British wheelchair tennis player Gordon Reid enjoys reaching the French Open final courtesy of victory over world number one Stephane Houdet.
British wheelchair tennis player Gordon Reid beat world number one Stephane Houdet to reach the French Open final.
Scot Reid, 24, recovered from 3-0 down in the second set against the Frenchman to win 6-3 6-4 in Paris.
Australian Open champion Reid, the world number four, will face Argentina’s Gustavo Fernandez, the world number six, in Saturday’s final.
“It feels like I’ve got the monkey off my back at the Slams. I can play my own game,” Reid told BBC Sport.
“It means a lot to get to the final again. I’m really enjoying these matches and I’m looking forward to Saturday.”
Reid and partner Shingo Kunieda of Japan are in the doubles final and will be bidding to retain the title they won last year.
| Andy Murray v Stan Wawrinka |
|---|
| Venue: Roland Garros, Paris Dates: 3 June Time: Not before 14:00 BST |
| Coverage: Live radio and text commentary on selected matches on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra, the BBC Sport website and app. |
Serena Williams remains on course to win a 22nd Grand Slam title after beating Kiki Bertens to set up a French Open final against Garbine Muguruza.
The American top seed was well below her best, but beat unseeded Dutch player Bertens 7-6 (9-7) 6-4.
Spanish fourth seed Muguruza impressed in a 6-2 6-4 win over former finalist Sam Stosur of Australia.
Both matches were watched by sparse crowds on another cold, grey day as Paris suffers severe flooding.
Williams, 34, is aiming to tie Germany’s Steffi Graf on 22 major singles titles, which would put her two behind all-time leader Margaret Court of Australia.
“If I get there it will be great,” said Williams. “The only thing can I do is just play to win the tournament and that’s it.”
Defending champion Williams had made a host of errors in her quarter-final and was unusually inconsistent again as she faced an opponent making her Grand Slam semi-final debut.
Both women went into the match with injury doubts – Bertens struggling with her calf and Williams reportedly playing through a thigh problem.
Bertens, ranked 58th, had plenty of chances in the first set against a sluggish Williams, earning seven break points and two set points, but Williams came back from 4-2 down to clinch it in an unpredictable tie-break.
Two dreadful volleys, one of them on set point, illustrated Williams’ lack of form but experience dragged her through, and she came back from a break down to take control of the second set.
Saturday will see a repeat of last year’s Wimbledon final after Muguruza swept aside 2010 runner-up Stosur on a barren Court Suzanne Lenglen.
The 22-year-old, who was born in Venezuela, raced into a 4-0 lead and took the opening set in 32 minutes.
A sixth double-fault by Stosur gave Muguruza a 5-2 lead in the second set but she faltered with victory in sight, playing a poor service game, before closing it out at the second opportunity.
Muguruza is the first Spanish woman since Conchita Martinez in 2000 to reach the final in Paris.
“Emotions can sometimes be bad when you make a final,” said Muguruza. “Sometimes you just have to stay calm, prepare yourself as best you can and play with no regrets.”
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Teenage British tennis star Freya Christie says making her WTA main draw debut on home territory in Nottingham is an “amazing” opportunity to show she can compete at the highest level.
The 18-year-old is in her first season as a professional and has been given a wildcard for the Aegon Open at the Nottingham Tennis Centre on 4-12 June.
“I can’t wait,” Christie told BBC Sport. “It will be a great experience.
“It’s amazing it will be at my home town as well. I hope I can compete.”
The first round gets under way on Monday, with the draw taking place on Saturday.
Caroline Wozniacki, Victoria Azarenka and British top three Johanna Konta, Heather Watson and Naomi Broady are all confirmed – as is former British number one Laura Robson.
“I don’t mind who I play,” said Christie. “Anyone is a challenge in this draw but the bigger the challenge the better.”
Christie was part of the Great Britain Fed Cup squad that travelled to Israel earlier this year and reached the semi-finals of the ITF Incheon Women’s Challenger – a $25,000 ITF Pro Circuit event on hard courts in South Korea – last week.
The Hucknall-born player has also won three ITF Pro Circuit doubles titles since November last year and was runner-up in the singles of the Aegon GB Pro-Series Shrewsbury event last year.
“It’s my first year out of juniors and I feel like I am making good progress,” she added.
“It’s a big step – all the players are top 100 so they know what they are doing and have good experience.”
Rising British tennis star Freya Christie’s WTA main draw debut at the Nottingham Open will mix familiarity with the unknown.
The 18-year-old, who first started playing at the Nottingham Tennis Centre at the age of five, is in her first season as a professional and is appearing in the main draw for the first time.
“I am probably here more than at home,” Christie told BBC East Midlands Today. “This is my training base when I am not travelling. It’s amazing my first WTA main draw is at my home town.”
Having made the last two finals of the clay Masters 1000 events, going 1-1 with Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray should be…
Weather has ensured that it wasn’t all plain sailing for the remaining four competitors in the men’s French…
Nick Kyrgios has pulled out of Rio 2016, accusing the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) of “unfair and unjust treatment” and “unwarranted attacks”.
Kyrgios, 21, joins compatriot Bernard Tomic in withdrawing from the Games.
AOC chef de mission Kitty Chiller had said the pair were “on watch” because of their behaviour.
The world number 19 said he had pulled out with “a heavy heart” as the “AOC has chosen to publicly and privately disparage me”.
In a statement on his official website, he added: “AOC’s unfair and unjust treatment of me over the last four weeks, as well as the organisation’s crystal clear position on whether they want me to be a part of the Australian Olympic team, has solidified my final decision.”
Kyrgios received a code violation for shouting at a ball boy and was fined for an audible obscenity during his third-round defeat by Richard Gasquet at the French Open.
He was given a suspended 28-day ban and fined by the Association of Tennis Professionals last year for making lewd remarks about Stan Wawrinka’s girlfriend during a match.
Tennis Australia president Steve Healy said: “We understand Nick’s decision and totally support him and his right to make it. But we are very disappointed that he has been put in this position.”
In a statement on the AOC’s official website, Chiller said: “At this point, Nick Kyrgios, or any other tennis athlete, has not been nominated for selection on the Australian Olympic team.
“In regard to selection every athlete in contention is treated equally and fairly.”
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Three-time Roland Garros champion inducted into Hall of Fame in 2012
The International Tennis Hall of Fame has named Gustavo Kuerten as a Global Ambassador for the organization. Kuerten, a three-time Roland Garros champion and former world No. 1 on the ATP World Tour was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2012, in recognition of his outstanding tennis career. In the new role, Kuerten will play an active role in the Hall of Fame’s effort to preserve and promote the history of tennis, and to engage the global tennis community.
“My induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame was a very special moment for me and my family. When we are competing, we don’t think so much about our legacy, but to look back now and think that my career is forever recognized as an impactful part of our sport’s history, is incredibly humbling and meaningful,” said Kuerten.
He continued, “When I was competing, I was greatly inspired by those who came before me in Brazil – Maria Esther Bueno, who is also in the Hall of Fame, and others like Thomaz Koch. I could not have had my success if I didn’t have them to look up to and to aspire to be like. This is why the Hall of Fame is so important to our sport and why it was important to me to take on this new role. In their work each day, the Hall of Fame is committed to promoting an interest in the history of our sport and it’s most inspiring people. I know first-hand how important it is to have inspiring personalities to look up to, to push you to be your best, and I’m thrilled to have this new opportunity to support the Hall of Fame in that work.”
International Tennis Hall of Fame CEO Todd Martin commented, “We are thrilled to welcome Guga to support the Hall of Fame’s work in this new role. He is a legendary athlete who has truly connected with so many fans around the world over the years. He has a genuine love for our sport, a desire to see it grow and to see its history be preserved and celebrated. We are very pleased to be able to work with Guga to bring the Hall of Fame’s work to the global tennis community.”
Kuerten joins Martina Hingis in the Global Ambassador role for the Hall of Fame. Hingis was named an ambassador in June 2015 and continues in the role, with special events scheduled for her to appear on the Hall of Fame’s behalf in the fall. In his new role, Kuerten will be participating in promotional activities at tennis events around the world on behalf of the Hall of Fame in the year ahead, including special programming in Brazil around tennis events there.
Kuerten is one of 243 people from 21 nations who have received the highest honor in the sport of tennis – induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Kuerten was the world’s No. 1 player for 43 non-consecutive weeks. He burst onto the tennis scene at Roland Garros in 1997, when he, as an unseeded player, overcame three past champions to win his first of three titles there (1997, 2000, 2001). In 2000, Kuerten became the first South American to finish the season ranked world No. 1 in the history of the ATP World Tour rankings (since 1973). Since retiring from competition, Kuerten has focused his time on philanthropic work, primarily through the Institute Guga Kuerten, which offers programming for children and for disabled people. The work is inspired by his late brother, Guilherme, who had cerebral palsy, and who was one of Kuerten’s biggest fans.
In addition to making special appearances on the Hall of Fame’s behalf, Kuerten will also be featured in the Hall of Fame’s marketing campaign, which is focused on showcasing the history of tennis through the inspiring life stories of the Hall of Famers. The campaign runs in digital, print, and social media in tennis media outlets. Additionally, Kuerten will work with the Hall of Fame to produce new digital content to support efforts to engage tennis fans around the world in learning about the sport’s history.
“The International Tennis Hall of Fame is a really important and special place for our sport. When you walk through the museum there, it’s amazing to see all the great champions and memorable moments that our sport has delivered. However, there are many tennis fans who may not be able to make the trip to Newport, and so I’m thrilled to be working with the Hall of Fame to bring the organization’s mission and message out to fans around the world in a new way,” said Kuerten.
Wawrinka to face Murray while Djokovic takes on Thiem
In semi-final action at Roland Garros on Friday, defending champion Stan Wawrinka will try to hit through No. 2 seed Andy Murray while top seed Novak Djokovic, who is now two matches away from completing a career Grand Slam, will take on Dominic Thiem.
Murray comes into the semi-finals with an 8-7 edge in his FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry with Wawrinka, but the Swiss has won their past three tour-level meetings dating back to 2013. While Murray is playing the best clay-court tennis of his career, beating Djokovic in the Rome final on the eve of Roland Garros, he has yet to win a set against Wawrinka on clay. Murray is bidding to become the first Brit since Bunny Austin in 1937 to reach the final. Wawrinka could become the oldest man since Niki Pilic in 1973 to reach the final.
Djokovic, who holds a 2-0 FedEx ATP Head2Head record against Thiem, is looking to reach his 20th Grand Slam final. Djokovic has yet to drop a set against the Austrian, but they have never faced off on clay. Both players have been productive in 2016, leading the ATP World Tour in match wins – 42 for Djokovic and 41 for Thiem. Djokovic cruised to a straight-set win against Tomas Berdych in the quarter-finals, while Thiem, who will enter the Emirates ATP Rankings Top 10 on Monday, saw off David Goffin after losing the first set.
Former Champions Vying For Doubles Final Berth
Defending champions Ivan Dodig and Marcelo Melo will take on Spaniards Feliciano Lopez and Marc Lopez for a spot in the doubles final. Lopez/Lopez saved six match points in their quarter-final win over 2014 winners Julien Benneteau and Edouard Roger-Vasselin. Dodig/Melo are looking to become the first team to repeat as champions since Max Mirnyi and Daniel Nestor (2011-12).
Also in contention are two-time champions Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan (2003 & 2013). The Americans, last year’s runners-up, are looking to reach the final for a seventh time. They’ll play ninth seeds Lukasz Kubot and Alexander Peya.
Paes Looking To Cement Legacy In Mixed Doubles
Leander Paes, who will partner Martina Hingis in the mixed doubles final against No. 2 seeds Sania Mirza and Dodig, is bidding to become the third player in the Open Era with a career Grand Slam in both men’s and mixed doubles (Woodbridge & Woodforde). A title would make him and Hingis the second mixed doubles team in the Open Era to complete a career Grand Slam (Riessen/Court). Paes already owns the Open Era male record with 9 mixed doubles titles.