Tag: Tennis

The Beat Goes On: Iga Swiatek to Meet Coco Gauff in French Open Final

Top-seeded Iga Swiatek received a little boost from Led Zeppelin to take the next step on her stairway to tennis heaven on Thursday. Swiatek listened to music from the legendary rock band before inching closer to her second French Open title in three years, courtesy of a 6–2, 6–1 win over Russian Daria Kasatkina in…


French Open Director: Men’s Matchups Appeal More

PARIS—New French Open tournament director Amelie Mauresmo, a former No. 1 player, says nine of 10 night session matches at Roland Garros this year involved men because women’s tennis currently has less appeal. Mauresmo said at a news conference Wednesday that she tried on a daily basis to find a women’s pairing that had the…


Nadal Tops Djokovic in Quarterfinal Thriller at French Open

PARIS—Rafael Nadal insists he can’t know for sure whether any match at Roland Garros might be his very last at a place he loves, a place he is loved. For now, if he keeps winning and keeps performing the way he did during his monumental quarterfinal victory over longtime rival Novak Djokovic that began in…


Coco Gauff Reaches First-Ever Grand Slam Semifinal at French Open

Coco Gauff defeated fellow American Sloane Stephens 7–5, 6–2 at the French Open on Tuesday to advance to her first Grand Slam semifinal. Gauff, 18, needed 90 minutes to defeat Stephens on the clay court at Roland Garros in Paris. For Gauff, the 18th seed, it was her first win over Stephens, who beat Gauff…


Cilic Downs Russian Second Seed Medvedev to Set Up Rublev Clash

PARIS—Croatian Marin Cilic did not put a foot wrong as he crushed Russia’s world number two Daniil Medvedev 6-2 6-3 6-2 in a lopsided contest on Monday to return to the French Open quarter-finals after a gap of four years. The 2014 U.S. Open champion, seeded 20th, dominated proceedings from the start and finished off…


At French Open, Swiatek Loses Set, Extends Match Win Streak

PARIS—The loss of one set by a player is normally not the stuff of headlines at a Grand Slam tournament. That did constitute news at the French Open on Monday, because the player was No. 1-ranked Iga Swiatek and it had been more than a month since that happened to her. The way it came…


Nadal Vows to Fight in ‘Big Challenge’ Against Djokovic

PARIS—Rafa Nadal understands it will be a “big challenge” for him to beat Novak Djokovic in Tuesday’s French Open quarter-final but the 13-times winner vowed not to shy away from a fight against the world number one. Nadal had won the French Open four years in a row before losing to eventual champion Djokovic in…


Nadal to Face Djokovic at French Open After 5-set Victory

PARIS—By the end of only the third five-setter Rafael Nadal has played in 112 career matches at Roland Garros, as the sun and temperature descended and the chants of “Ra-fa! Ra-fa!” filled the evening air, the man known as the King of Clay showed precisely what this meant to him. With every sprint-slide-and-stretch to reach…


I Hold No Grudges and Want to Play in Australia Again Says Djokovic

PARIS—World number one Novak Djokovic said on Friday he would like to return to play in Australia again despite being deported from the country earlier this year due to not having a COVID-19 vaccination. The 20-time Grand Slam winner was unable to defend his Australian Open title in January after being deported amid a media…


Coco Gauff Continues Charge at French Open

No. 18 Coco Gauff posted a 6–3, 6–4 win over Kaia Kanepi on Friday in Paris to punch her ticket to the fourth round of the French Open for the second straight year. Gauff recorded six aces and took advantage of 29 unforced errors by Kanepi to dispatch her Estonian opponent in 1 hour and…