Tennis: Zverev downs Alcaraz to reach French Open semi-final after thriller

PARIS, France -- Alexander Zverev beat Carlos Alcaraz in a dramatic four-set clash on Tuesday to secure a French Open semi-final meeting with Rafael Nadal.

The German third seed claimed a 6-4, 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (9/7) victory over 19-year-old Spanish sensation Alcaraz after three hours and 18 minutes.

Zverev moved into his second straight last-four match at Roland Garros with his first-ever Grand Slam win over a top-10 player.

"I hope I can win it before he starts beating us all and we have no chance," said Zverev.

"The match was swinging his way. I'm extremely happy to win the tie-break."

The 2020 US Open runner-up will face 13-time champion Nadal in the semis on Friday.

Alcaraz has won four titles this year, including two Masters 1,000 events, but made 56 unforced errors as he missed the chance to reach a first major semi-final.

Instead, Olympic champion Zverev reached the last four at a Slam for the fifth time in his career to maintain his bid for a maiden title at one of the sport's four biggest events.

It also gave him a measure of revenge for the heavy defeat he suffered against Alcaraz in the Madrid Masters final earlier this month.

Alcaraz delighted the Court Philippe Chatrier crowd with a rally to take the third set.

A dramatic fourth set saw Zverev miss a chance to serve out the tie, but he sealed victory on his second match point in the tie-break.

- Zverev holds off fightback -

Alcaraz paid for making 16 unforced errors as Zverev took the opener thanks to the only break in game five.

It was the world number three who drew first blood in the second set too, as Alcaraz netted on a second break point in the seventh game, before a confident hold to love gave Zverev a 5-3 advantage.

Alcaraz managed to lift himself for an attack on Zverev's next service game, but the German saved a break opportunity and managed to close it out for a two-set buffer on his third set point with an ace.

The crowd tried to lift Alcaraz as he started his attempt to come back from two sets down and win for the first time in his young career.

He did improve slightly and held his first four service games without trouble, before digging deep to save a break point in the ninth game of the third set to edge 5-4 in front.

That brush with the exit door energised the youngster, and he quickly brought up two set points with a brilliant passing shot.

He needed just one to force a fourth set, breaking Zverev for the first time as the 25-year-old prodded wide.

Alcaraz looked the more likely to make a breakthrough for much of the next set, but Zverev, aided by one incredible backhand, made a move in the ninth game when his opponent double-faulted on a second break point.

But Zverev failed to serve out the match, as Alcaraz hammered a magnificent return into the corner and then whipped away a backhand to break straight back.

A tie-break of the highest quality ensued, with both players hitting a series of breath-taking winners.

A stunning backhand up the line gave Alcaraz the first set point, but he mishit into the net.

Zverev netted on his first match point but quickly brought up a second, which he took with a thunderous backhand return.

Agence France-Presse

Tennis: Fired-up Djokovic braced for Alcaraz and Nadal challenge at French Open

PARIS, France -- Novak Djokovic admits he will be fired up by the fiasco of his high-profile deportation from Australia when he targets a record-equaling 21st major on his Grand Slam return at the French Open. 

World number one Djokovic captured a second Roland Garros title in 2021 followed by a sixth Wimbledon to move to 20 majors alongside Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

However, his unseemly exit from Melbourne following his refusal to be vaccinated opened the door for Nadal to claim a second Australian Open and 21st Grand Slam crown.

"It's something that I never faced before," said Djokovic, who turns 35 on Sunday, the opening day of the French Open.

"The amount of pressure and everything that I was feeling in the first few months of the year, as much as I've felt pressure in my life and my career, that was something really on a whole different level."

Djokovic has played only five tournaments in 2022 but arrives in Paris buoyed by a sixth Italian Open title, becoming just the fifth man to win 1,000 career matches in the process.

It was his 38th Masters triumph, two more than Nadal at the top of the all-time list.

He did not drop a set in Rome as he finished a memorable week with a final victory over Stefanos Tsitsipas, the man he defeated from two sets down in the 2021 French Open title match.

With 13-time French Open champion Nadal suffering a recurrence of a foot injury, another Spaniard is likely to be Djokovic's biggest headache in Paris.

Carlos Alcaraz, just 19, has rocketed to six in the world on the back of four titles -- three on clay -- in 2022.

- 'Special' Alcaraz-

He won a second Masters title in Madrid, sweeping Nadal, Djokovic and third-ranked Alexander Zverev on the way.

"He definitely is special," admitted Djokovic of Alcaraz who also claimed the prestigious Miami Masters earlier in the year.

Alcaraz was ranked 97 this time last year. He was only two when Nadal won the first of his 13 French Opens in 2005 but he made his mark at the 2021 tournament where he came through qualifying to reach the third round.

Djokovic has been responsible for two of only three losses suffered by Nadal in Paris.

One of those came in a bruising semi-final 12 months ago, the most recent clash of the pair's epic 58-match rivalry.

Nadal comes into Paris with major question marks over his ability to lift a 14th title.

A rib injury in March was followed by the re-emergence in Rome of his chronic foot injury where he limped to defeat in the last-16.

The 35-year-old Spaniard is due to practice at Roland Garros for the first time on Wednesday where he will have his own doctor on hand to assess his fitness.

- 'Living with injury' -

"I am a player living with an injury; it is nothing new," said Nadal, now ranked fifth in the world.

"Since I came back, the foot has been tough. It's tough for me to be able to practice the proper way."

Russian world number two Daniil Medvedev, who gave up a two-sets lead to lose to Nadal in the Australian Open final, only returned to action in Geneva this week after undergoing a hernia operation.

The US Open champion has 13 titles to his name but has yet to master the draining demands of clay.

At Roland Garros, he was winless in his first four visits before managing to stop the rot with a quarter-final run in 2021.

Medvedev is likely to use the ban on Russian players at Wimbledon this year as fuel for a surprise title tilt.

Greek world number four Tsitsipas has enjoyed a solid clay season.

He defended his Monte Carlo title before making the last-eight in Barcelona and semi-finals in Madrid.

Agence France-Presse

Djokovic senses opportunity against Nadal at French Open final

PARIS — Novak Djokovic has suffered more than his fair share of heartache against Rafael Nadal at the French Open but Sunday’s final offers him a chance to dethrone the claycourt king.

The 33-year-old Serb leads their extraordinary rivalry 29-26 but Nadal has won six of their seven clashes at Roland Garros, including the 2012 and 2014 finals.

Djokovic won their last encounter on the Parisian clay, however, in the 2015 quarter-finals and believes Sunday’s final offers him an opportunity to get the better of the Spaniard again even if it he says playing Nadal on clay remains the toughest challenge in tennis.

“Obviously the conditions are different than the ones that we are used to playing in May and June,” Djokovic told reporters after beating Stefanos Tsitsipas in five sets on Friday.

“I think that could be a better chance for me, obviously the ball not bouncing as high over the shoulder as he likes it usually. I mean, look, regardless of the conditions, he’s still

there, he’s Rafa, he’s in the finals, we’re playing on clay.”

Had it not been for Djokovic’s default at the U.S. Open for striking a line judge with a ball swatted away in frustration during a fourth round match against Pablo Carreno Busta, the Serbian might have been starting Sunday’s showdown with 18 Grand Slam titles, one behind Nadal and two short of Roger Federer.

Victory would see him close the gap but defeat would leave him three shy of both of them in the race for ‘greatest of all time’ status. The stakes are huge, but Djokovic says it is not the biggest match he has played in his career.

“Finals of a Grand Slam is always huge,” the world number one said. “But I don’t think it’s the biggest match that I have ever played in my life. I think there were some bigger ones.

“In terms of importance, I mean, if I have to compare, even though I don’t like, probably the first Wimbledon final that I actually played against him (in 2011). Wimbledon was always the one that I wanted to win as a kid and dreamed of winning.

“That’s probably the one that stands out. And the French Open 2016 against Andy Murray here. Every French Open final that I played was the match of my life before I actually won it.

“This is the (Grand Slam) that I won the least, so of course I am extremely motivated to try to get my hands on another one.”

Despite the fact 12-time Roland Garros champion Nadal has sailed through the draw without dropping a set and Djokovic spent four hours beating Tsitsipas in a late finish on Friday, he said he will be firing on all cylinders on Sunday.

“I’m not feeling exhausted physically so much after tonight’s match,” he said. “It was a great battle. But I feel fine. I think a day and a half will be plenty of time for me to recover. I’m looking forward to a great battle with Rafa.”

-reuters

Serena Williams named Sportsperson of 2015 by Sports Illustrated

Serena Williams, who owned the tennis world this year even as she battled illness and injury, was named sportsperson of 2015 on Monday by Sports Illustrated.

The magazine said it was honoring the 34-year-old icon both for her positively stunning numbers and her pluck in achieving what it called one of the greatest late-career runs in the history of any sport.

Williams won three major titles, triumphed in 53 of the 56 matches she played and ranked number one for every week of the season for the second straight year.

And for six weeks this season, Williams had twice as many ranking points as the world number two player. Sports Illustrated said this was a first in the 40-year history of the WTA rankings.

But those stats mask a year that was “all internal discord and quelled revolts; Williams battled her body like never before,” Sports Illustrated said.

To wit: a cough and cold that had her vomiting during a match at the Australian Open, which she won anyway; bone bruises in both knees — “the residue of 20 years of pounding” — a right elbow strain and nasty flu at the French Open (again, she won).

In a powerful statement against racism, Williams also returned to play a tournament at Indian Wells, California, for the first time since 2001. That year she was greeted with boos and her family says she even endured racial slurs.

Williams called that return her “greatest moment in tennis.”

“Serena has made a very strong case as not only the greatest tennis player of her generation but of all time, and after the string of performances she put together in 2015, she is one of the most dominant athletes playing today,” Sports Illustrated Group Editor Paul Fichtenbaum said.

“This year was spectacular,” Williams said of her latest accolade.

“For Sports Illustrated to recognize my hard work, dedication and sheer determination with this award gives me hope to continue on and do better. As I always say, it takes a village — not just one person. This is not just an accomplishment for me, but for my whole team and all my fans. I am beyond honored,” she said, according to Sports Illustrated.

source: interaksyon.com

Mamiit Shares Credit In Sharapova’s Win

MANILA, Philippines --- Unknown perhaps to many, a Filipino tennis player can claim a small credit to the rise of Russian star Maria Sharapova to women’s number one in the world and for her victory in the French Open Saturday night.

Cecil Mamiit, who carried the country in various international meets including the Davis Cup and the Southeast Asian Games and played for the country as late as November last year in the Indonesia SEA Games, smiled proudly as Sharapova hugged him while he stood side-byside with members of the Russian’s entourage headed by her coach, German Thomas Hogstedt, at the VIP corner of Roland Garros.

Sharapova said Mamiit just joined her team this year. Actually, Mamiit was part of the Russian star’s inner circle and worked as her hitting partner since January last year.

But since Mamiit could not commit full time because of his role as member and team captain of the Philippine national tennis team, they parted somewhat in August last year.

But Mamiit has since reduced his role in the PH team giving him enough time to commit to Sharapova.

“Thanks Cecil,” said Sharapova as she named the members of her entourage before she clambered up the stands to hug each one of them.

"It has been a privilege and honor to work with Maria and her team," said Mamiit in an e-mail message hours aftter Sharapova’s historic win. "Maria is a true professional; a dedicated and talented athlete."

"She is passionate about improving her game, and it has been inspirational to witness firsthand her growth as a player. Working with someone of Maria's caliber is rare, and I am grateful to have been a part of the historic win at Roland Garros and her phenomenal rise back to the No. 1 ranking.

"As I continue to develop my career in tennis, this experience has taught me a great deal," he added. With the victory, Sharapova became just the sixth player to have won all four women’s grand slam titles.

Mamiit, who steered the PH team to numerous international titles, including the Southeast Asian Games and the Davis Cup, did not disclose his career plans, although he last competed in a US Futures in Florida last March where he reached the second round.

Since joining the PH team in 2005, Mamiit has won four gold, six silver and five bronze medals in the SEA Games apart from two bronzes in the 2006 Doha Asian Games. He also bannered the PH Davis Cup team from the lowly Group III in 2006 to the elite Group I last year.

source: mb.com.ph