ATP
Roland Garros Men’s Day 1
Stefanos Tsitsipas relied on a last-gasp pep talk to himself to avoid playing a first-round Roland Garros marathon, with the fifth seed posting a 7-5, 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (7) defeat of Jiri Vesely on Sunday.
The Greek who lost the final a year ago to Rafael Nadal needed three and a quarter-hours to get past a burly Czech opponent ranked 452 who once reached 35 in the world
The seed secured the opening two sets, dropped the third and had to win a tiebreaker in the fourth to move into the second round.
“I told myself there was no way this was going to a fifth set,” Tsitsipas said.
“I’m happy I was able to overcome such an obstacle. I was able to bounce back from difficulties.
“Today’s win was very important for me.”
Tsitsipas had to save four set points for his opponent in the fourth-set tiebreaker and secured the win as he drove a cross-court forehand over for a winner on match point.
“I told myself just keep going for the ball. I had been staying still, waiting for the ball to come to me.
“I took charge, I made the (mental) switch and won the match.”
Seventh seed Andrey Rublev began with a6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 defeat of Serb Laslo Djere.
Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis reduced the British headcount by a third with his 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 thumping of Dan Evans,
Only Cam Norrie and young gun Jack Draper remain in the field for the nation – with no British women ranking high enough to reach the singles draw thanks to the injury absence of Emma Raducanu.
Evans admitted he was thrown off his game by a foot fault call as he led 4-1 in the second set, a decision made by a linesman and supported by the chair umpire.
Evans said he expects to be fined for angrily breaking a water bottle at the sidelines after the frustrating incident.
“It threw me, I lost all trust as to where my feet were, it became a big thing in my head.
“But that not the reason I lost.”
by Roger Parker International Sports Fotos Ltd
The No. 24 added: “If they’re going to call that foot fault, it shouldn’t be from
35 meters away (opposite side of the court), from fence to fence through a net.
“I was right in the match at that point.
“But (officials) find a way of getting involved (in the match). Whoever it is up
in the chair, they find a way, and they’re good at it, they get involved plenty.”
Minor seeds Karen Khachanov and Hubert Hurkacz had to fight through five-set struggles to advance on a sunny opening day.
No. 11 Khachanov overcame Frenchman Constant Lestienne 3-6, 1-6, 6-2, 6-1, 6-3. The 13th-seeded Pole Hurkacz beat Belgian veteran David Goffin 6-3, 5-7, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4.
Sebastian Korda, who has played and lost only two clay matches this spring after an injury pause, scored a win into the second round, defeating US compatriot Mackenzie McDonald 6-4, 7-5,7-4.
John Isner, nearing the end of his career at age 38, lost his sixth match in a row as he went down to Portuguese No. 1 Nuno Borges 6-4, 5-7, 7-6(3), 4-6, 7-6(9). The American went down swinging with 38 aces among 85 winners/
The battle which lasted for almost four hours was the first time on court for Isner in nearly two months.
Main photo:- Stefanos Tsitsipas on his way to four set win today – by Roger Parker International Sports Fotos Ltd
Two-time champion Casper Ruud had to work for more than two and a half hours to overcome Jaime Faria, the Portuguese who put out Stan Wawrinka in the first round at the Gstaad Swiss Open on Thursday.
Faria was riding the momentum from Tuesday’s defeat of three-time Grand Slam winner Stan Wawrinka, set to retire this season and beaten in an opening match at his home venue.
Faria had his eye on a second upset as he faced Ruud, who lifted the trophy at this elite alpine village in 2021 and 2022.
Ruud ahd to dodge a bullet and mount a comeback to get through the second-round test against the Portuguese.
After dropping the opening set in a tiebreaker, Ruud played patiently as Faria saved five break points in the sixth game of the second set before failing on the sixth.
Ruud then pulled away for a 6-7 (1), 6-4, 6-2 victory, his first since Roland Garros.
“Sometimes it is hard to say when you get a good feeling and you start to win some games in a row,” the winner said.
“You try from the first game to the last, but suddenly something clicked in the middle of the second for me, luckily.”
He added: “I had to really fight hard and if I played one bad game in the second and he serves well, it could be over and it would be time to go home. But luckily I can extend the stay.”
The Scandinavian could join Spaniards Sergi Bruguera and Alex Corretja as three-time winners in the Alps, with Ruud now standing 10-1 here over his career.
Stefanost Tsitsipas said he slept soundly prior to finishing off a darkness-interrupted match on Thursday as he eliminated local Jerome Kym at the Gstaad Swiss Open.
The Greek who once cracked third in the world and the 186th-ranked Swiss returned to the clay after darkness on Wednesday night left them hanging at 5-all in the third set.
Tsitsipas revved up his game from the resumption to emerge into the quarter-finals 6-4, 6-7 (2), 7-6 (5).
The second seed now standing 85th in the world after several poor seasons and a split with his father as his coach, said getting his rest was not a problem after the interruption.
“It was strange going to bed and not being finished. I visualised what I wanted to do, my shot patterns.
“It worked out pretty well.
“I had a good night’s sleep, I was not too stressed and I recovered to get ready for the continuation.”
After saving break points in the first game on Thursday, Tsitsipas triumphed in the final-set tiebreaker
“I’m relieved I was able to save a couple of break points.. I put my game together and made it )victory) happen again.”
The Greek now faces off against Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech for a semi-final spot.
“I’m expecting a lot of big serves, the altitude (1050m) helps. I’ll try to build consistency around my own serve.”
Stefanos Tsitsipas was handed a reprieve due to fading light with his second round match at the Swiss Open Gstaad stopped with the Greek deadlocked with local Jerome Kym 6-4, 6-7 (2), 5-5.
The math had to be halted as night fell and electronic linecalling computers could not read the path of the ball on the clay in contrast to humans who could have carried on for a few additional minutes..
The 27-year-old Tsitsipas was taking the worst of it in the concluding stage after a promising start.against a journeyman opponent ranked 186.
Tsitsipas, his ranking down to 85th after once standing third in the world, lashed out verbally in the last few games, apparently frustrated with his racquet reactions.
The Greek was quick to make his point of an overnight stoppage to the chair umpire while Kym – who reached 5-all with a love service hold – left the court with a defiant fist pump for his public in this alpine resort village.
The cutoff came after just over two hours of play, with the contest to be concluded on Thursday. The winner reaches the Friday quarter-finals.
Tsitsipas produced his last notable result in April with a fourth-round showing at the Madrid Masters,
He is aiming for his second quarter-final of the season after Doha in February and his 2025 Barcelona 15 months ago.
Tsitsipas stands 10-1 vs. players ranked outside the top 100 this season with a sole loss to No. 104 Italian Matteo Arnaldi at the Roland Garros second round.
History repeats for Argentine spoiler in Gstaad
Ruud survives a scare to secure Gstaad quarters
Tsitsipas finishes off Kym after overnight pause
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