Page 16 - Tennis

French Open men's final: Alcaraz seeks a third Grand Slam, Zverev a first

When Carlos Alcaraz was a kid growing up in Spain which, considering he's only 21, was not all that long ago he used to run home from school and flip on the TV to check out the French Open. Long before he was preparing to play in Sunday's final in Paris against Alexander Zverev, Alcaraz watched a lot of matches involving Rafael Nadal, of course, as his countryman was accumulating a record 14 titles at Roland Garros. I wanted to put my name on that list of the Spanish players who won this tournament. Not only Rafa, said Alcaraz, who then rattled off champions such as Juan Carlos Ferrero (who happens to be his coach), Carlos Moya and Albert Costa, calling them legends from our sport that won this tournament. He just might join them. Alcaraz has triumphed on the US Open's hard courts in 2022 and Wimbledon's grass courts in 2023, and now, he is one victory away from holding a trophy on the red clay of Court Philippe Chatrier in southwest Paris. He would be the youngest man to own a .

French Open 2024: Iga Swiatek wins third consecutive women's singles title

Iga Swiatek won her third consecutive French Open championship and fourth in five years by defeating Jasmine Paolini 6-2, 6-1 in the final on Saturday. The top-seeded Swiatek trailed 2-1 early in Court Philippe Chatrier before taking the next 10 games to claim the opening set and go up 5-0 in the second. She stretched her winning streak at Roland Garros to 21 matches and her career record at the place is now 35-2. The 23-year-old from Poland is the first woman with three trophies in a row in Paris since Justine Henin from 2005 to 2007. Swiatek also won the French Open in 2020 and the U.S. Open in 2022 and is now 5-0 in major finals. The 12th-seeded Paolini, a 28-year-old from Italy, was appearing in a Slam final for the first time. She had never been past the second round at one of the four most important tennis tournaments until getting to the fourth round at the Australian Open in January. Paolini will play in the French Open women's doubles final on Sunday with partner Sara Err

Iga Swiatek saves match point, comes back to beat Osaka at French Open

Iga Swiatek played like the current No. 1 and the two-time defending champion at the French Open. No surprise there. That Naomi Osaka looked like the former No. 1 that she is and on clay, no less amounted to an announcement that she is still quite capable of elite tennis. Surging down the stretch as Osaka faded, Swiatek saved a match point and grabbed the last five games to sneak her way to a 7-6 (1), 1-6, 7-5 victory in the second round of the French Open on Wednesday night in a thrill-a-minute contest befitting two women who both own four Grand Slam titles. "For sure, this match was really intense. Much more intense for the second round than I ever expected. For sure, I'll be more ready next time," Swiatek said. "Naomi played amazing tennis. I'm happy that she's back and she's playing well." For Swiatek, this extended her Roland Garros winning streak to 16 matches as she pursues a third consecutive trophy at the clay-court major. For Osaka, who cried when she left the court aft

Alcaraz qualifies to French Open's third round despite troubled forehand

Carlos Alcaraz's forehand was giving him a hard time at the French Open. So was the 176th-ranked qualifier across the net. After ceding the third set and trailing by a break in the fourth, Alcaraz needed to get in gear and he did, taking the last five games to beat Jesper de Jong 6-3, 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 Wednesday in the second round. Heavy rain from early in the day caused the postponement of 23 singles matches, so Alcaraz was lucky to get the chance to compete, and advance, under the retractable roof at Court Philippe Chatrier. Still, he could not quite shake de Jong, a 23-year-old from the Netherlands with a flashy game who was participating in just his second Grand Slam main draw. Alcaraz, a former No. 1 who is seeded No. 3, has won two major championships and is still just 21. But Alcaraz has been dealing with a bothersome right arm that limited his preparation for Roland Garros and, he said, made him afraid to hit his big forehand with full force. He has been wearing a white sleeve

French Open 2024: Djokovic begins 25th Grand Slam bid with first-round win

Ignore the straight-set score: Novak Djokovic was not quite at his impervious best in the first round of the French Open, and his 6-4, 7-6 (3), 6-4 win over Pierre-Hugues Herbert was not enough to alter the defending champion's low expectations at this tournament. I don't want to get too excited, Djokovic said. I thought it was a good performance for me. Solid. Of course, I could have done better, I think, on return games, but also credit to him for serving very well, for changing things up. It's been a rougher-than-usual season so far for Djokovic, and while there were some signs of breaking out of his 2024 funk during the course of the contest at Court Philippe Chatrier, he still has room for improvement as he attempts to become the first player in tennis history to claim 25 Grand Slam singles trophies. There's no doubt he cares about such things. Grand Slams are the ones that are basically getting me up from the bed every day. Knowing that I have to hit the practice courts, I ...

French Open: Sabalenka marches into next round, defeats Erika Andreeva

Although Sabalenka is currently 20-5 all-time in Grand Slam opening rounds, she is almost impervious to an opening upset now

Full list of Nadal's Grand Slam titles; records achievements at French Open

Nadal has appeared in 14 finals at the French Open and won each one of them, thereby having a 100 per cent record at the Roland Garros

French Open 2024: Sumit Nagal breaks Khaachanov, but eventually crashes out

It was a Grand Slam debut for the 26-year-old Nagal who became the first Indian after Prajnesh Gunneswaran in 2019 to play in the French Open Men's Singles

French Open: Nadal knocked out in 1st round; Zverev win in straight sets

Nadal admits this would be his last dance at the Roland Garros. 37-year-old Nadal might end his superb outing at French Open with a defeat in the first round, hoping to return during Paris Olympics

French Open 2024: 39-year-old Stan Wawrinka beats 37-year-old Andy Murray

After Stan Wawrinka ended Andy Murray's stay at the French Open yet again and this time, it was perhaps Murray's last singles appearance at Roland Garros the two long-time opponents, both in their late 30s, met at the net for a handshake, an embrace and a lengthy chat. Wawrinka, whose trademark one-handed backhand helped him put together a 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 victory in the first-round contest Sunday night, then joined fans in applauding for Murray as he headed toward the locker room. It was emotional, for sure. We're getting closer to the end, said Wawrinka, who has won 10 of their 23 meetings since the first in 2005. We have a lot of respect for each other. Wawrinka, at 39, is just the third man of at least that age to win a match at the clay-court Grand Slam tournament since 1980. Murray just turned 37, and this contest had the second-oldest combined age for two men in Paris since 2000. Obviously disappointed. ... He gave me very few opportunities, said Murray, who was broken early

French Open 2024: Unseeded Nadal gets to 4th seed Zverev in first round

Rafael Nadal is in the French Open field, after all, and Thursday's draw set up the 14-time champion for a challenging first-round matchup against No. 4 seed Alexander Zverev. That's going to be hard, but he is a warrior," tournament director Amlie Mauresmo said. "Anything is possible with Rafa. This is expected to be Nadal's last appearance at Roland Garros, and he had been coy about whether he would compete this time after two seasons of off-and-on action because of injuries, including a surgically repaired hip that forced him to miss his favorite tournament a year ago. After a loss at the Italian Open this month, Nadal said he needed to think about whether to play in Paris. But the Spaniard, who turns 38 on June 3, has been practicing on the red clay at Roland Garros this week and his name was officially in the bracket. The French Open begins on Sunday. The Nadal-Zverev winner could be on a path toward a potential semifinal meeting against No. 1 seed and defending champion Nova

Nadal returns to Roland Garros to practice amid doubts over his fitness

Rafael Nadal returned to Roland Garros on Monday to practice and try to figure out whether to compete at the French Open, a tournament he has won a record 14 times. The 37-year-old Spaniard showed up late in the afternoon with his coach, Carlos Moya, and a couple of sparring partners at Court Philippe Chatrier, which was open to the public. About 6,000 fans were there at the French Open's main stadium, cheering loudly as Nadal stepped onto the court. After the practice, which lasted about an hour and a half, Nadal signed several autographs before disappearing through a doorway and into a tunnel that leads toward the locker rooms. The training session gave Nadal a chance to reacquaint himself with the red clay at Roland Garros he hasn't played a match there in two years and test his fitness. The tournament begins on Sunday and it remains uncertain if Nadal will enter. He is still regaining his match readiness after missing nearly all of 2023 with a hip injury that required surger

Nadal shows he's not ready for retirement in comeback win at Italian Open

For a brief stretch on Thursday, Rafael Nadal looked every bit of a weary 37-year-old player nearing retirement. Struggling to produce pace off both sides with his groundstrokes, committing an uncharacteristically high number of unforced errors and unable to stay in rallies, Nadal dropped the first set of his first-round match at the Italian Open against Belgian qualifier Zizou Bergs. Then the fist-pumping, virtually-unbeatable-on-clay, 22-time Grand Slam champion version of Nadal emerged and the Spaniard rallied for a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory before an adoring crowd in what will likely be his final tournament at the Foro Italico. Nadal was playing only his 10th match this year after missing nearly all of 2023 with a hip injury that required surgery. He's hoping to be competitive one last time at the French Open, where he is the record 14-time champion. That was not my best match. I was practicing better than how I played today, without a doubt. But I found a way to win," Nadal said.

'Enforce sale of RCB to a new owner': Mahesh Bhupathi tells BCCI

Indian tennis player says RCB should be go to a new owner who will care to build the franchisee

Nagal takes a set off world number 7 Rune before Monte Carlo Masters exit

Putting up a brave fight, India's Sumit Nagal took a set off world number seven Holger Rune before losing his rain-hit second round match of the Monte Carlo Masters, here Thursday. In an impressive show of grit and gumption, Nagal threatened to spoil Rune's party by taking the second set after the second round match, which was suspended due to rain on Wednesday, resumed. However, he lost his serve twice in the final set. The Indian qualifier was behind 1-2 against seventh seed Rune in the second set, when the heavens opened up. He lost 3-6 6-3 2-6 after battling hard for two hours and 11 minutes in the prestigious clay court event. Nevertheless, it was a memorable tournament for him as he became the first Indian to win a singles main draw match at a Masters event on clay. Nagal had taken a set off the great Roger Federer at the 2019 US Open. The 26-year-old Nagal dropped his serve in the second game of the final set to fall behind but broke back immediately and held his own serve

Nagal first Indian to enter Monte Carlo Masters MS main draw in 42 years

Sumit Nagal became the first Indian to enter the Monte Carlo Masters singles main draw in 42 years, beating Facundo Diaz Acosta of Argentina in a three-setter in the final qualifying round here on Sunday. Nagal, ranked 95th in the world, defeated his world number 55 rival 7-5 2-6 6-2 in a gruelling match that lasted two hours and 25 minutes. In the first round of the main draw, he will meet world number 35 Matteo Arnaldi of Italy in the clay court tournament. The 26-year-old Nagal was following the footsteps of the legendary Ramesh Krishnan, who had made it to the main draw of the same tournament in 1982. Nagal had beaten world number 63 Flavio Cobolli of Italy 6-2 6-3 in the first round of qualifying event. "Absolutely thrilled to have made it to the main draw in Monte Carlo! Really appreciate the support and well wishes from India and around the globe. Can't wait for my next match!," Nagal tweeted after the win. Nagal has been in the spotlight since making it to the main draw o

Rafael Nadal pulls out of Monte Carlo Masters, delays prep for French Open

Rafael Nadal pulled out of the Monte Carlo Masters on Thursday because of a lingering injury, delaying the start of his clay-court tournament preparation ahead of the French Open and extending his absence that began in January. The 37-year-old Nadal had hip surgery last summer and has played only three competitive matches in Brisbane before skipping the Australian Open this year. Nadal has won the Monte Carlo Masters 11 times but announced on his social media accounts that he won't be ready to play when the tournament starts next week. My body simply won't allow me, the 22-time Grand Slam champion said in a statement. The Spaniard didn't mention the French Open he's won the clay-court major a record 14 times in his statement. The Roland Garros tournament begins May 25. In early March, Nadal played an exhibition match against Carlos Alcaraz in Las Vegas but days later pulled out of the Indian Wells tournament. You have no idea how hard this is for me to not be able to play the

Bopanna-Ebden clinch Miami Open title, return to world No. 1 ranking

Ace Indian tennis player Rohan Bopanna rewrote his own record to continue to be the oldest ATP Masters 1000 champion as he and his Australian partner Matt Ebden clinched the men's doubles crown at the Miami Open here. Continuing their fine run this year, the 44-year-old Bopanna and Ebden fought back from a set down to pull off an exhilarating 6-7(3), 6-3, 10-6 win over Crotia's Ivan Dodig and American Austin Krajicek at the Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday. With the win, Bopanna surpassed his record created last year when he won the Indian Wells title at the age of 43, and also reclaimed the top spot in the doubles ranking. "It's amazing. As long as you are doing well in these big events, it's what we play for," Bopanna said after the win. "I want to do well in the Masters 1000s and the Grand Slams. It's good to keep that record going and keep giving everyone else a run for their money," added Bopanna, who won his maiden doubles Grand Slam title at the Australian Open earlier this ...

Alcaraz rallies from set down, ends Sinner's winning streak at Indian Wells

Carlos Alcaraz defeated Jannik Sinner 1-6, 6-3, 6-2 to end the Italian's 19-match winning streak and advance to the BNP Paribas Open final on Saturday night. Alcaraz retained his world No. 2 ranking with the victory and extended his winning streak to 11 matches at Indian Wells, where he'll play either Tommy Paul or Daniil Medvedev in Sunday's title match. Sinner led 2-1 in the first set when the match was suspended for more than three hours because of rain in the Southern California desert. Rain also affected the women's semifinals on Friday night. Sinner went on to dominate the first set before Alcaraz changed his tactics. The Spaniard started coming to the net more and moving Sinner up and back. Sinner could have knocked Alcaraz out of the second spot with a win. He had won 19 matches in a row dating to last year, including 16 straight this year. Alcaraz earned the only break of the second set in the fourth game with a forehand drop volley winner. He faced a break point on his s

Pune Open 2024: Poonacha stuns top seed Sumit Nagal in Pune ATP Challenger

Indian wildcard entry Niki Poonacha pulled off a stunning victory over top seed and compatriot Sumit Nagal to move to the quarterfinals of the ATP Challenger 100 international tournament here on Thursday. Poonacha joined Sasikumar Mukund in the quarterfinals after he defeated the much-fancied Nagal 6-4, 6-3, their clash lasting over one hour and nine minutes. In the contest played at the Mahalunge Balewadi Stadium, Nagal was leading 4-2 in the first set before Poonacha came back fighting to level the scores and eventually clinch a famous win for himself to make his first-ever quarterfinal at this level. In the quarterfinals, Poonacha, who made his debut in India's recent Davis Cup fixture against Pakistan in Islamabad, will take on seventh-seeded Dave Sweeny from Australia. Sweeny defeated Poland's Maks Kasinowski 6-4, 6-1. Two Indian pairs qualified for the doubles semifinals. The duo of Arjun Kadhe and Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan notched up a 6-4, 7-6 win over Jakob Schnaitter and Ma