No. 56 Magda Linette stunned No. 6 seed Ons Jabeur, bouncing the Tunisian star in the first round of the French Open Sunday.
The Polish underdog outlasted Jabeur in the two-and-a-half-hour battle, notching a 3-6, 7-6(4), 7-5 three-set win.
Incroyable đ
â wta (@WTA) May 22, 2022
đ”đ± @MagdaLinette STUNS World No.6 Jabeur 3-6, 7-6(4), 7-5 on opening day in Paris!#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/gy1SKFugC4
Linette was only 2-16 against Top 10 opponents heading into Sundayâs contest, falling to Jabeur in the third round of the French Open last year. The unseeded Pole played clean tennis to overcome the No. 6 seed, registering 35 unforced errors to Jabeurâs 47.
Jabeur has been dominant on dirt up until Sundayâs upset, winning a tour-leading 17 matches on clay in 2022.
âI am just happy I managed to fight for every single point,â said Linette following the match, acknowledging the challenge Jabeur presented on clay.
Linette now advances to the second round, where she will face the winner of Martina Trevisan and Harriet Dart.
Tennis star Coco Gauff has every reason to celebrate. She snapped pictures in a cap and gown in front of the Eiffel Tower to commemorate her graduation from high school.
The American phenom is in Paris preparing for the French Open, which kicks off on Sunday.
Congrats on graduating high school, @CocoGauff! đ
â wta (@WTA) May 21, 2022
Celebrating in cap and gown in her favorite city while preparing for @rolandgarros đ„ł pic.twitter.com/MWV32tIEFp
Gauff received her degree from the Florida Department of Education after completing her coursework at Florida Virtual Flex. The 18-year-old pursued her education while embarking on a successful professional tennis career, balancing the two over the last four years.
Making her WTA debut at 14 years old, Gauff burst onto the scene in 2019 after downing Venus Williams in straight sets at the Wimbledon Championships.
The tennis wunderkind has been climbing the ranks since her inaugural season, now ranked No. 18 in the world.
Gauff will face off against Rebecca Marino in the first round of the French Open on Sunday.
At this time last year, Barbora KrejÄĂkovĂĄ clinched her first major singles title at the French Open as an unseeded player and decided underdog.
KrejÄĂkovĂĄ herself expressed astonishment after defeating Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-1, 2-6, 6-4 in the final in just her fifth Grand Slam appearance as a singles competitor.
Long considered a doubles specialist, KrejÄĂkovĂĄ has 12 career doubles titles, including four at Grand Slams. Before her ascent up the singles rankings, she won doubles titles alongside partner KateĆina SiniakovĂĄ at the 2018 French Open and 2018 Wimbledon, eventually completing a singles-doubles sweep at the 2021 French Open.
âI canât believe what just happened,â she said after the final match last June.
The Czech star now enters the 2022 French Open as the World No. 2, solidifying her meteoric rise from relative unknown to tour powerhouse.
While the 26-year-oldâs French Open trophy came as a shock to the casual tennis viewer, she has been steadily building toward prominence since her time as a top-ranked junior.
After turning pro in 2014, KrejÄĂkovĂĄ enjoyed moderate success in doubles before reaching her first singles WTA final in 2017 and breaking into the top 150. That same year, KrejÄĂkovĂĄâs coach, former Wimbledon champion Jana Novotna, died of cancer. In her final words to KrejÄĂkovĂĄ, Novotna encouraged the up-and-comer to enjoy herself and try to win a Grand Slam.
KrejÄĂkovĂĄ has kept her late coachâs words close to her heart, telling reporters ahead of last yearâs French Open run, âEvery time I go on court, I step out of the court, I always think about her.â
From unseeded to French Open singles champion, Barbora KrejÄĂkovĂĄ won her first career Grand Slam singles title Saturday.
â NBC Sports (@NBCSports) June 13, 2021
NBC Sports | @Lexus pic.twitter.com/N1zSNSG0jt
In 2018, KrejÄĂkovĂĄâs doubles career took off. She won two Grand Slams while slowly climbing the singles ranks and finally qualifying for the French Open, where she fell in the first round.
Two years later, KrejÄĂkovĂĄ qualified for the main draw of the Australian Open before getting bounced in the second round. Then, at the French Open, KrejÄĂkovĂĄ introduced herself on the singles world stage, advancing to the Round of 16 at Roland Garros and finishing the year ranked No. 65.
KrejÄĂkovĂĄâs success carried over into her pivotal 2021 campaign, when she won her first-ever WTA singles championship in May, one day before beginning her run to the French Open title.
âWhat happened this season, itâs really hard to describe it. I mean, itâs just perfect. It was this amazing season and really my big breakthrough. Iâm really glad that things went the way that they went,â KrejÄĂkovĂĄ told The New York Times last November.
KrejÄĂkovĂĄâs game is filled with variety, making her somewhat of an unpredictable opponent. She relied on her shot selection and execution last year to advance past 17-seed Maria Sakkari in the semifinals and overcome Pavlyuchenkova in the championship match.
âI think the rise of Barbora has been pretty incredible over the last year and a half. She seems to elevate her game more and more. She has all the good tools to play,â former world No. 1 Victoria Azarenka said at the start of the 2022 season. âShe can play aggressive, she can mix it up. Very dangerous player.â
Now a consistent contender on the WTA tour, KrejÄĂkovĂĄ looks to defend her title in France and solidify her place atop the tennis world.
Clare Brennan is an Associate Editor at Just Womenâs Sports.
The second major tournament of the year gets underway Sunday, and the draw at the French Open features both early marquee matchups and the potential for high-powered clashes.
Roland-Garros women's singles draw : #RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/nw6PiZBiuu
â Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) May 19, 2022
Notably, Naomi Osaka will face off against Amanda Anisimova in the first round. Anisimova knocked Osaka out in the third round of the Australian Open earlier this year in a three-set stunner to advance past the defending champion.
Osaka will have the opportunity to avenge that loss in the first round at Roland Garros. Her success, though, could depend on how well she was able to rehab an Achilles injury that left her out of the Italian Open.
If Osaka advances, she could meet up with Maria Sakkari in the third round.
Also featured in the grouping are Ons Jabeur, Emma Raducanu, Belinda Bencic, Leylah Fernandez and Angelique Kerber.
World No. 1 Iga Swiatek will face off against a qualifier in her first round match. The potential for a matchup with Simona Halep doesnât come until the fourth round of the tournament. Swiatek also could face off against former champion Karolina Pliskova in the quarterfinals.
Defending champion Barbora Krejcikova is also seeded but hasnât played in more than two months due to an elbow injury.
The second major of the tennis season begins Sunday at Roland Garros. While the French Open qualifiers are underway, the sportâs major stars are waiting and preparing for the two-week competition.
Ash Barty will not be present after announcing her retirement in the weeks following her win at the Australian Open. Since then, several stars have stepped into the spotlight, and none more forcefully than Iga ĆwiÄ tek, who is riding a 28-match win streak into Roland Garros.
With ĆwiÄ tek leading the way, Just Womenâs Sports has the top five players to watch as the French Open kicks off.
Iga ĆwiÄ tek
There is no hotter player on tour heading into the French Open than Iga ĆwiÄ tek. Since Barty walked away from the game in March, the 20-year-old has firmly cemented herself as the No. 1 player in the world.
Just the second player to win four WTA 1000 trophies in a single season, after Serena Williams, ĆwiÄ tek most recently claimed her fifth consecutive title at the Italian Open over the weekend. Sheâs won every WTA 1000 event sheâs competed in this season, earning trophies at Doha, Indian Wells, Miami and Rome. During her 28-game win streak, sheâs dropped just five sets. The run includes 12 bagel sets, in which ĆwiÄ tek won 6-0, and 10 sets won by a score of 6-1.
Itâs not as if the quality of ĆwiÄ tekâs opponents has been lacking, either. Of the 28 matches, 21 were against players in the top 50, 11 were against those in the top 20 and seven against opponents in the top 10. The Polish player has been dominant in all facets, winning 72.6 percent of her service games and 55.3 percent of her return games. ĆwiÄ tekâs only Grand Slam title came at the French Open in 2020, and she enters this yearâs tournament as the player to beat.
đźđč5!!!#backtoback pic.twitter.com/SBk57wAH6R
â Iga ĆwiÄ tek (@iga_swiatek) May 15, 2022
Ons Jabeur
Heading into the final of the Italian Open on Sunday, where Ons Jabeur lost to ĆwiÄ tek, the Tunisian had been on an 11-match win streak of her own. The match was Jabeurâs second straight finals appearance after she defeated Jessica Pegula to win the Madrid Open the week prior.
Jabeur is just the fourth player to appear in both the Madrid and Rome finals in the same year, joining Dinara Safina from 2009, Serena Williams from 2013 and Simona Halep from 2017.
Entering the French Open with a career-high No. 6 world ranking, Jabeur has found success with her serve, winning 70.2 percent of her service points. Sheâs also recorded 106 aces, good for third among the worldâs top 10. With 17 victories on clay this year, the 27-year-old has more wins on the surface than anyone else on tour and will be in her element at the French Open.
Bianca Andreescu
There might not be a more exciting player outside of the top 50 than Andreescu based on the way sheâs playing right now. The 2019 U.S. Open champion returned to action at Stuttgart in April, playing in her first professional-level tennis match in seven months, and has been on a tear since then. In Madrid, she dismantled reigning Australian Open finalist Danielle Collins in straight sets. Through her first three tournaments of the season, Andreescu has won six of her nine matches on clay â including a quarterfinal run in Rome, where she fell to ĆwiÄ tek.
The Canadian entered Stuttgart last month ranked No. 121 in the world and has since climbed her way back up the rankings. Rising 18 spots after her finish at Rome, Andreescu heads into Roland Garros as the No. 72-ranked player. She is also one of the few players who has seemingly given ĆwiÄ tek any trouble this season. The 21-year-old took ĆwiÄ tek to break point in their first set in Rome before falling in straight sets.
Andreescu, once the No. 4 player in the world, has returned to form since opting out of the Australian Open to focus on her mental health, and the French Open is a chance for her to make a statement.
Danielle Collins
Danielle Collins has had a strong start to the year, climbing into the top 10 for the first time after making the Australian Open final, where she lost to Ash Barty. Sheâs dropped a spot since premiering at No. 8 in the world, having dealt with some ups and downs. The American lost to Andreescu in straight sets in Madrid before turning around and defeating Simona Halep in straight sets in the Round of 32 at the Italian Open.Â
While sheâs better on hard surfaces, Collins has had notable wins on clay, including at the 2021 Palermo Ladies Open. In last yearâs French Open, Collins made it to the Round of 32, where she lost to Serena Williams in straight sets. Sheâs gained momentum since then, taking a 5-1 lead over Barty in the second set of the Australian Open final before Barty came roaring back.
If Collins can find her groove at Roland Garros, sheâll have as good a shot as any top-10 player at taking home the trophy.
Simona Halep
This will be Simona Halepâs first major since she hired new coach Patrick Mouratoglou. The coach is best known for his 10-year stint with Serena Williams, during which time she won 10 Grand Slam titles and completed the career Golden Slam.
I am now the full-time coach of @Simona_Halep. pic.twitter.com/MRlkmeJyhw
â Patrick Mouratoglou (@pmouratoglou) April 7, 2022
Halep has also had success in Grand Slams in the past decade. She won the French Open in 2018 and Wimbledon in 2019. The former world No. 1 also made the final of the Australian Open in 2018 and the semifinals of the U.S. Open in 2015.
The Romanian started the year off well, reaching the semifinals at Indian Wells before losing to ĆwiÄ tek in a close two-set match. She later withdrew from Miami, Charleston and the Fed Cup with a thigh injury. She made her return at the Madrid Open, where she took down world No. 3 Paula Badosa in straight sets in the Round of 32 and advanced to the quarterfinals. With those results, Halep soared back into the top 20 at No. 19.
If Halep continues to gain confidence as she works her way back from the injury, thereâs no limit to what she can achieve in France.
Emma Hruby is an Associate Editor at Just Womenâs Sports.
The second Grand Slam of the year is here, and the worldâs best have descended on the city of Paris for the French Open.
While world No. 3 Simona Halep is out with a hamstring injury, Serena Williams will be looking for her 24th Grand Slam after a lackluster start to the clay season. Â
You already know Serena is must-watch TV, but these are the other players weâll be keeping our eye on.
Iga Swiatek
Swiatek is the defending French Open champion, winning her first career title in 2020. She has since backed up that win with a fourth-round run at Australian Open in January, before recently claiming her first WTA 1000 title in Rome, demolishing World No. 9 Karolina Pliskova 6-0, 6-0 in a mere 45 minutes in the final. The tennis star will be turning 20 on the second day of the tournament and will no doubt be looking to cap off her birthday with back-to-back titles.Â
Ash Barty
Barty won the crown at Roland-Garros in 2019 and currently holds the World No. 1 spot. An arm injury forced her to retire during her quarter-final clash with Coco Gauff at the Italian Open. Prior to that, Barty had been leading 6-4, 2-1. In January, Barty made it all the way to the Australian Open quarterfinals after almost year off the tour while quarantining in Australia. Nowâs the time to show thereâs no more rust.Â
Coco Gauff
The young American star is fresh off of a dual trophy sweep in Italy this past weekend at the Italian Open, which propelled her to No. 25 in the World Rankings, making her the youngest American to break into the Top-30 since Serena Williams in 1998.
Teens into the top 25đ
â USTA (@usta) May 24, 2021
Coco Gauff is the youngest American woman to reach the @WTA top 25 since @serenawilliams in 1998! pic.twitter.com/KAkYVXeRce
Gauff is no stranger to victory at Roland-Garros, becoming the youngest junior champion since Martina Hingis when she won three years ago at age 14. Having competed in four clay-court tournaments this season, Gauff has compiled an astounding 12-3 record, and she heads into the French Open on a serious roll.