Qinwen in seventh heaven, reaches Olympic final
AFTER half a dozen losses to Iga Swiatek, Chinese Top 10 talent Qinwen Zheng found the winning formula to defeat the world number one and reach the 2024 Paris Olympics Gold Medal Match. In a match that was riddled with errors and breaks of serve early, it was Zheng who kicked away in the second […]
Mixed doubles means more mixed up expectations
IF there is one thing to learn from the mixed doubles draw at the 2024 Olympics, it is that rankings are often nothing more than just a number. American third seeds Coco Gauff and Taylor Fritz learnt this the hard way, losing to their northern neighbours Gabriela Dabrowski and Felix Auger-Aliassime in three sets. The […]
Alcaraz storms past Safiullin into Olympic quarter finals
WORLD number three and reigning Roland Garros champion Carlos Alcaraz is just three wins away from a maiden Olympic gold medal after skipping past Roman Safiullin in a comfortable straight sets victory, 6-4 6-2. Alcaraz needed an hour and 29 minutes to dispatch of the neutral athlete and advance through to the Paris quarter finals. […]
Czeched out: It’s Schmiedl-ova for Wimbledon champ
GIANT-KILLING Slovakian Anna Karolina Schmiedlova is the major surprise packet through to the 2024 Paris Olympics medal matches with a straight sets victory over ninth seed and Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova. Already a Olympic gold medalist in doubles, Krejcikova’s quest for a singles medal is over at the final step, losing in the quarter finals. […]
Popyrin powers past Wawrinka to set up Zverev tie
ALEXEI Popyrin continues to carry the hopes of Australian singles gold at the Olympics, defeating Stan Wawrinka in straight sets to progress to the third round of the men’s singles. After winning the first set 6-4 in 35 minutes, Popyrin had a harder time winning the second set but still won it 7-5 to wrap […]
Schmiedlova scorches Paolini to defy ranking
THE SURPRISES keep on coming in the women’s singles draw at the 2024 Paris Olympics, with fourth seed Jasmine Paolini the latest seed to fall. The Italian proved to be no match for Anna Karolina Schmiedlova, with the Slovak winning 7-5, 3-6, 7-5. It was a match littered with double faults, with Paolini serving seven […]
Rankings don’t mean much with surprises aplenty in mixed doubles
THE Mixed Doubles competition of the 2024 Olympics got underway at Roland Garros overnight, and right out of the gate the surprises came. German pair Laura Siegemund and Alexander Zverev found out the hard way that their number one ranking was merely a number after they succumbed to Czech pair Katerina Siniakova and Tomas Machac […]
French fancy fails as Argentine advances
ALTHOUGH things went to plan for most of the seeds overnight at the Olympics, everything did not go to plan for all as Ugo Humbert found out the hard way after the 10th seed went down to Argentine Francisco Cerundolo 7-5. 6-7, 7-5. In a match that lasted two hours and 44 minutes, the Argentine […]
Svitolina shocks Pegula but others have an easier time
NOT too many seeds have fallen yet in the women’s singles yet at these Olympics, but American Jessica Pegula added her name to that list after Elina Svitolina beat her 4-6, 6-1, 6-3. In a match that lasted an hour and 47 minutes, once Svitolina got going she progressively got through the sets at a […]
Berrettini’s back, alright
AFTER having to take the tough road, Italian Matteo Berrettini is back alright. The former world number six claimed his third title of 2024 – and second consecutive trophy – at the Generali Open over the weekend when he knocked off Frenchman Hugo Gaston 7-5 6-3 in the final. The 28-year-old proved too powerful for […]
Popyrin pushes past Jarry to set up Stan showdown
AUSSIE Alexei Popyrin spiced up the men’s singles draw at the 2024 Olympics after he upset Chilean 16th seed Nicolas Jarry 6-3, 7-6(5) . Popyrin blitzed his more fancied opponent in the first set in 36 minutes, before being made to work for the set win in the second term, taking just under an hour. […]
Barbora battles valiant Tormo but ultimately prevails
NINTH seed Barbora Krejcikova was certainly made to work for her first round win at Roland Garros, but ultimately prevailed 4-6, 6-0, 7-6(3) over Spaniard Sara Sorribes Tormo to progress to the second round. In a match that lasted just under three hours, the Spaniard defied her world ranking of in the 80s for much […]
