PARIS, May 27: The scorching heat wave that has gripped Paris since the start of the French Open isn’t just pushing the players to their limits. The clay courts risk cracking, too, under the intense sun.
Unseasonably hot weather has seen temperatures soar to at least 32 degrees Celsius (90 Fahrneheit) — far beyond normal for late May in the French capital — on all four days of the tournament so far. And the heat is forecast to continue through the rest of the week.
On Tuesday, the temperature at Roland Garros peaked at 35 C (95 F).
“What we’re experiencing is unprecedented,” said Philippe Vaillant, the head of court maintenance at the French Open. “Even the weather services say it themselves: it’s unprecedented to have temperatures this high for such a long period at this time of year. I had concerns when the weather service announced periods of intense heat.” When heat waves hit, the clay surface can quickly change in consistency, affecting bounce and player safety.
SINNER EASES TO ROUND 2
World number one Jannik Sinner started his campaign for a maiden French Open title in merciless fashion, beating Frenchman Clement Tabur 6-1 6-3 6-4 to reach the second round on Tuesday.
The Italian, the overwhelming favourite for the title in the absence of injured two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, was all business on Court Philippe-Chatrier’s night session, suffocating Tabur with relentless depth and pace from the baseline. By the time the Paris sun finally dipped below the western stands, Sinner was already one game away from a two-set lead.
The 24-year-old came into Roland Garros on a 29-match winning streak in which he had dropped only three sets, having also completed his full set of Masters 1000 titles earlier this month.
Against Tabur, there was little sign of vulnerability.
Sinner broke immediately to open a 2-0 lead and snatched the Frenchman’s serve again to go ahead 4-1 in a blistering start. A booming forehand sealed the opening set before the Italian raced through the second almost without breaking sweat. Sweating heavily and backed loudly by the Chatrier crowd, Tabur — making only his second Grand Slam main-draw appearance — showed greater freedom in the third set.
The world number 171 produced some fine shot-making that drew roars from the stands and briefly irritated Sinner, who flashed occasional signs of frustration after a handful of missed returns and baseline errors.
But the Italian quickly restored order, his superior weight of shot and relentless precision eventually suffocating the resistance.
RYBAKINA SENT PACKING
Elena Rybakina was sent spinning out of the French Open after a 3-6 6-1 7-6(10-4) loss to Ukrainian Yuliia Starodubtseva in the second round on Wednesday, leaving the women’s draw short of a genuine contender for the title in Paris.
Russian-born Kazakh Rybakina arrived at Roland Garros as the second seed following her Australian Open victory in January and earned her tour-leading 31st match victory after dismantling Veronika Erjavec in the opening round. The 26-year-old was unable to conjure up her best form on Court Suzanne Lenglen, however, as she wilted in the deciding set tiebreak and handed the victory to her opponent with a forehand that went long.
It was world number 55 Starodubtseva’s first top-five win and she will take on American Hailey Baptiste or China’s Wang Xiyu in the third round.
KORPATSCH DEFENDS HANDSHAKE SNUB
Germany’s Tamara Korpatsch skipped the customary handshake with Wang Xinyu after defeating the 32nd seed in a tense second-round match at the French Open on Wednesday, saying later she resented being portrayed as an unfair player over a line call.Tensions arose late in the opening set of Korpatsch’s 6-2 2-6 6-3 win on Court Seven when Wang struck a shot she believed had landed inside the baseline, only for her opponent to point to a ball mark outside the court.
The disagreement escalated when Wang crossed the net to inspect the mark on Korpatsch’s side, drawing a code violation from chair umpire Aurelie Tourte for unsportsmanlike conduct, and sparking tension that lingered through the match. ”It was a really long ball from her, and I saw it out. I don’t know if the line umpire called it out or not, but there were two ball marks, actually,” Korpatsch said. (Agencies)
