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Monfils Beats Daniel & The Sunset At Roland Garros

  • Posted: May 28, 2019

Monfils Beats Daniel & The Sunset At Roland Garros

The No. 14 seed faces compatriot Mannarino next

No light? No problem for Gael Monfils.

The No. 14 seed beat Japanese Taro Daniel and the Parisian sunset on Tuesday at Roland Garros, advancing to the second round at his home Grand Slam for the 12th time with a 6-0, 6-4, 6-1 victory.

When Monfils and Daniel walked on Court Philippe-Chatrier just short of 8 p.m. local time, it appeared they would need to resume play on Wednesday. But Monfils sped through the opening-round match, striking 38 winners to just 24 unforced errors in his one-hour, 41-minute triumph that ended at 9:33 p.m.

“I really wanted to finish today. I didn’t want to play a set tomorrow,” Monfils said. “I’m happy I managed to play well, and I’m very happy about that.”

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The No. 1 Frenchman, a 2008 semi-finalist and two-time quarter-finalist at Roland Garros, has enjoyed a resurgent 2019 after struggling in parts of last season due to injury. Monfils claimed his eighth ATP Tour title in Rotterdam, and recently held two match points against Roger Federer in Madrid before falling in a third-set tie-break. In the next round, he will face countryman Adrian Mannarino, who finished his 6-7(5), 6-3, 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 victory against Italian qualifier Stefano Travaglia just moments after Monfils.

In the second set, it appeared Daniel might even the match after breaking in the first game and increasing his aggression at points. But in the key moments, Monfils was able to raise his level another notch, showing his incredible athleticism with dogged defence and rapid covering of the net to take a two-sets lead.

“I paid a price at the beginning of the second set because I was too fast from the back of the court, and I could have waited a bit to slow down, ease the pressure. And then luckily I was able to win this very long game at 5-4 and go two sets to love,” Monfils said. “It’s not easy. But two sets to love, I was quite happy to win this game for one good reason. I was serving afterwards, and I was going to put a lot of pressure, serve very hard, to show that I want to go faster.”

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But Monfils was not content with that, locking in even more in the decider, especially on serve (11/11 first-serve points won), to move through in the nick of time. Monfils’ only first-round loss at Roland Garros came on his debut in 2005, when he was 18.

Mannarino, on the other hand, is through to the second round in Paris for only the third time on his 11th appearance. Mannarino leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head series 2-1, including a five-set win at Wimbledon in 2017.

“It’s never easy to play a French guy, especially Adrian. He has a game which is particularly — he’s left-handed, he plays very flat and low balls in the backhand. And over the past two years he’s been playing better on clay. He’s feeling better. He’s a good warrior,” Monfils said. “It’s always difficult matches in Roland Garros to play against French players, because the audience is shared. It’s not easy.”

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Osaka fights back from brink to reach second round

  • Posted: May 28, 2019
2019 French Open
Venue: Roland Garros, Paris Dates: 26 May – 9 June
Coverage: Live text and radio commentary on selected matches on the BBC Sport website and app.

World number one Naomi Osaka avoided a premature end to her bid for a third straight Grand Slam title by coming from behind to reach the French Open second round.

She twice had to stop Slovakia’s Anna Karolina Schmiedlova serving out the match before winning 0-6 7-6 (7-4) 6-1.

The Japanese, 21, faces two-time Grand Slam champion Victoria Azarenka next.

Defending champion Simona Halep struggled in a 6-2 3-6 6-1 win over world number 47 Ajla Tomljanovic.

Schmiedlova, ranked 90th in the world, made very few errors until victory was in sight, but the pressure of a career-best win told as Osaka fought back.

US Open and Australian Open champion Osaka is playing in her first Grand Slam as the top seed.

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Halep survives wobble

Both Osaka and Halep were playing on Philippe Chatrier, the main court at Roland Garros, and both wobbled against low-ranked opponents.

Romanian Halep, whose only Grand Slam triumph came in Paris last year, looked as though she would breeze through the match at first, winning the first set in less than half an hour.

But Tomljanovic broke Halep’s serve twice to take the second set, before the world number three closed out the match in dominant fashion after four breaks in the third.

Halep, 27, is hoping to become the first player to defend the women’s singles title since Belgian Justine Henin achieved the feat in 2007.

She faces Polish world number 87 Magda Linette in the second round.

American 14th seed Madison Keys enjoyed a much more straightforward win, beating Russia’s Evgeniya Rodina 6-1 6-2, while Belarusian 11th seed Aryna Sabalenka defeated former Grand Slam finalist Dominika Cibulkova 7-5 6-1.

In one of the most anticipated ties of the round, Azarenka, 29, beat 2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko 6-4 7-6 (7-4).

  • Azarenka beats Ostapenko to advance

‘Illogical’ Osaka offers logical reasons about nerves

Osaka has lost only once in the first round of a Grand Slam – at Roland Garros against Alison van Uytvanck in 2017.

That record looked in danger after a dismal 22-minute first set in which Osaka won nine points.

“This is the most nervous I have ever been my entire life during a match,” she said.

“You could see that in the first set. I was literally not hitting any balls in the court.”

Asked why she felt so nervous, Osaka said: “I can give you logical reasons, but I’m not really a logical person. So it might be something else.

“Logical reasons: first time playing a Grand Slam as number one. Won the last two, so I want to win this one really bad. I have never played on Chatrier before. This was my first time.

“And I feel like I’m having the thought of wanting to prove myself again.”

Osaka, who has been struggling with a hand injury recently, made 34 unforced errors in the opening two sets.

Schmiedlova, the 24-year-old playing her first match against a world number one and with a solitary win against a top-10 player, made only five unforced errors on her way to going a set and a break up.

But, tightening up as victory loomed, allowed Osaka to break back at 5-4 and 6-5.

“I got a little bit nervous,” Schmiedlova said. “It’s not easy to win against the world number one and I guess I felt it.

“It hurts that I lost because I had so many chances.”

Osaka’s body language steadily improved, along with her ball striking, and she dropped only six more points to take the final five games.

While she did enough to advance, she will know she must improve with Azarenka – and potentially Serena Williams further down the line – looming.

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Melo/Kubot, Bryans Win Roland Garros Openers

  • Posted: May 28, 2019

Melo/Kubot, Bryans Win Roland Garros Openers

Mixed results for top seeds in first-round doubles action

Top seeds Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo and two-time Roland Garros champions Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan made a winning start on Tuesday in Paris, while second seeds Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares bowed out.

Kubot and Melo, playing together at the clay-court major for a third straight year, defeated Spaniards Roberto Carballes Baena and Jaume Munar 6-3, 7-6(2). The seventh-seeded Bryans, meanwhile, needed three sets to get by another Spanish tandem, Pablo Carreno Busta and Gerard Granollers, 5-7, 6-2, 6-3.

“It was a very tough team, and we’re very happy with the result,” said Mike Bryan, who is celebrating his 500th week at No. 1 in the ATP Doubles Ranking. “Sticky first round, and first rounds are never easy, especially with a week off and all the nerves with the lead-up. I thought we really raised our games and changed some things tactically that got us over the line. It was a strong effort from us.”

The Bryans missed last year’s Roland Garros due to a hip injury for Bob – marking the first time since the 1999 Australian Open that he’d missed a major. Mike teamed up with fellow American Sam Querrey, and lost in the first round to Ken Skupski and Neal Skupski. The Bryans will face the Skupskis in the second round this year.

“It’s great to be back playing another Slam together… It’s a special place. We won our first Slam here,” said Mike. “We’re here 16 years later, still doing it. We’ve played 20 French [Opens] and have never gone out in the first round.”

Murray and Soares, recent finalists in Barcelona, were unable to hold onto their lead in a 4-6, 7-5, 7-6(4) defeat to Italians Matteo Berrettini and Lorenzo Sonego. Sixth seeds Raven Klaasen and Michael Venus also fell in their first-round match to Rohan Bopanna and Marius Copil 6-3, 7-6(4), while ninth-seeded Argentines Maximo Gonzalez and Horacio Zeballos were defeated by Denys Molchanov and Igor Zelenay 7-6(3), 4-6, 6-3.

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Ivan Dodig and Edouard Roger-Vasselin have both won the Roland Garros title – Dodig in 2015 with Melo and Roger-Vasselin in 2014 with Julien Benneteau – but were unable to maintain their strong start Tuesday in a 1-6, 6-1, 7-5 loss to #NextGenATP stars Miomir Kecmanovic and Casper Ruud. Dodig and Roger-Vasselin had won the Lyon title on Saturday.

Eighth seed Henri Kontinen and John Peers made their way safely into the second round with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Leonardo Mayer and Joao Sousa. Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau, the No. 10 seeds, closed out a 6-3, 7-6(4) win over Cristian Garin and Juan Ignacio Londero.

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French Open: Kyle Edmund into second round but Cameron Norrie & Dan Evans out

  • Posted: May 28, 2019
2019 French Open
Venue: Roland Garros, Paris Dates: 26 May-9 June
Coverage: Live text and radio commentary on selected matches on the BBC Sport website and app.

British number one Kyle Edmund needed only seven minutes to book his place in the French Open second round as he wrapped up victory in his interrupted match against Jeremy Chardy.

Resuming at 5-5 in the fifth set after bad light stopped play on Monday, Edmund won 7-6 (7-1) 5-7 6-4 4-6 7-5 at Roland Garros in Paris.

British number two Cameron Norrie lost 6-3 6-0 6-2 to French qualifier Elliot Benchetrit, while Dan Evans was beaten 6-3 6-7 (4-7) 6-3 6-2 by Spanish 23rd seed Fernando Verdasco.

It means Edmund and British women’s number one Johanna Konta are the country’s only representatives in the second round of the singles.

  • Del Potro wins in French Open first round
  • Murray to replace Soares with Skupski as doubles partner

Edmund made to battle in patchy performance

Edmund has dropped to 30th in the world rankings, down from 14th at the start of the year, after five successive defeats on the clay which he once described as his preferred surface.

The Yorkshireman’s attitude to his form has been rather stoic, saying there was no need to panic because he knew he was a good player.

He showed glimpses of his undoubted talent on Court One throughout the opening set – finishing in style with a dominant tie-break – before the streaky Chardy, backed by a raucous home crowd, broke twice in the second set to level.

Edmund’s unforced errors increased to 34 in the third set as he let a 4-2 lead slip, recovering to snatch back the break in the decisive 10th game.

The light began to fade in Paris and the danger of play being suspended grew as Chardy broke twice in the fourth and Edmund could not prevent it going to a gruelling decider.

Edmund crucially held off two break points at 2-2 in the fifth before the match was suspended at 5-5 – to the displeasure of a booing French crowd.

When the match resumed on Tuesday, Edmund started quickly by holding serve, then breaking to claim victory and book a meeting with Uruguayan world number 47 Pablo Cuevas.

“After having a bit of a rest, I knew I could really go intense – for half an hour or 20 minutes or however long it took,” Edmund said.

“That was my aim, to come out really firing and impose myself on him.”

The 28th seed has now made it past the opening round in all five of his appearances in Paris.

Analysis

BBC tennis correspondent Russell Fuller

Fuelled by six hours sleep, and a breakfast of cereal, chocolate croissant and scrambled eggs, Edmund played a near perfect seven minutes of tennis.

It was all that was required.

The British number one says “mental engagement” was the most important part of his warm-up. He ran through the scenario in his mind, anticipating plenty of noise, and telling himself he needed to be “on it from the word go.”

A first win for 50 days sets up a second-round match with Pablo Cuevas. If there’s a clay-court tournament on somewhere in the world, the chances are the Uruguayan will be there.

Norrie out after dismal display

British number two Norrie’s hopes of joining Edmund in round two were ended when he was out-powered by world number 273 Benchetrit.

The 23-year-old, ranked 49th in the world, looked devoid of belief and failed to muster a break point until the final game, losing serve six times.

Benchetrit, 20, needed only one hour 27 minutes to earn his first Grand Slam main-draw win, taking control by claiming nine games in a row from the back end of the first set.

By that time Benchetrit was already causing problems for Norrie with his hefty serve and potent forehand.

Benchetrit hit 29 winners as Norrie produced 33 unforced errors in a dismal display.

“I never found my level at all. I didn’t execute anything,” Norrie said.

He will team up with Evans, who spent almost two hours longer on court against Verdasco, in the doubles on Wednesday.

Clay is Evans’ weakest surface and the 29-year-old has now lost in the first round in both appearances at Roland Garros.

At times he pushed a player who has reached the fourth round in Paris seven times before running out of steam and needing treatment on his right calf in the fourth set.

“It was a difficult match, Fernando is a great player and I couldn’t get in front at all and that’s when you find out what the other guy is like,” Evans said.

“I felt he was pretty comfortable all the way through, he was always just ahead of me.

“It is unfortunate I didn’t get the result but I thought I played pretty well. I feel my level is very close to the top guys again. There is nothing to be negative about.”

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Zverev pulls through – via five sets and a smashed racquet

  • Posted: May 28, 2019
2019 French Open
Venue: Roland Garros, Paris Dates: 26 May-9 June
Coverage: Live text and radio commentary on selected matches on the BBC Sport website and app.

Fifth seed Alexander Zverev came through a frustrating first-round match against world number 56 John Millman in the French Open in Paris.

German Zverev, 22, smashed his racquet several times in a 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 2-6 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 win in over four hours.

He broke Australian Millman late in the deciding set to set up a second-round tie with Swedish qualifier Mikael Ymer.

Argentine eighth seed Juan Martin del Potro came through a scare to beat Chile’s Nicolas Jarry 3-6 6-2 6-1 6-4.

Del Potro, 30, won in just over two hours against the world number 58 on Court Suzanne Lenglen.

  • Britain’s Edmund through but Norrie out
  • Jamie Murray to split with doubles partner Soares
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Zverev, who reached the quarter-finals in Paris last year, has struggled for form since stunning world number one Novak Djokovic to win the ATP Finals in November.

“Everybody keeps on saying I had a tough year. I mean, I’m still number five in the world,” he said.

“So it’s not that bad. Somebody who is having a tough year is probably outside of the top 50 or something like that. I’m still top 10 of the race. That’s what matters.”

Zverev lost to Canadian world number 18 Milos Raonic in the fourth round of the Australian Open in January, during which he smashed a racquet during a changeover.

There were several roars of frustration during an underwhelming performance on Philippe Chatrier on Tuesday.

He opened up a two-set lead but was broken twice in the third and was dominated in a fourth-set tie-break. He also had a break point saved at 3-2 up in the fifth before completing victory.

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Del Potro survives scare

Del Potro, seeking a first Grand Slam since becoming US Open champion 10 years ago, will face Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka in the second round.

A French Open semi-finalist last year, Del Potro dominated after falling a set behind as he broke Jarry’s serve five times.

Croatia’s 40-year-old Ivo Karlovic became the first man in his forties to compete in a Grand Slam singles match for 27 years as he beat Spaniard Feliciano Lopez 7-6 (7-4) 7-5 6-7 (9-7) 7-5.

With the combined age of 77 years, it was the oldest men’s match in history at Roland Garros.

The last player to contest a Grand Slam singles match aged 40 or older was American Jimmy Connors at the US Open in 1992.

Karlovic plays 25-year-old Australian Jordan Thompson in the second round.

Seventh seed Fabio Fognini beat fellow Italian Andreas Seppi 6-3 6-3 3-6 6-3 to reach the second round, where he will play Argentina’s Federico Delbonis.

Frenchman Gael Monfils, the 14th seed, saw off Japan’s Taro Daniel 6-0 6-4 6-1 to set up a meeting with Adrian Mannarino.

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French Open: Victoria Azarenka through to second round

  • Posted: May 28, 2019
2019 French Open
Venue: Roland Garros, Paris Dates: 26 May-9 June
Coverage: Live text and radio commentary on selected matches on the BBC Sport website and app.

Two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka beat Latvian former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko in the first round in Paris.

Azarenka, 43rd in the world, won 6-4 7-6 (7-4) in a match full of twists.

Neither player managed to hold serve until the ninth game, when Azarenka moved 5-4 up in the opening set.

The Belarusian had two match points saved in the second and was broken for a second time before she won the deciding tie-break.

Latvian world number 39 Ostapenko, who won the title at Roland Garros in 2017, has now been knocked out in the first round for the third time in four years.

It is also the second successive Grand Slam tournament at which she has failed to make the second round.

Azarenka, who has beaten Czech second seed Karolina Pliskova and Ukrainian ninth seed Elina Svitolina on clay in the past month, will face world number one Naomi Osaka – who survived an almighty scare against Slovakia’s Anna Karolina Schmiedlova – in the next round.

“Just the usual second round match,” Azarenka said, after learning of her next opponent. “But it’s going to be exciting for me. I love to challenge myself against the best players.”

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View Schedule: Nadal, Federer & Tsitsipas Headline Day 4 At Roland Garros

  • Posted: May 28, 2019

View Schedule: Nadal, Federer & Tsitsipas Headline Day 4 At Roland Garros

Nishikori faces Tsonga in Wednesday action

Eleven-time Roland Garros champion Rafael Nadal, 2009 winner Roger Federer and sixth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas headline a busy Day 4 on Wednesday. Seventh seed Kei Nishikori and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga are the first men’s match on Court Philippe-Chatrier in a blockbuster second-round clash. 

Two-time defending champion Nadal faces German qualifier Yannick Maden, who won the first Grand Slam main draw match of his career on Monday. The Spaniard improved to 87-2 record at Roland Garros after dropping six games in his first-round victory over another German qualifier in Yannick Hanfmann. Nadal is 14-0 in second-round matches at Roland Garros.

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Third seed Federer takes on German “lucky loser” Oscar Otte, who is competing in the main draw of a Grand Slam for the first time. The Swiss star sprinted past Lorenzo Sonego in his opening round and has looked solid throughout the European clay swing, reaching the quarter-finals at both the Mutua Madrid Open and Internazionali BNL d’Italia. Federer has reached at least the fourth round in Paris in his past 11 appearances.

Seventh seed Nishikori and Tsonga clash for the first time in three years. Nishikori leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head 5-3, but the Frenchman won a five-set quarter-final classic in their only previous meeting at Roland Garros in 2015. The Japanese star has reached at least the fourth round in his past four appearances in Paris, while Tsonga is a two-time semi-finalist (2013 and 2015) at this event. Both men have won an ATP Tour title this year, with Nishikori prevailing in Brisbane (d. Medvedev) and Tsonga triumphing on home soil in Montpellier (d. Herbert)

“I was really in the match with beautiful intentions. I had played very well the first two sets, and then there was this stop because of the panel, and he came back with different intentions than what was happening during the first two sets,” recalled Tsonga of his 2015 clash with Nishikori. “The match was balanced. He came back, and I did a fantastic fifth set on the centre court with a fantastic crowd. So that’s the type of matches you enjoy, because everything is present. You have a great player in front of you. You play your best tennis. You have a crowd cheering you. It’s the best scenario you can have in Roland Garros.”

Tsitsipas squares off with Bolivian qualifier Hugo Dellien, who became the first Bolivian to win a Grand Slam match in 36 years with his victory on Sunday over Prajnesh Gunneswaran. The sixth seed’s outstanding European clay swing includes a stunning victory over Nadal en route to a runner-up finish in Madrid (l. to Djokovic), a semi-final showing in Rome and his fourth ATP Tour title at the Millennium Estoril Open (d. Cuevas). Tsitsipas’ win on Sunday over Maximillan Marterer made him the first player to reach 30 tour-level wins this season.

Other notable matches on Wednesday include No. 11 seed Marin Cilic of Croatia taking on Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov. Cilic leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head 4-1 and has won their past three matches. Swiss Stan Wawrinka, the 2015 champion and No. 24 seed this year, plays Cristian Garin. The Chilean has lifted trophies this year at the BMW Open by FWU (d. Berrettini) and Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship (d. Ruud).

More On #RG19

* The Moment Nadal’s Practice Routine Changed Forever
* Federer Relishing ‘Outsider’ Status At Roland Garros
* Dellien Goes From Retirement To Slam Breakthrough

 

ORDER OF PLAY – WEDNESDAY, 29 MAY 2019

Court Philippe-Chatrier start 11:00
WTA match
[7] Kei Nishikori vs Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
[3] Roger Federer vs [LL] Oscar Otte
WTA match

Court Suzanne Lenglen start 11:00
WTA match
[2] Rafael Nadal vs [Q] Yannick Maden
WTA match
Benoit Paire vs Pierre-Hugues Herbert

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Court Simonne-Mathieu start 11:00
[6] Stefanos Tsitsipas vs [Q] Hugo Dellien
WTA match
[11] Marin Cilic vs Grigor Dimitrov
WTA match

Court No. 1 start 11:00
WTA match
Richard Gasquet vs Juan Ignacio Londero
[24] Stan Wawrinka vs Cristian Garin
WTA matchr

Court No. 14 start 11:00
WTA match
[27] David Goffin vs Miomir Kecmanovic
[WC] Nicolas Mahut vs Philipp Kohlschreiber

Court No. 7 start 11:00
[19] Guido Pella vs [WC] Corentin Moutet
Two WTA matches
[21] Alex de Minaur vs Pablo Carreno Busta

Court No. 6 start 11:00
WTA match
Filip Krajinovic vs Roberto Carballes Baena
[17] Diego Schwartzman vs Leonardo Mayer

Court No. 8 start 11:00
[WC] Mathias Bourgue / Jonathan Eyeserric vs Elliot Benchetrit / Geoffrey Blancaneaux
WTA match
Radu Albot / Malek Jaziri vs Mikhail Kukushkin / Joran Vliegen
[4] Oliver Marach / Mate Pavic vs Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan / Mischa Zverev

Court No. 9 start 11:00
Marcelo Demoliner / Divij Sharan vs Marton Fucsovics / Robert Lindstedt
[5] Nikola Mektic / Franko Skugor vs Pablo Cuevas / Feliciano Lopez
WTA match
[3] Juan Sebastian Cabal / Robert Farah vs Matthew Ebden / John-Patrick Smith

Court No. 10 start 11:00
Ricardas Berankis / Yoshihito Nishioka vs Mackenzie McDonald / Reilly Opelka
WTA match
John Millman / Jordan Thompson vs [WC] Enzo Couacaud / Tristan Lamasine

Court No. 11 start 11:00
Dusan Lajovic / Janko Tipsarevic vs Santiago Gonzalez / Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi
WTA match
Steve Johnson / Denis Kudla vs Daniel Evans / Cameron Norrie
WTA match

Court No. 12 start 11:00
WTA match
[31] Laslo Djere vs [WC] Alexei Popyrin
Marcel Granollers / Marc Lopez vs Denis Shapovalov / Fernando Verdasco

Court No. 13 start 11:00
Two WTA matches
[29] Matteo Berrettini vs Casper Ruud
Ugo Humbert / Adrian Mannarino vs Benjamin Bonzi / Antoine Hoang

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Murray & Soares knocked out in Paris in last tournament together

  • Posted: May 28, 2019
2019 French Open
Venue: Roland Garros, Paris Dates: 26 May-9 June
Coverage: Live text and radio commentary on selected matches on the BBC Sport website and app.

Briton Jamie Murray and Brazilian Bruno Soares are out of the French Open in their last tournament together.

The second seeds lost to unseeded Italians Lorenzo Sonego and Matteo Berrettini 4-6 7-5 7-6 (7-4).

Soares told Brazilian press the duo will split after Roland Garros, but Murray has yet to comment.

The Scot will now link up with fellow Briton Neal Skupksi, who confirmed the partnership after his French Open win with older brother Ken on Tuesday.

Murray and Soares broke serve at 5-4 up to take the first set, but the Italians levelled the match with a late break in the second.

The deciding set went to a tie-break and Sonego and Berrettini held on to claim an upset.

‘A good time for a change’

Murray and Soares teamed up in 2016 and won the Australian Open and US Open that year.

But Soares told Brazilian website matchtiebreak.com: “Jamie called me and we chatted, where he told me that no matter how much the results are coming out, they did not match the expectation we had.

“And he thought it would be a good time for us to change.”

Murray and Skupski have entered the grass-court tournament at s-Hertogenbosch in the Netherlands the week after Roland Garros.

Earlier this month he dismissed suggestions he could team up with his brother – former world number one singles player Andy – in the doubles at Wimbledon.

Earlier on Tuesday, Skupski raced through to the second round with his brother after beating fellow Brits Jonny O’Mara and Luke Bambridge in straight sets.

The Skupskis won 6-1 6-2 but face a tougher challenge in the next round, where they will likely face 16-time Grand Slam winners Bob and Mike Bryan.

  • French Open: Kyle Edmund beats Jeremy Chardy to reach second round
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