WIMBLEDON: There is a real shift happening at the top of tennis, a youth movement that long seemed inevitable but never actually arrived until now.
As the sport’s attention shifts to the grass of Wimbledon, where play begins Monday, Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff are the players whose names are on everyone’s lips.
Alcaraz is the defending men’s champion and owner of three Grand Slam titles at the age of 21 after his triumph at the French Open. Sinner, 22, is the top-seeded man at Wimbledon and won the Australian Open in January. Swiatek, 23, is the top-seeded woman and just earned her fourth championship at Roland Garros and fifth major overall. Gauff, the youngest of the bunch at 20, is ranked a career-best No. 2, has reached at least the semifinals at the past three Slam tournaments and won her first such trophy at last year’s US Open.
While Swiatek has entrenched herself at No. 1 in the women’s game, and is now 11-1 against Gauff, neither has been past the quarterfinals at Wimbledon, and there is a much more closely contested and intriguing rivalry developing between Alcaraz and Sinner (Alcaraz leads 5-4 after winning their semifinal at the French Open in five sets). Then there’s this: For so long, people wondered when the men’s game would evolve from the extended dominance of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, owners of a combined 66 majors, and that trio would cede space to others.
That time, it seems, is now — and Alcaraz and Sinner are beginning to separate themselves from the rest.
“These two guys will win many, many Grand Slams. How many? That’s the question. Of course, they will be the best for 10 years, I imagine — Alcaraz and Sinner. I have no doubt about it,” said Richard Gasquet, a three-time major semifinalist, including twice at Wimbledon. “They will be the future of the game. ... The new generation is coming.”
Gasquet, a 38-year-old Frenchman who got to No. 7 in the rankings, knows all too well the difficulties of being a professional tennis player during the era of the so-called Big Three of men’s tennis. The opponents in his three losses in Grand Slam semifinals? Federer, Nadal and Djokovic, once each.
But Federer, now 42, played the last match of his 20-Slam-trophy career in 2021. Nadal, 38, lost in the first round at the French Open — where he claimed 14 of his 22 major championships — and then opted to miss Wimbledon so he could focus on preparing for the Paris Olympics that start in late July; he has dealt with a string of injuries that included a hip operation last year.
And Djokovic? The owner of a men’s-record 24 Grand Slam titles needed to pull out of the French Open before the quarterfinals after tearing the meniscus in his right knee and having surgery. As of Thursday, he still was gauging whether his knee had healed enough for him to compete at the All England Club, where his streak of four consecutive trophies ended last year in a five-set loss to Alcaraz in the final.
Sinner was eliminated by Djokovic at Wimbledon each of the past two years, in the 2022 quarterfinals and 2023 semifinals. But Sinner won their two most recent matchups, at last year’s Davis Cup Finals and in this year’s Australian Open semifinals.
Both Alcaraz and Sinner excel at court coverage and big hitting. Both bring excitement, too, whether it’s Alcaraz’s creative shot-making or Sinner’s all-out dives along the way to his first career grass-court title at Halle, Germany, in June, a rare instance of a man winning his first tournament after making his debut at No. 1.
“No one has ever played like Alcaraz. No chance. And Sinner? The same thing,” said Mats Wilander, a seven-time Slam champ in the 1980s. “They’re like, ‘Whoa! What and where did they come from?’”
Alcaraz and Sinner realize they are well-positioned to take over.
They’re also aware that they’ve only just started down a path to possible greatness.
“We have to see what we do from now on,” Sinner said, “(and) do it year after year after year after year.”
Wimbledon 2024: Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff are taking over tennis
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Wimbledon 2024: Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff are taking over tennis
- Alcaraz is the defending men’s champion and owner of three Grand Slam titles at the age of 21 after his triumph at the French Open
- Sinner, 22, is the top-seeded man at Wimbledon and won the Australian Open in January
Swiatek puts away Svitolina to make last four
- Swiatek will next play world number one Aryna Sabalenka in a mouth-watering semifinal
PARIS: Four-time champion Iga Swiatek of Poland swept aside Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina 6-1 7-5 on a windy day at the French Open on Tuesday to earn a semifinal spot and stay in the hunt for a record-breaking victory in Paris
The 24-year-old, who accepted a one-month doping ban late last year, is looking to become the first woman in the professional era since 1968 to win four consecutive titles in Paris.
Although she failed to win a title going into the French Open this season, she looks to have rediscovered her remarkable claycourt form in Paris.
She will next play world number one Aryna Sabalenka in a mouth-watering semifinal after the Belarusian beat China’s Zheng Qinwen in straight sets.
“I should have had better intensity in the beginning of the second set,” Swiatek said in a post-match interview. “When I saw my intensity go low I got it high again. I am happy I did it at the end of the set.
“Against Aryna it is always a challenge. She has a game for every surface. I have to do the work, be brave with my shots and go for it. She is having a great season.”
“I will not lie. It will be a tough match but am happy for the challenge,” she said.
The Pole is now on a 26-match winning streak at the French Open, following her title three-peat between 2022-24 to add to her 2020 crown.
Swiatek, playing in an initially sparsely filled Philipp Chatrier stadium, broke the Ukrainian, in her fifth quarterfinal appearance in Paris, early and kept her on the back foot with her heavy top-spin forehand and rapid changes in pace and direction.
Svitolina desperately tried to hang on but she could not match her opponent’s power in rallies, sending a forehand into the net to hand her another break as Swiatek bagged the set on her serve in the next game.
With her husband, French tennis player Gael Monfils, watching from the stands, Svitolina ignited hope among the crowd when she moved 5-4 up in the second set.
Three unforced forehand errors in the next game, however, proved too many and Swiatek raced through the next three games to seal victory, firing three aces in the final game including one on match point.
Djokovic, Sinner into French Open quarters as No.361 Boisson springs upset
- The 38-year-old Djokovic dusted aside Britain’s Cameron Norrie in three sets, his 6-2, 6-3, 6-2 victory on Court Philippe Chatrier
PARIS: Novak Djokovic sailed into a record 19th French Open quarter-final on Monday, while world number one Jannik Sinner dismantled Andrey Rublev in straight sets.
World number 361 Lois Boisson knocked out women’s third seed Jessica Pegula to become the first home quarter-finalist at Roland Garros since 2017.
The 38-year-old Djokovic dusted aside Britain’s Cameron Norrie in three sets, his 6-2, 6-3, 6-2 victory on Court Philippe Chatrier bringing up the Serbian’s 100th match win at the French Open.
His tally of 19 quarter-final appearances at Roland Garros is the record for a single Grand Slam tournament, surpassing Roger Federer’s 18 Wimbledon quarter-finals.
But Djokovic, a three-time French Open champion, is focused on much bigger goals as he chases a new outright record of 25 Grand Slam titles this week.
“I feel good. I know I can play better. But 12 sets played, 12 sets won, it’s been solid so far,” said Djokovic, who will likely face a much more difficult test against world number three Alexander Zverev.
“It’s great, but victory number 101 would be better. I’m very honored... But I need to continue now.”
Djokovic has not played anyone ranked higher than 73rd through the first four rounds. Zverev is last year’s runner-up and advanced when Djokovic retired injured from their last meeting in the Australian Open semifinals in January.
Zverev moved into his seventh Roland Garros quarter-final when Dutch opponent Tallon Griekspoor quit with an abdominal problem while trailing 6-4, 3-0.
The German is still hunting a first Grand Slam title. He lost the 2024 final to Carlos Alcaraz and then finished runner-up to Sinner in Melbourne.
“Novak Djokovic will never be a (dark) horse. For me, Carlos is the favorite,” said Zverev. “Then I would say the next three in line are Jannik, myself, and Novak, right? I still believe that.”
World number one Sinner fired a warning shot to his title rivals with a ruthless 6-1, 6-3, 6-4 victory over Russian 17th seed Rublev in the night session.
Sinner, who returned from a three-month doping ban last month at the Italian Open, will face the unseeded Alexander Bublik for a place in the last four.
Italy’s Sinner is targeting a third consecutive Grand Slam title after lifting the US Open trophy last year and winning his second successive Australian Open in January.
“Today was a very good performance but we try to keep going and see how it goes,” said the three-time major champion.
Bublik took down his second top-10 rival in Paris as the rejuvenated Kazakh came from a set behind to defeat British fifth seed Jack Draper 5-7, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4.
Bublik, ranked 62nd, is into his first Grand Slam quarter-final.
Boisson sent shockwaves through Roland Garros as she kept the French flag flying with an improbable 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 win over 2024 US Open runner-up Pegula, to join Coco Gauff and Mirra Andreeva in the last eight.
Boisson, 22, came from a set down against last year’s US Open runner-up to prolong her dream run on her Grand Slam debut.
She is the first French singles quarter-finalist in Paris since Caroline Garica and Kristina Mladenovic made it to the same stage eight years ago. Mary Pierce was the tournament’s last French champion in 2000.
“I really don’t know what to say,” said Boisson, who was roared on by the home fans on Court Philippe Chatrier.
“To play on this court with such an atmosphere was incredible. I was confident before the match and knew I could do it even if she was really strong.”
Boisson missed last year’s French Open after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee a week before it started.
She is the lowest-ranked woman to reach a Grand Slam quarter-final since former top-20 player Kaia Kanepi at the 2017 US Open. Kanepi had dropped to 418th at the time.
Boisson goes on to face 18-year-old Russian rising star Andreeva on Wednesday for a place in the semifinals.
Sixth seed Andreeva moved through in straight sets as she cut short an attempted fightback by Daria Kasatkina to advance 6-3, 7-5.
Andreeva is through to her second major quarter-final, having reached the last four at Roland Garros 12 months ago when she knocked out Aryna Sabalenka.
World number two Gauff brushed Russian 20th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova aside 6-0, 7-5 to step up her pursuit of a first Roland Garros crown, and second Grand Slam title.
Former US Open champion Gauff will play reigning Australian Open champion Madison Keys in an all-American quarter-final.
Unseeded Frenchwoman Boisson stuns Pegula and joins No. 2 Gauff in the quarterfinals
- Boisson, a wild card entry ranked 361st, threw her head back and roared after beating third-seeded American Jessica Pegula 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 on Court Philippe-Chatrier in Monday’s fourth-round play
PARIS: Lois Boisson had never even played at the French Open before, let alone in the biggest arena at Roland-Garros, and now the unseeded 21-year-old Frenchwoman is through to the quarterfinals.
Boisson, a wild card entry ranked 361st, threw her head back and roared after beating third-seeded American Jessica Pegula 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 on Court Philippe-Chatrier in Monday’s fourth-round play.
Quite some victory, considering Pegula was the US Open runner-up last year. Understandably, Boisson was nervous as she served for the match and saved three break points.
After Pegula missed an easy-looking winner at the net, and then clutched her head in her hands, Boisson had her first match point, and the biggest point of her career so far.
Pegula returned a strong serve to the back of the court, where Boisson unleashed a brilliant forehand winner down the line. She then raised her arms in the air, realizing the enormity of her win.
“I really don’t know what to say, but ‘Thank you to all of you’” Boisson told the crowd in her post-match interview. “Playing on this court with such an atmosphere was really incredible.”
Boisson made the notoriously hard-to-please crowd laugh when she added: “I’m really happy on here. I can stay a long time if you like.”
The crowd broke into chants of “Lois, Lois” and she waved back to them.
She was in the news last month. British player Harriet Dart apologized to Boisson after asking the chair umpire to tell her to put some deodorant on. Now she’s the only French player — male or female — left at Roland-Garros.
Asked what her ambitions were for the rest of the tournament — she plays sixth-seeded Mirra Andreeva on Wednesday in the quarterfinals — she replied, “I hope to win, right?”
That prompted more laughter from the crowd at Court Philippe-Chatrier, which included tournament director Amelie Mauresmo, who has been criticized in some quarters for the lack of women playing in the night session.
Top-ranked Jannik Sinner was playing his fourth-round match later Monday in the night session against No. 17 Andrey Rublev, following 24-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic’s match against Britain’s Cameron Norrie.
What else happened at the French Open on Monday?
In other women’s fourth-round play, second-seeded Coco Gauff, the 2023 US Open champion, won 6-0, 7-5 against No. 20 Ekaterina Alexandrova.
Over on Court Suzanne-Lenglen, the 18-year-old Andreeva, who reached the semifinals at Roland-Garros last year for her best performance at a major, won 7-5, 6-3 against No. 17 Daria Kasatkina. She playfully threw her wristband at Andreeva when they came to the net and Andreeva joked she would keep it.
No. 7 Madison Keys also advanced on Court Suzanne-Lenglen after beating Hailey Baptiste 6-3, 7-5 in an all-American contest. There’s another one coming up for Keys against Gauff.
In remaining men’s fourth-round play, No. 3 Alexander Zverev, last year’s runner-up, was leading 6-4, 3-0 against Tallon Griekspoor when the unseeded Dutch player retired from the match. He later said it was due to an abdominal strain.
Who is playing Tuesday at Roland-Garros?
The quarterfinals are underway, with two men’s matches and two women’s matches, all on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka faces Olympic champion Qinwen Zheng followed by defending women’s champ Iga Swiatek against No. 13 Elina Svitolina.
The first men’s contest sees eighth-seeded Italian Lorenzo Musetti take on No. 15-seeded American Frances Tiafoe, before defending champion Carlos Alcaraz plays 12th-seeded American Tommy Paul.
Alcaraz, Swiatek pass tough French Open tests
- Swiatek is aiming to become the first woman to win four straight Roland Garros crowns since Suzanne Lenglen 102 years ago
- Lorenzo Musetti continued his rich vein of form with an impressive 7-5, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 success against Danish 10th seed Holger Rune in the night session
PARIS: Carlos Alcaraz fought past American Ben Shelton in a tight four-set match to reach the French Open quarterfinals on Sunday, while Iga Swiatek staged a comeback to defeat Elena Rybakina and keep her bid for a fourth straight title alive.
Reigning champion Alcaraz clinched a 7-6 (10/8), 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 victory after three hours and 19 minutes on Court Philippe Chatrier to book a last-eight berth for a fourth straight year.
Alcaraz will take on Tommy Paul in the quarterfinals, after the 12th seed saw off Australia’s Alexei Popyrin 6-3, 6-3, 6-3.
“Today I fought against myself in the mind,” he said.
“In some moments I was mad, I was thinking not very good things. But I’m really happy that I didn’t let the bad thoughts play against me... I tried to calm myself down and keep going.”
The four-time Grand Slam champion saved three set points in a dramatic opening-set tie-break before clinching it himself on his second.
He crucially then saved six break points in a marathon first game of the second set, before going on to win it courtesy of a break in the eighth game.
American 13th seed Shelton deservedly got a set on the board to extend the match, but Alcaraz quickly bounced back with an early break in the fourth.
The second seed saw a match point come and go in the ninth game of the set, but he quickly brought up another one on his own serve and took the opportunity with a trademark forehand winner.
Lorenzo Musetti continued his rich vein of form with an impressive 7-5, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 success against Danish 10th seed Holger Rune in the night session.
The Italian eighth seed, who reached at least the semifinals in clay-court Masters events in Monte Carlo, Madrid and Rome, will face Frances Tiafoe in the last eight.
American 15th seed Tiafoe booked a place in his first-ever French Open quarter-final with a 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (7/4) win over unseeded German Daniel Altmaier.
Four-time Roland Garros champion Swiatek, who has been struggling for her best form and has not reached a final since winning the title last year, was in serious trouble when trailing 2-0 to Rybakina in the second set.
But the 24-year-old dug deep to clinch a 1-6, 6-3, 7-5 victory.
Swiatek is aiming to become the first woman to win four straight Roland Garros crowns since Suzanne Lenglen 102 years ago.
The Pole will next face Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina, who knocked out 2024 losing finalist Jasmine Paolini, in the last eight on Tuesday.
Swiatek is now on a 25-match winning streak at the French Open and boasts a remarkable 39-2 win-loss record in the tournament.
Rybakina had won both of her previous career meetings with Swiatek on clay and the Kazakh dominated the opening set, hammering 12 winners past her bewildered opponent.
“Well it was tough you know, first set I felt like I was playing against Jannik Sinner,” said Swiatek.
“I needed to do something to get back in the game, but with her playing like that I didn’t feel like I had much hope.”
Rybakina broke in the first game of the second set as she threatened to run away with the match.
But Swiatek impressively turned the set around with a run of five straight games.
The fifth seed was one game from defeat when trailing 5-4 in the deciding set, but she managed to end Rybakina’s resistance and held her nerve to serve out the match.
Svitolina made the quarterfinals for the fifth time with a comeback 4-6, 7-6 (8/6), 6-1 win over Paolini, saving three match points in a dramatic opening clash on Court Philippe Chatrier.
The former world number three, who has never made a Grand Slam final, will be bidding to reach a first Roland Garros semifinal when she faces Swiatek.
“I still cannot believe that this match finished my way,” said Svitolina.
World number one Aryna Sabalenka needed eight match points to wrap up a 7-5, 6-3 win over American Amanda Anisimova.
The three-time Grand Slam champion reached her 10th successive major quarter-final, where she will face Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen.
“I want to get this win after Rome, so I’m happy to face her (Zheng) in the quarters,” said Sabalenka, who lost to Zheng in the Italian Open last eight last month.
Zheng secured a quarterfinal place with a hard-fought three-set victory over 19th-seeded Russian Liudmila Samsonova.
The Chinese eighth seed extended her winning streak at Roland Garros to 10 matches, winning 7-6 (7/5), 1-6, 6-3 on Court Suzanne Lenglen.
Djokovic races into French Open fourth round
- The sixth seed will face 81st-ranked Cameron Norrie for a spot in the quarter-finals
PARIS: Novak Djokovic was in a hurry on Saturday as the 24-time Grand Slam winner dismissed world number 153 Filip Misolic 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 to book his place spot in the last 16 at Roland Garros.
The three-time French Open champion needed just over two hours to beat his Austrian opponent in the night session on Court Philippe Chatrier.
Djokovic had previously joked that he was not keen on potentially playing the late match on center court on Saturday as it would overlap with the UEFA Champions League final between Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan.
“It’s going to be PSG that I will support. I will definitely watch it if I’m not playing night session,” said AC Milan fan Djokovic.
“Yeah, that will be nice. FYI, Roland Garros schedule...”
With the umpire obliged to request excited local spectators concentrate on the match happening in front of them, the Serb was likely in little doubt as to the situation of the football match taking place in Munich.
But Djokovic put his quest for a record-breaking 25th major title firmly to the forefront of his mind as he overwhelmed Misolic with a typically clinical performance.
“I think I was solid in the important moments across the three sets,” said Djokovic who praised his opponent with whom he regularly practices.
“I would like you to give him a big round of applause,” he requested of the crowd in Paris.
The 38-year-old faced only one break point, which he saved, while hitting just 14 unforced errors to 33 winners.
The sixth seed will face 81st-ranked Cameron Norrie for a spot in the quarter-finals, after the former top 10 Brit earlier beat his compatriot Jacob Fearnley in straight sets.
