Carlos Alcaraz Takes Home Silver in Men’s Singles Tennis at 2024 Paris Games

Posted on August 4, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

It’s a silver lining for Carlos Alcaraz…

Despite his loss in the men’s singles final to Novak Djokovic in the men’s singles tennis final on Sunday, the 21-year-old Spanish tennis star claimed the silver medal at the 2024 Paris Games.

Alcaraz, who was gunning to become the youngest men’s tennis Olympic champion in his Olympic debut, lost a close match in straight sets, with both decided by a tiebreaker.

In the end, Alcaraz lost 6-7 (3), 6-7 (2).

Despite his disappointment at his defeat on Court Philippe-Chatrier, the Olympic flame inside the Spaniard remains well and truly alight.

“I always want to win, that’s for sure, but taking the silver medal, I have to be really proud,” said Alcaraz in post-match comments made to NBC. “I’m building a really great career and I hope it’s going to keep going.

“Honestly, I’m pretty proud to be in this position, I’m pretty proud to bring a medal to Spain. I’m pretty sure that my moment will come, and I will bring the gold medal to Spain one day. So I’m going to wait for that moment and I’m going to work for that moment, but right now I have to enjoy lifting the silver medal, it’s pretty amazing as well.”

Alcaraz has good reason to feel confident about the future. Sunday’s loss was a rare low moment in what has otherwise been a largely stellar year for the Spaniard.

He lifted his third and fourth major titles at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, respectively, while he also lifted his fifth ATP Masters 1000 crown in Indian Wells in March.

The No. 3 in the ATP Rankings also knows how close he was to Djokovic in Sunday’s high-level encounter.

Alcaraz forced the Serbian to fend off eight break points en route to victory, and he’ll leave Paris satisfied he gave his all in pursuit of Olympic glory.

‘It is painful to lose the way that I lost this match. I had my opportunities… I couldn’t take them,” said Alcaraz. “Novak is playing great, he really settled in his position, in the difficult moments he increased his level, he played unbelievable. I’m really disappointed but honestly, I’m going to leave the court with my head really high. I gave everything that I had fighting for Spain, it was everything to me so I’m proud the way that I played today.”

The next few months also promise plenty for Alcaraz, who is currently 38-7 for the season and second in the ATP Live Race To Turin. He’s next set to compete at the Cincinnati Open later this month, when he’ll resume his pursuit of rival and current Live Race leader Jannik Sinner. Alcaraz is bidding to finish the season as ATP Year-End No. 1 for the second time.

Carlos Alcaraz ThisClose to Becoming Youngest Olympic Tennis Singles Champion

Posted on August 2, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Carlos Alcaraz is one win away from Olympic tennis history…

The 21-year-old Spanish tennis star beat Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime soundly, 6-1, 6-1, in the semifinals of the 2024 Paris Games on Friday to come within one win of becoming the youngest man to win an Olympic tennis singles gold medal.

Alcaraz owns four Grand Slam titles, including a French Open title he won in June at Roland Garros, the clay-court facility being used for tennis at the 2024 Summer Olympics.

He’s about a month younger than Vincent Richards of the U.S. was when he claimed the gold in the 1924 Paris Games.

With dozens of spectators waving red-and-yellow Spanish flags at Court Philippe Chatrier or yelling “Vamos, Carlos!” on a cloudy afternoon — and a soundtrack provided during breaks in the action by a brass band in the stands — Alcaraz was dominant and never faced a break point.

He won the point on 10 of 11 trips to the net. He made just 13 unforced errors, 10 fewer than Auger-Aliassime, who also lost to Alcaraz at this year’s French Open.

“I just couldn’t find a way to be comfortable in any pattern, any position. Whether it was trying to dominate the forehand cross-court or change of direction, the forehand inside-out, the backhand side,” Auger-Aliassime said. “Every aspect. The movement. The defense. I was dominated.”

Auger-Aliassime is a 23-year-old Canadian whose best showing at a major tournament was a semifinal appearance at the 2021 US Open. Auger-Aliassime made it to that round back then when Alcaraz, just 18 at the time, stopped playing in the second set of their quarterfinal because of an injured leg muscle.

“He’s improved a lot, every time we’ve played,” said Auger-Aliassime, who beat Alcaraz in each of their first three head-to-head contests but now has lost the four since, all in straight sets. “I don’t have the solutions right now.”

The Alcaraz on display during his Olympics debut is a much more finished product, someone who has won 12 consecutive matches at Roland Garros and collected a second consecutive title at Wimbledon last month, too.

Alcaraz defeated 24-time Slam champion Novak Djokovic in both of those finals at the All England Club, and they’ll have a rematch for the men’s gold on Sunday after Djokovic, a 37-year-old from Serbia, defeated Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti in the second Olympic semifinal.

Marcelo Arevalo Claims Second Career Men’s Doubles Title at French Open

Posted on June 8, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Marcelo Arevalo is celebrating a second double’s title at the French Open…

The 33-year-old Salvadoran professional tennis player and Mate Pavic of Croatia won the men’s doubles title at Roland Garros against Italians Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori 7-5, 6-3 in the final on Saturday.

Pavic completed the set of winning all four Grand Slam titles in men’s doubles and rushed to celebrate with his team on Court Philippe Chatrier.

“First (title) for me here, so I’m very happy,” Pavic said. “It feels special. I lost here twice the final.”

Arevalo grabbed a scarf with his country’s name on it, raised it aloft and chanted “Salvador, Salvador.”

It was Arevalo’s second men’s doubles title after winning at Roland Garros in 2022 with Jean-Julien Rojer.

“I want to thank Mate for trusting me and believing in me, to fight together. We did it together, man,” an emotional Arevalo said. “My second title here also feels special.”

With Arevalo serving for the match at 40-30, Pavic missed a straightforward-looking volley. The ball clipped the top of the net, landed on the wrong side, and Pavic put his hand over his mouth in disbelief.

But Pavic, the reigning Olympic champion in men’s doubles, made up for it moments later by saving a break point with a difficult smash down the middle when leaning backward.

They won on the second match point when Vavassori hit a forehand wide, and the ninth-seeded winners both fell to the red clay.

Bolelli is a former singles player who reached a highest ranking of No. 36 but did not win a title in singles. He won the Australian Open men’s doubles in 2015 alongside countryman Fabio Fognini and has reached the semifinals in doubles at every Grand Slam tournament.

Vavassori has lost both major finals he has played in men’s doubles. They were seeded 11th.

Beatriz Haddad Maia Outlasts Ons Jabeur to Reach French Open Semifinals

Posted on June 7, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Beatriz Haddad Maia is continuing her historic run at the French Open…

The 27-year-old Brazilian tennis player notched another comeback win at Roland Garros, pulling off an upset win over Ons Jabeur 3-6, 7-6 (5), 6-1 on Wednesday to become the first Brazilian woman since 1968 to reach a Grand Slam semifinal.

The 14th-seeded Haddad Maia shook off a slow start against the seventh-seeded Jabeur on Court Philippe Chatrier and will next face Iga Swiatek in the semifinals.

After playing nearly four hours to beat Sara Sorribes Tormo in the fourth round, Haddad Maia won only one service game in the first set. But she saved the only two break points she faced in the second set — both in the 11th game to go up 6-5 — and won the tiebreaker.

Haddad Maia started the deciding set with a double break and a 3-0 lead. A frustrated Jabeur flipped her racket in the air after sending an easy backhand wide on a break-point opportunity while down 4-1. Haddad Maia won the game and served out the match.

“I had to be patient and keep doing the shots because she is a pretty good player, one of the best in the world,” Haddad Maia said. “So I am proud of me and my team today because it is not easy playing her. You think you have another shot to play [in a rally] but then drop shot, winner. I always believed that the match is long.”

Haddad Maia, who in 2019 was provisionally suspended for failing a doping test, is the first Brazilian woman to reach the semifinals at Roland Garros in the Open era. Maria Bueno reached the last four at the 1966 French Open and made the 1968 US Open semifinals.

Haddad Maia’s fourth-round win over Sorribes Tormo, 6-7 (3), 6-3, 7-5, was the longest WTA match of the year, clocking in at 3 hours, 51 minutes. She has dropped the first set in her past three matches and has played three sets in all but her first-round victory.

Entering the French Open, Haddad Maia was 1-11 in Grand Slams when losing the first set.

The last Brazilian player to win a singles title at the French Open was Gustavo Kuerten, who claimed his third championship at Roland Garros in 2001.

Thiago Seyboth Wild Upsets No. 2 Seed Daniil Medvedev to Advance to French Open Second Round

Posted on May 30, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Thiago Seyboth Wild is celebrating the biggest win of his career…

The 23-year-old Brazilian professional tennis player, a qualifier at this year’s French Open, stunned World No. 2 Daniil Medvedev on Tuesday in a five-set thriller at Roland Garros.

Making his debut in Paris, Seyboth Wild showed little sign of nerves on Court Philippe Chatrier, swinging freely throughout the four-hour, 15-minute clash to upset the second seed 7-6(5), 6-7(6), 2-6, 6-3, 6-4.

“I have watched Daniil play for my entire junior career, up until today. Playing on this court against this kind of player and beating him is a dream come true,” Seyboth Wild said. “Walking on court I just wanted to get to the net as much as possible and use my forehand against his and it worked pretty well.”

The World No. 172 logged 69 winners and recovered from squandering two set points in the second-set tie-break, raising his level again in the latter stages of the first-round clash to seal his maiden main-draw major win.

Seyboth Wild, who has won two ATP Challenger Tour titles this year, was competing in his first tour-level match this season.

He’ll look to back up his dream win against Medvedev when he plays Guido Pella in the second round.

“It was pretty tough. I started cramping in the second set. I did my best and tried to play my best tennis and it worked,” Seyboth Wild said. “I am really happy with the way I played.”

Medvedev arrived in Paris off the back of winning his first clay-court title in Rome and would have been hoping for a comfortable start to his title quest at the clay-court major. Seyboth Wild had other ideas, though.

The Brazilian was locked in from the first ball, hitting through Medvedev with his baseline power. The 23-year-old played fearless tennis throughout, won 69 per cent (38/55) of net points and held his nerve in a tense deciding set, closing out victory on serve with a destructive forehand winner. Seyboth Wild raised his arms in delight following his stunning victory, soaking in the applause from the packed crowd.

Medvedev, who holds a 39-6 record on the season, was chasing his second major title. The 2021 US Open champion has won an ATP Tour-leading five trophies in 2023, including ATP Masters 1000 crowns in Miami and Rome.

The 27-year-old is first in the ATP Live Race To Turin but can now be overtaken by Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic and Stefanos Tsitsipas in Paris.

Nadia Podoroska Becomes First Qualifier in Open Era to Reach French Open Women’s Semifinals

Posted on October 6, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

Nadia Podoroska continues to surprise while making history at Roland Garros…

The 23-year-old Argentine tennis player knocked out Elina Svitolina, the French Open‘s third seed on Tuesday, becoming the first qualifier to reach the women’s semifinals at the French tournament in the Open era.

Podoroska threw her racket in the air, tilted her head back and pumped both fists after stopping Svitolina from reaching a third semifinal in her past four Grand Slam tournaments.

Ranked 131st in the world, Podoroska had never won a main draw Grand Slam match before last week, and she could hardly believe it when she won 6-2, 6-4 on Court Philippe Chatrier.

Podoroska is only the third female qualifier to get to the semifinals at any major tournament in the Open era, which began in 1968, and the first since Alexandra Stevenson at Wimbledon in 1999.

Afterward, she was asked whether she was pinching herself to make sure it wasn’t all just a dream.

“No,” Podoroska replied. “I don’t want to wake up.”

Serving at 5-4 down, Svitolina saved two match points, the second with an audacious slice at the net to end a 27-shot rally.

But on the third match point, Podoroska hit a crisp forehand winner and then chucked her racket up toward the blue sky.

Podoroska, who is from the same city in Argentina as soccer superstar Lionel Messi, said she considered quitting tennis altogether a couple of years ago after “too many injuries,” including to her right wrist.

She was off the tour for eight months; her ranking dropped; she didn’t have enough money to travel to tournaments; she split with a coach she’d been working with for a decade.

“I didn’t know what to do,” Podoroska said.

She stuck with it, though, and now has a new team around her, based in Spain. And, by far, the best results of her career.

Svitolina, though, blamed herself for this outcome.

“Lots of things were not going my way,” Svitolina said. “I was not 100 percent mentally on it today, and that was really disappointing.”

In the semifinals, Podoroska will face unseeded 19-year-old Iga Swiatek.

Muguruza Beats Serena Williams to Claim the French Open Title

Posted on June 5, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

Garbiñe Muguruza has officially arrived…

The 22-year-old Spanish/Venezuelan tennis player defeated World No. 1 Serena Williams 7-5, 6-4 at the French Open on Saturday to claim her first-ever Grand Slam title.

Muguruza’s win prevented Williams from tying Steffi Graf‘s Open-era record of 22 Grand Slam titles for the third straight Grand Slam event.

In winning her first major, Muguruza used her powerful groundstrokes to keep Williams off-balance and overcame signs of nerves in the form of nine double-faults to pull off the upset win.

Muguruza also managed to deal with Williams’ dangerous serve, breaking three consecutive times from late in the first set to early in the second en route to beating Williams for the second time in three years at Roland Garros. In 2014, she handed Williams the worst loss of her Grand Slam career with a 6-2, 6-2 victory in the second round.

After letting four match points slip away in the penultimate game, Muguruza served out the match at love, punctuated by a high lob that caught the baseline as Williams watched.

The winning shot drew a smile from Williams’ face and she applauded Muguruza, who put her face in her hands and fell on her back in the red clay of Court Philippe Chatrier as her coach Sam Sumyk jumped from his chair and raised both arms in the air.

“She has a bright future, obviously,” said Williams, who at 34 is 12 years older than her Spanish opponent. “She knows how to play on the big stage and … clearly, she knows how to win Grand Slams.”

Muguruza, who lost to Williams in the 2015 final at Wimbledon, became the first Spanish woman to win a Grand Slam title since Arantxa Sanchez Vicario won the last of her three French Open crowns in 1998.

“I can’t explain with words what this day means to me,” Muguruza said after the match. “You work all your life to get here.”

Muguruza became just the fifth different woman to defeat Williams in a Grand Slam final, joining Angelique Kerber, Samantha Stosur, Maria Sharapova and Venus Williams — who beat her sister twice.

This year’s visit to Paris hardly could have started off more inauspiciously for Muguruza: She lost the very first set she played in the tournament, against 38th-ranked Anna Karolina Schmiedlova.

But Muguruza turned things around from there. She won the next 14 sets she played, displaying the deep groundstrokes and take-the-ball-early aggressiveness that flustered Williams.

“I have grown up playing on clay,” Muguruza said during the trophy ceremony, “so for Spain, and for me, this is amazing.”

Ferrer Reaches His First Grand Slam Final

Posted on June 7, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

It’s a career first for David Ferrer…

The 31-year-old Spanish tennis player defeated France’s Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-1, 7-6 (7-3), 6-3 in the semifinals at the French Open to reach his first Grand Slam final.

Ferrer showed great focus from the get-go to completely silence the crowd of roughly 15,000 at Court Philippe Chatrier, winning the first five games of the match by hitting aggressive forehand and backhand shots and chasing down every ball.

He even out-served Tsonga in the first set, hitting two aces and winning 67 percent of his first-serve points, compared to one ace and a 50 percent winning percentage for his French opponent.

Tsonga briefly got some momentum in the second set by breaking Ferrer en route to a 3-0 lead, but the Spaniard managed to get back on serve and then force a pivotal tiebreaker, which he dominated from start to finish.

Tsonga seemed deflated in the third set, losing his serve two more times as his bid to become the French man to win Roland Garros since 1983 ended on a disappointing note.

“I’m very, very happy,” Ferrer, the world No. 5, said after the match. “This tournament is very special for me and to be the first final of a Grand Slam in Roland Garros is amazing.”

“Now I want to enjoy this moment, to rest tomorrow, and to try my best in the final.”

Next up in the championship match will be fellow Spaniard Rafael Nadal, who advanced to his eighth French Open final earlier Friday with an epic 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 6-7 (3-7), 9-7 victory over Novak Djokovic.

Nadal owns a 19-4 lead in their head-to-head matchup,a s well as a more lopsided advantage over Ferrer on clay, having won 16 of their 17 contests on that surface.

Sunday’s match will be the fourth all-Spanish men’s singles final at Roland Garros and the first since Albert Costa upset Juan Carlos Ferrero in 2002.

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