Category Sports News

French Open 2025

Location: Roland Garros, May 25 – June

Sonay Kartal claims that her first-round doubles match at the French Open interfered with her decision to postpone a tattoo appointment.

On her French Open debut, the British number three defeated Russian Erika Andreeva 6-0, 2 and 6-2.

At 11:00 local time (10:00 BST), Jodie Burrage and she are scheduled to return to the court on Wednesday morning for the women’s doubles in Paris.

Kartal already planned things out before the schedule was released, though.

Kartal responded, “You know what? ” when asked if she planned any tattoos in the French Open style. One was actually scheduled for tomorrow at 11:45.

Kartal won eight straight games before a frustrated Andreeva, the older sister of Mirra, managed to get on the board without getting caught up in the dreaded “double bagel.”

However, Kartal dominated the final two sets, breaking again at 5-2 before hitting four winners in a row to claim the victory.

The 23-year-old has 13 tattoos, and the number 14 will go up against her sister.

Kartal continued, “I’m not actually sure what I’m going to get.” I believe she wants matching, so I’ll give her whatever she wants.

In the second round, Kartal will face Marie Bouzkova from the Czech Republic or Anna Kalinskaya from Russia, and she will also have tattoos planned for her final appearance at Roland Garros.

French Open 2025 match between Raducanu and Swiatek.

Location: Roland Garros, Court Philippe Chatrier, May 29

When the draw was made last week, everyone was hoping Emma Raducanu would face four-time champion Iga Swiatek in the French Open second round.

Even Raducanu from Great Britain acknowledged she couldn’t avoid the potential pitfalls.

Wang Xinyu defeated the 22-year-old on Monday, but victory over Swiatek, who is known as the “Queen of Clay,” in Paris is one of the most difficult decisions in the women’s game. The 22-year-old showed physical and mental resilience.

Former British number one Annabel Croft, who will be covering the game for BBC Radio 5 Live, said, “It’s a tall mountain to climb.”

Because Swiatek has suffered a lot of losses this year, it’s not a foregone conclusion.

Swiatek has a formidable track record on the Paris clay since winning her first French Open title as a teenager in 2020.

The statistics show that she is the best at four of her previous five competitions:

However, the 23-year-old’s reign is now more in jeopardy.

Swiatek hasn’t made a final decision since winning the title in Paris last year, and her clay-court swing was below-par by her standards.

Before the tournament, former Wimbledon champion Pat Cash addressed BBC Radio 5 Live, “She has a real problem with her forehand down the line, and players know that.”

Because of her quickness and ability to keep players out of their positions, she might be able to get away with it on clay.

It’s a real liability on other surfaces, and it’s now a problem on clay, they say.

Her backhand has become a more and more effective weapon than her other main natural strengths in Raducanu’s game.

“Her forehand has become one of her game’s best aspects,” Croft said.

The cross-court forehand has height, travels, and makes her dangerous when she is on the run with it, which is what I really like.

Prior to now having a positive few months, Raducanu had little fun playing Swiatek against him. He has since climbed up to 41st in the rankings.

The 2021 US Open champion has lost all four of their previous encounters, including two on clay in Stuttgart and two on hard courts in Indian Wells and the Australian Open this year.

The 6-1, 6 0 0 defeat in Melbourne was particularly troubling because Raducanu found Swiatek’s groundstrokes to be too powerful and precise.

Raducanu told BBC Sport, “She always plays really well and gets really fired up when she plays me. I don’t know why that’s the case, but she’s always done it.”

Although I’m not sure if it’s because of me, every time we’ve played, she has been excellent.

Although Raducanu has improved in the four months since their last meeting, Coco Gauff, the world’s top female athlete, showed how far she still needs to close.

You can tell where Raducanu’s game is headed when you play against a top-notch opponent who won’t go away psychologically, Croft said.

She is aware that she must confront Swiatek in an offensive manner. She won’t be able to escape by moving the ball around.

She will need to get the first strike in, and she will also need to get depth, or angle, to try to control the angle.

Prior to her career, Raducanu was criticized for allegedly not being tough enough to survive matches when she wasn’t feeling completely recovered.

This season, she has made encouraging fitness improvements and gained more confidence in herself.

Raducanu has a more solid foundation from which to base her decision-settings, as she did successfully against Wang.

I’ve won three-set matches a lot more frequently than I’ve previously, which gives me more confidence, said Raducanu.

Before her first-round game, Raducanu awoke feeling “sick,” and Swiatek will find any signs that she may not be feeling well on Wednesday.

However, she gave a consoling update during her post-game press conference.

I feel better,” he said. I had a good meal, “added the former world number 10”.

“I believe it was perhaps just an earlier wake-up call for me,” he continued. My body might be lagging a little bit, perhaps.

After colliding on a dramatic stage 16, Britain’s Josh Tarling and former champion Primoz Roglic resigned from the Giro d’Italia.

Isaac del Toro held onto the leader’s pink jersey, but Simon Yates and Richard Carapaz, both from Britain, dramatically reduced their lead.

Christian Scaroni, an Italian sprinter, defeated fellow Italian champion Lorenzo Fortunato to claim the stage victory from Piazzola sul Brenta to San Valentino.

Early on Tuesday’s stage, Welshman Tarling, 21, slid into a barrier after colliding heavily on a very wet surface.

One of the pre-race favorites, Slovenian Roglic, collided shortly after on a slippery descent alongside Carapaz from Ecuador.

Roglic, 35, made a momentary attempt to advance before resuming his Red Bull Bora-Hansgrohe team car.

The 2023 champion lost crucial time to his general classification rivals on Sunday’s stage 15 after his third crash of the week on Saturday.

However, 2019 champion Carapaz bounced back from his fall and launched a powerful attack late to fend off Yates and Del Toro.

Mexican Del Toro, who managed to hold on to the race lead, was able to escape Yates with his own attack.

Del Toro, a rider for the UAE Team Emirates-XRG, is now 26 seconds ahead of Yates, who is riding for EF Education-EasyPost.

Derek Gee from Canada added time to Del Toro, who is now a minute and a half behind Carapaz.

Juan Ayuso, Del Toro’s teammate and another of the pre-race favorites, cracked and lost a lot of time falling out of the top 10, having started the day third.

Adam Yates’ twin brother, Max Poole (13th), Tom Pidcock (16th), and James Knox (23rd) all made the top 20 in the overall rankings.

As the race resumed in heavy rain on Monday’s second rest day, Tarling was a part of a seven-rider breakaway that had a 30-second lead over the peleton.

His body struck the barrier as he slid out of a roundabout while his bike travelled from under him.

The 2023 European time trial champion was confirmed by Ineos Grenadiers.

Following a collision on the current stage, Josh Tarling, according to the team, has regrettably had to leave the Giro d’Italia.

He is being evaluated further by our team doctor, who is with him. As soon as possible, we’ll keep you informed of his condition.

The Welsh rider’s success came when he won the stage two time trial and his first Grand Tour stage victory.

On stage 10, Tarling finished second, seven seconds behind Dutchman Daan Hoole, who had previously been successful in the race’s second time trial.

Before Sunday’s finish in Rome, Tarling would have wanted to complete a three-week Grand Tour for the first time despite there being no additional individual efforts.

Italian Alessio Martinelli also resigned after sauntering into a ravine.

French Open 2025

Dates: 25 May-8 June Venue: Roland Garros

Novak Djokovic began his latest bid for a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam singles title with a commanding win over Mackenzie McDonald.

The former world number one ended his wait for a 100th ATP singles title in Geneva last week and maintained his recent upturn in form with a 6-3 6-3 win over the 98th-ranked American.

Djokovic – who turned 38 last week – has now won all 21 of the first-round matches he has played at Roland Garros.

Djokovic arrived in Geneva without a win on clay in 2025, having suffered first-round exits in both Monte Carlo and Madrid.

But with his wait for a 100th Tour-level title finally over – one which had gone on since he completed the career ‘Golden Slam’ at the Paris Olympics last summer – the Serb will feel he is beginning to gain real momentum on this surface.

The one-sided victory over McDonald, completed two minutes short of the two-hour mark, was his fifth successive win following a run of three straight losses.

Djokovic faces a tough route to the trophy. He is projected to meet third seed Alexander Zverev in the quarter-finals, world number one Jannik Sinner in the last four and defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in the final.

But it is ultimately that pursuit which continues to drive him on in the twilight of his career, with one last record – surpassing Margaret Court for the outright number of Grand Slam singles title – still left to break.

Djokovic lost serve just once in the entire match and hit 32 winners compared to just 20 unforced errors.

Elsewhere on Tuesday, Germany’s Zverev beat American Learner Tien 6-3 6-3 6-4.

Britain’s Cameron Norrie could face Djokovic in the fourth round after stunning Russian 11th seed Daniil Medvedev 7-5 6-3 4-6 1-6 7-5.

After a brief break in the professional ranks, Heavyweight Delicious Orie has left the sport.

Orie, 27, made his professional debut in April, defeating Bosniac Milos Veletic in points, but he has since decided to leave the sport.

The Russian-born Briton represented Great Britain at the Paris Olympics and won gold at the Commonwealth Games in 2022.

Orie said on Instagram, “I’ve decided to hang up my gloves and leave boxing to pursue my degree and work in the corporate world.”

“Over time, I’ve come to terms with the loss of the fire and love I once had for boxing.

As I’ve grown, I’ve prioritized being truthful with myself above all else.

“I hoped turning professional would rekindle my passion,” he said, “but it hasn’t.”

Orie graduated from Aston University with a first-class honours degree in Economics and Management in addition to boxing.

Orie turned down an offer from the WWE to continue boxing after 39 amateur fights.

Every fighter is aware that a deep love for the craft is necessary for success, and without it, there is no way to go.

It’s time to step aside with integrity out of respect for both the sport and my own.

He won the heavyweight title in Paris, but he unexpectedly dropped out of the competition too soon.

The Briton, who was once hailed as the “next Anthony Joshua,” was predicted to compete for the title in the coming years.