The King of Clay Nadal Beats Federer

What a great performance by King of clay Rafael Nadal . The super Tennis star Rafal Nadal continued his dominance against Roger Federer at the French Open 2019 winning the semifinal match in straight sets 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 at Court Philippe-Chatrier. Rafal is now 6-0 against Federer at the French Open battle.

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Australian Open 2019 : Serena Williams’ Victory

Australian Open 2019. Serena Williams beats World No-1 Simona Halep by 6-1, 4-6 & 6-4 . Serena Williams reach to her 50th Grand Slam Semi Finals at Melbourne Park Lord Laver Arena . Serena Williams ,the WTA charts 16th ranked Tennis Star , is chasing for her 8th Australian Open Grand Slam Title. Last year , she did not play the Australian open due to birth of her daughter .  (more…)

Kei Nishikori beat Russia’s Daniil Medvedev

Brisbane International Tennis Tournament Final Result . Japan’s Kei Nishikori beat Russia’s Daniil Medvedev in the Brisbane International final and won his first ATP title . Japanese Tennis star Kei Nishikori claimed the title against Daniil Medvedev with 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 defeat . Kei Nishikori had not won any tournament since Memphis in 2016 .  (more…)

2018 French Open: Information and Schedule

We have everything you need to know for the women’s draw of the French Open, including schedule, streaming info, scores and more. The semifinals of the 2018 French Open are set to begin.

(A) Women’s bracket, schedule, and scores

Serena Williams has missed the last four Grand Slams, but she’s set to compete for title at the 2018 French Open, which gets underway on Sunday. Williams won the 2017 Australian Open before taking an extended break from tennis for the birth of her child.

She returned to the WTA Tour this year, winning two of four matches, none of which were on the clay surface that makes up the courts at Roland Garros. She is unseeded due to her absence, and the field of competitors is incredibly strong, as usual. Without tune-up matches on the surface, it’s hard to imagine Williams earning her 24th Grand Slam title this time around.

But the women’s field is as unpredictable and exciting as ever. Since Williams won in Australia, four different women have won the past four slams — Jelena Ostapenko, Garbine Muguruza, Sloane Stephens and Caroline Wozniacki.

Simona Halep is the top-seeded woman, and she’s still searching for her first ever Grand Slam win. Elina Svitolina is playing some of the best tennis of her career, and has a good shot at winning it. Ostapenko, the defending champion, is also in the field as the fifth seed.

Svitolina is coming off a win in the Italian Open in Rome, where she bested Halep in straight sets for the championship. Petra Kvitova won the Madrid Open prior to that, over Kiki Bertens. Halep and Maria Sharapova were among the quarterfinalists for that tournament.

Serena’s sister, Venus Williams, is the ninth seed for the tournament.

Below, you can find the bracket, schedule, viewing information and updated match results from the tournament.

Viewing information

This year marks the 36th consecutive year that NBC will carry coverage of the French Open in the United States. The finals and some semifinals will be broadcast by NBC proper, but the bulk of coverage will be handled by the Tennis Channel. Play begins at 5 a.m. ET on most days, and ends around 3 p.m.

Live streaming the NBC coverage, which begins later in the day and is only specific matches, can be had via NBC Sports, the NBC Sports app or any streaming service that offers NBC, like fuboTV. If you want access to all the courts, the only option is a subscription to Tennis Channel Plus.

Schedule and results

Day 1, Sunday, May 27

No. 4 Elina Svitolina  def.  Ajla Tomljanovic,  7-5, 6-3
Kateryna Kozlova  def.  No. 5 Jelena Ostapenko,  7-5, 6-3
Qiang Wang def. No. 9 Venus Williams, 6-4, 7-5
No. 10 Sloane Stephens def. Arantxa Rus, 6-2, 6-0
Yulia Putintseva def. No. 22 Johanna Konta, 6-4, 6-3
No. 25 Anett Kontaveit def. Madison Brengle, 6-1, 4-6, 6-2
No. 26 Barbora Strycova def. Kurumi Nara, 1-6, 6-3, 6-4
No. 32 Alize Cornet def. Sara Errani, 2-6, 6-2, 6-3
Viktoria Kuzmova def. Francesca Schiavone, 7-6(2), 7-6(2)
Ekaterina Makarova def. Saisai Zheng, 6-4, 6-1
Magdalena Frech def. Ekaterina Alexandrova, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3
Jennifer Brady def. Amandine Hesse, 6-1, 6-1
Zarina Diyas def. Magda Linette, 6-3, 6-1
Petra Martic def. Yafan Wang, 6-2, 6-3
Alexandra Dulgheru vs. Christina McHale (to finish Monday), 5-7, 7-6(5)
Chloe Paquet vs. Pauline Parmentier (to finish Monday), 6-3, 6-7(4), 1-3

Day 2, Monday, May 28

No. 2 Caroline Wozniacki def. Danielle Collins, 7-6(2), 6-1
No. 6 Karolina Pliskova def. Barbora Krejcikova, 7-6(6), 6-4
No. 8 Petra Kvitova def. Veronica Cepede Royg, 3-6, 6-1, 7-5
No. 13 Madison Keys def. Sachia Vickery, 6-3, 6-3
No. 14 Daria Kasatkina def. Kaia Kanepi, 6-4, 6-1
No. 16 Elise Mertens vs. Varvara Lepchenko (to finish), 6-7(9), 7-6(4), 3-0
No. 15 Coco Vandeweghe def. Laura Siegemund, 6-4, 6-4
No. 19 Magdalena Rybarikova def. Luksika Kumkhum, 6-3, 6-0
Mariana Duque-Marino def. No. 20 Anastasija Sevastova, 4-6, 6-1, 6-3
No. 21 Naomi Osaka def. Sofia Kenin, 6-2, 7-5
No. 23 Carla Suarez Navarro def. Ana Konjuh, 6-0, 6-1
Andrea Petkovic def. No. 29 Kristina Mladenovic, 7-6(10), 6-2
No. 31 Mihaela Buzarnescu def. Vania King, 6-3, 6-3
Heather Watson def. Oceane Dodin, 6-3, 6-0
Caroline Dolehide def. Viktorija Golubic, 6-4, 6-4
Rebecca Peterson def. Su-Wei Hsieh, 6-4, 6-3
Camila Giorgi def. Grace Min, 6-3, 6-2
Lucie Safarova def. Jessika Ponchet, 6-4, 6-1
Belinda Bencic def. Deborah Chiesa, 3-6, 7-6(2), 7-5
Kirsten Flipkens def. Tatjana Maria, 7-6(1), 6-4
Donna Vekic def. Kateryna Bondarenko, 6-2, 6-4
Alara Arruabarrena def. Timea Babos, 7-6(5), 6-3
Lesia Tsurenkodef. Stefanie Voegele, 4-6, 6-2, 6-2
Maria Sakkari def. Mandy Minella, 7-6(5), 6-2
Georgina Garcia Perez def. Dalila Jakupovic, 6-3, 6-4
Katerina Siniakova def. Victoria Azarenka, 7-5, 7-5
Pauline Parmentier def. Chloe Paquet, 3-6, 7-6(4), 6-2
Alexandra Dulgheru def. Christina McHale , 5-7, 7-6(5), 6-3

Day 3, Tuesday, May 29

No. 3 Garbine Muguruza def. Svetlana Kuznetsova, 7-6, 6-2
No. 7 Caroline Garcia def. Yingying Duan, 6-1, 6-0
No. 11 Julia Goerges def. Dominika Cibulkova, 6-4, 5-7, 6-0
No. 12 Angelique Kerber def. Mona Barthel, 6-2, 6-3
No. 16 Elise Mertens def. Varvara Lepchenko, 6-7(9), 7-6(4), 6-0
No. 17 Ashleigh Barty def. Natalia Vikhlyantseva, 6-3, 6-1
No. 18 Kiki Bertens def. Aryna Sabalenka, 6-2, 6-1
No. 24 Daria Gavrilova def. Sorana Cirstea, 4-6, 7-6(4), 6-3
No. 27 Shuai Zhang def. Kristina Kucova, 6-0, 7-5
No. 28 Maria Sharapova def. Richel Hogenkamp, 6-1, 4-6, 6-3
No. 30 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova def. Polona Hercog, 6-4, 7-6(1)
Serena Williams def. Kristyna Pliskova, 7-6(4), 6-4
Fiona Ferro def. Carina Witthoeft, 6-4, 6-2
Samantha Stosur def. Yanina Wickmayer, 6-2, 6-4
Taylor Townsend def. Myrtille Georges, 6-4, 6-2
Irina-Camelia Begu def. Anna Karolina Schmiedlova, 6-4, 5-7, 9-7
Ana Bogdan def. Marketa Vondrousova, 6-3, 1-6, 6-4
Alison Van Uytvanck def. Isabelle Wallace, 6-1, 6-0
Aliaksandra Sasnovich def. Denisa Allertova, 6-4, 6-3
Shuai Peng def. Aleksandra Krunic, 6-3, 6-4
Bethanie Mattek-Sands def. Johanna Larsson, 6-4, 6-3

Day 4, Wednesday, May 30

No. 1 Simona Halep def. Alison Riske, 2-6, 6-1, 6-1
No. 2 Caroline Wozniacki def. Georgina Garcia Perez, 6-1, 6-0
No. 4 Elina Svitolina def. Viktoria Kuzmova, 6-3, 6-4
No. 8 Petra Kvitova def. Lara Arruabarrena, 6-0, 6-4
No. 10 Sloane Stephens def. Magdalena Frechm 6-2, 6-2
No. 13 Madison Keys def. Caroline Dolehide, 6-4, 6-1
No. 14 Daria Kasatkina def. Kirsten Flipkens, 6-3, 6-3
No. 21 Naomi Osaka def. Zarina Diyas, 6-4, 7-5
Maria Sakkari def. No. 23 Carla Suarez Navarro, 7-5, 6-3
No. 25 Anett Kontaveit def. Alexandra Dulgheru, 7-5, 6-2
No. 26 Barbora Strycova def. Ekaterina Makarova, 6-4, 6-2
No. 31 Mihaela Buzarnescu def. Rebecca Peterson, 6-1, 6-2
Pauline Parmentier def. No. 32 Alize Cornet, 6-7(2), 6-4, 6-2
Katerina Siniakova def. Kateryna Kozlova, 6(4)-7, 6-4, 6-4
Yulia Putintseva def. Jennifer Brady, 6-4, 6-3
Camila Giorgi def. Mariana Duque-Marino, 6-0, 6-3
Qiang Wang def. Petra Martic, 6-1, 6-1

Day 5, Thursday, May 31

No. 1 Simona Halep def. Taylor Townsend, 6-3, 6-1
No. 3 Garbine Muguruza def. Fiona Ferro, 6-4, 6-3
No. 6 Karolina Pliskova def. Lucie Safarova, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1
No. 7 Caroline Garcia def. Shuai Peng, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3
No. 11 Julia Goerges def. Alison Van Uytvanck, 7-5, 7-6(5)
No. 12 Angelique Kerber def. Ana Bogdan, 6-2, 6-3
Lesia Tsurenko def. No. 15 Coco Vandeweghe, 3-6, 6-4, 6-0
No. 16 Elise Mertens def. Heather Watson, 6-3, 6-4
Serena Williams def. No. 17 Ashleigh Barty, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4
No. 18 Kiki Bertens def. Aliaksandra Sasnovich, 6-4, 6-2
No. 19 Magdalena Rybarikova def. Belinda Bencic, 6-2, 6-4
No. 24 Daria Gavrilova def. Bernarda Pera, 5-7, 7-5, 6-3
Irina-Camelia Begu def No. 27 Shuai Zhang, 6-3, 6-4
No. 28 Maria Sharapova def. Donna Vekic, 7-5, 6-4
Samantha Stosur def. No. 30 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, 6-2, 7-6(1)
Andrea Petkovic def. Bethanie Mattek-Sands, 6-0, 7-6(5)

Day 6, Friday, June 1

No. 2 Caroline Wozniacki def. Pauline Parmentier, 6-0, 6-3
No. 31 Mihaela Buzarnescu def. No. 4 Elina Svitolina, 6-3, 7-5
No. 14 Daria Kasatkina def. Maria Sakkari, 6-1, 1-6, 6-3
No. 13 Madison Keys def. No. 21 Naomi Osaka, 6-1, 7-6(7)
No. 26 Barbora Strycova def. Katerina Siniakova, 6-2, 6-3
Yulia Putintseva def. Qiang Wang, 1-6, 7-5, 6-4

Day 7, Saturday, June 2

No. 1 Simona Halep def. Andrea Petkovic, 7-5, 6-0
No. 3 Garbine Muguruza def. Samantha Stosur, 6-0, 6-2
No. 28 Maria Sharapova def. No. 6 Karolina Pliskova, 6-2, 6-1
No. 7 Caroline Garcia def. Irina-Cemlia Begu, 6-1, 6-3
No. 25 Anett Kontaveit def. No. 8 Petra Kvitova, 7-6(6), 7-6(4)
No. 10 Sloane Stephens def. Camila Giorgi, 4-6, 6-1, 8-6
Serena Williams def. No. 11 Julia Goerges, 6-3, 6-4
No. 12 Angelique Kerber def. No. 18 Kiki Bertens, 7-6(4), 7-6(4)
No. 16 Elise Mertens def. No. 24 Daria Gavrilova, 6-3, 6-1
Lesia Tsurenko def. No. 19 Magdalena Rybarikova, 6-2, 6-4

Day 8, Sunday, June 3

No. 2 Caroline Wozniacki vs. No. 14 Daria Kasatkina (to finish) 6-7(5), 3-3
No. 10 Sloane Stephens def. No. 25 Anett Kontaveit, 6-2, 6-0
No. 13 Madison Keys def. No. 31 Mihaela Buzarnescu, 6-1, 6-4
Yulia Putintseva def. No. 26 Barbora Strycova, 6-4, 6-3

Day 9, Monday, June 4

No. 1 Simona Halep def. No. 16 Elise Mertens, 6-2, 6-1
No. 14 Daria Kasatkina def. No. 2 Caroline Wozniacki, 7-6(5), 6-3
No. 3 Garbine Muguruza def. Lesia Tsurenko, 2-0 (ret.)
No. 12 Angelique Kerber def. No. 7 Caroline Garcia, 6-2, 6-3
Serena Williams withdraws due to injury before match against No. 28 Maria Sharapova

Day 10, Tuesday, June 5

No. 10 Sloane Stephens def. No. 14 Daria Kasatkina, 6-3, 6-1
No. 13 Madison Keys def. Yulia Putintseva, 7-6(5), 6-4

Day 11, Wednesday, June 6

No. 1 Simona Halep def. No. 12 Angelique Kerber, 6(2)-7, 6-3, 6-2
No. 3 Garbine Muguruza def. No. 29 Maria Sharapova, 6-2, 6-1

Day 12, Thursday, June 7

No. 1 Simona Halep def. No. 3 Garbine Muguruza, 6-1, 6-4
No. 10 Sloane Stephens def. No. 13 Madison Keys, 6-4, 6-4

(B) Men’s bracket, schedule, and scores

The 2018 French Open from Roland Garros, the second of four Grand Slam tennis events, is about to get underway, and all eyes are on the “King of Clay”, Rafael Nadal. A ten-time champion of the French Open, Nadal’s nickname is apt and earned. He’s also drawn into a top half that is generally considered to be easier than the bottom half.

All of Alexander Zverev, the second seed, Dominic Thiem, Novak Djokovic, Grigor Dimitrov and Kei Nishikori are in the bottom half of the draw. Nadal is 79-2 on the clay of Roland Garros, and doesn’t necessarily need the assistance of a good draw, but he got it.

Juan Martin Del Potro, always good for an upset, is in the top half of the draw, along with Marin Cilic. Nadal looks to be a on a trajectory that will place him against Kevin Anderson, the sixth seed, in the quarterfinals. Nadal has beaten Anderson all five times they’ve faced each other.

Once again, Roger Federer is electing to skip the French Open the the bulk of the clay court season to rest. It’s not that he can’t contend with Nadal definitively, he’s just getting up there in years and wants to be fresh for the grass courts, his best surface. Andy Murray, one of the top players, will not be in action at the French Open due to injury.

Below, you can find the bracket, schedule, viewing information and updated match results from the tournament.

Bracket taken from the official Roland Garros website.

Viewing information

NBC has coverage of the French Open in the United States, as usual. The finals and semifinals will make it onto the network, as will selected matches in the earlier rounds. But the bulk of daily coverage will come from the Tennis Channel. Play gets underway at 5 a.m. ET on most days, and ends around 3 p.m.

Live streaming the NBC coverage can be had via NBC Sports, the NBC Sports app or any streaming service that offers NBC, like fuboTV. If you want access to all the courts, the only option is a subscription to Tennis Channel Plus.

Schedule and results

Day 1, Sunday, May 27

No. 2 Alexander Zverev def. Ricardas Berankis, 6-1, 6-1, 6-2
No. 4 Grigor Dimitrov def. Mohamed Safwat, 6-1, 6-4, 7-6(1)
No. 8 David Goffin def. Robin Haase, 4-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1, 6-0
No. 10 Pablo Carreno Busta def. Jozef Kovalik, 4-6, 6-1, 7-5, 7-6(5)
No. 15 Lucas Pouille def. Daniil Medvedev, 6-2, 6-3, 6-4
No. 19 Kei Nishikori def. Maxime Janvier, 7-6, 6-4, 6-3
No. 26 Damir Dzumhurd def. Denis Kudla, 6-4, 6-2, 6-2
No. 30 Fernando Verdasco def. Yoshihito Nishioka, 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-4, 6-7(3), 6-5
No. 32 Gael Monfils def. Elliot Benchetrit, 3-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-1
Federico Delbonis def. Thomaz Bellucci, 6-1, 6-3, 3-6, 6-1
Jared Donaldson def. Nicolas Jarry, 7-6(6), 4-6, 7-6(6), 6-1
Matteo Berrettin def. Oscar Otte, 3-6, 7-5, 6-2, 6-1
Corentin Moutet def. Ivo Karlovic, 7-6(7), 6-2, 7-6(5)
Martin Klizan def. Laslo Djere, 7-6(6), 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-1
Guido Andreozzi def. Taylor Fritz, 6-7(4), 6-3, 3-6, 6-2, 6-3
Radu Albot def. Gregoire Barrere, 4-6, 0-6, 7-5, 6-1, 6-2

Day 2, Monday, May 28

No. 1 Rafael Nadal vs. Simone Bolelli (to finish), 6-4, 6-3, 0-3
No. 7 Dominic Thiem def. Ilya Ivashka, 6-2, 6-4, 6-1
No. 9 John Isner vs. Noah Rubin (to finish), 6-3, 7-6(7)
No. 11 Diego Schwartzman def. Calvin Hemery, 6-1, 6-3, 6-1
No. 12 Sam Querrey def. Frances Tiafoe, 6-1, 6-2, 7-6(6)
No. 13 Roberto Bautista Agut def. Denis Istomin, 6-2, 6-7(3), 1-6, 6-4, 6-4
No. 20 Novak Djokovic def. Rogerio Dutra Silva, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4
Borna Coric def. No. 22 Philipp Kohlschreiber, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4
Guillermo Garcia-Lopez def. No. 23 Stan Wawrinka, 6-2, 3-6, 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-3
No. 27 Richard Gasquet def. Andreas Seppi, 6-0, 6-2, 6-2
Ernests Gulbis def. No. 29 Gilles Muller, 2-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3
No. 31 Albert Ramos-Vinolas def. Mikhail Kukushkin, 7-6(0), 6-4, 6-1
Benoit Paire def. Carballes Baena, 6-3, 6-7(3), 7-6(9), 6-1
Dusan Lajovic def. Jiri Vesely, 6-3, 6-1, 6-3
Casper Ruud def. Jordan Thompson, 6-1, 6-4, 2-6, 4-6, 6-3
Adam Pavlasek def. Mirza Basic, 6-7(4), 7-5, 6-2, 6-2
Cameron Norrie def. Peter Gojowczyk, 6-1, 2-0 (ret.)
Stefanos Tsitsipas def. Carlso Taberner, 7-5, 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-3
Santiago Giraldo def. Marcos Baghdatis, 3-6, 3-4 (ret.)
Horacio Zeballos vs. Yuichi Sugita (to finish), 6-4, 6-6(0-0)
Karen Khachanov def. Andreas Haider-Maurer, 7-6(0), 6-3, 6-3
Jaume Munar def. David Ferrer, 3-6, 3-6, 7-6(3), 7-6(4), 7-5
Joao Sousa vs. Guido Pella (to finish), 2-6, 3-6, 3-2
Malek Jaziri def. Mikhail Youzhny, 2-6, 6-2, 6-2, 3-6, 6-2
Marco Cecchinato def. Marius Copil, 2-6, 6-7(4), 7-5, 6-2, 10-8
Matthew Ebden vs. Thomas Fabbiano (to finish), 4-6, 7-5, 2-6, 6-3
Gilles Simon def. Nikoloz Basilashvili, 6-4, 6-0, 6-7(4), 6-4
Marco Trungelliti def. Bernard Tomic, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4

Day 3, Tuesday, May 29

No. 1 Rafael Nadal def. Simone Bolelli, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6(9)
No. 3 Marin Cilic def. James Duckworth, 6-3, 7-5, 7-6(4)
No. 5 Juan Martin del Potro def. Nicolas Mahut, 1-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-4
No. 6 Kevin Anderson def. Paolo Lorenzi, 6-1, 6-2, 6-4
No. 9 John Isner def. Noah Rubin, 6-3, 7-6(7), 7-6(7)
Jurgen Zopp vs. No. 14 Jack Sock, 6-7(4), 6-2, 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-3
No. 16 Kyle Edmund def. Alex de Minaur, 6-2, 6-4, 6-3
No. 18 Fabio Fognini def. Pablo Andujar, 6-4, 6-2, 6-1
No. 24 Denis Shapovalov def. John Millman, 7-5, 6-4, 6-2
Steve Johnson def. No. 25 Adrian Mannarino, 7-6(1), 6-2, 6-2
Sergiy Stakhovsky def. No. 28 Feliciano Lopez, 6-2, 6-4, 6-2
Horacio Zeballos def. Yuichi Sugita, 6-4, 6-7(3), 6-4, 6-2
Thomas Fabbiano def. Matthew Ebden, 6-4, 5-7, 6-2, 3-6, 6-2
Elias Ymer def. Dudi Sela, 7-6(3), 6-3, 6-1
Pablo Cuevas def. Aljaz Bedene, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2
Ruben Bemelmans def. Yuki Bhambri, 6-4, 6-4, 6-1
Maximilian Marterer def. Ryan Harrison, 6-1, 6-3, 7-5
Jan-Lennard Struff def. Evgeny Donskoy, 6-1, 6-3, 6-0
Marton Fucsovics def. Vasek Pospisil, 6-3, 6-3, 7-6(5)
Mischa Zverev def. Florian Mayer, 6-2, 6-1, 7-6(3)
Hubert Hurkacz def. Tennys Sandgren, 6-2, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3
Guido Pella def. João Sousa, 6-2, 6-3, 6-4

Day 4, Wednesday, May 30

No. 2 Alexander Zverev def. Dusan Lajovic, 2-6, 7-5, 4-6, 6-1 . 6-2
No. 4 Grigor Dimitrov def. Jared Donaldson, 6(2)-7, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, 10-8
No. 7 Dominic Thiem vs. Stefans Tsitsipas (to finish), 6-2, 2-6, 6-4
No. 8 David Goffin def. Corentin Moutet, 7-5, 6-0, 6-1
No. 10 Pablo Carreno Busta def. Federico Delbonis, 7-6(0), 7-6(2), 3-6, 6-4
Gilles Simon def. No. 12 Sam Querrey, 1-6, 7-6(3), 6-4, 6-1
No. 13 Roberto Bautista Agut def. Santiago Giraldo 6-4, 7-5, 6-3
No. 15 Lucas Pouille vs. Cameron Norrie (to finish), 6-2, 6-4, 5-7
Jeremy Chardy def. No. 17 Tomas Berdych, 7-6(5), 7-6(8), 1-6, 5-7, 6-2
No. 19 Kei Nishikori def. Benoit Paire, 6-3, 2-6, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3
No. 20 Novak Djokovic def. Jaume Munar, 7-6(1), 6-4, 6-4
No. 26 Damir Dzumhur def. Radu Albot, 6-3, 6-3, 5-7, 1-6, 7-5
No. 30 Fernando Verdasco def. Guido Andreozzi, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2
No. 32 Gael Monfils def. Martin Klizan, 6-2, 6-4, 6-4
Karen Khachanov def. Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, 6-2, 7-6(7), 6-7(0), 6-3
Matteo Berrettini def. Ernests Gulbis, 6-2, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3
Marco Cecchinato def. Marco Trungelliti, 6-1, 7-6(1), 6-1
Pierre-Hugues Herbert def. Peter Polansky, 6-3, 4-6, 6-2, 6-2

Day 5, Thursday, May 31

No. 1 Rafael Nadal def. Guido Pella, 6-2, 6-1, 6-1
No. 3 Marin Cilic def. Hubert Hurkacz, 6-2, 6-2, 6(3)-7, 7-5
No. 5 Juan Martin del Potro def. Julien Benneteau, 6-4 6-3, 6-2
No. 6 Kevin Anderson def. Pablo Cuevas, 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-4
No. 7 Dominic Thiem vs. Stefans Tsitsipas, 6-2, 2-6, 6-4, 6-4
No. 9 John Isner def. Horacio Zeballos, 6(8)-7, 7-6, 7-6(2), 6-2
No. 11 Diego Schwartzman def. Adam Pavlasek, 6-1, 6-3, 6-1
No. 15 Lucas Pouille def. Cameron Norrie, 6-2, 6-4, 5-7, 7-6(3)
No. 16 Kyle Edmund def. Marton Fucsovics, 6-0, 1-6, 6-2, 6-3
No. 18 Fabio Fognini def. Elias Ymer, 6-4, 6-1, 6-2
Maximilian Marterer def. No. 24 Denis Shapovalov, 5-7, 7-6(4), 7-5, 6-4
No. 27 Richard Gasquet def. Malek Jaziri, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, 6-0
No. 31 Albert Ramos-Vinolas def. Casper Ruud, 6-4, 6-2, 6-4
Pierre-Hugues Herbert def. Jeremy Chardy, 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 9-7
Borna Coric def. Thomas Fabbiano, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1, 6-1
Jurgen Zopp def. Ruben Bemelmans, 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4
Steve Johnson def. Jan-Lennard Struff, 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-2, 6-2
Mischa Zverev def. Sergiy Stakhovsky, 6-3, 6(0)-7, 7-6(2), 6-1

Day 6, Friday, June 1

No. 2 Alexander Zverev def. No. 26 Damir Dzumhur, 6-2, 3-6, 4-6, 7-6(3), 7-5
No. 30 Fernando Verdasco def. No. 4 Grigor Dimitrov, 7-6(4), 6-2, 6-4
No. 7 Dominic Thiem def. Matteo Berrettini, 6-3, 6(5)-7, 6-3, 6-2
No. 8 David Goffin vs. No. 32 Gael Monfils (to finish), 6-7(6), 6-3, 3-2
Marco Cecchinato def. No. 10 Pablo Carren Busta, 2-6, 7-6(5), 6-3, 6-1
No. 20 Novak Djokovic def. No. 13 Roberto Bautista Agut, 6-4, 6(6)-7, 7-6(4), 6-2
No. 15 Lucas Pouille vs. Karen Khachanov (to finish), 3-6, 5-7, 1-1
No. 19 Kei Nishikori def. Gilles Simon, 6-3, 6-1, 6-3

Day 7, Saturday, June 2

No. 1 Rafael Nadal def. No. 27 Richard Gasquet, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2
No. 3 Marin Cilic def. Steve Johnson, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4
No. 5 Juan Martin del Potro def. No. 31 Albert Ramos-Vinolas, 7-5, 6-4, 6-1
No. 6 Kevin Anderson def. Mischa Zverev, 6-1, 6-7(3), 6-3, 7-6(4)
No. 8 David Goffin def. No. 32 Gael Monfils, 6-7(6), 6-3, 4-6, 7-5, 6-3
No. 9 John Isner def. Pierre-Hugues Herbert, 7-6(1), 6-4, 7-6(4)
No. 11 Diego Schwartzman def. Borna Coric, 7-5, 6-3, 6-3
Karen Khachanov def. No. 15 Lucas Pouille, 6-3, 7-5, 6-3
No. 18 Fabio Fognini def. No. 16 Kyle Edmund, 6-3, 4-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4
Maximilian Marterer def. Jurgen Zopp, 6-2, 6-1, 6-4

Day 8, Sunday, June 3

No. 2 Alexander Zverev def. Karen Khachanov, 4-6, 7-6(4), 2-6, 6-3, 6-3
No. 7 Dominic Thiem def. No. 19 Kei Nishikori, 6-2, 6-0, 5-7, 6-4
Marco Cecchinato def. No. 8 David Goffin, 7-5, 4-6, 6-0, 6-3
No. 20 Novak Djokovic def. No. 30 Fernando Verdasco, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2

Day 9, Monday, June 4

No. 1 Rafael Nadal def. Maximilian Marterer, 6-3, 6-2, 7-6(4)
No. 3 Marin Cilic def. No. 18 Fabio Fognini, 6-4, 6-1, 3-6, 6-7(4), 6-3
No. 5 Juan Martin del Potro def. No. 9 John Isner, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4
No. 11 Diego Schwartzman def. No. 6 Kevin Anderson, 1-6, 2-6, 7-5, 7-6(0), 6-2

Day 10, Tuesday, June 5

No. 7 Dominic Thiem def. No. 2 Alexander Zverev, 6-4, 6-2, 6-1
Marco Cecchinato def. No. 20 Novak Djokovic, 6-3, 7-6(4), 1-6, 7-6(11)

Day 11, Wednesday, June 6

Rain delays prevented men’s quarterfinals from being completed.

Day 12, Thursday, June 7

No. 1 Rafael Nadal def. No. 11 Diego Schwartzman, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2
No. 5 Juan Martin del Potro def. No. 3 Marin Cilic, 7-6(5), 5-7, 6-3, 7-5

Women’s semifinals

Day 13, Friday, June 8

No. 1 Rafael Nadal vs. No. 5 Juan Martin del Potro
No. 7 Dominic Thiem vs. Marco Cecchinato

Day 14, Saturday, June 9

Women’s final

Day 15, Sunday, June 10

Men’s final

***

Source: sbnation.com

Azad Hind News

Serena Williams Provides Positive Injury Awaits MRI Results

Serena Williams has revealed the news from her initial doctor’s examination was “super exciting” after she was forced to pull out of the French Open.

Serena Williams withdrew shortly before her highly-anticipated fourth-round clash with Maria Sharapova at Roland Garros on Monday, citing a right pectoral injury that prevented her from serving. The American is expected to undergo an MRI scan in Paris on Tuesday but had seen one doctor earlier in the day.

“So today has been interesting already,” Serena said via a story posted on her Instagram channel. “I just finished one exam with one doctor, and the news is actually super exciting, so I’m really happy about that.

The 23-time grand slam champion had been scheduled to take on familiar foe Maria Sharapova in the fourth round at Roland Garros on Monday, only to withdraw with a pectoral problem that had left her physically unable to serve.

Williams’ appearance in Paris was her first at a major since winning the 2017 Australian Open, after which the 36-year-old took time out of the game to give birth to her first child.

Her withdrawal in the French capital raised fears that she may not recover in time for Wimbledon, which gets under way on July 2, but Williams posted a video to her Instagram story on Tuesday which indicated the early prognosis from medical staff was promising.

Williams had worked hard to get back in shape and was making her Grand Slam comeback at the French Open following the birth of her daughter Alexis Olympia last September.

Despite starting the tournament with a notional ranking of 451 and having played only four matches this year, she played impressively in her three wins in Paris, beating seeds Ashleigh Barty and Goerges in rounds two and three.

“I gave up so much to time with my daughter and my family and put everything on court for this moment,” she said.

“Physically I’m doing great, it hasn’t been easy, I sacrificed so much to be at this event. I’m going to continue to get better. I had such a wonderful performance in my first Grand Slam back.”

Sharapova, herself making a comeback after missing the last two French Opens following a doping ban, will face either Garbine Muguruza or Lesia Tsurenko in the last eight.

Her clash against twice French Open champion Sharapova, who she has beaten 18 times in a row, had received huge pre-match billing and the American said she was “beyond disappointed” that she could not take to court.

“I’m having an MRI soon but I wanted to keep you guys totally updated. While I wait, I clean because cleaning gives me calm and peace but thanks for the support and love and understanding,”

“Hopefully you guys can be there to continue to keep cheering me on. I love you guys.”

Williams, a 23-time Grand Slam champion, was competing at a major tournament for the first time in 16 months — and for the first time since giving birth to her daughter, Olympia, in September.

“It’s been incredibly frustrating, but also I’m excited because I feel like I’ve been playing really, really well and I can only go up,” Williams said on Instagram. “And I’m looking so forward to going up. And hopefully you guys will be there to continue to cheer me on. I love you guys.”

Source: sportingnews.com, espn.in, sundiatapost.com

Azad Hind News

Serena – Sharapova ‘Rivalry’ – the Weakest Narrative

Serena Williams pulls out with injury before Maria Sharapova match. Serena Williams pulled out of the French Open before her fourth-round match with Maria Sharapova because of an injury that affected her serve.

The 23-time Grand Slam winner Serena Williams recently returned to tennis after giving birth to her first child, but looked in good form in her opening matches.

It was supposed to be their 22nd meeting.

“I’ve had issues with the right pectoral muscle to the point where I can’t serve,” said the 36-year-old.

“I’ll have a scan. I won’t know about Wimbledon until I get the results.”

Williams said she first felt the problem during her third-round win over German 11th seed Julia Gorges on Saturday.

She played in a doubles match with sister Venus on Sunday, saying she wanted to try to manage the problem before her match with Sharapova.

“I tried lots of taping and support to see how it felt in match circumstances,” Williams said.

“It is hard to play when I can’t physically serve. I’ve never had this injury before, I’ve never felt it in my life and it was so painful.

“I don’t know how to manage it.”

Williams said she will have an MRI scan in Paris on Tuesday and will stay in the French capital at least until the extent of her injury is clear.

Sharapova said she was “looking forward” to playing Williams and “disappointed” the American had to withdraw.

“I wish her a speedy recovery and hope she returns to the tour soon,” she added.

The 31-year-old Russian, a two-time winner at Roland Garros, will play 2016 champion Garbine Muguruza. The Spaniard was 2-0 up in the opening set of her match against Lesia Tsurenko when the Ukrainian retired hurt.

Rivalry was set to be renewed

The possibility of Williams facing Sharapova had been grabbing attention since the draw was made at Roland Garros 10 days ago.

And the meeting of the two former champions, both making comebacks at Roland Garros this year, was set up when Williams beat Gorges shortly after Sharapova beat Czech sixth seed Karolina Pliskova.

Williams has recently returned after giving birth to daughter Olympia in September, while 28th seed Sharapova is back in the draw after being refused a wildcard last year as she returned from a 15-month drugs ban.

The pair have had a frosty relationship since they first met on court in 2003, although Williams said in her pre-match news conference on Saturday that she did not have any “negative feelings” towards the Russian.

There has not been much of a rivalry on court in recent years, Williams having won 19 of their 21 meetings. Both of Sharapova’s wins came in 2004 – including that year’s Wimbledon final.

Six matches in six days takes its toll – analysis

Williams had been in astoundingly good form in the first week, but footage of the final set of Sunday’s doubles – which she and sister Venus lost 6-0 – showed Serena rolling in a number of slow first serves.

The three-time champion chose to play doubles as well as singles because she knew she needed matches under her belt. But six matches in six days – after just four in the previous 16 months – appears to have taken its toll. A pectoral injury is most commonly associated with overuse.

Tuesday’s MRI scan will reveal more, but if there is no serious damage, then Wimbledon may still be very much within Williams’ sights. There are still four weeks to go, and not being able to play a grass-court warm-up event beforehand should not be a concern: only twice in her career has she done so.

And if we’re being honest, Monday’s Round of 16 matchup at the French Open would have been the 20th time that Serena Williams defeated Maria Sharapova, giving her 19 consecutive wins over the Russian.

But a pectoral muscle injury forced Williams out of the match that had become the most anticipated contest in women’s tennis.

“Unfortunately I’m having some issues with my pec muscle. Right now I can’t actually serve so it’s kind of hard to play,” Williams said Monday morning during a press conference at Roland-Garros.
“I love playing Maria. It’s a match I always get up for. Her game matches up so well against mine.”

“I’m beyond disappointed. I gave up so much from time with my daughter and time with my family all for this moment. So it’s really difficult to be in this situation.”

As much as the sports world wanted to see Williams and Sharapova face each other, it’s hard not to feel as if we knew what the outcome was going to be even before the match ever began.

Because when you dominate a single opponent the way Williams has over the years, it isn’t a rivalry.

It’s reoccurring annihilation.

Rivalries are Michigan vs. Ohio State, Duke vs. North Carolina, Yankees vs. Red Sox, Alabama vs. Auburn, Army vs. Navy, Celtics vs. Lakers, Cowboys vs. that football team in D.C.

But the thing that makes rivalries so great, is that no matter how good or bad one side may be at the time of the contest, you know there’s a chance that the unthinkable can happen. All great rivalries have upsets, or at the very least, the feeling that the weaker opponent always has a shot.

That feeling doesn’t exist with Williams and Sharapova. Because when you lose 18 straight to someone, all hopes of an upset tend to evaporate.
However, there is something intriguing about this matchup that’s viewed as the crown jewel of women’s tennis, and race and society’s flawed views of what grace and beauty truly are lay at the center of it.

In the case of Williams, she’s bold, confident, curvaceous, and a fearless black woman who is also one of the greatest tennis players to ever pick up a racket.

She’s also a celebrity, a new mom and a fashion icon.

“I love the catsuit,” said German tennis player Andrea Petkovic about Williams’ new black bodysuit that she calls “Catsuit 2.0.” “I might copy her catsuit and walk with it, but probably only in New York, because that’s, I guess, the only city where you can actually pull it off.”

From the pink dress she recently wore to the Royal Wedding to her ever-evolving on-court fashion choices, Williams has always done more to fit the narrative of being a model.

But since she isn’t rail thin with long blonde hair, that label gets assigned to Sharapova.

At the age of 35, Williams became the only tennis player — man or woman — to win 23 Grand Slam singles titles in the Open Era.

Yet people want to ask her if she’s intimidated by a person she’s 19-2 against because she has “nice shoulders.”

That’s funny, and racist, as hell.

“What I find interesting is not the athletic element of it, because this isn’t close at all, really. It’s that, Maria Sharapova is supposed to be the beauty. The supermodel-esque beauty, and Serena Williams is supposed to be the brawn,” said ESPN’s Pablo Torre on Monday’s premiere episode of “High Noon.”

“We have seen complications on that rivalry for years now, and yet somehow that is the narrative that sticks.”

Torre brings up a good point, because across the landscape of sports media, the “rivalry” narrative has endured over time although the results prove that one has never existed.

But this thing is less about sports and more about culture. Sharapova serves as the last “Great White Hype” in a sport that was created by, and played by, white athletes for decades. But since the arrival of the Williams Sisters, and particularly Serena, the women’s game has been dominated by women of color.

Women’s tennis began as a very dainty sport in which women played in long dresses, as it was viewed as more of a social event than an athletic contest.

Fast forward to today, and the face of the sport is a dark-skinned muscular black woman who grunts every time she hits the ball.

And some people aren’t happy about that, which is why they can’t get over the fact that Sharapova will never be the game’s white savior.

Williams is so much better than Sharapova at tennis, that Sharapova is coming off a doping suspension in which she used meldonium as a means to enhance her performance because Williams puts that much fear in her heart.

“First of all, her physical presence is much stronger and bigger than you realize watching TV,” wrote Sharapova in her book “Unstoppable: My Life So Far.”

“She has thick arms and thick legs and is so intimidating and strong. It’s the whole thing — her presence, her confidence, her personality.”

“Even now, she can make me feel like a little girl.”
But according to one tennis coach, it’s not so much of Williams’ “physical attributes” that make her great. It’s her work ethic and desire.

“Serena has great tennis talent, but above all she has this fire,” Belgian coach Philippe Dehaes told the New York Times. “And when I watch the other young players coming up now, I just don’t see it. It’s the whole package with Serena: the confidence, the desire to win — or more refusing to lose as if losing were an illness. I honestly didn’t think she’d beat (Ash) Barty, who is 17th in the world.

“But when I see Serena winning, I am angry in a way,” he continued, making quotation marks in the air with his fingers as he said “angry.” “I am happy to see her win of course because I have a lot of respect for her, but I’m angry when I think of the others. I say, ‘Wake up, girls. Serena is nearly 37 years old. What does it take for you to wake up?’”

Dehaes is right, because from Martina Hingis to Sloane Stephens to Sharapova, Serena has never truly had a rival. In fact, the closest anyone has ever come to that is her sister Venus, who has beaten her 12 times.

Whenever a great athlete or team arrives on the scene, we look for somebody to compare them to. A challenger to serve as a barometer for their greatness.

Maria Sharapova has never been and will never be that for Serena Williams, which is why this lazy narrative needs to stop.

Because when you really think about it, Serena has always been battling her true rival in front of us this entire time.

Source: bbc.com, nydailynews.com

Azad Hind News