Djokovic battles past French hope Royer; Venus Williams and Hailey Baptiste withdraw from doubles
PARIS, May 28: Overwhelming favorite Jannik Sinner is out of the French Open in the second round.
The top-ranked Sinner struggled with dizziness amid the heat wave in Paris and lost to 56th-ranked Juan Manuel Cerundolo 3-6, 2-6, 7-5, 6-1, 6-1 after wasting a chance to serve for the match on Thursday.
Sinner said when he woke up on Thursday he “didn’t feel very well.”Sinner was on a 30-match winning streak stretching back to February and he was widely expected to complete a career Grand Slam by taking the only big title missing in his tennis career — especially with two-time reigning champion Carlos Alcaraz out due to an injured right wrist.
Sinner bent over on the clay court in apparent exhaustion multiple times and was hardly even running for shots as the match wore on, resorting to drop shots and serve-and-volley tactics to try and shorten the points. He attempted to cool himself with a hand-held fan on changeovers and put bags of ice around his neck.
The temperature at the start of the match was 29 degrees C (84 F) and rose to 32 C (90 F). Cerundolo didn’t celebrate too much when it was over, just producing a little wave to the crowd.
“It’s tough for him,” Cerundolo said. “I couldn’t win more than three games by set. So I think I was a little bit lucky. … He was deserving to win in this match. But then I don’t know what happened. … I feel sorry for him and hope he recovers.”
DJOKOVIC THROUGH
Novak Djokovic overcame some stiff resistance from home player Valentin Royer to move into the third round of the French Open with a 6-3 6-2 6-7(7) 6-3 victory on Wednesday.
The Serbian third seed, eying a history-making 25th Grand Slam title at the age of 39, was precision personified as he breezed through the opening two sets on another sweltering day on Court Philippe Chatrier.
But just as in his first round against another Frenchman, Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, Djokovic was forced to expend more of his energy reserves than he would have liked, eventually subduing Royer in three hours and 44 minutes.
WILLIAMS, BAPTISTE WITHDRAW
Venus Williams will not play in the women’s doubles at the French Open alongside Hailey Baptiste.They withdrew on Thursday and no reason was given by organizers.
But Baptiste was forced to retire during her second-round singles against Wang Xiyu on Wednesday after landing awkwardly on her left leg late in the first set.
The Americans were replaced by Eudice Chong and Veronika Rejvec in the draw.Williams, who turns 46 next month, was a singles wild-card entry at the Australian Open. She lost in the first round and became the oldest woman to compete in an Australian Open singles main draw.
A seven-time major singles winner, Williams previously held the No. 1 ranking in singles and doubles.
Williams lost the French Open singles final to younger sister Serena in 2002 and they twice won the French Open doubles together, in 1999 and 2010.
FRENCH TEENAGER DELIGHTS CROWD
French teenager Moïse Kouamé thrilled home fans by reaching the third round of the French Open after beating Adolfo Daniel Vallejo 6-3, 7-5, 3-6, 2-6, 7-6 (8) on Thursday.The 17-year-old Kouamé held firm in a contest lasting just under five hours on a sun-drenched Court Suzanne-Lenglen. He clawed back from 5-3 down in the fifth set to force a decisive tiebreaker, and rallied again from 8-7 down in the tiebreaker.
He won with a drop shot that his Paraguayan opponent got his racket to but could only pat into the net.
Kouamé dropped onto his back and, when he got back up, put both hands on his head in disbelief. Then he thumped his chest and pointed to all sides of the crowd. The No. 318-ranked Kouamé was overcome with emotion.He slumped back in his chair with a towel on his head as joyful fans chanted “Merci Moïse, Merci Moïse,” at Roland Garros. (Agencies)
