Spain’s Garbine Muguruza says she was shocked to beat world number one Serena Williams in straight sets to win her first Grand Slam title at the French Open.
Watch more: Andy Murray offers Eric Cantona tennis lesson
ATPWorldTour.com previews final action at Roland Garros
Top seed Novak Djokovic and second seed Andy Murray square off for the 34th time on tour in Sunday’s Roland Garros final, but this match arguably has the biggest implications out of all their meetings.
Djokovic is aiming to complete the career Grand Slam, becoming just the eighth man – and the fourth in the Open era – to accomplish that feat. Meanwhile, Murray is looking to become the first British winner at Roland Garros since Fred Perry in 1935.
Their paths to the final couldn’t be more different. Besides an opening-set blip in his fourth-round against No. 14 seed Roberto Bautista Agut, Djokovic hasn’t dropped a set and recorded dominant scorelines in several matches. Murray had to rally from two sets down to survive his opening round against qualifier Radek Stepanek, then found himself a set away from defeat again in the second round against French wild card Mathias Bourgue. Although he’s rounded into top form as the tournament has progressed, he still had to withstand stern tests from No. 9 seed Richard Gasquet in the quarter-finals and No. 3 seed Stan Wawrinka in the semi-finals.
The World No. 1 also has more experience in Grand Slam finals, heading into his 20th major final compared to 10 for Murray. Djokovic will make his fourth appearance in the Roland Garros final (having lost in 2012, 2014 and 2015), while Murray hadn’t made a final in Paris prior to this year.
Djokovic leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry 23-10 and has won 12 of their last 14 matches. He holds a 7-2 record over Murray in Grand Slams, including a 4-2 record in Grand Slam finals. However, both of Murray’s Grand Slam wins came over Djokovic in the championship match. Their only career meeting at Roland Garros came last year, when the Serbian prevailed in a five-set semi-final.
Murray’s clay-court game has reached new levels in the last two years, though. The Brit entered the 2015 season with a 63-37 record on clay and no finals appearances. Since then, he has posted a 35-3 record and won three titles. He took Djokovic to three sets before losing their championship match last month at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Series event in Madrid, then avenged the loss on his birthday a week later with his first clay court victory over the Serbian in the Rome final.
Having played their first match against each other when they were both 11 years old, the pair will know exactly what to expect when they take the court on Sunday. With little separating them in current form, the result may come down to who handles the occasion better.
Feliciano Lopez and Marc Lopez beat Bob and Mike Bryan 6-4 6-7 6-3 to win the men’s doubles title at the French Open.
The 15th seeds had never before won a Grand Slam tournament, whereas the Bryan twins were seeking their 17th Major title together.
Lopez and Lopez – who are not related – are the 11th different men’s pairing to triumph in the last 11 Grand Slams.
Their win means that France’s Nicolas Mahut will replace Brazil’s Marcelo Melo as world doubles number one.
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Spain’s Garbine Muguruza beat world number one Serena Williams in straight sets to win her first Grand Slam title at the French Open.
Fourth seed Muguruza won 7-5 6-4 to make amends for losing last year’s Wimbledon final against Williams.
The 22-year-old is Spain’s first female champion at Roland Garros since Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario in 1998.
Williams, 34, had hoped to win a 22nd Grand Slam singles title and tie Steffi Graf’s Open-era record.
“I’m so, so excited – to play in a Grand Slam against one of the best players, it’s the perfect final,” Muguruza said.
“I’m so happy. I had to be very ready and concentrated on all the points and just to fight as much as I can.
“All the matches I’ve played against her helped me. It’s our favourite tournament in Spain and I want to thank all my Spanish supporters.”
Williams had reached the final despite reportedly struggling with a thigh problem, but the defending champion began in terrific form, moving freely as she made the early running.
It was all Muguruza could do to hang on, a forehand and an ace seeing off early break points, and it was Williams who faltered first by dropping serve with a double fault at 2-2.
With both players hitting huge groundstrokes and vying for control of the rallies, Williams looked to have gained the upper hand with three games in a row taking her 5-4 in front.
However, Muguruza played a nerveless service game to stay in the set and then clinched it with some wonderful hitting down both tram lines.
The second set began with three breaks of serve but it was still Muguruza who was dictating, another stunning forehand into the corner moving her into a 3-1 lead.
Muguruza was prepared to concede double-faults – her tally ending up at nine – to keep Williams at bay on her second serve and it proved a successful tactic.
Williams could not fashion a break point in the latter stages of the second set and did well to fend off four match points on her own serve in game nine.
Muguruza remained rock solid, however, finally converting on her own serve with a lob that caught both players by surprise, before the Spaniard fell to the clay in celebration.
Williams suffered only her sixth defeat in 27 Grand Slam finals stretching back to 1999, but did not blame her injury issues.
“It was OK,” she said. “I’m not one to ever make excuses and say, like, ‘Oh, my adductor was hurting,’ or whatever.
“At the end of the day I didn’t play the game I needed to play to win and she did. Adductor or not, she played to win.
“She won the first set by one point. I mean, that just goes to show you that you really have to play the big points well, and she played the big points really well.”
The American has now missed out in three consecutive Grand Slams, and will head to Wimbledon later this month looking to defend her title and finally land a 22nd major.
BBC tennis correspondent Russell Fuller
“Grand Slam singles champions born in the 1990s are no longer unique. Muguruza emulated Petra Kvitova’s achievement by winning here at the age of 22, which is very young by modern standards.
“She has the big serve, lethal power from the baseline, and showed a cool head and a strong heart to close out the match after Williams had saved those four championship points. Players are developing the belief to beat the world number one, but a semi-final and two finals from the last three Grand Slams show Williams is far from done yet.”
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| French Open – men’s singles final: Novak Djokovic v Andy Murray |
|---|
| Venue: Roland Garros, Paris Date: 5 June Time: 14:00 BST |
| Coverage: Live radio and text commentary on BBC Radio 5 live, the BBC Sport website and app. |
Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic will meet in Sunday’s French Open final – with both men seeking their first title in Paris.
Murray, the first British man to reach a Roland Garros final since 1937, hopes to add the French Open to his victories at the US Open and Wimbledon.
Djokovic, the world number one, can finally add the one major title to have so far eluded him.
It will be the pair’s seventh meeting in a Grand Slam final.
Djokovic leads that head-to-head 4-2, their overall contests 23-10 and has 11 major titles to Murray’s two – but it was the Serb whom Murray beat to claim his Grand Slam victories at the US Open in 2012 and Wimbledon in 2013.
The Scot also won their most recent meeting in the final of the clay-court Italian Open four weeks ago.
There is a huge amount at stake for both men in Sunday’s final, with Murray again looking to match Fred Perry, Britain’s last male champion in 1935.
Sue Barker won the women’s title in 1976 but since then a surprise run to the semi-finals by Tim Henman in 2004, followed by three semi-finals for Murray, were the best any Briton had managed on the Paris clay.
“It’s obviously a very big match for both of us, Novak trying to win the career slam and me trying to win my first French Open,” Murray said.
“Neither of us know how many more chances we’ll have to win here. It’s a very tough event to win.
“There’s a lot riding on the match for both of us.”
It is the first final between two top seeds trying to win a Grand Slam title for the first time since Ivan Lendl beat John McEnroe in Paris 32 years ago.
Murray will hope to emulate the achievement of his former coach – and then second seed – Lendl, and he takes on a very familiar rival.
Both finalists turned 29 last month and have known each other since junior days – but Djokovic has taken a firm grip on their personal duel in recent years, winning 12 of their last 14 matches.
“We have had some really big battles in the Slams before on all the other surfaces,” Murray said. “I’m sure it will be the same again on Sunday.”
Murray needed five sets to beat Radek Stepanek and Mathias Bourgue in his first two matches, and four sets to beat Richard Gasquet in the quarter-finals, but played superbly to beat defending champion Stan Wawrinka on Friday.
“The conditions aren’t that easy,” he said. “It’s been cold, wet, slow – much, much slower than what we played in the last few weeks.
“Obviously getting through difficult matches, you can find your rhythm. I spent a lot of time on court at the beginning of the event. I’m starting to feel better every day.”
Djokovic and Murray have stood at the top of the rankings for all but a week in 2016 – but the Serb has a huge lead and would hold all four Grand Slam titles with another victory over Murray.
Only American Don Budge in the 1930s and Australia’s Rod Laver in the 1960s have achieved that feat, and just seven men have completed the career slam.
However, Djokovic has played three French Open finals without success, losing twice to Rafael Nadal and then suffering a surprise defeat by an inspired Wawrinka 12 months ago.
“I’ve put myself in a position in which I wanted to be in of course ever since last year’s final,” Djokovic said.
“It’s always high on the priority list when I start a season, thinking about Roland Garros.”
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Britain’s Gordon Reid lost to Argentina’s Gustavo Fernandez in the men’s wheelchair singles final at the French Open.
The 24-year-old Scot, who was beaten 7-6 (7-4) 6-1, had been bidding for a second Grand Slam singles title of the year after his Australian Open victory.
“I lost to the better player. I struggled with my serve and that let him dictate the points,” Reid said.
He still has a chance of winning a title later in the day in the doubles.
Reid had led 4-2 in the opening set but Fernandez battled back and went 6-5 up before the Scot forced the tie-break, which he eventually lost.
The Argentine was the stronger in the second set, quickly racing into a 4-0 lead and there was no way back for Reid, who had won his last three matches against Fernandez.
“It’s been a good week to get this far, following on from Melbourne,” said Reid, who is ranked two places above Fernandez at four in the world.
“Obviously, I wanted a good result but I wasn’t good enough in the final.
“He had all the momentum in the second set.”
Reid and Japanese partner Shingo Kunieda face France’s Michael Jeremiasz and Stefan Olsson of Sweden later on Saturday as they bid to retain the doubles title they won last year.
British women’s number one Jordanne Whiley will also be in action in the women’s doubles final with Japan’s Yui Kamiji against top seeds Aniek van Koot and Jiske Griffioen of the Netherlands.
Reid is hoping his experiences in Paris will help him perform well at the inaugural wheelchair singles events at Wimbledon in July.
“It’s a different style of play, which probably suits me better,” he said,
“I learned a lot from Melbourne and I’ve probably learned a few things today about what not to do.”
The Hall of Famer has been busy this year growing the game at all levels
Ivan Lendl has spent time on tour as player and more recently a coach to World No. 2 Andy Murray, but he’s now taking on a new role: tournament ambassador.
The former World No. 1 and eight-time Grand Slam champion has served this week as a tournament ambassador for the $125,000 ATP Challenger Tour event in Prostejov, Czech Republic. For Lendl, widely regarded as the best men’s player in the history of Czech tennis, the decision was easy.
“There was not much to consider,” said Lendl. “I have many friends here in Prostejov, both old and new, and I always like to see them. I also like this tournament and have been here a couple of times.”
Lendl spoke about the importance of ATP Challenger Tour tournaments, as well as the wild cards offered into them, for young players developing their games. He cited two-time Prostejov champion Jiri Vesely as an example of how local Challengers can provide the resources for players to make it into the Top 100 of the Emirates ATP Rankings.
“Home tournaments are a great advantage for the home players. They can win some points and improve their rankings,” said Lendl. “It also applies with the Czech Republic. Look at Vesely and Adam Pavlasek here this week in Prostejov. How did they start? They received wild cards at home tournaments.”
Lendl signed on to work this year with the United States Tennis Association as part of their player development program, spending at least 50 days with several top-ranked 15 and 16-year-old boys.
The young Czech has played in two ATP Challenger Tour events since defeating the World No. 1
What do you do after you’ve beaten World No. 1 Novak Djokovic? If you’re Jiri Vesely, you play Challengers.
The rising Czech star recorded arguably the biggest upset of 2016 by defeating the Serbian in the second-round of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event in Monte-Carlo. Three weeks later, Vesely battled away at a $50,000 ATP Challenger event in Rome, Italy, where he reached the semi-finals.
Vesely returned this week to the $125,000 ATP Challenger Tour event in Prostejov, Czech Republic, where he won the past two years. Although he lost in the quarter-finals to No. 6 seed Mikhail Kukushkin of Kazakhstan, he believes playing in Challengers helps him produce the level of tennis required to beat players like Djokovic.
“For players ranked No. 50 to No. 100, Challengers are very important because you need to play as many matches as possible,” said Vesely. “I keep improving and also get to work on things mentally. Challengers are great to get some confidence which you can make good use of at the Masters tournaments.”
Coming back to Prostejov to defend his title was an easy decision for Vesely. He has thrived in his home country, with four of his five career ATP Challenger Tour singles titles coming in the Czech Republic.
“It’s a home tournament and therefore a very special event for me. It’s been a matter of heart for me over the last few years,” said Vesely. “My performance has been greatly influenced by the atmosphere, but also by the pressure. I’ve been highly motivated to succeed, but also worry I could fail. Fortunately, it has always turned out well for me at the end so far.”
After Prostejov, Vesely will now turn his attention to the grass court season. He’s hoping his latest stint on the ATP Challenger Tour will produce another run of good form and a career-high Emirates ATP Ranking by the end of the year.
“My goal is to reach the Top 30,” said Vesely, currently ranked No. 60. “But as they say, don’t count your chickens before they hatch. The season has not finished yet and I still believe my dream can come true.”
The Brit has now reached the final of all four Grand Slams
Andy Murray appeared an unlikely candidate to reach the Roland Garros final at the start of the tournament, but the No. 2 seed has played his way into form and his first final in Paris.
The Brit rallied from two sets down in his opening round against qualifier Radek Stepanek, then survived another come-from-behind victory in five sets in the second round over French wild card Mathias Bourgue. After his challenging start, Murray continued to improve with each match and saved his best tennis for Friday’s semi-final against defending champion and No. 3 seed Stan Wawrinka.
Hitting just 22 unforced errors over four sets, Murray was particularly strong in his return game and picked up 15 break points throughout the match, converting on five. A forehand volley winner sent Murray into the final with a 6-4, 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 win.
“To reach the final of the French the first time is a big moment for me. It’s not an easy thing to do,” said Murray. “A few years ago, I never really expected to be able to do that. I was really happy to play the way that I did today after a tough start to the tournament.”
Perhaps the most surprising part of Murray’s strategy against Wawrinka was his success at charging the net. The No. 2 seed won 19 of 23 net points and suggested it’s something he’ll continue to do in Sunday’s championship match.
“I tried to come forward any time I had the chance today. When the conditions are so slow, it’s not that easy to finish the point from the back of the court all of the time,” said Murray. “It’s important to finish up at the net when you can just to make a few of the points a little bit easier.”
Only No. 1 seed Novak Djokovic separates Murray from his first Roland Garros title. The pair have established themselves as the top rivalry on tour in 2016, particularly during this year’s clay season. Djokovic prevailed over Murray in the final of Madrid, while Murray avenged the loss on his birthday a week later in the final of Rome.
Sunday’s final has monumental implications for both. While Djokovic aims to complete the career Grand Slam and become the first player to hold all four Grand Slams at the same time since Rod Laver in 1969, Murray is looking to become the first British champion at Roland Garros since Fred Perry in 1935.
“It’s obviously a very big match for both of us. Neither of us know how many more chances we’ll have to win here,” said Murray. “We have had some really big battles in the slams before on all the other surfaces. I’m sure it will be the same again on Sunday.”
Tennis legend secures Roland Garros title
Leander Paes partnered Martina Hingis to the Roland Garros mixed doubles title, rallying to win 4-6, 6-4, 10-8 against No. 2 seeds Sania Mirza and Ivan Dodig. Paes became the third player in the Open Era to win a career Grand Slam in both men’s and mixed doubles (Todd Woodbridge & Mark Woodforde).
“[Communication and hard work] is why we won a career Grand Slam Grand Slam,” Paes said. “We started playing together 18 months ago. To finish a career Grand Slam in 18 months takes a little bit of doing.
“I had to learn a few things on the court on how to play mixed on the clay. I knew how to do it on grass and hard courts where your footing is better. But we learned something in the second-round match here. Martina actually taught me to basically cover my line. We played to our strategy.”
Paes and Hingis only won one point returning Dodig/Mirza’s first serves in the opening set, but gradually found their rhythm. The experienced doubles players rushed the net with success and secured the win when Dodig netted a forehand approach. They are the second mixed doubles team in the Open Era to complete a career Grand Slam (Marty Riessen/Margaret Court).
The 42-year-old Paes owns the Open Era men’s record with 10 mixed doubles titles. The Indian reached No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Doubles Rankings in 1999 and won Roland Garros three times in men’s doubles (1999, 2001 and 2009).