Sinner sends Gasquet into retirement, Djokovic marches on

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

Former French Open runner-up Tsitsipas loses in second round at Roland-Garros

PARIS: Two-time Grand Slam finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas went out in the second round of the French Open on Wednesday, losing 6-4, 5-7, 6-2, 6-4 to unseeded Matteo Gigante for his earliest exit at Roland-Garros since 2018. The big-serving Greek reached the French Open final in 2021, losing in five sets to Novak Djokovic after winning the first two sets. He got into the quarterfinals here last year and the year before, and also made the semifinals at Roland-Garros in 2020, where he lost to Djokovic. I expected bigger things from myself these two weeks, said Tsitsipas, who also lost in the second round in 2018. I seemed to be playing immature sometimes during the match. The 26-year-old Greek berated himself for gifting Gigante some points. The 20th-seeded Tsitsipas hit 49 unforced errors on Court Simonne-Mathieu. I wasnt fully present in the moment, he said. So I would describe that (as) immaturity, not knowing how to handle those situations. Tsitsipas was troubled throughout by the No. 167-ranked Gigantes drop shot and athleticism. Gigante sealed the victory with an ace, and the unheralded Italian received a friendly hug at the net from Tsitsipas. I have to give credit to my opponent, he played incredible tennis, Tsitsipas said. He handled the pressure moments very well. Gigante has not won a title on the ATP tour and he had never previously been beyond the first round at a major tournament. For sure was my big(gest) win, he said. It was a second straight major with an early loss against an unseeded player for Tsitsipas the 2023 Australian Open runner-up following his first-round defeat to Alex Michelsen at the Australian Open earlier this year. I just need to use my experience a little bit more wisely, Tsitsipas said. The 23-year-old Gigante faces 13th-seeded American Ben Shelton in the third round.

Alcaraz sings to French Open fans after winning a second-round match at Roland-Garros

PARIS: After winning his second-round match Wednesday at the French Open, defending champion Carlos Alcaraz finally got to do something he always wanted: sing to the fans at Roland-Garros. Alcaraz had beaten Fabian Marozsan of Hungary 6-1, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2, and just completed a brief interview with Mats Wilander on Court Philippe-Chatrier. So the fans thought that was it, but Alcaraz was not done. One thing, one thing. I always wanted to do that. I hope everyone follow me, the 22-year-old Spaniard said. Then, leaning into the microphone, he sang the familiar-sounding refrain often belted out by crowds at Roland-Garros. Perhaps fittingly, it is to the tune of a Spanish paso doble. It goes Po-po-po-po-po-po po-lolo as the French write it and is always followed by a pause and then an Ol. A smiling Alcaraz let the crowd do the Ol part, then slapped hands with Wilander before they walked off the clay court to loud applause. Alcaraz later said hed been thinking about doing that song after an interview last year here, but it never happened. Alcaraz need not have been so shy, for he showed no stage fright and sang clearly. His game on red clay is very much in-tune, too, with the four-time Grand Slam champion winning 29 of his past 31 matches on the surface. One of the losses was against Novak Djokovic in the gold-medal match at last summers Paris Olympics and held at the same site as the French Open. I just love it here and had some really great moments, Alcaraz said. I hope people when they left the court, they left with a smile. Alcaraz faces unseeded Damir Dzumhur in the third round.

French Open 2025: Iga Swiatek beats Emma Raducanu to extend her bid for a 4th straight title

PARIS: Iga Swiatek is always quite good against Emma Raducanu. Always quite good at the French Open, too, of course. So it made sense that the latest matchup between these two Grand Slam champions, which came in the second round at Court Philippe-Chatrier on Wednesday, would end up with Swiatek on the right side of a 6-1, 6-2 result. I felt good on court, so I could do whatever I planned to, whatever I wanted to, said Swiatek, who improved to 5-0 against Raducanu and ran her winning streak in the clay-court Grand Slam tournament to 23 matches. This place inspires me, Swiatek said, and makes me work harder. Truth be told, she was not made to work all that hard during this encounter, which lasted only 1 hour, 19 minutes in what Swiatek described as tricky wind. The 23-year-old from Poland was in fine form against 2021 US Open champion Raducanu, putting together a whopping 32-8 edge in winners and saving all four break points she faced while taking all eight of her service games. It was so one-way and so one-sided, Raducanu said. I guess when Iga is playing well on a court that shes very familiar with, the difference is huge. This follows a 6-1, 6-0 victory over Raducanu at the Australian Open this January and now means that Swiatek has won all 10 sets the two have played against each other. Swiatek, who agreed to accept a one-month suspension in a doping case late last year, owns a total of five major trophies, including one at the US Open. But its been a bit of a rough stretch for Swiatek by her lofty standards. She hasnt been as far as a final at any tournament since winning the championship at last years French Open. That title was her fourth in Paris and third in a row. Swiatek is aiming to become the only woman with four consecutive trophies at the French Open in the Open era, which began in 1968. Monica Seles and Justine Henin both also won three straight. Swiateks aura of invincibility on clay was pierced a bit when she wound up losing in the semifinals of the 2024 Paris Olympics, which were contested at Roland-Garros, and she went home with a bronze medal. Her recent showings on the clay-court circuit included ceding sets by scores of 6-0 and 6-1 the sort of lopsided outcomes Swiatek is usually on the right side of and losses in her second matches at both Stuttgart and Rome. Add it all up, and she arrived in Paris ranked only No. 5, her first time outside the top two in about three years. In recent weeks, every time I stepped out, I felt differently, Swiatek said. Like sometimes, I felt super confident and everything, and sometimes I just lacked energy. So it was hard to navigate that. Honestly, sometimes it happens. Not every day is going to be the same.

Serena Williams awarded Spains Princess of Asturias Prize for Sports

MADRID: Serena Williams has been awarded Spains Princess of Asturias Prize for Sports for her stellar tennis career, organizers said Wednesday. The 43-year-old American won 73 career singles titles including 23 Grand Slams. She said in 2022 that she wasstepping away from tennisto focus on her family and business interests. The 50,000-euro (57,000 USD) Princess of Asturias Award is one of eight annual prizes covering different areas, including arts, literature and science among others. The awards ceremony, presided over by Spains Princess Leonor, takes place each fall in the northern city of Oviedo. Past winners of the sports prize include skier Lindsey Vonn, the IOC Refugee Olympic Team and the New Zealand rugby team.

French Open 2025: Novak Djokovic is bothered by the weather more than anything in 1st-round win

PARIS: Novak Djokovic experienced the lowest of lows pulling out of the French Open after tearing the meniscus in his right knee and the highest of highs winning a long-sought Olympic gold medal for Serbia at Roland-Garros last year. This trip to the site went smoothly, once he got going. Other than some first-set interruptions by, and lengthy discussions about, the windy, wet weather, the 24-time major champion was unbothered during a 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 victory over 98th-ranked Mackie McDonald of the United States at Court Philippe-Chatrier in the first round. He makes it seem like a video game, almost, for him, said McDonald, a 30-year-old Californian who played college tennis at UCLA and twice has been to the fourth round at Grand Slam tournaments. Hes able to just do so much. I dont even think he was playing his best tennis or his highest level. But if I pushed him to a different point, he would bring it up. One example: When McDonald earned his first break points, getting to love-40 at 3-2 in the second set, Djokovic came up with three big serves, a 120 mph (193 kph) ace, a 123 mph (199 kph) ace and a 122 mph (197 kph) service winner. Djokovic compiled 32 winners 18 more than McDonald and just 20 unforced errors in a match that eventually was played with the lights on and the retractable roof closed. Im a competitor, and losing stings, McDonald said, but playing Novak on that court is something Ill remember. Before Djokovic, who just turned 38 and won his 100th career title last weekend, walked onto the playing surface, he was identified by the stadium announcer by his total number of Slam trophies, the three hes won at the French Open, and the Summer Games gold he won here in Paris. I still remember last years Olympic Games. It was the last time I was here, Djokovic said afterward. The emotion is very strong. The medal that means so much to him? I dont have the medal with me. But I have a picture of the medal in my bag, he said. The medal is with my father. My dad likes trophies more than I do, so I gave him mine. What else happened at the French Open on Tuesday? Once Coco Gauff found her rackets a relatively important piece of equipment for a tennis player all was well for her in the first round. Gauff showed up on court, opened her bag and peered inside to find it was missing her rackets. The start of the warmup was delayed, but then everything went Gauffs way, and the 2023 U.S. Open champion got past Olivia Gadecki 6-2, 6-2. Unseeded American Alycia Parks, ranked 52nd in the world, beat No. 14 seed Karolina Muchova 6-3, 2-6, 6-1 in the womens last match of the day. Muchova was the runner-up to Iga Swiatek at Roland-Garros in 2023. Other winners included the No. 3 seeds, Jessica Pegula and Alexander Zverev, and 18-year-old Mirra Andreeva, but 2021 U.S. Open champion Daniil Medvedev, who was seeded 11th, lost to Cam Norrie 7-5, 6-3, 4-6, 1-6, 7-5 across nearly four hours. Other seeded men were sent home when 18-year-old Joo Fonseca dispatched No. 30 Hubert Hurkacz 6-2, 6-4, 6-2, and when No. 16 Grigor Dimitrov quit while leading American qualifier Ethan Quinn two sets to one. This is the fourth consecutive major tournament at which Dimitrov retired. Frenchman Gael Monfils Advances Frenchman Gael Monfils rallied from two sets down and beat Hugo Dellien of Bolivia 4-6, 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 (4) 6-1, in a match that lasted more than three hours. Monfils was injured on the fifth point of the match when he fell and crashed into a side billboard. The 38-year-old Monfils was moving to his right as he returned a shot into the net. He scraped his hands trying to break his fall and required a few minutes of medical treatment before play resumed. Monfils, ranked 42nd in the world and with a history of right knee and leg injuries, was a point away from breaking the 90th-ranked Delliens serve and ended up losing the game and going behind 3-0 in the first set. After dropping the second set, Monfils battled back and, helped by a 19-2 advantage in aces, advanced to the second round. Who is playing at Roland-Garros on Wednesday? The second round begins on Day 4, with a schedule that includes defending champions Iga Swiatek and Carlos Alcaraz, 2024 runner-up Jasmine Paolini and two-time finalist Casper Ruud. Swiatek meets 2021 U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu in the day sessions last match in the main stadium.

Alcaraz, Swiatek are off to good starts at the French Open in their title defences

Both Swiatek and Alcaraz sat in the Chatrier stands a day earlier to watch the farewell tribute to 14-time champion Rafael Nadal and both active players wore the rust-colored T-shirts that read Merci Rafa distributed to spectators

Emma Navarro stunned by Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in French Open first round

PARIS: US Open semifinalist Emma Navarro only lasted 57 minutes at the French Open, losing 6-0, 6-1 in the first round Monday to Jessica Bouzas Maneiro of Spain. Its a major setback for the 24-year-old American, a New York native, who reached the fourth round in Paris last year before her first Grand Slam semifinal at Flushing Meadows. Navarro had a strong start to the season, including a quarterfinal at the Australian Open and a WTA 500 title, but has struggled on clay this spring. On Court Suzanne-Lenglen, the 68th-ranked Bouzas Maneiro dominated the match and reached the second round at Roland-Garros for the first time. I didnt expect the result but I always try to play my best, and I think everything is possible, Bouzas Maneiro said. I feel good playing on clay, and winning here at Roland Garros is so special to me. Last year at Wimbledon, the Spaniard upset 2023 champion Marketa Vondrousova in the first round of the grass court tournament. She will next face either Diane Parry of France or American Robin Montgomery.

Alcaraz makes winning start to French Open title defence

Reigning champion Carlos Alcaraz kicked off his French Open campaign with a commanding straight-sets victory over Italian qualifier Giulio Zeppieri on Monday. The Spaniard struck 31 winners in a 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 win over world number 310 Zeppieri and will face Hungary's Fabian Marozsan in round two. Alcaraz is the title favourite at Roland Garros after winning both the Monte Carlo Masters and Italian Open trophies this year on clay. The four-time Grand Slam champion saved all three break points he faced against Zeppieri on Court Suzanne Lenglen as he cruised through in second gear. Alcaraz is now on an eight-match winning streak at the French Open and also won Olympic silver at Roland Garros last year, losing the final to Novak Djokovic.

Rafael Nadal gets unforgettable tribute at Roland Garros on opening day of 2025 French Open

Nadals long-time rivals Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Andy Murray all joined him on the main Chatrier court.