Paris, June 2 (IANS) Second seed Alexander Zverev kept his French Open aspirations alive with a dominant 7-6 (3) 6-1 6-3 victory over teen prodigy Rafael Jodar to reach the Roland Garros semifinals for the fifth time in six years.A finalist here last year, Zverev was given a tough time by the Spanish 19-year-old in the opening set on Court Philippe-Chatrier, but the 29-year-old was unfazed as he rallied from 2-5 down to secure a victory which took two hours and 17 minutes.”It was tough,” he admi…
Latest Rafael Jódar News & Updates
Paris, May 31 (IANS) Alexander Zverev fought back from a slow beginning and a tough challenge from Jesper de Jong to reach the Roland Garros quarter-finals for the sixth straight year, continuing his quest for his first Grand Slam win.The second-seeded German player in Paris overcame an early deficit to beat lucky loser De Jong 7-6(3), 6-4, 6-1 in a fourth-round match on Court Philippe-Chatrier that took two hours and 14 minutes.De Jong, ranked World No. 106, began confidently and quickly took a…
Paris, May 31 (IANS) Rafael Jodar continued his remarkable breakthrough campaign with a stirring comeback victory over compatriot Pablo Carreno Busta, recovering from two sets down to reach his first Grand Slam quarter-final at Roland Garros on Sunday. The 19-year-old Spaniard looked headed for defeat after dropping the opening two sets but responded in emphatic fashion, winning 4-6, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 in a gripping three-hour, 41-minute battle on Court Suzanne-Lenglen.Busta, seeking a third Rol…
Paris, May 31 (IANS) Pablo Carreno Busta has had a front-row seat to Rafael Jodar’s rise. Long before the teenager established himself as one of the breakthrough performers of the clay-court season, the former world No. 10 identified traits that convinced him the young Spaniard was destined for bigger stages.Now, fate has brought them together at Roland Garros, where a place in the quarter-finals will be on the line when they meet for the first time on the ATP Tour.The matchup carries added si…
Paris, May 28 (IANS) France’s Moise Kouame continued to thrive at the home Grand Slam as the newest tennis sensation in his country at the French Open, surging into the third round with a five-set victory, joining Rafael Nadal in a milestone achieved in 2003.The 17-year-old Frenchman, playing in his first major tournament, defeated Adolfo Daniel Vallejo 6-3, 7-5, 3-6, 2-6, 7-6(8) with a vociferous crowd at Court Suzanne-Lenglen. Kouame became the youngest man to reach the third round of a majo…
Paris, May 25 (IANS) Rafael Jodar made a strong impression on the biggest clay-court stage with a commanding win in his French Open debut. He defeated Aleksandar Kovacevic 6-1, 6-0, 6-4 in just one hour and 34 minutes on Monday at Roland Garros. The 19-year-old Spaniard came to Paris with great momentum from a successful European clay season. He quickly matched the hype surrounding him with a bold first-round performance. This marked the first time he was seeded at a Grand Slam tournament in his…
New Delhi, May 24 (IANS) With defending champion Carlos Alcaraz forced to pull out of Roland Garros due to an ongoing injury, former Indian tennis player Somdev Devvarman believes the men’s singles draw has now widely opened, making world No. 1 Jannik Sinner the “heavy favourite” and “the man to beat” in Paris. He also added that a Spaniard’s absence opens up so many different opportunities for rising stars like Fonseca, Jodar and others. Alcaraz, who showed remarkable physical and mental resili…
Paris, May 21 (IANS) Italy’s Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic, the player who has won the most Grand Slam titles in the history of the sport, have landed on opposite sides of the French Open men’s singles draw, following the official ceremony at Stade Roland Garros in Paris on Thursday.The No. 1 player in the ATP Rankings, Sinner, arrives at the clay-court major carrying a 29-match winning streak and will open his campaign against French wild card Clement Tabur. The 24-year-old Sinner is aiming …
New Delhi, May 18 (IANS) The conclusion of the Italian Open brought significant movement in the latest ATP Rankings, with several players enjoying major jumps following strong campaigns in Rome. While Jannik Sinner stole the spotlight by defeating Casper Ruud in the final to complete the Career Golden Masters, the tournament also reshaped the rankings picture heading into the French Open.Ruud emerged as one of the biggest gainers inside the Top 20 after climbing eight spots to World No. 17. The …
Rome, May 12 (IANS) Italian crowd favourite Luciano Darderi produced one of the most remarkable turnarounds of the ATP season on Tuesday, fighting back from the brink to defeat second seed Alexander Zverev and book his place in the quarter-finals of the Italian Open for the first time.Roared on by a packed home crowd at the Foro Italico, Darderi recovered from a set and a break down before saving four match points in a tense second-set tie-break to complete an unforgettable 1-6, 7-6(10), 6-0 vic…