Justine Henin joined the Roland Garros greats by defeating Ana Ivanovic 6-1, 6-2 on Saturday to complete a hat-trick of French Open titles. In what was an embarrassingly one-sided 65-minute final, the 25-year-old Belgian became just the second woman in the post-1968 Open era to win three in a row after Monica Seles in 1990/92.
The historians wanted it, the fans demanded it and Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal duly obliged on Friday by setting up a dream final at the French Open. Federer earned the chance to reignite the most intriguing rivalry in the sport when he wore down the dogged resilience of Nikolay Davydenko 7-5 7-6 7-6 in a three-hour duel.
Roger Federer closed in on a Grand Slam title sweep when he overcame courageous but nerve-racked Russian fourth seed Nikolay Davydenko 7-5, 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (9/7) to reach the French Open final on Friday. The world number one is hoping to win a first Roland Garros title and become just the third man to hold all four Grand Slam crowns at the same time.
Title-holder and top seed Justine Henin set up a French Open final against Serbia’s Ana Ivanovic by defeating another Serb, Jelena Jankovic, 6-2, 6-2 in Thursday’s semifinals. Ivanovic had earlier reached her first Grand Slam final at the age of 19 by outplaying Russian second seed Maria Sharapova 6-2, 6-1.
Defending champion Rafael Nadal pulled no punches as he crushed close friend and former winner Carlos Moya in straight sets to move closer to a third straight French Open title on Wednesday. The 21-year-old cruised to a 6-4, 6-3, 6-0 victory against the 1998 champion to set up a meeting with in-form Serb Novak Djokovic.
Russia’s Nikolay Davydenko overcame Argentine baseliner Guillermo Canas 7-5 6-4 6-4 on Tuesday to set up a semifinal showdown with world number one Roger Federer. World number four Davydenko (26) showed more composure when it mattered to reach the last four at Roland Garros for the second time in three years.
Roger Federer dropped a Grand Slam set for the first time since the 2006 US Open but still powered into the French Open semifinals on Tuesday with a 7-5, 1-6, 6-1, 6-2 win over Spain’s Tommy Robredo. The top seed overcame the rare second set lapse to romp to his eighth consecutive win over the Spanish ninth seed.
Two-time defending champion Justine Henin and world number two Maria Sharapova stormed into the semifinals of the French Open on Tuesday in straight sets. Henin (25) gave United States star Serena Williams a lesson in clay-court tennis that had the Australian Open champion once again smashing her racket in frustration as she fell 6-4, 6-3 to the top seed.
New boys, lame ducks and a problem child head to Germany on Wednesday for a Group of Eight (G8) summit that will address the world’s most pressing concerns. The annual major power jamboree is meant to focus on policies, but personalities might steal the limelight this year thanks to significant changes to the longstanding cast list.
England, and in particular manager Steve McClaren, face a make-or-break test against Estonia in Tallinn on Wednesday. Victories for their three main Euro 2008 qualification rivals on Saturday left England fourth in group E and trailing leaders Croatia by five points.
Lleyton Hewitt set his sights on Wimbledon on Tuesday while insisting that not even Roger Federer can stop Rafael Nadal’s ruthless assault on a third successive French Open title. ”I think he’s going to be tough to beat,” said Hewitt after his demoralising 6-1, 6-3, 7-6 (7/5) fourth round defeat.
Double defending champion Rafael Nadal crushed the spirited resistance of Lleyton Hewitt on Monday to move into the French Open quarterfinals and a clash with close friend and 1998 champion Carlos Moya. Nadal, bidding to emulate Bjorn Borg by winning three Roland Garros titles in a row, defeated Australian Hewitt 6-3, 6-1, 7-6 (7/5) in a fourth-round tie.
Maria Sharapova saved three match points in a battling performance on Sunday to defeat Switzerland’s Patty Schnyder 3-6, 6-4, 9-7 and reach the last eight of the French Open. It was a courageous effort from the 20-year-old Russian who is still feeling the effects of a shoulder injury.
Roger Federer moved closer to a French Open title on Sunday but then saw the figure of Guillermo Canas, against whom he’s lost twice this year, approaching in his rear-view mirror. Federer enjoyed a 7-6 (7/3), 6-4, 6-4 victory over Russia’s Mikhail Youzhny to reach the quarterfinals.
France top the European Championships qualification group B after a 2-0 win over Ukraine in Paris on Saturday but Italy are hot on their heels following a 2-1 win over the Faroe Islands. While France’s second half performance, in which goals from Frank Ribery and Nicolas Anelka earned them a deserved three points, exuded panache, world champions Italy were a shadow of their normal selves.
Amelie Mauresmo’s fragile hopes of winning her home grand slam tournament ended once more in heartache on Saturday when her French Open dreams were shredded by a familiar Czech foe. ”It was very close and it could have gone either way,” said the Wimbledon champion.
Venus Williams stood still, straight-faced and serious, during a TV interview right before she played in the French Open’s third round. Her opponent, Jelena Jankovic of Serbia, giggled while delivering her sound bite. She then kept right on smiling — when she stepped on court, when she hit spectacular shots, and, widest of all, when she won.
The Stars and Stripes still fluttered in Friday’s sunshine but only one American player remained in the French Open singles after Venus Williams fell in the third round to Serbian fourth seed Jelena Jankovic. University student Jankovic, the hottest player on the woman’s tour this year, probably cringed when she saw Venus on her horizon so early in the draw.
Never-say-die Lleyton Hewitt staged a dramatic French Open fightback on Thursday to edge closer to a Roland Garros showdown against defending champion Rafael Nadal. Australian Hewitt pulled off his fourth career comeback from two sets down to defeat 2004 champion Gaston Gaudio in a marathon second-round clash.
French hopes of a first men’s singles title at Roland Garros since Yannick Noah nearly a quarter of a century ago lay in tatters on Wednesday after the defeat of their top players in two rounds. Veterans Sebastien Grosjean (28), Arnaud Clement (29) and Fabrice Santoro (34) all failed to make it past the first round.
Robby Ginepri was left with the task of saving the reputation of American men’s tennis on Wednesday after eight out of nine compatriots crashed out in the French Open first round. Former world number one Andy Roddick, the third seed, and James Blake, seeded eight, led the retreat from Paris.
Champion Rafael Nadal pulled rank over a teenage pretender and Roger Federer enjoyed a brisk workout when the world’s top two players began their pursuit of the French Open crown on Tuesday. World number one Federer completed a clinical 6-4 6-2 6-4 first-round win over American Michael Russell.
Venus Williams was one of only seven players to complete a match on Monday at the French Open, with rain again causing havoc on the schedule. It was the second straight day of rain at the French Open, and three delays throughout the day forced organisers to postpone 58 matches.
On Sunday, the opening day of the French Open, Serena Williams struggled through the first set before a long rain delay allowed her to regroup and dominate Tsvetana Pironkova of Bulgaria 5-7, 6-1, 6-1. The eight-time grand-slam champion was broken four times in the first set, and again in the opening game of the second.
World number one Roger Federer faces a tough task in his bid to win the French Open for the first time. The Swiss, dreaming of capturing the only grand slam title to have eluded him, was drawn on Friday in the same half as several dangerous opponents, including former champion Juan Carlos Ferrero.
Twelve footprints found in the bed of an ancient lake in northern Spain have thrown up the first compelling evidence that some land dinosaurs could swim, researchers reported on Thursday. The 15m-long track in sandstone ”strongly suggests a floating animal clawing the sediment” as it swam against a current, they say.
George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon and other members of the all-star caper Ocean’s Thirteen made off with millions at Cannes ahead of the movie’s red-carpet premiere on Thursday. The A-list cast raised ,2-million at an exclusive charity bash for Sudanese uprooted by the savage conflict in Darfur.
Justine Henin could have been forgiven for giving this year’s French Open a miss following the dramas that shattered her private life. Instead, the world number one says she is more determined than ever to succeed at her favourite tournament and become the first woman since Monica Seles to win the title three times in a row.
Roger Federer next week launches his ninth attempt to crack the French Open riddle, which has continued to confound his dream of being crowned the greatest player of all time. The 26-year-old Swiss has made a habit of monopolising the other three Grand Slam tournaments on the calendar.
Australian Suzuki rider Chris Vermeulen won his first MotoGP victory when he upstaged the favourites in a rain-hit French Grand Prix on Sunday. Vermeulen beat last year’s winner Marco Melandri of Italy on a Honda after coping perfectly with the tricky conditions on the 4,18km Le Mans circuit.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy unveiled a broad-based Cabinet on Friday, naming popular leftist Bernard Kouchner as foreign minister in a slimline government that radically reshaped the economic ministries. Maintaining an election promise, Sarkozy appointed seven women to his 15-strong team.
The Cannes Film Festival opens on Wednesday with a mix of arthouse movie making and raw star power fitting for cinema’s greatest showcase, which turns 60 this year. Chinese director Wong Kar Wai, best known in the West for In The Mood For Love, brings My Blueberry Nights” to the palm-lined Riviera resort.