PARIS: Mirra Andreeva won her first Grand Slam title on Saturday by downing Polish qualifier Maja Chwalinska in straight sets in the French Open final. The 19-year-old Russian beat Chwalinska 6-3, 6-2 to become the youngest Roland Garros women&#39;s singles champion since Monica Seles, then aged 18, won her third straight title in Paris in 1992. With her first-ever major crown, Andreeva also became the first player, man or woman, born after 2005 to win a Grand Slam. The Coupe Suzanne Lenglen will now take center spot in Andreeva&#39;s burgeoning trophy cabinet, which already features two WTA 1000 titles. Defeat at the final hurdle brought to an end an astonishing run which started in qualifying for Chwalinska, who won nine matches in the French capital to become the first qualifier to reach the final in the Open era. However, the world number 114&#39;s career will now be in a different stratosphere as she climbs to 21 in the rankings and is assured of competing regularly in tennis&#39;s biggest tournaments. True gritChwalinska displayed some early nerves as she dumped two serves straight into the net on the very first point of the match, with Andreeva finally forcing a break at the end of a seven-minute-long opening game. But the Pole broke back instantly as Andreeva overcooked a backhand down the line following a series of looping defensive shots coming from both sides of the court at 30-40. Both players seemed to be struggling with the occasion, a situation not helped by blustery conditions on center court, as two more consecutive breaks came about. Chwalinska then put an end to that as she held to love, bringing the crowd to their feet as she showed the variety of her shot selection by drawing Andreeva to the net with a drop shot before lobbing her with a perfectly weighted volley en route to taking a 3-2 lead. But Andreeva showed she was willing to go toe-to-toe with her opponent as she waited patiently to strike with a winner up the line before slamming down an ace to earn her first hold of the match. The Russian dug in and moved into the ascendancy as she pounced on a Chwalinska service game that was particularly impacted by the wind as several court-side spectators saw their straw hats fly off in the breeze. She then reeled off a comfortable hold before powering to a one-set lead, breaking Chwalinska again with a crosscourt backhand winner. Andreeva kept on a roll as Chwalinska compiled errors to go behind early in the second frame. Two Andreeva errors and an unplayable drop shot gave the Pole the chance to instantly wipe out that advantage but the teen showed serious mettle to pull off a battling hold and at 3-0 the writing looked on the wall for Chwalinska. Andreeva then rattled through the next two games to move to the brink. But Chwalinska refused to give in and held to make it 5-1, before breaking Andreeva as she served for the match. However, the new world number six was not to be denied as she pounced in the very next game to claim the biggest trophy so far of her fledgling career. A backhand winner sending her crumpling to her knees as she surpassed her coach Conchita Martinez&#39;s 2000 runner-up finish at Roland Garros.

Tennis

Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva wins her maiden Grand Slam title, defeating qualifier Maja Chwalinska in straight sets to claim the French Open crown and become the youngest Roland Garros champion since 1992.

Andreeva wins first Grand Slam title at French Open

PARIS: Flavio Cobolli on Monday clawed into the&nbsp;<a href="https://pakistantv.com/article/defending-champion-gauff-eliminated-from-french-open-by-potapova" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">French Open</a>&nbsp;quarter-finals, beating Zachary Svajda 6-2, 6-3, 6-7 (3/7), 7-6 (7/5). At number ten, the Italian goes into the last eight as the third-highest remaining men&#39;s seed. It will be the 24-year-old&#39;s second&nbsp;<a href="https://pakistantv.com/article/aryna-sabalenka-ready-to-boycott-grand-slams-over-prize-money" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Grand Slam</a>&nbsp;quarter-final. He reached the last eight at Wimbledon last season. Cobolli will face either fourth-seeded Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime or unseeded Chilean Alejandro Tabilo. Cobolli raced through the first two sets in a total of one hour 25 minutes, breaking twice in each. In the third, Svajda started to put up some resistance and Cobolli began to wobble. Twice the 23-year-old American held serve to save the match and then took the tiebreak as Cobolli&#39;s accuracy deserted him. In the fourth, Cobolli galloped to a 4-0 lead. From 5-1 up he could not finish Zvajda off, wasting a match point at 5-4. The Italian found just enough composure to win a tiebreak in which both players showed their nerves. Cobolli won in three hours, 21 minutes. &quot;The match is never done and today I almost shit in my pants,&quot; said Cobolli. &quot;I&#39;m happy but I&#39;m still nervous.&quot; American world number 85 Svajda had only won two Grand Slam matches before his surprising run to the fourth round at <a href="https://pakistantv.com/article/iga-swiatek-elena-rybakina-cruise-through-roland-garros-openers" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Roland Garros</a>.

US Zachary Svajda reacts after a point as he plays against Italy's Flavio Cobolli during their men's singles match on day 9 of the French Open tennis tournament on Court Philippe-Chatrier at the Roland-Garros Complex in Paris on June 1, 2026. (AFP)

The 24-year-old Italian will go into the last eight as the third-highest remaining men's seed, as It will be his second Grand Slam quarter-final.

Flavio Cobolli fights into French Open last eight against dogged Zachary Svajda

PARIS: Reigning French Open champion Coco Gauff lost to Austrian Anastasia Potapova in three sets on Saturday, ending her Roland Garros title defense. The two-time Grand Slam winner was defeated in the third round 4-6, 7-6 (7/1), 6-4 by the 28th seed after being a break up in the deciding set. Gauff insisted afterward that being the defending champion had not affected her play, unlike in 2024 when she went into the US Open as the title-holder. &quot;I think at the US Open it did a lot more, but honestly, this time it didn&#39;t. I wasn&#39;t really nervous,&quot; fourth seed Gauff told reporters. &quot;That&#39;s what&#39;s more frustrating because I felt like I learned a lot from that US Open experience, and I&#39;m a better player since then, and I just don&#39;t think I portrayed that today.&quot; Despite losing her first service game to open the match, Gauff struck back to break the Russian-born Austrian in the eighth and 10th games and take the lead. Potapova responded with two consecutive breaks of her own to race 3-0 ahead at the start of the second frame. The 25-year-old&#39;s serve then deserted her as well, as the next five games all produced breaks, with Potapova passing up two set points behind her own delivery. Gauff responded to that reprieve by earning her first hold of the set to force Potapova to serve again for the frame. The two-time major winner broke the world number 30 to level at 5-5 before holding again. But Potapova then refound her own serve to force a tie-break. A double fault dropped Gauff 5-0 behind, before she finally got on the board when Potapova overcooked a backhand. It was too little, too late, however, as the Austrian powered to the next two points, sending the match into a deciding set. &#39;Stay in the moment&#39;Gauff drew first blood in the decider, pouncing on Potapova&#39;s serve in the third game to nose in front, before being pegged back to 3-3. A double fault in the next game brought Gauff two break-back points, but gutsy play allowed Potapova to hold. A booming backhand winner down the line and a miss-hit Gauff forehand from deuce put Potapova 5-4 ahead with the world number four serving to keep her title defense alive. But from 30-0, Gauff quickly unraveled, and Potapova fell on her back in celebration as the American returned long and departed the tournament. &quot;I think I&#39;ve had a few (big wins) before, but I&#39;d put it top three for sure,&quot; Potapova said on court after earning a career third win over Gauff. Potapova said the secret to her victory was ignoring the score. &quot;I kept on saying to myself that I don&#39;t need to focus on the scoreboard, just focus on every point,&quot; she said. &quot;If you manage to do that, then maybe I will get my chances to win. So, yeah, the key was just stay in the moment no matter what is going on and try your best. Potapova will meet Russian 22nd seed Anna Kalinskaya for a spot in the quarter-finals.

Coco Gauff exits the French Open after a three-set loss to Anastasia Potapova in the third round.

Defending champion Gauff eliminated from French Open by Potapova

PARIS: Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca knocked Novak Djokovic out in the third round of the French Open on Friday to scupper the Serbian great&#39;s latest quest for a record 25th Grand Slam. The 19-year-old Fonseca rallied from two sets down for the second straight match to stun Djokovic with a phenomenal display of power-hitting. Fonseca triumphed 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5, 7-5 after four hours and 53 minutes to make it through to the last 16 of a major for the first time. Asked how he kept believing after falling behind, Fonseca replied: &quot;I actually didn&#39;t. &quot;I just kept playing. I just enjoyed being on court. What a pleasure it was stepping on court with him (Djokovic) for the first time. &quot;I was trying to hit the ball as fast as I could. Djokovic, he does not miss.&quot; Fonseca will next play two-time Roland Garros runner-up Casper Ruud or American 24th seed Tommy Paul. Djokovic&#39;s exit comes a day after the shock elimination of world number one and red-hot title favourite Jannik Sinner. It means there will be a first-time men&#39;s Grand Slam champion this year at the French Open, ending a run of nine successive majors won by Sinner or Carlos Alcaraz. &quot;What an incredible match to be part of,&quot; said Djokovic. &quot;Huge credit to Joao for really deserving to win the match. Without a doubt he was the better player in crucial moments.&quot; Djokovic has been stuck on 24 majors since the 2023 US Open and may not get a better chance to add to that haul. Two-time defending champion Alcaraz was already absent in Paris due to injury. &quot;You just have to say well done and congratulate him. He played lights-out tennis,&quot; Djokovic said of Fonseca. &quot;I don&#39;t think I&#39;ve done much wrong with my game. He was just better.&quot; Alexander Zverev, a three-time Grand Slam finalist, is best placed to capitalise on the wide open draw. The second seed plays Frenchman Quentin Halys in the night session. Swiatek and Andreeva move onIga Swiatek booked her place in the last 16 of the women&#39;s draw with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Magda Linette in an all-Polish affair. Four-time women&#39;s champion Swiatek dug herself out of an early 2-0 hole against the 35th-ranked Linette, who won their most recent meeting at Miami in March. Swiatek broke three times in the opening set to nose ahead, and then surged into a 4-1 lead in the second set. She overcame a stumble as she tried to close it out, before sealing victory to set up an intriguing match-up with the in-form Marta Kostyuk. &quot;It was a good match. I played much better than Miami,&quot; said Swiatek, who moved to appoint Francisco Roig, a longtime coach of Rafael Nadal, in the wake of her loss to Linette two months ago. Kostyuk, the 15th seed, continued her fine run with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Switzerland&#39;s Viktorija Golubic. She is unbeaten in 15 matches on clay this season following titles in Madrid and Rouen. &quot;Marta is having a great season. She always had a game to play well,&quot; said Swiatek. &quot;So good for her. But I&#39;m going to focus on myself, prepare tactically, as before any other match, and we&#39;ll see.&quot; Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva swept into the last 16 with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Czech 27th seed Marie Bouzkova. The eighth-seeded Andreeva goes on to face Swiss world number 170 Jil Teichmann, who knocked out former French Open runner-up Karolina Muchova. Elina Svitolina extended her winning run to nine matches, easing into the second week with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Tamara Korpatsch. Svitolina, who ended an eight-year wait for another WTA 1000 title in Rome, meets Swiss 11th seed Belinda Bencic or American Peyton Stearns for a place in the quarter-finals. Romanian 18th seed Sorana Cirstea demolished Argentina&#39;s Solara Sierra 6-0, 6-0.

Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca stunned Novak Djokovic in five sets at the French Open, ending Djokovic’s bid for a 25th Grand Slam and guaranteeing a first-time men’s champion in Paris.

Fonseca blasts Djokovic out of French Open after epic comeback

PARIS: Four-time French Open champion Iga Swiatek and second seed Elena Rybakina both eased into the second round with comfortable wins at a sweltering Roland Garros on Monday, as Stan Wawrinka bade an emotional farewell to the tournament. Swiatek, playing at a Grand Slam event for the first time since linking up with Rafael Nadal&#39;s former coach Francisco Roig, made short work of seeing off Australian teenager Emerson Jones 6-1, 6-2 in just 60 minutes. The Pole is looking to regain the trophy she won at Roland Garros in three successive years from 2022-24 before losing to Aryna Sabalenka in the semi-finals 12 months ago. Swiatek will take on Czech Sara Bejlek for a place in the last 32 on Wednesday. The third seed is among the favorites for the title after finding some form by reaching the Italian Open semi-finals earlier this month. &quot;I&#39;m really happy with the way I played. It was a solid match from the beginning to the end. I technically knew how to play,&quot; said Swiatek. Rybakina also wasted little time in swatting aside Slovenian Veronika Erjavec 6-2, 6-2 on Court Philippe Chatrier. Like Swiatek, the Kazakh was pleased to not spend too much time on court in the 32C heat. &quot;It&#39;s tough conditions but I&#39;m happy things worked, and I&#39;m looking forward to the next match,&quot; she said. Rybakina, who won the Australian Open earlier this year, plays Ukraine&#39;s Yuliia Starodubtseva next. Elina Svitolina survived a scare against Hungary&#39;s Anna Bondar on Court Suzanne Lenglen, fighting back from 3-1 down in a deciding set to win 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 (10/3). The Ukrainian, who ended an eight-year wait for a fifth WTA 1000 title in Rome earlier this month, has still never lost in the French Open first round in 13 appearances. Former runner-up Jasmine Paolini was a 7-5, 6-3 winner over Dayana Yastremska of Ukraine. China&#39;s Zheng Qinwen, who won Olympic gold at Roland Garros two years ago, crashed out in the first round for the first time with a 6-4, 6-0 loss to Poland&#39;s Maja Chwalinska. Sixth seed Amanda Anisimova, last year&#39;s Wimbledon and US Open runner-up, beat French wildcard Tiantsoa Rakotomanga Rajaonah 6-3, 6-1. Wawrinka waves goodbye to Roland Garros Former champion Wawrinka&#39;s final Roland Garros ended in disappointment as the 41-year-old was beaten 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 by Dutch lucky loser Jesper de Jong. Wawrinka, who beat Novak Djokovic in the 2015 final, is retiring at the end of the season. He enjoyed a fairytale run to the third round of his last Australian Open but could not repeat the feat in the Paris heat, despite being backed by a packed crowd on Court Simonne Mathieu. After the match, Wawrinka was presented with a glass case containing a section of a clay court and two video tributes to his career were displayed on big screens around the stadium &mdash;&nbsp;the latter featuring messages from former champions Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Djokovic. &quot;Thanks to all your support, I wanted to go on as long as possible, to 41 years of age, to continue living moments like this,&quot; Wawrinka said. The high temperatures took their toll on two-time runner-up Casper Ruud and Russian qualifier Roman Safiullin, as the Norwegian narrowly avoided a first opening-round defeat at Roland Garros, winning 6-2, 7-6 (7/5), 5-7, 0-6, 6-2. Both players had medical time-outs in the fourth set and they took over 16 minutes to return to court ahead of the fifth, as the rallies slowed to walking pace. Ruud found just enough energy as the decider went on, though, with Safiullin continuing to wilt in the evening sunshine. Spanish teenager Rafael Jodar enjoyed a winning French Open debut with a 6-1, 6-0, 6-4 dismantling of American Aleksandar Kovacevic. Jodar has quickly climbed the rankings this year, winning a clay-court title in Marrakesh, reaching the Barcelona Open semi-finals and then the quarter-finals in both Madrid and Rome. Fifth seed Ben Shelton, who has made at least the quarter-finals at each of the other three Slams, saw off Daniel Merida in straight sets. Thanasi Kokkinakis, playing only his fourth tour-level tournament of the last two seasons after injuries, won an epic five-set battle over four hours and 18 minutes with Frenchman Terence Atmane, who crumbled from 5-2 up in the decider.

Four-time French Open champion Iga Swiatek defeated Emerson Jones 6-1, 6-2, while second seed Elena Rybakina swept past Veronika Erjavec 6-2, 6-2 in sweltering conditions at Roland Garros.

Articles tagged with "French Open"

Andreeva wins first Grand Slam title at French Open

Flavio Cobolli fights into French Open last eight against dogged Zachary Svajda

Defending champion Gauff eliminated from French Open by Potapova

Fonseca blasts Djokovic out of French Open after epic comeback

Iga Swiatek, Elena Rybakina cruise through Roland Garros openers