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French Open
Alexander Zverev is no longer one of the best players never to win a major title. He's finally a Grand Slam champion. In his fourth major final, Zverev beat Flavio Coboll 6-1, 4-6, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-1 for the French Open title on Sunday. It was a unique opportunity for Zverev without Jannik Sinner or Carlos Alcaraz across the net and the third-ranked German took full advantage on the red clay of Roland Garros. When Cobolli missed an overhead on the second championship point after more than four hours of the five-set encounter, Zverev dropped on his back to the clay and covered his face with his hands as he began sobbing. When he got up, with his shirt and arms covered in clay, Zverev put his hands back on his face before he lifted both arms in celebration. Zverev has now joined an elite group of players that captured their first major in their fourth final: Eight-time major champion Andre Agassi, 2001 Wimbledon winner Goran Ivanisevic and 2020 U.S. Open champion Dominic Thiem. No
Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva was already a tennis phenom at age 15. At 19, she's a Grand Slam champion. The eighth-ranked Andreeva ended the run of 114th-ranked Polish qualifier Maja Chwalinska by 6-3, 6-2 in the French Open final on Saturday. Andreeva became the youngest player to win the women's singles title since Monica Seles, who was 18 when she landed her third straight French Open in 1992. "You're so young and talented. It's so annoying," Chwalinska told Andreeva during the awards ceremony. When Andreeva executed a backhand cross-court winner on her first match point, she threw her racket into the air and dropped on her knees to the clay to celebrate. During the trophy presentation, Andreeva took the unusual step of thanking herself "for believing in myself, always giving my 100%, even when it's tough, trying every day to be better as a person and as a player, believing that I can do this, fighting so many demons inside of me. "Only I know how tough it was for me," And
Anna Kalinskaya of Russia made it to the quarterfinals of the French Open for the first time by defeating Anastasia Potapova of Austria 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (10-7) on Monday. Their contest on Court Suzanne-Lenglen stretched to almost three hours after Potapova failed to serve out the match twice in the decider and Kalinskaya overturned a 4-1 deficit in the super tiebreak. It will be 22nd-ranked Kalinskaya's second quarterfinal at a major after she advanced that deep at the 2024 Australian Open. Despite pre-tournament men's favorite Jannik Sinner losing in the second round, Italian fans will have at least one player in the quarterfinals. Tenth-seeded Flavio Cobolli advanced to the second Grand Slam quarterfinal of his career - and also his first here - after beating American Zachary Svajda 6-2, 6-3, 6-7 (3), 7-6 (5). His next opponent will be the winner of a fourth-round match later Monday between No. 4 seed Felix Auger-Aliassime and unseeded Alejandro Tabilo. Big-serving Matteo Berretti
Coco Gauff finally met a player in Paris who could match her court coverage in long baseline rallies. Anastasia Potapova ended Gauff's French Open title defense in the third round with a 4-6, 7-6 (1), 6-4 victory over the American on Saturday. The match was played before mostly empty stands inside Court Philippe-Chatrier as French fans stayed away to watch the Champions League soccer final. Gauff's second Grand Slam title came with a victory over top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka in the final at Roland Garros a year ago. The 30th-ranked Potapova, who was born in Russia but now represents Austria, improved to 3-2 in her career against Gauff. She's having quite a clay season after reaching a final in Linz, Austria, and the semifinals of the Madrid Open as a qualifier. The fourth-ranked Gauff was coming off a run to the Italian Open final. She waved to the crowd and quickly walked off court when the match was finished. When Gauff shanked a forehand wide on Potapova's first match point, Pot
There will be a new men's champion at the French Open after Novak Djokovic followed Jannik Sinner out of Roland Garros in a five-set stunner on Friday. Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca beat 24-time major winner Djokovic 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5, 7-5 in the third round to follow Thursday's huge upset, when No. 1 Sinner - last year's runner-up lost to 56th-ranked Juan Manuel Cerundolo. "Ten minutes after the match I could realize a little bit what I did, what I achieved," the 19-year-old Fonseca said. "How difficult it was and how amazing it was for me." Djokovic's latest quest for a record 25th Grand Slam singles title was ended and it was just the second time he lost from two sets up, the other also coming in Paris in 2010. Along with Daniil Medvedev, Marin Cilic and Stan Wawrinka, all the men's major winners are out, thus guaranteeing that a new pair of hands will raise the Coupe des Mousquetaires trophy aloft on June 7 on Court Philippe-Chatrier. "Of course, Jannik and Djokovic out, ..
Novak Djokovic placed ice packs around his neck and on top of his head during changeovers to keep cool amid the Paris heat wave at the French Open on Wednesday. The 39-year-old Djokovic was pushed by 74th-ranked French player Valentin Royer - who is 15 years younger than him - for more than 3 hours before he reached the third round with a 6-3, 6-2, 6-7 (7), 6-3 victory. For the fourth straight day of this year's tournament, the temperature rose above 32 degrees Celsius (90 Fahrenheit). "It was a very, very difficult match in difficult conditions" Djokovic said. "A big challenge for me. ... Experience helped me a lot." When Djokovic won a key point early in the fourth set with a forehand that he whipped around the net post from far off the court, the 24-time Grand Slam champion waved his arms toward the crowd inside Court Philippe-Chatrier. Djokovic wasted a chance to close the match out earlier when he missed a backhand long in the third-set tiebreaker then required four more matc
Coco Gauff was involved in a car accident on the way to Roland Garros for the first match of her French Open title defense. She did not appear injured. "We got in a mini car accident on my way to the site today," Gauff told TNT Sports with a laugh. "We ran into a (pole). You felt a little impact. I spilled my juice all over the car. "The car was not drivable. So we ended up taking a taxi," Gauff added after beating fellow American Taylor Townsend 6-4, 6-0. Gauff started her match earlier than expected when there was a retirement in another match on Court Philippe-Chatrier. "And then right before I went onto court, my dress got stuck, so my physio was in the bathroom trying to help me take it off," Gauff said. "It was an eventful day. But I feel like whenever that happens, it lets you not think about the match too match. I'm just happy to be here in one piece." Gauff beat Aryna Sabalenka in last year's title match in Paris.
At age 39, Novak Djokovic can still wear opponents down. Even opponents nearly half his age - and in front of a hostile crowd. Djokovic came back from a set down for a 5-7 7-5 6-1 6-4 victory over 22-year-old home player Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in the first round of the French Open on Sunday in his record 82nd Grand Slam appearance. "Obviously playing a French player, centre court at Roland Garros is never so easy. The crowd gets into it and then you feel the pressure even more," Djokovic said after the 2 hour, 51-minute encounter. "But all in all it was a good match to be part of: Three hours, just what the doctor ordered at age 39." Grunting during long rallies and digging deep on the opening night session on Court Philippe-Chatrier, it wasn't until 1 hour, 45 minutes in that Djokovic finally found a way to break his 6-foot-7 (2.01-meter) opponent and even the match at a set all. The crowd was pumped for a potential stunner - after all, Djokovic hasn't lost in the first roun