Britons Emily Appleton and Amarni Banks progressed to the second qualifying round in the women’s draw. Appleton, 25, completed a comeback victory over Swiss player Simona Waltert, winning 6-7 (4-7) 6-4 6-3 to set up a meeting with Czech player Barbora Palicova. The 22-year-old Banks also went the distance in a 6-4 1-6 6-3 victory...
With an opening game lasting 12 minutes, it felt inevitable that the final between the two best players in the world would be a marathon. In the end, Alcaraz and Sinner put everything on the line for five hours and 29 minutes – the longest French Open final in history. Just as the fifth set...
Sinner was aiming for a third successive Grand Slam triumph, having won the US Open at the end of last year and then defended his Australian Open title in January. The 23-year-old’s level over the past fortnight – he arrived in the final having not dropped a set – was even more impressive considering he...
The world number two had never previously won a match after losing the opening two sets. Alcaraz is the first man to win a Grand Slam title after saving match point since Novak Djokovic beat Roger Federer in the 2019 Wimbledon final. Sinner, who was bidding for his maiden Roland Garros triumph, was denied his...
There was a time when serious questions were being asked Gauff’s mentality. With her second serve liable to cough up double faults, and her forehand identified as a weakness, there were debates whether the issues were down to her mentality or technical deficiencies. Some self-doubt appeared as recently as March, with her coach Jean-Christophe Faurel...
Coco Gauff won the first French Open singles title of her career by fighting back to beat world number one Aryna Sabalenka in a rollercoaster final played in testing conditions. American second seed Gauff claimed a 6-7 (5-7) 6-2 6-4 victory after a tense battle between the WTA Tour’s two leading players. It is the...
Sabalenka and Gauff overcame two very different challenges in their respective semi-finals. Underlining her position as title favourite, Sabalenka ended four-time champion Iga Swiatek’s 26-match run with an impressive three-set victory. Gauff, meanwhile, was up against a partisan crowd but efficiently ended French wildcard Lois Boisson’s fairytale run in straight sets. Sabalenka continues to show...
A patchy season by Djokovic’s lofty standards led to questions about his stamina and motivation coming into Roland Garros. The departure of rival-turned-coach Andy Murray also indicated things were not functioning as hoped, although he did warm up by winning his 100th ATP title at the Geneva Open. Djokovic’s performance against Sinner showed he is...
World number one Aryna Sabalenka moved a step closer to a maiden French Open title by taking out four-time champion Iga Swiatek in a blockbuster semi-final. Belarus’ Sabalenka earned a 7-6 (7-1) 4-6 6-0 victory to end fifth seed Swiatek’s 26-match winning run at the tournament. After a slow start on the Roland Garros clay,...
Jack Draper was given a reality check as world number 62 Alexander Bublik produced a phenomenal fourth-round performance to end British interest in the French Open singles. Fifth seed Draper lost his way in a 5-7 6-3 6-2 6-4 defeat by the maverick Kazakh. The British number one was largely expected to continue his sharp...
Coming into the French Open, Norrie said he had been playing some of his best tennis, describing his level as similar to when he was a top-10 player back in 2022. It raised eyebrows – but he proved to be right. A memorable five-set win over former world number one Medvedev set the tone, followed...
Draper has developed into a top player with ambitions of challenging for the biggest titles over the past 12 months. Possessing tools which are effective across all surfaces has seen Draper turn into a French Open contender. Reaching the Madrid Open final was an early sign of improvement and his performances in Paris have backed...
The French Open night sessions – which were introduced in 2021 – feature just one singles match on Court Philippe Chatrier. A women’s singles match, played over three sets, has not been put in this primetime slot since 2023 – meaning the past 19 night-time sessions have been men’s singles matches, which are played over...
Emma Raducanu’s miserable record against Iga Swiatek continued as she was outclassed by the defending champion in their French Open second-round meeting. The British number two was beaten 6-1 6-2 on the Paris clay and has now lost all five of her matches against the five-time Grand Slam winner. It was another reminder of the...
Draper’s trips to Roland Garros have been memorable for the wrong reasons. The left-hander retired during his main-draw debut two years ago and lamented being known as “the guy who is injured a lot”, before struggling with his serve in a miserable defeat against 176th-ranked Jesper de Jong last year. This year, he has returned...