
Pavlyuchenkova missed most of the 2022 season with a knee injury. Ranked No. 333, she was the lowest-ranked woman to reach the Roland Garros quarterfinals in the Open Era, and the lowest at any Grand Slam since 2017.
Muchova has also been slowed by an injuries as an abdominal problem forced her to rest for six months after the 2021 US Open. She damaged an ankle during her third-round match at Roland Garros last year.
Muchova will be playing her second semifinal at a major after making it that far at the Australian Open two years ago.
In the men’s bracket, top-ranked Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic are on a collision course and could set up a mouth-watering semifinal contest if they both win Tuesday.
Djokovic, the 22-time Grand Slam champion, plays No. 11 Karen Khachanov on Court Philippe Chatrier. Alcaraz, who won last year’s US Open, takes on No. 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas, a two-time runner-up at major tournaments.
Muchova, Sabalenka reach first French Open semifinals
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Muchova, Sabalenka reach first French Open semifinals
- The second-seeded Sabalenka overpowered Elina Svitolina 6-4, 6-4 on Tuesday to set up a semifinal against the unseeded Muchova
- Muchova and Sabalenka had never progressed beyond the third round in Paris
Sinner sends Gasquet into retirement, Djokovic marches on
- Zverev, Gauff make swift progress into third round
- Fatigued De Minaur crashes, Fonseca continues run
PARIS: French Open veteran Richard Gasquet’s career ended in defeat by Jannik Sinner while seasoned campaigner Novak Djokovic continued his bid for a record 25th Grand Slam title by battling into the Roland Garros third round on Thursday.
Third seed Alexander Zverev, teenager Mirra Andreeva and American title contenders Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula and Madison Keys all won on a windy afternoon but former champion Barbora Krejcikova and ninth seed Alex De Minaur crashed out.
Top seed Sinner brought the curtain down on Gasquet’s long professional journey, hammering the 38-year-old 6-3 6-0 6-4 for his second win over the local favorite in as many editions of Roland Garros and then led the tributes.
“We’re different generations, but it’s your moment. You played in such an incredible era of tennis and everyone will recognize you, even after retirement,” said Sinner, before a touching video tribute featuring Gasquet’s peers.
Gasquet’s compatriot Gael Monfils, also 38, lit up the evening session on Court Philippe Chatrier as he pushed fifth seeded Briton Jack Draper in a sensational match that had a partisan crowd screaming for more.
Draper eventually won 6-3 4-6 6-3 7-5 but had to battle back from 5-2 down in the fourth set to avoid a decider.
“My brain was fried out here. I’m not sure if I am going to go to sleep tonight because my brain is just all over the place with what he was doing out here,” Draper said of the man he described as a magician.
While Sinner and Gasquet showcased clean hitting in their match, third seed Alexander Zverev had to chase down dozens of drop shots from Dutchman Jesper de Jong before securing a 3-6 6-1 6-2 6-3 victory.
Surprise 2024 semifinalist Andreeva took apart the powerful Ashlyn Krueger 6-3 6-4 with her inventive approach and confirmed her caliber on the sport’s slowest surface after runs to the Madrid and Rome quarterfinals this season.
“This match wasn’t easy, I’d lost to her at the US Open,” Andreeva said, reflecting on her second-round defeat by Krueger in New York last August.
“She’s a powerful and aggressive player. I knew I had to play well ... I suffered and struggled with my serve, but I’m happy I found a way to stay calm.”
Pegula, Krueger’s frequent doubles partner this season and the third seed, had to battle against fellow American Ann Li but found her best level when it mattered to prevail 6-3 7-6(3).
Up next for the 2024 US Open runner-up is former Paris finalist Marketa Vondrousova, after the Czech sent 25th seed Magdalena Frech packing 6-0 4-6 6-3.
Gauff cruises
Gauff moved ahead by beating unseeded Czech Tereza Valentova 6-2 6-4 while fellow Grand Slam champion Keys overcame Briton Katie Boulter 6-1 6-3 but it was the end of the road for 2021 champion Krejcikova who fell 6-3 6-3 to Veronika Kudermetova.
Three-time French Open champion Djokovic had to work but the 38-year-old continued his quest for more history after his 100th title in Geneva last week as he beat Frenchman Corentin Moutet 6-3 6-2 7-6(1).
The Serbian’s sixth victory in a row marked his longest winning streak since his run to the Paris Olympics gold at the same venue last year.
“Mentally you have to be concentrated throughout such a match. Corentin is very quick, he is a fighter, especially in the third set,” said Djokovic, who came close to losing the third set.
“He had set point. At that moment anything could happen but I stayed in the set. At the right time I found a good serve.”
Teen sensation Joao Fonseca beat Pierre-Hugues Herbert 7-6(4) 7-6(4) 6-4 in a clash where French and Brazilian fans competed for vocal superiority at a packed Court 14.
Up next for Fonseca is a mouth-watering clash with Draper.
Czech Jakub Mensik, who at 19 is a year older than Fonseca but equally talented as confirmed by his Miami triumph, failed to conjure up any magic and fell 2-6 1-6 6-4 6-3 6-3 against Henrique Rocha of Portugal.
Local crowds had reason to cheer despite Gasquet, Moutet and Herbert falling, however, as 14th seed Arthur Fils rallied for a 7-6(3) 7-6(4) 2-6 0-6 6-4 win over Spaniard Jaume Munar.
“In the fifth set, I thought about Gael Monfils, who has flipped millions of matches,” said Fils, referring to his 38-year-old compatriot who earned his 12th five-set win at the French Open on Tuesday.
Jiri Lehecka earlier took out Spanish 26th seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-3 3-6 6-1 6-2 and Kazakh showman Alexander Bublik awoke from his
slumber to upset Australian ninth seed Alex De Minaur 2-6 2-6 6-4 6-3 6-2.
De Minaur put down his own problems in the match down to fatigue amid a gruelling season and called for changes to the calendar to prevent players from burning out.
Teenager Andreeva shows her mettle, Pegula advances at French Open
- The 18-year-old sixth seed found herself an early break down on Court Simonne Mathieu
- “This match wasn’t easy, I’d lost to her at the US Open,” Andreeva said
PARIS: Mirra Andreeva underlined her claycourt credentials again at the French Open when the Russian teenager methodically took apart Ashlyn Krueger, and third seed Jessica Pegula also moved into the third round on Thursday.
Andreeva, a surprise Roland Garros semifinalist in 2024, confirmed her calibre on the sport’s slowest surface with runs to the Madrid and Rome quarter-finals this season, and she had to be at her inventive best to beat the powerful Krueger 6-3 6-4.
The 18-year-old sixth seed found herself an early break down on Court Simonne Mathieu but fought back to secure the first set, before mixing up her game with exquisite sliced forehands in the next to see off her American opponent.
“This match wasn’t easy, I’d lost to her at the US Open,” Andreeva said, reflecting on her second-round defeat by Krueger in New York last August.
“She’s a powerful and aggressive player. I knew I had to play well ... I suffered and struggled with my serve, but I’m happy I found a way to stay calm.
“I pushed myself to fight until the end.”
Pegula, Krueger’s frequent doubles partner this season and French Open third seed, had to battle hard against fellow American Ann Li but found her best level when it mattered to prevail 6-3 7-6(3) in windy conditions.
Up next for the 2024 US Open runner-up is former Paris finalist Marketa Vondrousova, after the Czech sent 25th seed Magdalena Frech packing 6-0 4-6 6-3.
On the men’s side, Vondrousova’s compatriot Jiri Lehecka took out Spanish 26th seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-3 3-6 6-1 6-2 while Kazakh Alexander Bublik upset Australian ninth seed Alex De Minaur 2-6 2-6 6-4 6-3 6-2.
Three-times French Open champion Novak Djokovic continues his bid for more history and a record 25th Grand Slam trophy when he plays Frenchman Corentin Moutet later on Thursday.
Top seed Jannik Sinner resumes his hunt for a maiden title on Parisian clay when he meets another local favorite in Richard Gasquet, who will retire when his campaign at his home Grand Slam comes to an end.
Alcaraz into French Open third round as Swiatek and Sabalenka cruise
PARIS: Reigning champion Carlos Alcaraz overcame a minor blip to reach the French Open third round on Wednesday as women’s title rivals Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka made short work of their opponents.
Second seed Alcaraz came through 6-1, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 against Hungarian Fabian Marozsan to earn his 17th win in 18 matches on clay this season.
“Second set, he started to play better and he didn’t miss a lot so it was a little bit difficult to deal with his game,” said Alcaraz.
“I’m really happy I stayed strong and refreshed myself. In the third set, I started to play better and better which helped me have a really good last two sets.”
Alcaraz, a four-time Grand Slam winner, goes on to face Bosnian journeyman Damir Dzumhur for a place in the last 16.
In the women’s draw, Swiatek continued her bid for a fourth straight Roland Garros crown as she outclassed fellow former US Open champion Emma Raducanu.
The Pole beat Raducanu 6-1, 6-2 to make it five wins in as many meetings with the Briton. She racked up her 23rd consecutive victory at Roland Garros to improve her career record at the tournament to 37-2.
Swiatek is bidding to become the first woman to win four consecutive French Open titles since Suzanne Lenglen 102 years ago.
The 23-year-old arrived in Paris under a slight cloud, having not reached a WTA final since lifting the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen last year, but has made serene progress through the first two rounds.
“Honestly, I just love playing here. This place inspires me and that makes me work harder,” said Swiatek, who also captured the trophy as a teenager in 2020.
The fifth seed will play Romania’s Jaqueline Cristian for a place in the last 16.
Swiatek’s slide down the rankings has left her in the same half of the draw as world number one Sabalenka, last year’s runner-up Jasmine Paolini and Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen.
Sabalenka shook off a sluggish start to blow past Switzerland’s Jil Teichmann.
After dropping serve early in the first set, Sabalenka won 11 of the final 12 games to power to a 6-3, 6-1 win.
“It doesn’t matter what the scoreboard says, she really made me work for every point,” said Sabalenka, who has conceded just five games through two rounds.
The Belarusian has never reached the French Open final and is hoping to banish the memories of a painful quarter-final loss to Mirra Andreeva in 2024.
Paolini moved into the third round as she brushed aside Ajla Tomljanovic 6-3, 6-3 to stretch her winning streak to eight matches following her triumph at the Italian Open.
The fourth seed from Italy advances to play Ukraine’s Yuliia Starodubtseva.
Zheng punched her ticket to the last 32 with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Colombia’s Emiliana Arango.
The Chinese star faces another Grand Slam debutant in the next round, 18-year-old Victoria Mboko of Canada.
Other seeds to progress included former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina, Elina Svitolina and Amanda Anisimova.
Jelena Ostapenko, the 2017 French Open winner, rallied to win in three sets, but Russian 11th seed Diana Shnaider lost to Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska.
Twice former French Open runner-up Casper Ruud was the biggest casualty on Wednesday, crashing out in four sets to Portugal’s Nuno Borges.
Seventh seed Ruud won the first set against world number 41 Borges but was hampered by a knee injury as he slumped to a 2-6, 6-4, 6-1, 6-0 defeat.
“I actually felt it quite early in the first set,” said Ruud, uncertain whether he would be fit for Wimbledon. “It’s hopefully nothing too serious.”
There were no such problems for in-form Italian eighth seed Lorenzo Musetti, who raced past Colombian lucky loser Daniel Elahi Galan 6-4, 6-0, 6-4.
Musetti has reached at least the semifinals in all three Masters 1000 events on clay in 2025. He will next play Argentina’s Mariano Navone.
Stefanos Tsitsipas, the 20th seed, suffered his earliest French Open exit in seven years as the 2021 runner-up lost in four sets to Matteo Gigante.
The Italian qualifier goes through to face Ben Shelton, who received a walkover as Hugo Gaston pulled out with an injury.
Denmark’s Holger Rune, the only man to beat Alcaraz on clay this year in the Barcelona final, beat American wild card Emilio Nava 6-3, 7-6 (7/5), 6-3 in the night match.
Italian flag flies high on damp French Open day
- Italians Jasmine Paolini, Lorenzo Musetti surge into third round; Ruud in shock exit
PARIS: Italians Jasmine Paolini and Lorenzo Musetti lit up a damp day at Roland Garros as they both surged into the third round of the French Open with commanding victories, while two-time runner-up Casper Ruud suffered a shock exit on Wednesday.
Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz then survived a minor scare as the Spaniard beat unseeded Hungarian Fabian Marozsan 6-1 4-6 6-1 6-2 to advance.
Fourth seed Paolini, a surprise runner-up last year, barely put a foot wrong on Court Philippe-Chatrier as she brushed aside Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic 6-3 6-3.
The diminutive Italian, who is trained by Rafael Nadal’s former mentor Marc Lopez, even paid homage to the Spaniard’s newly installed footprint on court before delivering a polished display in front of a sparse crowd.
“It’s hard to play against Ajla; she’s very aggressive but I tried to mix it up and play aggressively myself,” said Paolini.
Musetti continued his claycourt resurgence with a clinical 6-4 6-0 6-4 dismantling of Colombian lucky loser Daniel Galan on court Simonne Mathieu.
The eighth seed, a finalist in Monte Carlo and semifinalist in Madrid and Rome, overcame patchy weather to extend his recent successes on clay.
“It was a solid performance from the beginning until the end,” said Musetti, whose confidence has soared since reaching the Monte Carlo final last month. “After that, I felt like another player. The results in Madrid and Rome confirmed this step forward.”
Ruud, the seventh seed and runner-up in Paris the last two years, saw his campaign unravel in spectacular fashion as he fell 2-6 6-4 6-1 6-0 to Portugal’s Nuno Borges.
The Norwegian appeared in control after claiming the opening set but faded as Borges took command, with Ruud requiring a medical timeout for a calf issue before being bagelled in the fourth.
Borges, 28, will next face Alexei Popyrin, who eased past Chile’s Alejandro Tabilo in straight sets.
China’s Zheng Qinwen, the Paris 2024 Olympic champion on these courts, powered past Emiliana Arango of Colombia 6-2 6-3. The eighth seed’s big-hitting game proved too much for the world number 85, though Zheng had to overcome some mid-match turbulence.
“It was not easy to finish the points,” Zheng admitted. She now faces Canadian 18-year-old qualifier Victoria Mboko, who continued her dream run with a 6-4 6-4 win over Germany’s Eva Lys in her Grand Slam debut.
Earlier, former French Open semifinalist and 16th seed Amanda Anisimova brushed aside Switzerland’s Viktorija Golubic 6-0 6-2 in 55 minutes to march into the third round.
Eala sees ‘new era for Filipino sport’ after first Grand Slam match win
- Eala: I’m feeling good, it’s my debut in Grand Slam doubles so I’m feeling happy to be playing with Renata and to have my first Slam win
- Eala is part of a new generation of Filipino sports stars
- She lifted the 2022 US Open girls’ singles trophy and reached the semifinals at Miami in March when, ranked 140th in the world, she beat three Grand Slam winners in Jelena Ostapenko, Madison Keys and world No. 2 Iga Swiatek
PARIS: Alexandra Eala on Tuesday achieved a first Grand Slam match win for a Filipino woman, saying she hoped her doubles success at the French Open was part of “a new era for sport” in her country.
She teamed up with Mexico’s Renata Zarazua to defeat Britain’s Emily Appleton and Spain’s Yvonne Cavalle-Reimers 7-5, 6-4 and book a place in the second round.
The win came two days after the 20-year-old, the first woman from her country to compete in a Grand Slam, was eliminated in the first round of the singles by Emiliana Arango of Colombia 6-0, 2-6, 6-3.
“It’s so heartwarming,” Eala told AFP of her Grand Slam match win.
“Of course, it’s always good to come back and compete well after a singles loss, especially after a tight one.
“I’m feeling good, it’s my debut in Grand Slam doubles so I’m feeling happy to be playing with Renata and to have my first Slam win.
“Of course, it was a difficult (singles) loss but in the end I think there’s things to take away and I try to do better in the doubles.”
The support from home has been “positive,” she said.
“They’re happy to see a Filipino competing in the main draw in Paris.”
Eala is part of a new generation of Filipino sports stars. She has trained since the age of 13 at Rafael Nadal’s academy in Mallorca, Spain.
She lifted the 2022 US Open girls’ singles trophy and reached the semifinals at Miami in March when, ranked 140th in the world, she beat three Grand Slam winners in Jelena Ostapenko, Madison Keys and world number two Iga Swiatek.
“I think we’re entering a new era for Filipino sport,” the 73rd-ranked player said, pointing to the success of gymnast Carlos Yulo who took two gold medals at the Paris Olympics last year.
“Filipinos are very talented and very hard workers. There’s a support, a community, because it’s not often you (have) seen Filipino athletes excel on the international stage, so every time someone does good we’re very happy for them.”
