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Sabalenka Storms into French Open Last 16 as Sinner Ends Gasquet’s Career

Joy Uchejim — Fri, 30 May 2025 15:22:15 +0000

Top seed Aryna Sabalenka comfortably advanced to the last 16 of the French Open on Friday with a commanding 6-2, 6-3 victory over Serbia’s Olga Danilovic. Playing under sunny skies on Court Philippe Chatrier, the world number one needed just 79 minutes to dispatch her 34th-ranked opponent.

“I’m super happy with the win, Olga is a fighter,” said the three-time Grand Slam champion. “Here it’s about dreams, I give my all,” added the 27-year-old Belarusian, who is still seeking her first French Open final appearance, having never progressed beyond the semi-finals in Paris.

Sabalenka will next face 16th seed Amanda Anisimova of the United States in the fourth round. Anisimova secured her spot with a hard-fought 7-6 (7/4), 6-4 win over Denmark’s 22nd seed Clara Tauson.

Meanwhile, over on the men’s side, world number one Jannik Sinner brought an emotional close to Richard Gasquet’s French Open career on Thursday, defeating the 38-year-old Frenchman 6-3, 6-0, 6-4 in just under two hours.

Gasquet, making his 22nd and final appearance at Roland Garros, was no match for the Italian, who returned to competition earlier this month at the Italian Open after serving a three-month doping suspension. Sinner looked sharp, saving three break points in the opening set before cruising through the rest of the match.

In the ongoing Grand Slam race, defending champion Novak Djokovic also advanced, keeping alive his bid to add to his record-setting collection of major titles.

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Injured Alcaraz Withdraws from Madrid Open, Eyes Recovery for French Open

Joy Uchejim — Thu, 24 Apr 2025 17:55:26 +0000

World number three Carlos Alcaraz announced his withdrawal from the Madrid Open on Thursday due to a thigh injury, impacting his preparations to defend his French Open title. The Spanish tennis star, who has won four Grand Slam titles, sustained the injury during his loss to Holger Rune in the Barcelona Open final last Sunday.

“I did everything I could, but it hasn’t improved much over the past few days,” Alcaraz stated during a press conference. “Things didn’t go as I’d hoped in order to play here, and we’ve chosen not to take any risks. If I played, I would have made the injury worse and been out for longer than expected. It was a tough decision, but I believe we made the right call.”

Alcaraz had aimed to win the Madrid Open for the third consecutive year, having triumphed in 2022 and 2023. However, he had not trained at all since arriving in Madrid on Monday.

The 21-year-old hasn’t ruled out participating in the upcoming Italian Open and expressed confidence that he would be ready for the French Open, with the main draw starting on May 25. “I believe I’ll definitely be at Roland Garros, and I’ll do everything I can to be in Rome,” he said. “I’ll have another test on Monday to evaluate the progress, and from there we’ll determine the timing and assess how things go in the coming weeks.”

In addition to the injury to his right thigh sustained in Barcelona, Alcaraz also reported discomfort in his left hamstring. His season has been inconsistent so far; he was eliminated early in Miami but later secured the Monte Carlo Masters title in April.

“This was the first year I reached the latter stages in Monte Carlo, but also the first year I lost in the opening round in Miami, so I had more time to prepare for the clay season,” said Alcaraz. “It’s not easy transitioning from hard court to clay, playing many matches consecutively without rest. Tennis players are often faced with difficult decisions.”

During his Barcelona campaign, Alcaraz had not dropped a set until the final, where he lost to Rune 7-6 (8/6), 6-2, requiring a medical timeout for his thigh injury. Despite the setback, Alcaraz remains confident.

“Mentally, I’m strong enough to play good tennis again, so this won’t shake my confidence,” he concluded. “Whether I play in Rome or not, or in any tournament before Roland Garros, it doesn’t matter to me. I know my level and I know what I need to do to play my best tennis.”

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