Beatriz Haddad Maia Becomes First Brazilian Woman in 55 Years to Reach Grand Slam Quarterfinals

Beatriz Haddad Maia has earned a place in Brazilian tennis history…

The 27-year-old Brazilian professional tennis player became the first Brazilian woman in 55 years to reach the quarterfinals at a Grand Slam when she beat Spain’s Sara Sorribes Tormo 6-7(3) 6-3 7-5 at the French Open on Monday.

Maria Bueno, who won seven singles titles at the slams, was the last Brazilian woman to reach the quarterfinals at a major in 1968, although Haddad Maia says she still cannot compare with the great “dancing tennis player”.

“She’s a person who inspired us for a lot of years. I think she’s a very powerful woman,” 14th seed Haddad Maia told a press conference after winning the longest women’s match at this year’s tournament.

“I have a picture with her in Wimbledon. That was a lucky day. Also, I met her a few times in Sao Paulo. Unfortunately, she passed away (in 2018) but we chatted a few times.

“I’m very proud to represent Brazil. But for sure I don’t compare myself with her, because for me, she’s on another level, like Guga (Kuerten).”

Haddad Maia, the tournament’s No. 14 seed, will next face No. 7 seed Ons Jabeur of Tunisia.

Tomas Martin Etcheverry Defeats Yoshihito Nishioka to Reach First-Ever Grand Slam Quarterfinal Round at French Open

Tomas Martin Etcheverry’s dream run at the French Open continues…

The 23-year-old Argentinian tennis player moved into the last eight at Roland Garros after defeating Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka, the No 27 seed, 7-6 (8), 6-0, 6-1 in Paris on Monday evening.

Tomas Martin EtcheverryEtcheverry, ranked No 49, is the big surprise of all quarterfinalists in the field. In fact, this will be his first-ever appearance in a Grand Slam quarterfinal.

He took the best spot in the lower part of the draw opened by Daniil Medvedev’s early loss.

He’ll next play Germany’s Alexander Zverev, the No 22 seed.

“I just can’t believe it, it’s a dream come true”, said Etcheverry in his on-court interview. “It’s important to share this moment with my family and with the crowd. I will recover tonight and be ready for the next battle”

Etcheverry, who was a runner-up early this year in Santiago and Houston, has defeated three seeds on his road to the quarters.

He beat Jack Draper (6-4, 1-0 ret.), Alex De Minaur, the No 18 seed (6-3, 7-6 (2), 6-3) and Borna Coric, the No 15 seed (6-3, 7-6 (5), 6-2) before Nishioka.\

Nishioka, ranked No 33, probably paid his time spent on the court. He had to call for the physio during the third set after three five-sets battles during the previous rounds against J.J. Wolf (1-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3), Max Purcell (4-6, 6-2, 7-5, 6-4) and Brazilian qualifier Thiago Seyboth Wild (3-6, 7-6 (8), 2-6, 6-4, 6-0).

Francisco Cerundolo Defeats Taylor Fritz to Reach Fourth Round at French Open

Francisco Cerundolo is having a moment…

After entering the French Open without a main-draw win at the event, the 24-year-old Argentine professional tennis player has secured his best Grand Slam result by reaching the fourth round in Paris.

Francisco CerundoloCerundolo, the No. 23 seed, defeated ninth seed Taylor Fritz 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-5 on Saturday evening to continue his run, improving to 6-7 against Top 10 opponents with the victory.

Cerundolo was without a win in four Grand Slam main-draw appearances prior to 2023, but reached the third round at the Australian Open before his success at Roland Garros.

His Paris campaign will continue with a showdown against sixth seed Holger Rune on Monday.

Cerundolo, who has moved up three places from his current career-high to No. 20 this week in the ATP Live Rankings, frustrated Fritz with his big forehand to earn the victory on Court Suzanne-Lenglen after two hours and 50 minutes.

After surrendering an early break advantage in a dramatic fourth set, Cerundolo saved a set point on serve at 4-5 with a majestic topspin lob and ultimately won the final three games of the match behind his baseline brilliance.

The back-and-forth match saw a combined 10 breaks of serve, with Cerundolo converting on six of 21 break chances and Fritz claiming four of his 15 break points. Fritz, whose defeat means that five of the Top 10 seeds are out after three rounds at Roland Garros, fired nine aces to Cerundolo’s one. But the American was second-best in many of the neutral rallies as Cerundolo moved him from side to side with power and width.

Cerundolo, a quarterfinalist at the ATP Masters 1000s in Miami and Rome this season, was one of three Argentines in action on Saturday. While Rune breezed past Genaro Alberto Olivieri, Tomas Martin Etcheverry upset 15th seed Borna Coric 6-3, 7-6(5), 6-2 earlier in the day. With the victory, the 23-year-old Etcheverry — who reached his first two ATP Tour finals this season in Santiago and Houston — extended his best major run.

Etcheverry owned just one Grand Slam main-draw win prior to Roland Garros, his victory coming earlier this season at the Australian Open.

Next up for the unseeded Argentine is a fourth-round meeting with 27th seed Yoshihito Nishioka, a 3-6, 7-6(8), 2-6, 6-4, 6-0 winner against Brazilian qualifier Thiago Seyboth Wild on Saturday.

Sara Sorribes Tormo Advances to Fourth Round of French Open Via Walkover

Sara Sorribes Tormo has advanced to the Round of 16 at the French Open… without breaking a sweat.

World No.4 Elena Rybakina withdrew from Roland Garros with an upper respiratory illness on Saturday just before she was scheduled to take the court for her third-round match against the 26-year-old tennis player.

Sara Sorribes TormoRybakina told reporters she began feeling ill after her second-round match. She hoped to be able to play but struggled to sustain 10-minutes of work on the court.

“I saw the doctor and they said that actually it’s all a virus here in Paris,” Rybakina said. “I guess with my allergy, immune system just went down and I picked up something. As I said, I was not sleeping well for two days. I had fever, headache. I think you can hear [my voice] also.

“So, yeah, it’s difficult to perform and obviously to run and even breathe. So I think that was the only right decision I could make.”

With Rybakina’s withdrawal, Sorribes Tormo advances via walkover and is into her first Fourth Round at a Grand Slam.

She’ll next face 14th-seed Beatriz Haddad Maia.

Sorribes Tormo’s previous best showing was a third round appearance at the 2021 US Open.

Tomas Martin Etcheverry Upsets Borna Coric to Reach Fourth Round at French Open

Tomas Martin Etcheverry continues his winning ways…

The 23-year-old Argentinian tennis player continued his best-ever Grand Slam event as he upset Croatia’s Borna Coric, the No 15 seed, 6-3, 7-6 (5), 6-2 to reach the last 16 of the French Open at Stade Roland-Garros in Paris on Saturday.

Tomas Martin EtcheverryEtcheverry, ranked No 49, will play Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka, the No 27 seed, next.

Until this year, Etcheverry had never even won a Grand Slam match but after progressing when Jack Draper got injured (6-4, 1-0) he followed up his win over Australian Alex De Minaur, the No 18 seed (6-3, 7-6 (2), 6-3) with another fine victory.

The second set proved crucial as Etcheverry doubled his lead and Coric, who was appearing in the third round for the first time since 2019, could not find an answer.

Coric, ranked No 16, beat Argentinian Federico Coria (7-6 (3), 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-3) and Argentinian Pedro Cachin (6-3, 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4) earlier in the tournament.

Juan Pablo Varillas Upsets Hubert Hurkacz to Reach Fourth Round at French Open

Juan Pablo Varillas continues his fairy tale run at the French Open

The 27-year-old Peruvian professional tennis player has earned the highest-ranked win of his career at Roland Garros after he upset 13th seed Hubert Hurkacz 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(3), 4-6, 6-2 in the third round.

Juan Pablo VarillasVarillas, who had not won a Grand Slam main draw match heading into Paris, has survived three consecutive five-set thrillers to set a fourth-round clash against 22-time major champion Novak Djokovic.

Incredibly, all five of Varillas’ career Grand Slam appearances have gone the distance.

It’s been a dramatic reversal of fortune for Varillas at Roland Garros, where last year he squandered a two-sets-to-love lead against Felix Auger-Aliassime in the opening round. This year, in his first two matches, Varillas battled back from two-sets-to-love down against Shang Juncheng and Roberto Bautista Agut.

The Lima native will look to add to his run by collecting his first Top 5 win against the third seed Djokovic. Varillas, who is at a career-high No. 60 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings, is the first Peruvian to reach the Roland Garros fourth round since Jaime Yzaga in 1994.

Varillas struck his groundstrokes with power and depth throughout the three-hour, 51-minute battle against Hurkacz. Varillas held the advantage in extended rallies and absorbed the Pole’s hefty delivery to advance.

A five-time ATP Challenger Tour champion, Varillas has broken serve 19 times across three matches, including four breaks against the World No. 14 Hurkacz.

Earlier this year, Varillas pushed Alexander Zverev to five sets in the first round of the Australian Open, where the Peruvian was making his Melbourne debut as a lucky loser.

Tomas Martin Etcheverry Advances to Third Round at French Open

Tomas Martin Etcheverry is celebrating his best Grand Slam performance to date…

The 23-year-old Argentine professional tennis player has advanced to the third round at the French Open after defeating Alex De Minaur, the No 18 seed, 6-3, 7-6 (2), 6-3 at Roland Garros on Thursday.

Etcheverry, ranked No 49 in the world, will next play Borna Coric, the No 15 seed.

He benefited from the abandonment of Jack Draper (6-4, 1-0) in the previous round.

In the first round, De Minaur, ranked No 19, beat Belarusian Ilya Ivashka (6-1, 5-7, 6-1, 6-3).

Etcheverry had previously reached the second round at this year’s Australian Open.

Juan Pablo Varillas Pulls Off Miraculous Comeback to Reach French Open Third Round

Juan Pablo Varillas is Roland (Garros) along…

The 27-year-old Peruvian professional tennis player pulled off a miraculous comeback at the French Open to beat Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut, the No 19 seed, 1-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1, 6-1.

With the victory, Varillas has moved on to the third round at Roland Garros, his best performance ever at a Grand Slam tournament.

Varillas, ranked No 94, will next face Hubert Hurkacz, the No 13 seed.

In the first round, Varillas defeated Chinese qualifier Juncheng Shang (4-6, 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 6-1).

He previously lost in the first round at this year’s Australian Open in his maiden appearance in the main draw of a Grand Slam tournament.

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

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.

Thiago Seyboth WildMaking 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 AlcarazNovak Djokovic and Stefanos Tsitsipas in Paris.

Emma Navarro Earns First-Ever Grand Slam Victory in Three-Set Win Over Erika Andreeva

Emma Navarro has notched her first-ever Grand Slam victory…

The 22-year-old Latin American tennis player rallied in the third set for a 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 win over Russia’s Erika Andreeva in a first-round match at the French Open on May 30.

Emma Navarro Navarro, a former NCAA singles champion at Virginia who is ranked No. 75 on the WTA Tour, trailed by 3-0 in the third set before winning five straight games for a 5-3 lead. She lashed a forehand past Andreeva for a crucial break in game seven, and served out the match in the 10th game.

It was Navarro’s first win in a Grand Slam event; she previously lost a first-round match at the U.S. Open in 2021.

Navarro hit 32 winners to 23 for Andreeva, and had just 23 unforced errors to her opponent’s 31.

In the second round, Navarro will face No. 42 Bianca Adreescu of Canada.