Novak Djokovic can move one step closer to defending his title with another victory in the quarter finals of the French Open…
Now in the quarter final, Kristina Mladenovic has a legitimate chance now to become only the second French woman in the Open…
A huge chance has opened up for the two players in the top quarter of the women’s draw after the assumed semi finalist…
Tomas Berdych and 2001 Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic have split after 10 months together.
Berdych announced the change on his social media on Monday. The World No. 14 lost last week in the second round at Roland Garros to #NextGenATP player Karen Khachanov. It was Berdych’s earliest exit from the clay-court Grand Slam since 2013, when he lost in the first round to Frenchman Gael Monfils.
“Goran and I will not be working together anymore. I enjoyed the ride and we will remain great friends. Wish him all the best in the future and I am committed to go after my goals with current team,” wrote Berdych, who also works with Luka Kutanjac.
News from my team…?✔️#tbteam pic.twitter.com/vnSNRRXgdh
— Tomáš Berdych (@tomasberdych) June 5, 2017
Berdych and Ivanisevic joined forces last August to great excitement from the Czech, who said he had found “the guy” to help him reach his goals, including winning big titles.
The two have had success. Berdych captured his 13th tour-level title last October, beating Richard Gasquet to win the Shenzhen Open. The 31 year old celebrated his 600th tour-level match win last month in Rome. He also reached the Lyon final last month, his first clay-court title match since the 2015 Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters.
But the 6’5” Berdych was unable to break through on the biggest stages. This is the second time in the past 13 months that Berdych has split with a coach. He parted ways with former coach Dani Vallverdu, who now works with Grigor Dimitrov, in May 2016 before later hiring Ivanisevic.
| French Open |
|---|
| Venue: Roland Garros, Paris Dates: 28 May- 11 June |
| Coverage: Listen to live radio commentary and follow text coverage of selected matches on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra and online. |
This year’s French Open is a “land of opportunity” with no Grand Slam champions left among the women’s draw, says Lindsay Davenport.
For the first time since 1977, the quarter-final line-up in Paris is devoid of any player to have won a major title.
Simona Halep, Karolina Pliskova and Caroline Wozniacki are the only players to have reached a Grand Slam final.
“It is wide open,” said Davenport, a three-time major winner.
The women’s draw is missing 30 Grand Slam titles with the absence of Serena Williams, awaiting the birth of her first child, Victoria Azarenka, who returns at Wimbledon following the birth of her son, and Maria Sharapova, who did not get a wildcard after her doping ban.
The likes of Svetlana Kuznetsova and Sam Stosur have fallen by the wayside just as people were talking up their chances in the first week.
| Women’s quarter-finals (seeding in brackets) | |
|---|---|
| Jelena Ostapenko (Lat, unseeded) v Caroline Wozniacki (Den, 11) | Elina Svitolina (Ukr, 5) v Simona Halep (Rom, 3) |
| Kristina Mladenovic (Fra, 13) v Timea Bacsinszky (Swi, 30) | Caroline Garcia (Fra, 28) v Karolina Pliskova (Cze, 2) |
Heading into the quarter-finals, which get under way on Tuesday, are just three top-10 players in second seed Pliskova, third seed Halep and fifth seed Elina Svitolina.
“From two through 18 [in the rankings] it seems like there’s not that big a difference,” added former world number one Davenport.
“It’s a land of opportunity and we’ll see who holds up under that pressure.
“It wouldn’t surprise me if we had a different Grand Slam champion at Wimbledon and maybe even the US Open.”
Romania’s Halep began the tournament as favourite and remains so, having come through the draw without dropping a set.
Seeded third, a former finalist and with a stack of clay-court wins behind her this year, it would seem set up for her to finally land a Slam.
However, the 25-year-old suffered a pre-tournament scare with an ankle injury and questions remain around whether she can grab this chance.
“Three years ago it was like, ‘she will win a major,'” said Davenport.
“She looked so good here, that brutal final against Maria Sharapova, such high quality.
“It seems like sometimes it got to her, the pressure and the opportunities.”
Of the remaining seven contenders, Ukraine’s Svitolina has the form, Timea Bacsinszky the recent Paris pedigree, Kristina Mladenovic and Caroline Garcia the home support.
Wozniacki might feel it’s finally her time after missing out for so long, while Jelena Ostapenko is free of pressure at just 19, and Pliskova has surprised herself by lasting so long.
“I don’t really feel like I am favourite on the clay,” said the Czech, 25.
“Every match for me is tough.”
It is little wonder that choosing a champion has had experts and spectators alike shaking their heads in bemusement.
“It’s so hard to pick,” said Davenport. “With opportunity comes pressure – who’s going to hold up the best?”
There is growing excitement at the prospect of a first home winner since Mary Pierce in 2000 with the presence of both Mladenovic and Garcia in the last eight.
Mladenovic, 24, has captured headlines during the year with her form and outspoken nature – she boldly criticised Sharapova’s wildcard in Stuttgart and then beat the Russian in the semi-finals.
She has also been blunt in her discussion of Garcia, until last year her doubles partner.
Find out how to get into tennis in our special guide.
“Now there’s no more drama. She’s doing her thing, I’m doing my thing, and that’s it,” Mladenovic told Sport360.
“I didn’t see her, we’re not speaking that much and we are all just sticking to our routines and jobs.”
Bacsinszky might not be the highest-profile Swiss tennis player but she is becoming a force on the Paris clay, reaching the last eight for the third time in a row.
The 27-year-old almost quit tennis under the pressure of a “control freak” father.
“You can see on the court she loves to play, enjoys the creativity of the game. She has a lot of fans in the locker room too,” said Davenport.
Perhaps the only player who could match Bacsinszky in terms of storyline would be Wozniacki.
The 26-year-old Dane ended the year as world number one in 2010 and 2011 and has reached two US Open finals without winning a major title.
“She’s playing great, doesn’t love clay but she’s got a pretty good draw now,” said Davenport.
“To win the whole thing would be tough against a player like Halep, but all these players are saying, why not?”
Britain’s Andy Murray thanks the crowd for “coming out to support the tennis” following the “terrible” terrorist attacks in London and Manchester.
| French Open |
|---|
| Venue: Roland Garros, Paris Dates: 28 May-11 June |
| Coverage: Live radio commentary and text coverage of selected matches on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra and online. |
Second seed Karolina Pliskova came through a tricky match against world number 97 Veronica Cepede Royg to make the quarter-finals at Roland Garros.
Czech Pliskova was shocked in the first set by the Paraguayan but won 2-6 6-3 6-4 in one hour and 51 minutes.
Third seed Simona Halep of Romania is also through after she thrashed Carla Suarez Navarro 6-1 6-1.
Halep, the 2014 runner-up, swept aside her 21st-seeded opponent from Spain in exactly one hour.
It was the Romanian’s first win over Suarez Navarro on clay in six attempts.
She will play fifth seed Elina Svitolina for a place in the semi-finals after she came from 2-5 down in the final set to beat Petra Martic.
Svitolina, 22, needed treatment to her back and was in massive trouble at 0-30 down at 2-5 in the third.
But she somehow rallied to win 4-6 6-3 7-5 and thanked the crowd for their support.
“You give me this energy to fight for every ball and I was trying to not let you down,” she said.
“I decided to give everything I had, and to stay strong mentally. Today I was struggling a bit with my injury but hopefully I can recover well and be strong for the quarter-final.”
In an all-French fourth-round match Caroline Garcia, the 28th seed, beat rival Alize Cornet 6-2 6-4.
With no former champions left in the draw, and Maria Sharapova and the pregnant Serena Williams not competing, the field is wide open.
Scottish star to meet Nishikori or Verdasco in last eight
World No. 1 Andy Murray recorded the 650th match win of his career on Monday when he booked his spot in the Roland Garros quarter-finals for the seventh time.
Murray served with great fluency to end the run of 21-year-old #NextGenATP Karen Khachanov 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 in two hours and four minutes. It was his 20th match win of the season.
Murray, the 15th player in ATP World Tour history to reach the 650 victories (or more) milestone, will next play eighth-seeded Japanese Kei Nishikori or Fernando Verdasco of Spain.
? Superbe point de @Andy_Murray face à @karenkhachanov #RG17 ? pic.twitter.com/ykvcw4L0Z1
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 5, 2017
Last year’s finalist didn’t give Khachanov any rhythm, and while the Russian broke serve two times – at 2-3 in the second set and 3-4 in the third set – Murray bounced back immediately, finishing the encounter with 29 winners, and just 12 unforced errors.
Khachanov was looking to become the first player to reach the quarter-finals on his clay-court Grand Slam championship debut since Rafael Nadal in 2005.
| French Open |
|---|
| Venue: Roland Garros, Paris Dates: 28 May- 11 June |
| Coverage: Listen to live radio commentary and follow text coverage of selected matches on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra and online. |
Britain’s Andy Murray produced a clinical performance to see off Russian Karen Khachanov and reach a seventh French Open quarter-final.
The world number one came through 6-3 6-4 6-4 to claim his 650th Tour-level victory in two hours and four minutes.
The Scot, 30, goes on to face Japan’s Kei Nishikori, the eighth seed, in the last eight.
After his win, Murray paid tribute to the victims of recent terror attacks in Manchester and London.
Find out how to get into tennis in our special guide.
“It was a terrible tragedy in London and also in Manchester only a few weeks ago,” he said.
“Paris has had some problems in the last few years and I’m sure everyone will join me in sharing the fact that our thoughts and prayers are with those affected by this.
“It is something which has affected large parts of Europe and all over the world. I appreciate everyone still coming out to support us and I’m grateful I can perform in front of you.”
Murray – beaten finalist last year – continued where he left off against Juan Martin del Potro on Saturday to beat the unseeded Russian with barely a scare.
The only British man to win the French Open is Fred Perry, in 1935.
Murray followed up his impressive third-round win over Juan Martin del Potro with another display that suggests he is a real contender in Paris.
His struggles with form and fitness leading into Roland Garros had left him sticking to the ‘one game at a time’ mantra, with good reason.
However, the hugely powerful Khachanov, ranked 53rd, was dismissed by another Murray performance built around his trademark defensive skills allied with some solid serving.
The gap in experience was huge, with Murray trying to reach his 29th Grand Slam quarter-final and 21-year-old Khachanov his first.
It was quickly apparent that Khachanov’s power would take some getting used to, as the Russian drew gasps from the crowd for both forehands and backhands.
Murray played the percentages beautifully, however, setting up the decisive break point of the opening set with a wonderful return and making just one unforced error in the entire set.
Khachanov would fall behind early in the second after a double-fault, an issue that dogged him throughout the match along with a poor first-serve percentage.
The first crack in the Murray game appeared just after the hour mark as two loose shots handed the break straight back, but another poor Khachanov service game made it three breaks in a row.
Murray would not relinquish this chance, easing through to a two-set lead and moving 2-0 up in the third.
There was a brief alarm when his first-serve deserted him and he was pegged back to 4-4, but again Murray hit straight back with his fifth break of the match and closed it out on serve.
Among the many impressive statistics to come out of Murray’s fourth match of the week, the fact that he won 75% of points on his second serve will be of particular satisfaction.
Sometimes a weakness of his game, the Briton defended it superbly whenever Khachanov attacked off the return.
A meagre total of 14 unforced errors offered the Russian little as Murray took another step back towards his best
“I think today was probably the best I have played overall. It was difficult conditions. It was pretty windy out there. Wasn’t easy,” said Murray.
“But each match, I feel like I played better. I have hit the ball cleaner and started to see the right shots at the right moments.
“Yeah, I’ve come a long way the last 10 days or so.”
Analysis from BBC tennis correspondent Russell Fuller at Roland Garros
Murray served very well in an extremely efficient win on a breezy Paris afternoon – losing only seven points on second serve in the entire match.
Khachanov did not seem at all over-awed by the occasion, and continued to hit with freedom, but Murray’s guile neutralised his power sufficiently.
The world number one is in the best shape he could have hoped for ahead of the quarter-finals.
Two consecutive straight-sets wins have conserved energy and he has as good a chance of anyone of making the final from his half of the draw.
Australia is torn over one of its top tennis courts, named after a star who opposes LGBT rights.