Tag: Roland Garros

Elena Rybakina eased into the second round at Roland Garros on Monday with a comfortable opening win over Slovenian Veronika Erjavec.

The second seed needed just 74 minutes on a scorching Court Philippe Chatrier to seal her passage through the round of 128 with a 6-2, 6-2 victory.

“I’m really happy with the win of course, there are things to improve but today it’s really hot,” Rybakina said on court, before reminding the spectators to make sure to stay hydrated.

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“It’s tough conditions but I’m happy things worked, and I’m looking forward to the next match.”

Rybakina will next take on Ukraine’s Yuliia Starodubtseva as the Kazakh seeks to win her second Grand Slam of the season, following her success at the Australian Open in January.

Despite disappointing runs in the WTA 1000-level events immediately preceding the French Open, the 26-year-old has already lifted a title on clay this season in Stuttgart.

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Novak Djokovic came from a set down to beat Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard 5-7, 7-5, 6-1, 6-4 and book his spot in the second round of the French Open on Sunday.

The 24-time major champion Djokovic is seeking to win a fourth Roland Garros crown, which would send him beyond Margaret Court as the player with the most Grand Slam titles in the history of the sport.

“His service is practically impossible to see… Only once or twice in my career (have I seen a serve like it),” Djokovic said on-court of his big-serving opponent.

It was a first victory on the red dirt of the season for the 39-year-old after he skipped the vast majority of the clay-court swing due to a shoulder issue.

Djokovic showed his rustiness by blinking first in the opening set as Mpetshi Perricard got the Parisian crowd on their feet with a break of serve in the 11th game, before holding comfortably to get his nose in front.

Djokovic managed to engineer his first two break points of the match in the sixth game of the second frame but failed to convert as the 22-year-old roared back to ensure the set stayed level at 3-3.

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But the Serb, one of tennis’ all-time great returners, was starting to get the measure of the 2.01-metre Mpetshi Perricard’s bullet serve and eventually got the break he so desperately craved in the 12th game of the second set to level the match.

When Mpetshi Perricard sent a wide stretched forehand after chasing down a Djokovic drop shot, it was the first break point converted by the former world number one out of 10 across the set.

With his eye now firmly in, Djokovic wasted no time in getting ahead in the third frame as he broke the former world number 29 in the second game to race into a 3-0 lead.

The unrelenting Djokovic then won three of the next four games to claim a rapid-fire third set. The pair exchanged breaks right at the start of the fourth set before the match settled back into its earlier ebb and flow.

Djokovic struck again to get 4-3 ahead, this time serving out to book his spot in the round of 64, where he will face another Frenchman, Valentin Royer.

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PARIS: The Spaniard Rafael Nadal has ended his Norwegian opponent Casper Ruud’s dream run as he defeated the latter in the final to lift his 14th French Open title, here on Sunday.

In a one-sided final, 36-year-old Nadal won 6-3, 6-3, 6-0 to end Ruud’s hopes of becoming the first Norwegian to win the major title.

Nadal started off the proceedings in a rush as he quickly pulled ahead 2-0. Ruud, on the other hand, also responded and sealed the third game to cut the lead only for Nadal to claim the fourth and restored his lead to 3-1.

The Spaniard then dominated Ruud, who trained at the former’s academy in Manacor since 2018, and claimed the first set 6-3.

There was a glimmer of hope for the Norwegian as he pulled ahead in the second set after breaking 3-1. Nadal, however, roared back with a double break for 4-3. Ruud, then saved three points in the ninth game but his double faulty resulted in Nadal claiming the second straight set.

Nadal, fuelled with momentum, did not look back in the third set as he completely stole the show by claiming the set 6-0, which concluded in just 30 minutes.

With his French Open triumph, Nadal has now claimed the title 14th time and extended his Grand Slam record to 22 victories, leaving his rivals Novak Djokovic (20) and Roger Federer (20) behind.

It is pertinent to mention here that Nadal, 36, has also become the oldest French Open winner as he surpassed Andre Gimeno, who achieved the feat at an age of 34.

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