Britain’s Emma Raducanu overcomes an injury scare to beat Uzbekistan’s Kamilla Rakhimova 6-3, 7-5 and advance to the semi-finals of the Queen’s Club Championship.
READ MORE: Raducanu battles into Queen’s semis but Boulter goes out
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In 2024, Evans sacrificed the 500 ranking points he had won at the Washington Open the previous year to partner fellow Briton Andy Murray for his final tournament at the Paris Olympics.
The pair lost in the quarter-finals in what was the last match of Murray’s illustrious career.
“Representing Great Britain in both Davis Cup and the Olympics remains the greatest honour of my career and something I will cherish for the rest of my life,” added Evans, who played 28 Davis Cup ties for Great Britain.
Evans, who was suspended for a year after testing positive for cocaine in 2017, thanked his family for their “unwavering support through every high and low”.
“I’m looking forward to finishing on a high… and giving everything I have one last time,” he said.
Wimbledon starts on 29 June, although Evans would have to go through qualifying or receive a wildcard to play in the main draw.
He has failed to advance through qualifying at the past three Grand Slams, while he received a wildcard for last year’s Wimbledon.
The tournament’s wildcard committee will meet on Tuesday to decide which players they would like to invite into the main draw.
Published On 7 Jun 20267 Jun 2026
Alexander Zverev has finally secured his maiden Grand Slam title with a dramatic five-set victory over Italy’s Flavio Cobolli in the French Open final on Sunday.
The second seed became the first German man to win a major tournament since Boris Becker at the 1996 Australian Open with a 6-1, 4-6, 6-4, 6-7 (5/7), 6-1 victory after four hours and 16 minutes.
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“This court is so special to me in so many ways… but now finally, it’s a happy end,” said Zverev, who suffered a season-ending ankle injury in the 2022 semifinal against Rafael Nadal on Court Philippe-Chatrier, where he was also edged out in five sets by Carlos Alcaraz in the 2024 final.
It was Zverev’s fourth Grand Slam final and second at Roland-Garros after some heartbreaking near misses in his career.
“We’ve been through losses, we’ve been losers at times as well in the most important moments,” he said during the trophy presentation, turning to his team.
“But at the end of the day, we’re Grand Slam champions now, and that’s what counts.”
Cobolli, the 10th seed, was bidding to become the first Italian man since Adriano Panatta to win the French Open in 50 years.
The 24-year-old had never even played a Slam semifinal before, let alone a final, after his last-four opponent Matteo Arnaldi withdrew from the tournament due to illness.
“It’s not easy for me to talk right now,” said Cobolli after receiving his runner-up trophy from Panatta, before addressing Zverev.
“I’m happy for you, but I’m also sad because I was close and I feel it. So now you’ve achieved your dream, let me win the next time.”
Both players appeared to struggle with nerves at various points in the match, especially Cobolli during an error-strewn first set.
But Zverev’s greater experience showed in a deciding set that was far tenser than the scoreline suggested, as he managed to get over the line.
The 29-year-old was handed a golden opportunity to break his Grand Slam duck by the injury-enforced absence of reigning champion Alcaraz and surprise early exits for Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic.
The world number three was not always in control, making 54 unforced errors, but did enough to finally shed the tag of being one of the best players to have never won a major.
Zverev had previously also lost in six Slam quarterfinals and seven semifinals, alongside his three final defeats.
The most agonising miss of all was his first major final, when he blew a two-set lead and failed to serve for the championship against Dominic Thiem at the 2020 US Open.
The now-retired Thiem was watching on from the stands at Roland-Garros as Zverev belatedly put the memories of that match to bed six years later.
Cobolli made a nervy start and appeared to be struggling to deal with the occasion as the first set quickly got away from him in 39 minutes and he made 16 unforced errors.
He managed to settle into the match with three successive holds of serve in the second set, and then made his move out of nowhere to break in the seventh game.
Zverev had been completely untroubled on serve previously, but produced a scrappy game featuring two double-faults and a wild forehand on break point before turning to gesticulate angrily towards his coaching staff.
Cobolli started to grow in confidence and served out the set to breathe life into the final.
A higher-quality third set disappeared from Cobolli’s grasp in the 10th game, though, as from 30-0 up, he lost four points in a row, including a poor forehand that flew well wide on set point.
The world number 14, who will climb into the top 10 for the first time next week, hit straight back with a break in the opening game of the fourth set.
He could not pull away in the set, though, as both players ended up being broken twice, including Cobolli when he served for it at 5-4.
But the Italian rallied himself to push it into a tie-break, which he took to force a decider with a blistering forehand winner on his second set point.
Following a delay before the start of the final act after Cobolli left the court, Zverev struck first blood with a break in the first game.
Cobolli’s hopes were finally all but extinguished when he missed a break-back point and then dropped serve again to slip 3-0 down.
Zverev staved off three more break points in the fourth game and eased to victory from there, falling to the clay in celebration after Cobolli shanked an overhead on his second championship point.
Published On 5 Jun 20265 Jun 2026
Italy’s Flavio Cobolli said he was “sad and happy at the same time” after reaching his first Grand Slam final at the French Open on Friday, following the last-minute withdrawal due to illness of his last-four opponent and compatriot Matteo Arnaldi.
The 24-year-old 10th seed will meet Alexander Zverev in Sunday’s final, which will produce a new major champion, after the German second seed earlier moved past Jakub Mensik in the other semi-final.
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Just more than 20 minutes before Cobolli and Arnaldi were due to take to Court Philippe Chatrier, tournament organisers announced that the 104th-ranked Italian had been forced to pull out with a “virus”.
“When he came to me almost one hour ago, I almost cried. You know, it’s something that you don’t expect at all. I was ready to play this match,” Cobolli told reporters during a news conference he held with his close friend Arnaldi, as the pair sat three metres (10 feet) apart.
“When he came, I was completely sad for him. But, at the same time, of course, I’m really happy for the result that I reached this week.
“Yeah, now I’m sad and happy at the same time.”
For first-time major semifinalist Arnaldi, withdrawing was “not something that you wish to anybody”, but “the right decision for me to take”.
“It’s tough, because for how the tournament was, for how many hours I’ve been on the court, I was feeling actually very good,” Arnaldi, who had spent the most amount of time on court for a player en route to a Grand Slam semifinal, said.
The 25-year-old added that, on Thursday, he was “feeling OK” during practice, but after his dinner, he began to feel unwell during the night.
“I started to feel so-so with my stomach. I was, like, ‘All right, just didn’t digest very well,’” he recounted.
“But then I woke up at 1:00am, and I started vomiting, and I wasn’t feeling the best. Then I tried to sleep. I couldn’t sleep at all. At 6:00, 7:00am, I vomited again.
“We called the doctor into the room. He came, gave me some stuff. I was hoping that it would just be something from dinner or something like that, but then throughout the day, I couldn’t eat. Every time we did something or would drink, I would go back to the bathroom.”
Despite his best efforts, his state worsened throughout the day.
“I tried to get ready and tried to stay as much as I could here and tried to see if I could go on court, but every time I get up, I feel dizzy,” Arnaldi said.
“It’s a virus, I think, because I was feeling pretty cold. I think I had a fever, like, during the day. I don’t know, to be honest.
“I just know that I can’t move, and I can’t eat, and I can’t drink. So, there was really no way that I will be able to play.”
Cobolli paid tribute to a tearful Arnaldi.
“Matteo is a big inspiration for all of us. He’s an amazing player and amazing professional,” Cobolli said.
“He’s, I think, the best person outside the court for how his match preparation, focus, cool-down. He’s one of the best on the tour, for sure.”
After the conference, Cobolli took to centre court to have a hit watched on by a decent smattering of spectators that had come for the match but stayed to see the world number 14 keep his eye in.
After his quarterfinal victory over Canadian fourth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime on Wednesday, Cobolli will go into the weekend’s final with plenty of rest.
“Maybe having almost four days off is a lot, so you lose the rhythm,” he said.
“Now, I got practice again. I think I will be ready, for sure, for the final, but I also know that I will be fresh, for sure.
“Maybe [the extra time off] will help; maybe not. I’ll tell you after the final.”
No handshake and no photo as Mirra Andreeva of Russia beats Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine to reach French Open tennis final.
Published On 4 Jun 20264 Jun 2026
Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva reached her first Grand Slam final by beating Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine 6-1, 6-3 in a tense encounter at the French Open.
Andreeva converted her first match point when she served for the tennis match on Thursday.
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There was no post-match handshake between the pair, however, and Kostyuk walked off quickly, turning only to wave and blow kisses to the crowd at Court Philippe-Chatrier, where some fans were draped in Ukrainian flags.
The atmosphere beforehand was somewhat tense as the players had separate photos taken as they each stood next to two children on their respective sides of the net. Usually, the players pose for the same photo, standing right next to each other by the net.
Kostyuk and countrywoman Oleksandra Oliynykova have spoken out during the tournament about the impact Russia’s four-year invasion of Ukraine is having on their country.
The eighth seed seized control from the outset and never loosened her grip on the contest, overwhelming Kostyuk with her depth and aggression on Court Philippe-Chatrier to set up a title clash against compatriot Diana Shnaider or Polish qualifier Maja Chwalinska.
Andreeva, 19, raced into a 4-0 lead in the opening set and barely looked back in the third meeting between the two players, the Ukrainian having won the first two.
Kostyuk briefly threatened to make a contest of it in the second set, but the Russian swiftly snuffed out any hopes of a comeback before serving out the match to complete a dominant display.
“I’m still very nervous, very nervous coming to this match as she’s had an amazing season, she hadn’t lost on clay, so that put pressure,” said Andreeva.
“She’s an amazing player, a tough opponent, so I’m super happy with the way I played. I’m happy I got revenge for the Madrid final, and to reach my first Grand Slam final.
“All of these feelings combined, I’ve never felt anything like this. I’m very excited about the last match here in Paris.”
Top-seeded Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori of Italy won the mixed doubles final earlier Thursday, beating Gabriela Dabrowski of Canada and Evan King of the US 4-6, 6-3, 10-4.
An Italian is guaranteed to be in Sunday’s men’s French Open singles final, with Flavio Cobolli facing fellow Italian Matteo Arnaldi on Friday in the first Grand Slam semifinal for both players.
After letting another big lead slip with an error-strewn performance at the French Open, top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka felt like getting as far away from the courts as possible.
“Just want to quit tennis right now,” Sabalenka said after wasting a lead of a set and two breaks in a 3-6, 7-5, 6-0 loss to Diana Shnaider in the quarterfinals on Wednesday.
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“We’ll see in a few days. Hopefully, I’ll get back on track mentally.”
Sabalenka’s wait for a first French Open title continues despite the four-time major winner leading 4-1 in the second set and being two points from victory while serving for the match at 5-4.
What followed was a complete collapse as she lost 12 of the last 13 games against a player appearing in her first Grand Slam quarterfinal, looking increasingly frustrated and forlorn in the windy conditions.
Just like her loss to Coco Gauff in last year’s final, when she won the first set before becoming undone with a slew of unforced errors, this one will take some time to get over.
“You know those rooms where you just go in and you smash everything,” Sabalenka said. “Probably I will spend a whole day over there destroying stuff. Maybe it will help, maybe not.”
Shnaider next faces Maja Chwalinska, who extended her remarkable Roland Garros run by beating 22nd seed Anna Kalinskaya 7-6 (3), 6-3.
The world number one stood still and screamed after losing a point to fall 0-30 down in the sixth game of the decider. Although she saved two match points at 0-40 down, she lost when she sent a shot into the net.
“I just think it’s [a] combination of everything,” Sabalenka lamented. “You overthink, then you make easy mistakes, then you miss opportunities.”
Her struggles were reminiscent of the match against Gauff, when she remonstrated loudly, shouting to herself and glaring at her team box.
“I just have to sit back and openly think about what’s going on in my head in those tough moments,” Sabalenka said, recalling that match. “Because I’m quite an experienced player. I have been through so many things, and I [have] overcome so many things.”
Sabalenka had already looked agitated when serving for the first set, but still looked in control as she served for the match in the second, holding a 30-15 lead.
“Of course I saw some moments of her frustration,” Shnaider said. “I know Aryna that she’s a very emotional person.”
Shnaider, who was already on her best run at a major, broke Sabalenka before taking complete control.
“Well, honestly, I am speechless. Super happy,” she said. “I feel like I was trying to focus point by point. Not thinking about the score. She is the world number one, so I [am] just trying to do my best. I just had to fight for every point.”
Sabalenka looked increasingly frustrated as the third set wore on, and when she missed a volley at the net in the fourth game of the decider, she crouched and rested her head on her racket.
It was another big upset in a tournament, with defending champion Gauff (third round) and four-time winner Iga Swiatek (fourth round) already out.
Jannik Sinner, last year’s men’s singles runner-up, served for the match in a second-round defeat, and 24-time major winner Novak Djokovic wasted a two-set lead in a third-round loss.
That opened things up for lesser-known players. According to sports analytics company Opta, this year’s French Open is the first major tournament without a former men’s or women’s singles major champion in the semifinals since the 1977 French Open.
The unseeded Chwalinska came through three qualifying rounds to become only the second Polish woman to reach the semifinals at Roland Garros, along with Swiatek.
Chwalinska said British player Emma Raducanu’s run to the 2021 US Open title as an 18-year-old qualifier had inspired her.
“It was such an impressive run, you know,” Chwalinska recalled. “Also, she was so young.”
When Kalinskaya’s big forehand from the back of the court went out, the 24-year-old had her biggest win, having never been beyond the second round at any major before this tournament.
Chwalinska’s total prize money heading into Roland Garros was $864,030, and reaching the last four here earns her 750,000 euros (about $872,000).
The roof was open on Court Philippe-Chatrier, and there was a lot of wind.
“I don’t know why would they keep the roof open when it was crazy windy,” Sabalenka said. “It was very dirty tennis. I don’t know how people could actually just sit there and watch me play.”
Kalinskaya also struggled.
“I feel like I was fighting against the wind,” she said. “It was cold today, so the ball was going slower. I couldn’t use my speed, my power.”
In the men’s quarterfinals, 10th-seeded Flavio Cobolli beat number four Felix Auger-Aliassime 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 and will face fellow Italian Matteo Arnaldi for a spot in the final.
Arnaldi advanced when Matteo Berrettini, yet another Italian, retired due to a left hip injury, with Arnaldi leading 7-5, 5-2.
Berrettini had his hip treated during a medical timeout earlier in the second set.
The strong Italian showing comes despite top-ranked Sinner getting stunned in the second round.
Second-seeded Alexander Zverev and number 26 Jakub Mensik will meet in the other semifinal.
Serena Williams has shaken up the tennis world by announcing her competitive return to the game after a nearly four-year absence.
The 23-time Grand Slam winner and mother of two said on Monday that she will compete in women’s doubles at this month’s Queen’s Club Championships in the United Kingdom, where media reported she will play with 19-year-old Canadian Victoria Mboko.
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The 44-year-old American great received a wildcard entry for the competition, which is seen as a warm-up for Wimbledon, the year’s third Grand Slam.
“I’m very happy. Me and Serena have stayed in touch, which is really, really nice because I really look up to her,” Mboko said at the French Open last week.
Williams ended months of speculation over a rumoured return with a cheeky social media video captioned: “Good news travels fast.”
Former world number one Lindsay Davenport said she believes Williams could make an appearance at her home Grand Slam, the US Open, in a couple of months.
“It seems like she’s trying to work her way up maybe to the US Open, and those fans would be so ready to see her back on a singles court there,” Davenport said.
Williams won seven Wimbledon titles and six at the US Open before stepping away from the game in 2022. In doubles, she won six titles at Wimbledon and two at the US Open – all with her older sister Venus Williams.
Four-time major champion Naomi Osaka, who beat Serena Williams in the 2018 US Open final for her first major title, was excited at the prospect.
“It will bring people to watch tennis,” Osaka said. “I’m going to be tuned in to the first match, for sure. I think a lot of people are. Everyone knows Serena and Venus were my role models growing up, so it’s going to be cool to see her on the grounds again.”
Osaka was joined by several current players in sharing their excitement at the news of Serena Williams’s return.
“She’s a legend. It’s inspiring to see,” top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka said at the ongoing French Open. “I’m excited to see her play and probably face her. … It’s very good news for tennis.”
Coco Gauff, who looked up to Serena Williams growing up, chimed in as well.
“One of my biggest regrets was not being able to play her,” the world number four said.
Gauff also commented on Williams’s Instagram post, saying, “Dreams come true.”
Fellow American and former champion John McEnroe suggested Williams could compete in singles at Wimbledon, which starts on June 28 .
“She’s not getting any younger, but she’s Serena Williams, so I bet you she would tell me about wanting to win the whole damn thing,” McEnroe said in Paris.
The Queen’s Club tournament starts on Monday, and the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) said Williams will play “with a partner to be announced in due course”.
“Queen’s Club feels like the perfect place to begin this next chapter,” Williams said in a statement. “Grass has given me some of the most meaningful moments of my career, and I’m excited to be back competing on one of the sport’s most iconic stages.”
Davenport said some current women’s players travelled to Florida to practise with Williams recently.
“I don’t think anyone’s admitted to that, but I do know that some of them were,” Davenport said. “So I think she has kind of a handle on where the level is. But I don’t know if she’s been playing a two-hour singles match, right? We’ll have to see how she can handle that physically.”
Williams, who has won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles overall in her storied career, became eligible to compete in February after reregistering for a mandatory antidoping programme six months earlier – the first step towards a comeback.
Davenport admitted that her former opponent would face a tough challenge.
“It’s not going to be easy. If anyone could do it, certainly, it could be her.”
Grand Slam social media accounts used more playful language to celebrate her return, using the goat emoji to symbolise her status as the “greatest of all time”.
Williams is not the only top-level athlete with unfinished business as advancements in training and medical care have allowed for longer careers across several sports.
Seven-time track gold medallist Allyson Felix said this year that she would try to make the US squad in what would be her sixth Olympics. She is aiming to secure a spot on the mixed 4x400m relay team at the 2028 Los Angeles Games despite having previously said the Tokyo Games would be her last.
“It’s just about testing the limits, kind of an experiment of what’s still left there,” the 40-year-old Felix, who gave birth to her second child in 2024, told the NBC TV network’s Today show last month.
Her fellow American Lindsey Vonn became the oldest downhill skier to win a World Cup race in December when she mounted a comeback after knee-replacement surgery.
Vonn, whose Milano-Cortina Olympics campaign ended abruptly with a horrific crash, was among the first top-level athletes to offer her encouragement to Williams on social media.
Vonn and Felix both celebrated Williams’s comeback announcement on social media.
In tennis, longtime Williams friend Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark made it to the fourth round at the US Open in 2023 and 2024 during her own comeback campaign while older sister Venus became the oldest WTA singles match winner since 2004 when she returned from a 16-month absence last year.
Serena Williams’s “return is an expression of her passion for competition”, WTA Chairwoman Valerie Camillo said in a statement on Monday. “I cannot wait to see her face a new generation.”
Serena Williams is returning to competitive tennis after all.
Months after insisting on social media, “Omg yall I’m NOT coming back,” the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion announced Monday that she’ll play professionally for the first time in almost four years at the HSBC Championships at the Queen’s Club in London.
Williams, 44, has been given a wild-card entry into the doubles draw of the WTA 500 event, which begins June 8.
“Queen’s Club feels like the perfect place to begin this next chapter,” Williams said in a statement released by the tournament. “Grass has given me some of the most meaningful moments of my career, and I’m excited to be back competing on one of the sport’s most iconic stages.”
Williams teased the announcement earlier Monday by posting a video on social media that featured her phone‘s notifications going off constantly while she seemingly was practicing on the court.
“Good news travels fast,” Williams wrote on the post.
Tournament director Laura Robson said during TNT Sports UK’s coverage of the French Open on Monday that Williams’ playing partner will be Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko, who is ranked No. 9 in WTA singles. Williams has won 14 Grand Slam titles and three Olympic gold medals in doubles with her sister Venus Williams as her partner.
It is not clear whether Williams will participate in any other events. Wimbledon, a Grand Slam event Williams won seven times in singles, begins June 29 in London.
Williams’ last professional match was a loss to Australian Ajla Tomljanovic in the third round of the U.S. Open on Sept. 2, 2002. She registered as retired with the International Tennis Integrity Agency the next day.
Last December, however, Williams reentered the agency’s drug-testing pool. According to the ITIA website, retired players “may not return to sanctioned events unless they have made themselves available for out-of-competition testing for at least six months prior to the event in question.”
The move led to much speculation about a possible Williams return, leading to her social media post denying any such intentions.
Martina Navratilova, the 18-time Grand Slam champion who is the oldest woman to win a tour-level singles match — she was 47 when she won a Wimbledon match in 2004 — expressed excitement for Williams’ return.
“Serena brought the game to another level and it is incredible for the sport that she’s pushing the boundaries and coming back,” Navratilova said in a statement released by the WTA. “To many of the younger players, they never had the opportunity to play her; some may have never watched her on television, so this will be a new and exciting experience.”
World number one Jannick Sinner beaten by 56th-ranked Argentinian opponent Juan Manuel Cerundolo at Roland Garros.
Published On 28 May 202628 May 2026
Jannik Sinner’s bid for a maiden French Open title and career Grand Slam went up in smoke as he experienced physical issues in his second-round match against Juan Manuel Cerundolo and fell to a 3-6 2-6 7-5 6-1 6-1 defeat.
Sinner arrived in Paris as the favourite for the title, having lifted claycourt titles in Monte Carlo, Madrid and Rome, with his main rival and defending champion Carlos Alcaraz ruled out with injury and Novak Djokovic searching for his best form.
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But Cerundolo tore up the script in a dramatic clash on a scorching Thursday where he held his nerve even as last year’s runner-up Sinner crumbled while on the verge of a big win, sending shockwaves through Roland Garros.
As the temperature climbed over the 30 degrees Celsius (86F) mark for the first time in the afternoon, Sinner had already breezed through the first set on the back of a solitary break, and the 24-year-old Italian looked to be in cruise mode.
Cerundolo offered resistance towards the end of the second set, but the 56th-ranked Argentinian was left with a mountain to climb after Sinner unleashed a huge forehand winner to double his lead in the match for the loss of only five games.
The four-time Grand Slam champion cooled off with an ice towel in the break and turned up the intensity on his unseeded opponent in the third set to go 5-1 ahead, before he began to struggle and halted play when serving at 5-4.
Sinner returned from an off-court medical timeout five minutes later and was immediately broken for 5-5, and dropped the next two games to hand the set to his opponent, who sensed the chance to pull off a major upset.
Still not at his best, Sinner surrendered the fourth set tamely and was broken early in the decider, as Cerundolo took full advantage to leave the Grand Slam without its title favourite.
At 17, Moise Kouame becomes the youngest winner of a Grand Slam match with French Open win against Marin Cilic.
Published On 26 May 202626 May 2026
French teenager Moise Kouame announced himself on the Grand Slam stage in emphatic fashion, beating former US Open champion Marin Cilic 7-6(4) 6-2 6-1 at the French Open to become the youngest man to win a major main-draw match in 17 years.
Handed a wildcard by organisers, the 17-year-old French teen looked entirely unfazed on Court Simonne Mathieu in the first-round match on Tuesday as he made his Grand Slam debut against a player 20 years his senior and a former world number three.
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Cilic, the 2014 US Open champion and a Roland Garros semifinalist in 2022, arrived in Paris ranked 46th in the world but was outplayed by the fearless teenager, whose speed in defence and deft drop shots repeatedly drew applause from the crowd.
Ranked 318th, Kouame edged a tense opening set in a tiebreak after saving two set points before taking control of the match.
“It wasn’t easy. I always try to stay in the present moment and not think too much about the score. Today I managed to do that really well,” Kouame said on court.
Kouame did not concede a break of serve throughout the contest as he sealed victory in straight sets.
At 17 years and two months old, Kouame became the youngest player to win a Grand Slam match since Australia’s Bernard Tomic reached the 2009 Australian Open second round at the age of 16.
He is also the youngest player to advance past the first round at Roland Garros since Romania’s Dinu Pescariu achieved the feat in 1991 at 17 years and one month old.
“It’s a lot of emotion, it’s exceptional,” Kouame said. “Coming into this tournament, I didn’t really know what to expect. The team and I worked hard to be as ready as possible.”
The teenager, coached by former French player Richard Gasquet, claimed only the second main-tour win of his career after earning his first at the Miami Masters in March.
He will next face Paraguay’s Adolfo Daniel Vallejo, who advanced after 20th seed Cameron Norrie retired injured.
Kouame’s breakthrough run caps a rapid rise this season.
The Frenchman has won three ITF titles – the third tier of professional tennis – and received several wildcards on the main circuit, including at the Miami and Monte-Carlo Masters.
“All the experience I gained in Miami and Monte-Carlo probably helped me a little,” Kouame told reporters. “Technically, I felt pretty calm. I knew I was ready and I felt good mentally and physically.”
A former world junior number one and three-time Grand Slam junior champion, Monfils, by his own admission, perhaps did not fully fulfil his potential in the senior ranks, but he insists his “bucket list is full”.
Over the course of his 23 seasons in professional tennis, he has won 13 ATP titles, reached at least the last eight at three of the four majors – Wimbledon is the exception – and achieved a career-high ranking of sixth in the world.
There were 38 wins over top-10 ranked players, including multiple victories over both Federer and Nadal, and two Davis Cup finals with France.
Such is his longevity, this was his 70th appearance in the main draw of a Grand Slam and 19th at the French Open. He holds the record for most Slam match wins by a male French player in the Open era, even if a major title has been elusive.
But Monfils will be best remembered for his on-court showmanship, athleticism and outrageous shot selection. His near physics-defying slides along the baseline and basketball-like hangtime before smashes have cemented his status as a fan favourite.
“I was never quite good enough to win a Grand Slam,” reflected Monfils before the French Open. “But maybe I won something more important than that – a tennis career I’m proud of.”
In a testament to his popularity on and off the court, the farewell festivities began last Thursday with a charity event on Philippe-Chatrier – fittingly named ‘Gael & Friends’ – featuring appearances from stars such as Jannik Sinner, Djokovic and Naomi Osaka, as well as fellow Frenchmen – both retired – Richard Gasquet and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
Gasquet was also in attendance for Monfils’ final bow against Gaston, as were French tennis royalty Mauresmo – the tournament director – and Henri Leconte.
The evening blended tennis, music and tributes to celebrate his two-decade journey on the professional tour.
Published On 22 May 202622 May 2026
Gael Monfils brought the party to Roland Garros on Thursday, teaming up with his wife Elina Svitolina to win a lively, star-studded exhibition match as he prepared for his final appearance at his home Grand Slam.
The popular Frenchman took centre stage on Court Philippe-Chatrier for “Gael & Friends”, an evening that blended tennis, music and tributes to celebrate his two-decade journey on the professional tour.
The former world number six was joined by an array of leading players, including Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev and Stefanos Tsitsipas.
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Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka also featured, alongside Maria Sakkari and rising American talent Iva Jovic, while his former Davis Cup teammates Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Richard Gasquet added a nostalgic touch to the occasion.
Monfils and Svitolina capped the night by winning the exhibition event, delighting the Paris crowd in an event filled with laughter, trick shots and playful exchanges replacing the usual tension of a competition.
Monfils won 13 ATP titles and enjoyed memorable runs in Paris, including a semifinal appearance in 2008. He helped France to Davis Cup finals in 2010 and 2014.
While a Grand Slam title eluded him, his impact extended far beyond results and his on-court charisma made him a major drawcard wherever he played.
“Thanks to you all for everything you’ve given me over the years,” the 39-year-old showman said after the exhibition match.
“It’s been a dream of my life. I’ve always given my absolute most. I was never quite good enough to win a Grand Slam. But maybe I won something more important than that — a tennis career I’m proud of.”
Svitolina, who had earlier called her husband “a magician” in a note written to their daughter, was reduced to tears as Monfils lingered on court, soaking up one final ovation.
Monfils will play 25-year-old compatriot Hugo Gaston in the first round at Roland Garros next week, his 19th appearance in the main draw at the French Open.
Published On 18 May 202618 May 2026
Jannik Sinner has completed the coveted Golden Masters in tennis to become only the second man after Novak Djokovic to win all nine Masters 1000 events, the biggest tournaments outside the Grand Slams.
Top-ranked Sinner’s 6-4, 6-4 victory over Casper Ruud in Sunday’s final of the Italian Open also made him the first Italian man to win the tournament since Adriano Panatta in 1976.
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“There’s no better place to complete this set,” Sinner said after winning the title and accomplishing the feat on the red clay of the Foro Italico in Rome in front of jubilant home fans who finally saw the half-century-long wait come to an end.
“For an Italian, it’s one of the most special places we play tennis in. To win at least once in my career means a lot to me.”
Djokovic completed the career set in 2018 in Cincinnati, Ohio, in the United States at the age of 31 and then went on to win each event at least twice. Sinner is 24, and with his only real rival, Carlos Alcaraz, currently sidelined due to a right wrist injury, he is proving hard to beat.
“Welcome to the exclusive club, Jannik,” Djokovic wrote on Instagram.
Sinner extended his winning streak to 29 matches. He hasn’t lost since being beaten by Jakub Mensik in the Qatar Open quarterfinals on February 19 . And he’s now 17-0 on clay this year as he is poised to enter the French Open, which starts on Sunday.
Sinner celebrated calmly as usual, revealing a wide smile when he landed an inside-out forehand on the line on his first championship point, then held his hands over his head in apparent relief. Then he waved to the crowd, which included former Italian professional tennis player Adriano Panatta sitting in the front row.
“Adriano, after 50 years, we’ve won back a very important trophy,” Sinner told the 75-year-old Panatta, who participated in the trophy ceremony.
Roland Garros is the only Grand Slam that Sinner hasn’t won. He has two Australian Open titles and has won Wimbledon and the US Open once each.
Sinner’s triumph came – also with Italian President Sergio Mattarella in attendance – after he lost last year’s final in Rome to Alcaraz in his first tournament back after a three-month doping ban. That defeat came a day after Jasmine Paolini became the first Italian woman to win the Rome singles title in 40 years. She also claimed the doubles trophy with Sara Errani.
With many of Sinner’s fans dressed in orange – his theme colour, which matches his curly hair – the capacity crowd of 10,500 on Campo Centrale created a football-style atmosphere with chanting and loud cheers for the player who has become far and away Italy’s most popular athlete.
After several key points, the crowd erupted into a cheer of “Ole, Ole, Ole, Ole; Sin-ner, Sin-ner.” Then there was more chanting during the trophy presentation.
Angelo Binaghi, the president of the Italian tennis federation, suggested that even if there was a 25,000-seat centre court in Rome – bigger than the US Open’s Arthur Ashe Stadium, the world’s largest tennis arena – it would have been full.
Sinner overcame exhaustion to beat Daniil Medvedev in the semifinals in a rain-delayed match that required two days to finish. But there were no signs of fatigue against the 25th-ranked Ruud, who has been one of the circuit’s top clay-court players for years.
Ruud reached two finals at Roland Garros, losing to Rafael Nadal in 2022 and Djokovic in 2023. But the Norwegian wasted an early break and a 2-0 advantage at the start of the first set against Sinner, who quickly broke back and then broke again towards the end of the set with the help of three key drop shots – two of which were so well-placed that Ruud didn’t even run for them.
A big backhand winner up the line gave Sinner another break in the opening game of the second set.
Sinner improved to 5-0 in his career against Ruud.
“What you’re doing this year, it’s hard to describe in words,” Ruud told Sinner during the trophy ceremony. “It’s really an honour to watch you play. … Congratulations for making history.”
It was an extra special day for the host nation after Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori became the first Italian duo to win the men’s doubles title in Rome since 1960.
Bolelli and Vavassori beat Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos 7-6 (8), 6-7 (3), 10-3.
For both the singles and doubles finals, there was a packed crowd watching on a jumbo screen on the statue-lined court of the Nicola Pietrangeli Stadium next to Campo Centrale.
Elina Svitolina beat Coco Gauff in the women’s singles title match on Saturday.
Harvard-Westlake’s boys’ tennis team accomplished something on Friday few have done: topple Irvine University.
The Wolverines ended University’s four-year run as tennis champions with a 10-8 win at the Southern Section Division 1 championships. University is a 16-time champion.
Aiden Zadeh had an important win in singles. Chase Klugo and Aaron Chung swept their doubles competition. And Gideon Ames won the clinching set.
At a school that excels in many different sports, the Wolverines rose to the top. The season continues with regional and state competition.
This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.
Of the six British singles players who began the year in the top 100, Cameron Norrie is the only one to have avoided injury or illness, and he has returned impressively to the world’s top 20 in recent weeks.
Raducanu, 23, had been due to return at the Italian Open in Rome this week but withdrew after her media commitments on Tuesday with post-viral symptoms. Kartal is currently on track to reappear during the grass-court season, but the back injury the 24-year-old suffered during her run to the Indian Wells fourth round in March has cost her the entire clay swing.
Francesca Jones had a month out after a glute injury at the Australian Open and Draper’s comeback from his serious arm injury has been checked by a knee problem, while Fearnley came through qualifying in Rome after a seven-week absence.
British number three Katie Boulter, who tumbled out of the top 100 last year as she battled foot and hip injuries, says it can be hard to step away even if players have information to suggest their bodies are at breaking point.
Fitness trackers, which offer performance analysts a wealth of data, will be allowed on a trial basis at this year’s remaining three Grand Slams, as they have been for a while now on the men’s and women’s tours.
But Boulter, who has climbed back into the top 60, told BBC Sport: “I think it’s impossible as a tennis player to be like, ‘I’m going to take the week off because my wearable [device] says that I’m in red’.
“Financially, there might be people that don’t have that luxury to stop a week out of their schedule and not play – the majority of us are still trying to make a living.
“I’ve played through many injuries, I’ve also stopped through many injuries. Ultimately you have to make the best judgement call you can.
“It’s good to have that information, but it doesn’t necessarily marry up sometimes.”
The LTA has refreshed its entire physiotherapy staff over the past 18 months and believes it now has the right expertise to support the modern player. The next task is to consider how best to upgrade its recovery facilities.
British players have a lot more resources at their disposal than many other nationalities. An LTA physio was sent to Miami in March as Kartal started to realise the extent of her back problem, but the emphasis is also on players building their own support network.
Make it 17 and counting.
That is how many boys’ tennis titles Palisades has won in a row after its 18.5 to 11 victory over Taft in the City Section Open Division championship match Wednesday afternoon at Balboa Sports Center in Encino.
Freshman Kensho Ford, who reached the CIF singles semifinals at the Ojai tournament four days earlier, swept his four sets at No. 1 as expected — dropping a total of three games in the process — but what co-coaches Robert Silvers and Bud Kling did not anticipate was Zach Cohen sweeping at No. 4 to give the top-seeded Dolphins a split of the 16 possible singles points.
Cohen played No. 1 doubles with Zach Stuffman all season but was itching to play singles for the playoffs and wound up winning all six of his sets including two before being subbed out for the last two rotations in Monday’s semifinal rout of fourth-seeded Marshall.
“I’ve been asking for two years now and when Coach Rob told me Saturday I’d be in singles I was so excited,” said Cohen, who was also the Division I individual champion while pacing the Dolphins to their fifth straight cross-country team title in November at Elysian Park.
Five is nice, but 17 straight is a dynasty unparalleled in City Section history. No team in any sport from a City school has ever produced a longer streak and no coach has more City crowns than Kling’s 55 (33 boys, 22 girls). Palisades has also appeared in 21 straight finals. The last time two other schools met for the City’s upper division title was 2004 when El Camino Real defeated West Valley League rival Granada Hills.
Palisades got another surprise when the sophomore tandem of Josh Glaser and Bennett Murphy, who were bumped up to varsity a month earlier, won all three of ithebsets at No. 3 doubles, beating the Toreadors’ top two duos in tiebreakers.
Taft’s Dannes Djalilov won two sets at No. 1 singles during Wednesday’s City Section Open Division tennis final.
(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)
Danees Djalilov took two of his four sets at No. 1 singles and Brandon Celestine did the same at No. 4 for the second-seeded Toreadors, who were the last team to defeat Palisades in the finals — doing so in 2007 and 2008 led by two-time City individual singles winner Josh Tchan.
Moments after Ford finished off his 6-0 victory over Alec Volodarskiy to move his team within half a point of the championship, Stuffman and new partner Jack Plotkowski put the Dolphins over the 15-point threshold by completing a sweep at No. 1 doubles with a 6-2 ousting of Taft’s No. 2 team.
Taft was seeking its eighth City title and first since winning Division II in 2019.
Five years ago, longtime baseball coach Joe Cascione left coaching the sport to start a women’s tennis team at Mission College.
On Wednesday, Mission College won the state women’s tennis championship armed with local players from Kennedy, Granada Hills, Sylmar and Birmingham high schools, among others.
It’s quite an achievement to win it all with local athletes.
Key contributors included Amy Nghiem, Priscilla Grinner and America Fragoso from Granada Hills; Jaelyn Rivera from Birmingham; Josilyn Rivera and Natalia Ponce from Kennedy; Alitzel Ortega Partida from Golden Valley; Genesis Nochez from West Ranch and Kristen Bonzon from Sylmar.
Cascione singled out his players for their passion and commitment.
This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.
Barcelona’s Yamal bags Young Sportsperson of the Year accolade a year after winning the Breakthrough award in 2025.
Published On 21 Apr 202621 Apr 2026
Tennis ruled the red carpet in Madrid as Aryna Sabalenka and Carlos Alcaraz were crowned Sportswoman and Sportsman of the Year at the Laureus Awards.
The pair were honoured on Monday after glittering 2025 campaigns that saw them finish atop the women’s and men’s tennis rankings, respectively.
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Spaniard Alcaraz, 22, reclaimed the year-end world number one spot after capturing two Grand Slam titles at the French Open and US Open, underlining his supremacy across surfaces.
Belarusian Sabalenka, 27, meanwhile, stood alongside him in the winners’ circle in New York and also reached the final in Australia and France, capping a season of relentless consistency.
With her triumph, Sabalenka joins a roll call of Laureus Sportswoman of the Year recipients from her sport, including Serena Williams, Jennifer Capriati, Justine Henin and Naomi Osaka.
Barcelona and Spain athlete Lamine Yamal, 18, won the Young Sportsperson of the Year award. It is the second award for the young Barca forward after being voted Breakthrough Sportsperson of the Year in 2025, making him the youngest athlete to have won two Laureus awards.
German football great Toni Kroos won the world sporting inspiration award, and retired gymnast Nadia Comaneci got the lifetime achievement prize.
The world action sportsperson award went to American snowboarder Chloe Kim.
Brazilian Gabriel Araujo was the world sportsperson of the year with a disability.
In a first for the awards, the ceremony was hosted by two athletes – both former Laureus winners – Novak Djokovic and Eileen Gu. Last year’s top honours went to gymnast Simone Biles and pole-vaulter Mondo Duplantis.
Elsewhere, Rory McIlroy claimed the World Comeback of the Year Award after ending an 11-year wait to complete the career Grand Slam with a playoff victory at the 2025 Masters, a title he defended in 2026.
Formula One’s Lando Norris was named World Breakthrough of the Year, while Paris St Germain took World Team of the Year after a trophy haul in 2025 that included the French league and Cup, plus their first Champions League crown.
The Laureus World Sports Awards nominees are selected by the global media, while the winners are determined by the 69 members of the Laureus World Sports Academy.
The awards have been presented annually since 2000.
Murray will be remembered for his razor-sharp volleying skills and the preposterous angles he conjured at the net. His returns were often unorthodox and he was fond of a lobbed service return to unsettle opponents.
Alongside his triumphs, Murray has been a staunch defender of doubles players and frequently demanded they be shown more respect.
“Doubles has its place in the game – it’s not the golden ticket that singles is, but it’s undervalued by the tour,” Murray told BBC Sport.
“As these events go longer and longer they need content, and doubles supports that.”
Murray said he was proud to have represented his hometown of Dunblane and the country of Scotland at the highest level.
“There is no history of tennis and no environment of tennis [in Scotland],” Murray told BBC Sport.
“I’d imagine the odds were against us from the start but we were able to make some good things happen.”
His mother Judy thought Jamie had the better hand-eye co-ordination of her sons when young. Jamie and Andy briefly became rivals as tennis players – and also while wrestling.
Judy once recalled: “Andy’s favourite [wrestler] was The Rock and Jamie’s was Stone Cold Steve Austin, and they used to create these bouts that they saw on the television. They used to wrestle each other on the duvet and thump each other with pillows, and create these belts and make up their own rules and scoring systems.”
Jamie is 15 months older than Andy, and as his early dominance on the tennis court started to fade Andy says he quite literally bore the brunt.
“We were coming back from Solihull in the minibus and I’d beaten Jamie in the final, I think, of the under-12s, so basically I was winding him up about that and my hand was on the hand rest,” he said in 2015.
“We were sitting next to each other and he just basically punched me on the hand – I lost my fingernail and I’ve still got the scars to show for it.”
Despite some defeats against Andy, Jamie was still very much on track for a professional singles career until a negative experience at an LTA training school in Cambridge in his very early teens.
He struggled with living away from home and the elite training environment, and even though he has never sought to blame the LTA, his forehand suffered and he has said he was never quite the same player again.
Seven-time Grand Slam champion Jamie Murray has retired from tennis as one of the most-decorated doubles players in the world.
Here’s a look back at his 2007 and 2017 mixed doubles triumphs at Wimbledon.
READ MORE: British doubles legend Murray retires from tennis
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