04/06/2025

SPORTS WEDNESDAY | JUNE 4, 2025

29

FRANCE’S world No. 361 Lois Boisson shocked US third seed Jessica Pegula in a thrilling three set battle yesterday to keep her childhood “dream” of winning the French Open alive. The 22-year-old wildcard won 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 in a gripping fourth-round match lasting two hours and 40 minutes and next meets Russian sixth seed Mirra Andreeva for a place in the semifinals. Boisson becomes the first French singles player to reach the last eight of their home Grand Slam since 2017, and first as a wildcard since Mary Pierce in 2002. “I would not have believed if you told me two weeks ago,” said Boisson, who is the only French player left in the tournament. “But I trust in myself. I knew I could do it even if I knew she was very strong. It was a beautiful performance. “Obviously, it’s a dream to begin with. First, to play at Roland Garros. Then, to win it, that’s a goal too.” Boisson is the lowest-ranked woman to reach a Grand Slam quarterfinal since former top-20 player Kaia Kanepi at the 2017 US Open. She is also the first N OVAK DJOKOVIC eased into a record breaking 19th Roland Garros quarterfinal with a comfortable straight-sets victory over Cameron Norrie yesterday. The three-time French Open champion will renew his rivalry with third seed Alexander Zverev in the last eight today after seeing off Norrie 6-2, 6-3, 6-2 on Court Philippe Chatrier. His tally of 19 quarterfinal appearances at Roland Garros is the record for a single Grand Slam tournament. “I feel good. I know I can play better. But 12 sets played, 12 sets won, it’s been solid so far,” said the 38-year-old after his 100th French Open win. “It’s great, but victory No. 101 would be better. I’m very honoured… But I need to continue now.” Djokovic holds an 8-5 winning record in his head-to-head with German Zverev, but retired injured from their last meeting in the Australian Open semifinals in January.

I can play better: Djokovic Serb cruises into record 19th French Open quarterfinal

“At some point it was getting out of hand, but it’s understandable that people are so excited.” The Serb, hoping to set a new outright record of 25 Grand Slam titles this week, dominated against Norrie from the start. He broke serve three times in a one-sided opening set, before battling through a closer second, crucially saving a break point before holding for a 3-2 lead. Norrie, playing in the second week in Paris for the first time, mustered little resistance in the third set as Djokovic wrapped up victory on his first match point. – AFP TOP SEED Jannik Sinner continued his serene French Open progress with a 6-1, 6-3, 6-4 dismantling of Russian Andrey Rublev to reach the quarterfinals in ominous fashion yesterday. Ruthlessly efficient from the baseline, the Italian dissected world No. 15 Rublev’s game in stunning fashion to make light work of the Court Philippe Chatrier late match. The 23-year-old, bidding to win a third successive Grand Slam title after his triumphs in New York and Melbourne, has won 12 out of 12 sets so far on the Parisian clay and is beginning to look unstoppable in his quest for a first French crown. Rublev did not play at all badly, but after failing to convert either of the two break points he had in the opening game he could make little impression. World No. 1 Sinner was at least pushed hard in the third set as Rublev threw caution to the wind but he pounced to break the Russian’s serve in the 10th game to stretch his streak of wins in Grand Slams to 18 matches. “I’m very, very happy because things can turn very quickly in a bad way in best of five sets,” said Sinner, who served a three-month doping ban before returning to action in Rome last month. “They can go so long, so I’m very happy to finish in three. Night sessions here in Paris are always amazing, so thank you all for coming.” While Sinner was ruthless in all departments, he was particularly potent against Rublev’s second serve, highlighted by a blistering inside-in forehand return winner en route to breaking serve to clinch the second set. He also dropped just eight of 42 points behind his own first serve, according to Infosys Stats, during the fourth-round clash. “We changed it before this tournament,” Sinner said when asked about his return position. “I felt like I was out of rhythm, so this (position) gives me Sublime Sinner dismantles Rublev

Chatrier ahead of Djokovic’s match. “They (security) were suggesting us at one point not to go back at all, to maybe find a place to sleep somewhere around here for a night, because at that point it was already past midnight and some gas bombs and cars under fire and stuff happening on the street that was really dangerous,” Djokovic said. “In the end we talked. We waited for a bit, and then we decided to go. Then it was fine. In the end we reached the hotel all good, but it was quite noisy with a lot of things happening outside of the hotel…

“He’s 10 years younger. He calls himself a veteran of the game. What should I call myself, then?,” Djokovic said of his next opponent. Britain’s Norrie, a former top-10 player now ranked 81st, has lost all six of his career matches against Djokovic. The sixth-seeded Djokovic showed no ill effects from a “complicated” trip back to his hotel on Sunday night after attending Paris Saint Germain’s Champions League title celebrations at the Parc des Princes. PSG forward Ousmane Dembele presented the trophy to the crowd on Court Philippe

France’s 361st-ranked Boisson shocks Pegula

player to make the women’s quarterfinals on their Grand Slam debut since Carla Suarez Navarro at Roland Garros in 2008. Boisson had been set

“I felt like the match turned into exactly how she wanted to play, and that’s unfortunate for me,” said American Pegula.

“I had a million chances and it just didn’t go my way in those kind of big moments.” Boisson next plays 18 year-old Andreeva who won 6-3, 7-5 against Russian-born Australian Daria Kasatkina. “It’s not the same style of play, she varies more (than Pegula),” said the Frenchwoman. “There’s little points I need to adapt but I won’t change anything.” – AFP

to make her French Open bow last year, but tore the anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee the week before the tournament. The 31-year-old Pegula, the 2024 US Open runner up, could not stop the momentum as Boisson dug deep on her favoured red clay surface, buoyed by the cheering home fans on Court Philippe Chatrier.

France’s Lois Boisson celebrates winning her fourth round match

against Jessica Pegula (right) yesterday. – REUTERSPIC

more rhythm, trying to go more through the ball, especially on the first serves. “I’ve also been trying to change it up a little bit from the back on the second serve, and I’ve been going close on those.

“Today, I felt like it was working very well from the back. It is a bit breezy here so it’s a very tactical game.” – Reuters/Agencies

Bublik downs Draper for ‘best moment of his life’

ALEXANDER BUBLIK hailed his surprise four-set victory over Jack Draper in the French Open last 16 yesterday as the “best moment of his life” as the unseeded Kazakh credited his more relaxed approach to the game as key. The world No. 62, who has dropped from a career-high of 17th a year ago, fought back from a set down to win 5-7, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 and reach the first Grand Slam quarterfinal of his career. “I left it all out there… 100% one of the best days of my life and one of the best matches I have ever played in my life. That was as simple as that,” said the 27-year-old. “You know, sometimes in life there’s only one

Kuerten to reach the 1999 final. Bublik won 79% of his first-serve points and converted on five of six break points to achieve his first win over Draper in three meetings. Not known for his skills on red clay, all of Bublik’s four tour-level titles and 11 finals have come on either hard or grass courts. He had reached the fourth round once before at a major, at Wimbledon in 2023. “Maybe this is the first year I haven’t complained about playing on clay, as I don’t have a lot of options because I was dropping a lot in the rankings. Yeah, I guess that’s the key,”he continued. – AFP

Bublik sealed the win in a dramatic final game, in which Draper missed five break points, on his second match point. “So that’s how I approach it, and that’s why I played full and I played high risk, because that was the only chance,” continued Bublik. “You know I’m standing here like I won the thing, but at the end what can I say… “Thank you guys. I can’t cry here, come on, stop. Let me be in peace. I still have a match to go, I’m a professional tennis player, I’ve got to get ready.” Bublik is the lowest-ranked man to earn two top-10 wins at Roland Garros since No. 100 Andrei Medvedev beat Pete Sampras and Gustavo

chance and I had the feeling that that was mine and I couldn’t let it slip. Standing here is the best moment of my life, period.” The Russian-born player had credited his return to form in Paris to a boozy trip to Las Vegas with his coach. “I prioritise tennis and life in equal ways,” Bublik said yesterday. “So for me it’s a 50/50 relationship. So it’s not like tennis takes 90, and then it’s okay. If I can’t walk at the age of 40, it’s okay. No, it’s not. “I prioritise the health and my lifestyle, as well, because I have a family and I’m a father, and I have to do the father duties.”