Mondays with Bob Greene
STARS
French Open
Men’s Singles: Rafael Nadal beat Dominic Thiem 6-4 6-3 6-2
Women’s Singles: Simona Halep beat Sloane Stephens 3-6 6-4 6-1
Men’s Doubles: Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut beat Mate Pavic and Oliver Marach 6-2 7-6 (4)
Women’s Doubles: Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova beat Eri Hozumi and Makoto Ninomiya 6-3 6-3
Mixed Doubles: Ivan Dodig and Chan Latisha beat Mate Pavic and Gabriela Dabrowski 6-1 6-7 (5) 10-8 (match tiebreak)
Boy’s Singles: Tseng Chun Hsin beat Sebastian Baez 7-6 (5) 6-2
Girls’ Singles: Cori Gauff beat Caty McNally 1-6 6-3 7-6 (1)
Boy’s Doubles: Ondrej Styler and Naoki Tajima beat Tseng Chun Hsin and Ray Ho 6-4 6-4
Girls’ Doubles: Caty McNally and Iga Swiatek beat Yuki Naito and Naho Sato 6-2 7-5
Men’s Wheelchair Singles: Shingo Kunieda beat Gustavo Fernandez 7-6 (5) 6-0
Women’s Wheelchair Singles: Yui Kamiji beat Diede De Groot 2-6 6-0 6-2
Men’s Wheelchair Doubles: Stephane Houdet and Nicolas Peifer beat Frederic Cattaneo and Stefan Olsson 6-1 7-6 (5)
Women’s Wheelchair Doubles: Diede De Groot and Aniek Van Koot beat Marjolein Buis and Yui Kamiji 6-1 6-3
OTHERS
Jaume Munar beat Laslo Djere 6-1 6-3 to win the Moneta Czech Open in Prostejov, Czech Republic
Jeremy Chardy beat Alex de Minaur 6-4 4-6 6-2 to win the Surbiton Trophy men’s singles in Surbiton, Great Britain
Tamara Zidansek beat Magda Linette 6-1 6-3 to win the Croatia Bol Open in Bol, Croatia
Alison Riske beat Conny Perrin 6-2 6-4 to win the Surbiton Trophy women’s singles in Surbiton, Great Britain
SAYING
“It’s not even a dream to win here 11 times, because it’s impossible to think of something like this.” – Rafael Nadal, after winning his 11th French Open men’s singles title.
“What you did and what you are doing is the most outstanding thing an athlete can achieve in sport.” – Dominic Thiem, honoring his conqueror, Rafael Nadal.
“It’s special, and I keep it forever in my heart, for sure. Paris is my favorite city, actually romantic city. I always said that if I’m going to win one, I want it to be here.” – Simona Halep, after capturing the French Open women’s singles.
“I think winning here is very special and I’m glad she finally got her first slam. It’s a beautiful thing, very special.” – Sloane Stephens, on her conqueror, Simona Halep.
“It was a tough fight, but at the end it was worth it.” – Cori Gauff, after winning Junior Girls’ singles title.
“Not many players ever get to a Grand Slam final, and I have won one and been in another one in a short period of time, I am not satisfied, but I am proud of myself.” – Sloane Stephens, after losing the French Open women’s singles final to Simona Halep.
“I’d like to dedicate this victory to Jana Novotna.” – Barbora Krejcikova, after she and fellow Czech Katerina Siniakova won the women’s doubles, honoring the 1998 Wimbledon champion who died of cancer last November at the age of 49.
“At the start, I think ‘this is Novak’, in the tiebreaks, every set I think, ‘this is Novak.’ But I was very focused on every point. I played very, very good points on match point.” – Marco Cecchinato, after upsetting Novak Djokovic.
“The hero who came from nowhere.” – A headline in the Rome newspaper La Repubblica telling the exploits of Marco Cecchinato, a lucky loser who reached the semifinals at Roland Garros by upsetting David Goffin, Pablo Carreno Busta and Novak Djokovic.
“A very sad day for sports. Brazil and the world lost a true tennis legend.” – The International Olympic Committee, in a tweet on the death of Maria Bueno.
SPANIARD WINS 11TH
Long live the King of Clay. Rafael Nadal once again proved his invincibility on the red shale of Roland Garros, capturing the Grand Slam tournament for the 11th time, stopping Austria’s Dominic Thiem in straight sets. With his 17th Grand Slam title, Nadal matched Margaret Court’s record of 11 titles at the same major, hers coming at the Australian Open. Thiem has beaten Nadal three times – all on clay – but Nadal has never lost at Roland Garros in the final. “It’s amazing now, I can’t describe my feelings,” Nadal said in the post-match ceremony. The two battled through the first eight games, exchanging breaks, before Thiem lost his serve again to fall behind 5-4. It was all Nadal after that, even though the Spaniard had to have his left forearm massaged when he began to cramp. “Congratulations. It is amazing. Bravo,” Thiem told Nadal during the trophy celebration. Then he praised himself, saying: “To me it’s been still great two weeks.” Almost as good as Nadal. Almost.
SIMONA, FINALLY
She had the ranking. Now comes the spoils. Simona Halep surged from behind to win her first Grand Slam tournament title and punctuate her number one ranking. After losing her previous three finals, Halep beat Sloane Stephens to win at Roland Garros. She became only the second Romanian woman to win a major and the first since Virginia Ruzici, now Halep’s manager, captured the French Open in 1978. Halep first took over the top spot in the rankings last August and has now spent 31 weeks as world number one. But her triumph over Stephens made her the first player to win her first Grand Slam tournament title while ranked number one. “The fact that I could be number one in the world last year gave me confidence,” Halep said. There also was the memory of last year’s French Open when Halep led by a set and 3-0 before losing to Jelena Ostapenko. “I said that last year (it) happened to me, same thing, I was set and a break up and I lost the match,” the 26-year-old remembered. “So I said there is a chance to come back and win it.” That, she did, handing Sloane her first defeat in a final. The American had won the first six times she had reached a final, including last year’s US Open.
SNARES FRENCH TITLE
Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut became just the third French pair to win the French Open men’s doubles in the Open Era, stopping Oliver Marach and Mate Pavic in the title match. Yannick Noah and Henri Leconte captured the crown in 1984 and Julien Benneteau and Edouard Roger-Vasselin in 2014. Herbert and Mahut easily won the opening set but struggled to close out the victory in straight sets. Marach and Pavic rallied from a break down in the second set, then blew four set points in the 12th game. The Frenchmen converted their first match point at 6-4 in the tiebreak to wrap up their first team French Open title. The pair won Wimbledon in 2015 and the US Open in 2016.
SEIZES TITLE
Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova are Grand Slam women’s doubles champions for the first time. The Czech pair stop Eri Hozumi and Makoto Ninomiya in straight sets. Krejcikova and Siniakova, both 22, were playing in their fifth major tournament as a team. Hozumi and Ninomiya were the first all-Japanese duo to reach a Grand Slam tournament final in women’s doubles after upsetting the top-seeded pair of Timea Babos and Kristina Mladenovic in the quarterfinals.
STARTING YOUNG
The youngest player in the Junior Girls singles came away with the biggest trophy. Fourteen-year-old Cori Gauff rallied after losing the first set to defeat fellow American Caty McNally. “This is my first time and this is my first main draw at Roland Garros,” Gauff said after clinching the title. She became the fifth American girls’ singles champion in the last seven Grand Slam tournaments, the most successful run of any nation since 1980-81. Gauff is the ninth American to win a junior singles title – boy or girl – since 2015. But it was McNally who dominated the early part of the match, winning the opening set and beginning the second with a service break. Gauff was playing in her second junior Grand Slam final, having lost the US Open title match last September. “The night before my cousin texted me and she said, ‘No matter what happens, just stay calm and just remember that you can win.’ I just kept thinking about that. I remember being nervous at the US Open where I couldn’t really play. So I tried not to let myself get there here, even though I was nervous.” McNally led 3-0 in the third set and served for the match at 5-4. But Gauff eventually won on her third match point with a forehand volley.
Taiwan’s Tseng Chun Hsin won the junior boys title, defeating top-seeded Sebastian Baez of Argentina in straight sets. “I feel very happy and excited,” said Tseng, who lost in the final at the Australian Open in January to American Sebastian Korda. “First set I was a little bit tight in the beginning, and after I just enjoyed and relaxed,” said Tseng, who fell behind 3-1 in the opening set. “So I come back.” After taking the first set with a backhand winner down the line, Tseng dominated Baez in the second set, closing out the win with a backhand volley.
Both Gauff and Tseng, who turns 17 in August, practice in Florida at the tennis academy owned by Patrick Mouratoglou, the coach of Serena Williams.
SCHEDULE UNCERTAIN
There’s a possibility Novak Djokovic will not play at Wimbledon this year. “I don’t know if I’m going to play on grass,” the three-time Wimbledon champion said after losing in the quarterfinals at Roland Garros to unseeded Marco Cecchinato. Djokovic was treated for neck pain during his 6-3 7-6 (4) 1-6 7-6 (11) loss to his Italian opponent. “I struggled from the beginning,” the Serb said. “Unfortunately, it took me time to get well and struggled with a little injury at well at the beginning. And after, when I warmed up, it was better. … I thought I had him there, but he came back and credit to him.” Djokovic has not won a Grand Slam tournament title since Roland Garros two years ago, which brought his career total to 12.
STILL SIDELINED
Andy Murray plans to begin his Wimbledon warm-up in the Netherlands have been changed. The former world number one has withdrawn from this week’s Libema Open in s-Hertogenbosch. Murray’s management said there is a possibility he will not be able to play in next week’s Fever-Tree Championships at Queen’s Club in London. “It is with regret that I won’t be ready to play in Hertogenbosch,” Murray said in a statement. “I was excited to play there for the first time, but I am not quite ready to return. I am still aiming to play in the coming weeks, but I want to be 100 percent when I do return.” Murray has been sidelined for 11 months.
SAD NEWS
Maria Bueno, who won three Wimbledon singles titles and four US Open crowns, is dead at the age of 78. The Brazilian great died after battling mouth cancer. Nicknamed “The Tennis Ballerina” because of her graceful style, Bueno won 19 Grand Slam tournament titles in all – seven in singles, 11 in doubles and one in mixed doubles – between 1959 and 1966, two years before the Open Era began. She also reached the singles final at both the Australian Open and the French Open. She was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1978 and more recently was an analyst on Brazilian television at Wimbledon, the US Open and other major tennis events. Ranked number one in the world in 1959, 1960, 1964 and 1966, Bueno was the first non-American woman to win Wimbledon and the US Open in the same year. In the decade from 1957 to 1967, Bueno won 65 singles titles, 90 doubles and 15 mix doubles. She was runner-up in 45 other competitions. Her career was halted by illness, but she returned to tennis later and won her final tournament at the Japan Open in 1974.
SUSPECTED OF MATCH-FIXING
Authorities have charged five Armenians with corruption, money laundering and other crimes as part of an international investigation into match-fixing in tennis. The five were among 13 being held in Belgium following simultaneous raids in the United States, Germany, France, Bulgaria, Slovakia and the Netherlands. “They were charged with corruption, money laundering, forgery and membership of a criminal organization,” the Belgian prosecutor’s office said of the Armenians. Prosecutors said the matches were on the low-level Futures and Challenger circuits where the prize money is small and plays cannot earn enough to make a living. They said players in such tournaments are easier to corrupt because the matches are not filmed.
SELLING TROPHIES
In a bid to pay off his debts, Boris Becker is selling some of his Wimbledon trophies. The former world number one and three-time Wimbledon champion was declared bankrupt in the United Kingdom last year. His trophies are being sold online in an auction that is due to run until June 28. Up for sale are the Renshaw Cup, the All England Lawn Tennis Club Challenge Cup and the President’s Challenge Cup.
SHARED PERFORMANCES
Bol: Mariana Duque-Mariño and Wang Yafan beat Silvia Soler-Espinosa and Barbora Stefkova 6-3 7-5
Prostejov: Denys Molchanov and Igor Zelenay beat Martin Cuevas and Pablo Cuevas 4-6 6-3 10-7 (match tiebreak)
Surbiton (men): Luke Bambridge and Jonny O’Mara beat Ken Skupski and Neal Skupski 7-6 (11) 4-6 10-7 (match tiebreak)
Surbiton (women): Jessica Moore and Ellen Perez beat Arina Rodionova and Yanina Wickmayer 4-6 7-5 10-3 (match tiebreak)
SURFING
Stuttgart: www.mercedescup.de/de/tickets/
S’-Hertogenbosch: http://libema-open.nl/en/
Caltanissetta: www.challengercaltanissetta.com/
Nottingham: www.lta.org.uk/major-events/nature-valley-open/%20
Manchester: www.lta.org.uk/aegonmanchestertrophy
Ilkley: www.lta.org.uk/major-events/fuzion-100-Ilkley-trophy/
Halle: www.gerryweber-open.de/tickets/gerry-weber-open-2018/
London: www.lta.org.uk/major-events/fever-tree-championships/
Mallorca: www.mallorcaopen.org/?lang=en
Birmingham: www.lta.org.uk/major-events/nature-valley-classic/
TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK
MEN
$818,236 Mercedes Cup, Stuttgart, Germany, grass
$769,746 Libema Open, ‘s-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands, grass
$148,034 Citta Di Caltanissetta, Caltanissetta, Italy, clay
$148,034 Nature Valley Open, Nottingham, Great Britain, grass
WOMEN
$250,000 Libema Open, ‘s-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands, grass
$250,000 Nature Valley Open, Nottingham, Great Britain, grass
$100,000 The Manchester Trophy, Manchester, Great Britain, grass
TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK
MEN
$2,490,830 Gerry Weber Open, Halle, Germany, grass
$2,490,830 Fever-Tree Championships, London, Great Britain, grass
$148,034 Fuzion 100 Ilkley Trophy, Ilkley, Great Britain, grass
WOMEN
$731,000 Nature Valley Classic, Birmingham, Great Britain, grass
$250,000 Mallorca Open, Mallorca, Spain, grass
$100,000 Ilkley Trophy, Ilkley, Great Britain, grass
