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Aryna Sabalenka has crashed out of the French Open after a stunning collapse against Diana Shnaider on Court Philippe Chatrier.

The world No 1 was 6-3 and 4-1 up and yet somehow ended up losing 6-3 5-7 0-6 as she lost 10 games in a row on Wednesday afternoon.

The Russian deserves huge credit for going for broke and turning the match around, but Sabalenka’s implosion was wholly unexpected.

The 28-year-old struggled a huge amount as the wind picked up in scenes reminiscent of her French Open final loss to Coco Gauff last year.

Right at the end of her match, 18-time major winner Chris Evert was completely stunned by the dramatic turnaround.

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She said on TNT Sports’ commentary, “I have never seen her be up a set and 4-1, playing pretty well and all of a sudden her game goes to demise.

“This was her dream tournament; she has dreamt about this all year. All of a sudden she lost her feel. It is quite unbelievable.”

Former British No 1 Tim Henman admitted he was “staggered” that Sabalenka had fallen apart in this manner, adding, “To lose 10 games in a row, she’s had a bit of a meltdown there”.

Evert added that this was one of the “strangest” matches she had ever seen, while remarking that 22-year-old Shnaider was “here to stay” after reaching her first Grand Slam semi-final.

The seven-time French Open winner also felt that Sabalenka needs to learn how to adjust her game when the elements go against her.

Evert said, “I don’t think she has learnt how to play in the wind. The wind requires footwork, adjustment steps around the ball, wind wreaks havoc on the ball. You have to wait to the last second to set your feet and hit the ball.”

The American, who noted that Sabalenka began remonstrating with her team midway through the second set, then put forward a theory behind this collapse.

“What about this? Five of the top seeds had lost. Maybe that was in the back of her mind, ‘I have to win this now’. There could be a million reasons why it wasn’t her week,” said Evert.

They weren’t the only ones to be shocked by this turn of events. Gauff’s former coach Brad Gilbert tweeted the “wheels have come off” for Sabalenka.

And tennis journalist and presenter Marcus Buckland said, “Can’t believe the meltdown we have just witnessed from the World number 1 here in a windy Paris. A set up and cruising, Aryna Sabalenka loses the plot completely – bageled in set 3. The shocks keep on coming!”

Indeed, 25th seed Shnaider will now face qualifier Maja Chwalinksa in their semi-final, with Marta Kostyuk and Mirra Andreeva set to lock horns in their last four encounter.

Either way, a new Grand Slam champion beckons on both the women’s and men’s tour in Paris.

READ MORE: Venus Williams makes shock admission about Serena Williams’ return

The post Chris Evert offers theory behind Aryna Sabalenka’s French Open ‘meltdown’ after shock loss appeared first on Tennis365.

John McEnroe has made a strong statement on Alexander Zverev’s comments about pressure as the German chases the title at the 2026 French Open.

World No 3 Zverev is the clear favourite to win his maiden Grand Slam title at Roland Garros, with Carlos Alcaraz absent due to injury, and Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic both having lost early.

The 29-year-old has lost in three Grand Slam finals: to Dominic Thiem at the 2020 US Open, Alcaraz at the 2024 French Open, and Sinner at the 2025 Australian Open.

Zverev has impressed at the clay-court major this year, having dropped just one set en route to the semi-finals. Zverev earned a 7-6(3), 6-1, 6-3 victory against world No 28 Rafael Jodar on Court-Philippe Chatrier on Wednesday.

Many feel that there is huge pressure on Zverev to seize this opportunity to secure an elusive first Grand Slam, but he has played down such suggestions.

Speaking on TNT Sports, McEnroe made it clear how he feels about Zverev’s attempts to limit expectations in Paris.

The seven-time major singles champion said: “BS, absolute BS! [There is] unbelievable pressure.”

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“There’s more pressure on him in a way now than any more tournament he’s ever played, for sure.

“He’s the best player in men’s history never to win a major. And it was like, ‘oh my God’, how could he?

“He almost beat Carlos, but he didn’t. He doesn’t have to beat any of them. He’s got to be feeling more pressure than any time in his entire career.”

The former world No 1 added: “No Alcaraz, no Sinner, no Djokovic.

“These guys [still in the draw] are definitely the future, and they may, to some extent, be the present. But nonetheless, it’s there for the taking for Sascha.”

Following the shock exits of Sinner and Djokovic last week, McEnroe said: “If he (Zverev) doesn’t win it this time, I don’t know whether he’s ever gonna win it.”

Zverev will face either world No 27 Jakub Mensik or world No 30 Joao Fonseca in the semi-finals at Roland Garros on Friday.

READ NEXT: John McEnroe believes he knows the key reason behind Serena Williams’ shock return to tennis

The post John McEnroe says Alexander Zverev’s French Open pressure comments are ‘absolute BS’ appeared first on Tennis365.

Alex Eala has often dedicated much of her career to doubles and she is about to get her most iconic partner yet: Venus Williams.

The pair are reportedly set to team together at Bad Homburg on the grass, which takes place between June 20th and 27th, just days before Wimbledon.

Both women have played plenty of doubles in the 2026 season, but this will be the first they form a partnership together.

Eala lost her first grass court match of the season in the doubles, but she picked up a victory against Priscilla Hon in singles action at the WTA 125 event.

Speaking at the Birmingham Open, to the LTA News Service, Eala was asked about her upcoming partnership with Williams at Bad Homburg.

Ahead of partnering with the 16-time doubles Grand Slam champion at the grass court event, Eala said: “I am really, really excited,” gushed the 21-year-old. “I mean, Venus is such a trailblazer and continues to do so much and has done so much for the sport.

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“And I like to say that tennis, I think women’s tennis has been a trailblazer for women’s sports and she is a big part of why that is.”

Williams will be Eala’s sixth different doubles partner this year, after the star has paired with Hailey Baptiste, Iva Jovic, Ingrid Martins, Zeynep Sonmez, and Janice Tjen.

The American icon, meanwhile, has also paired with five different partners. She has played with Elina Svitolina, Katie Boulter, Ekaterina Alexandrova, Peyton Stearns, and Leylah Fernandez.

Neither Eala and Williams have won a title in the doubles this year, but they have played against each other already in the format.

Williams, alongside Svitolina, met Jovic and Eala at the ASB Classic. The younger pair won in straight sets, and it turned out to be one of the best doubles tournaments for Eala all year.

Jovic and Eala reached the semi-finals of the competition, also defeating Renata Zarazua and Jesika Maleckova. Their time in the competition was ended at the hands of Chinese pair, Zhaoxuan Yang and Yifan Xu.

While Eala and Williams will be hoping to emulate such a run, they will both have one goal in mind during their doubles run on the grass.

Both women will be hoping to prepare in the best possible way for Wimbledon, with Williams especially having brand-new motivations at SW19.

She would have likely wanted a wildcard anyway, but with a potential Serena Williams return at Wimbledon, there could be a chance for another doubles run at the Grand Slam.

The post Alex Eala comments on upcoming partnership with Venus Williams at Bad Homburg appeared first on Tennis365.

Alexander Zverev confirmed his place in the semi-finals of Roland Garros after defeating Rafael Jodar in straight sets.

Zverev survived a first set rally from the Spanish teenager, but he was ultimately too strong for the rising star.

The German defeated Jodar 7-6, 6-1, 6-3 to confirm his fifth semi-final at Roland Garros and he will now await the winner of Matteo Arnaldi and Matteo Berrettini.

Zverev’s latest victory was his 91st Grand Slam win since 2020, which sees him equal Carlos Alcaraz’s record in the same timespan.

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Asked if he was excited to reach a fifth semi-final at Roland Garros, Zverev replied: “Not really. I don’t really care! I want to keep going, of course, I want to be in the tournament. I want to win the matches that are ahead of me.

“That’s my goal, that’s my aim, and today was a tough test. He’s a very good player. I managed, I won, I’m happy about being in the semi-finals for now, that’s it.”

Despite the straight sets victory, Zverev was full of praise for Jodar, who has been one of the stories of the Grand Slam at this year’s event.

“It was difficult,” said Zverev in his post-match interview. “He had a perfect rhythm in the first set and I didn’t. My balls were very short. I was very defensive.

“Again, conditions completely different. String tension is different, the way the ball reacts off the ground was completely different. The ball was not bouncing as high. Heavy top spin was not beneficial.

“I had to flatten my shots out a little bit more. He was playing amazing. He outplayed me at the beginning of the first set. I managed to come back, he played a nervous game when he served for it, and I took my chances well. After that, it was a good match for me.”

Zverev will not play now until Friday, where he will play either Berrettini or Arnaldi. The German plans to watch the night match to see his future opponent.

“I will watch it in my room on TV with a nice drink in my hand maybe. The rest we will see. We have two days off now. It’s important to keep the rhythm, keep practicing. I just want to keep going. We’ll see.”

Zverev is now just two matches away from his very first Grand Slam title and he is the overwhelming favourite to lift the title now. He is the top seed left in the competition and just one of three of the top 10 seeds.

Flavio Cobolli and Felix Auger-Aliassime are the other top 10 seeds left in the tournament, but Zverev will fancy his chances to lift the title.

The post Alexander Zverev reacts after equalling Carlos Alcaraz’s Grand Slam record with latest Roland Garros win appeared first on Tennis365.

Paolo Bertolucci insists “there’s something wrong” with Jannik Sinner as he dismissed suggestions that the world No 1 struggles to play in hot conditions.

Sinner was the hot favourite heading to Roland Garros as he arrived in Paris on the back of winning five consecutive ATP Masters 1000 titles with three of them coming on clay as he lifted trophies in Monte Carlo, Madrid and Rome.

With two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz ruled out due to injury, many expected the Italian would comfortably win the title, but he was stunned by Juan Manuel Cerundolo in the second round despite being in cruise control in the third set.

Sinner was 6-3, 6-2, 5-1 up against the world No 56 and then suffered a shocking collapse as he only won two more games before going down 6-3, 6-2, 5-7, 6-1, 6-1.

After the match, the 24-year-old revealed he didn’t feel well on the morning of the match and while some have suggested playing in hot weather is his kryptonite, he insisted, “I wasn’t struggling because of the heat alone”.

And Bertolucci also countered speculation that he has a “heat” problem as he pointed to the fact that Sinner won back-to-back Australian Open titles during the summer in Melbourne.

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“I don’t like playing doctor from 500 km away; I’ve already read thousands of comments where everyone has given their own diagnosis,” he said on Foot Fault. “Some are petrol station attendants, others plumbers, others engineers, but as soon as they take a look, they’ve already made their diagnosis.

“With 30 degrees and 25 per cent humidity, how on earth did he manage to win twice on hard courts in Australia and at Indian Wells? You’ll have to explain that to me. With 30 degrees and 25% humidity, that’s a perfectly normal temperature; even amateurs and enthusiasts play in those conditions all summer long.”

But former world No 12 Bertolucci concedes that things are not adding up and Sinner and his team are not offering answers.

The Italian added: “What’s the problem there? So it couldn’t have been heatstroke, because he went back to the changing rooms, they took his temperature and he didn’t have a fever. Heatstroke causes a fever!

“His blood pressure was perfect: these two factors already give some clues, but I’m not a doctor. He, the doctors treating him and his team know what’s going on. We now know there’s something wrong and that the lad has been carrying this around for some time already, because things are happening that aren’t normal.”

The post What is happening to Jannik Sinner ‘is not normal’, says Italian great appeared first on Tennis365.

Serena Williams’s return to the sport might have been one of the worst kept secrets in tennis this year, but her decision to play Queen’s has floored fans.

The 23-time Grand Slam champion is set to play doubles alongside Victoria Mboko at the London event, with many predicting it could be a precursor to a Wimbledon appearance.

Williams has not played competitive tennis since losing to Ajla Tomljanovic at the 2022 US Open, and many are very happy to see her return to the sport.

She announced the return with a social media video with the caption: “Good news travels fast” and the ending message of: “Guess everybody heard the news.”

The post, which has been liked by Alexandra Eala, has garnered several high-profile reactions from some of the biggest names in the sport.

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World No. 6 Coco Gauff is the most established current tennis star to share her reaction to Williams’ return in the comments. She simply wrote “Dreams come true” with an emotional emoji attached.

Elsewhere, the likes of Caroline Wozniacki, Andy Roddick’s Served podcast, and the Lawn Tennis Association also left comments on the social media post.

So too did Wimbledon’s official account, which will do nothing to dispell the rumours of the star returning to the Grand Slam for the first time in four years.

“Serena back on the grass,” wrote the Grand Slam about her Queen’s return, which takes place in the same city just two weeks before Wimbledon.

It should be no surprise that Gauff has reacted so emotionally to the news that Williams is returning, because she is yet to face the icon in her career.

Gauff and Venus Williams played two matches previously, in 2019 and 2020, at Wimbledon and the Australian Open, both of which were won by the younger star.

She has often named her one of her heroes, so it would not be a surprise to see Gauff enter the Queen’s doubles, or hold out for Wimbledon, in the hopes that she could face Williams now she has returned.

Speaking at Roland Garros, Gauff said: “I did say one of my biggest regrets was not being able to play her.

“Everybody’s been hearing rumors and stuff, so if they are true, I guess we’ll find out in a couple of days based off the rumours,” she added. “We’ll see. But I think it would be for the sport to have a legend back playing.”

Williams and Mboko will find out their first Queen’s opponents at the end of the week once the draw for the grass court London event is made.

The post Coco Gauff reacts as Serena Williams announces tennis return appeared first on Tennis365.

Serena Williams has left the tennis world stunned by announcing her return to the sport, four years after she last played a professional match.

The 23-time Grand Slam champion has been awarded a wildcard for the doubles draw at Queen’s, where she will be paired with Canadian Victoria Mboko.

Williams’ upcoming schedule has been speculate, with many expecting the American great to make her long-awaited return to Wimbledon for the first time since 2022.

Speaking on TNT Sports coverage of Roland Garros, John McEnroe expressed his surprise at the news, as well as a potential reason Williams’ return.

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“I’m semi-shocked that she’s decided to do this at her age after having two kids and what she’s accomplished,” he said alongside Johanna Konta and Laura Robson.

“I know she didn’t win a major after she had her first kid and I know that is something she wanted to prove she could do, so I’m assuming she was slightly disappointed in not doing that. Having said that, when’s her last match? Like four or five years ago?

“That’s a big ask even for Serena, but it’s awesome for tennis let’s be real. She’s the GOAT. One question, why isn’t she playing with her sister? At any rate, she’s not, so we’ll talk about Victoria for a second.

“You look up to someone, you idolise someone, you think you’re never going to have a chance to even be on the court with her, and the next thing you know you get a call.”

Robson, who was behind the decision to bring Williams back as the tournament director of the WTA side of Queen’s, was full of optimism about the return.

“It’s just so great to have such a big name involved in the grass court season,” she said in response to McEnroe. “She’s going to be on the doubles court with Vicky Mboko.

“It almost doesn’t matter how the results go because I’m going to have a smile on my face seeing Serena back. I’m very happy! She’s been practicing for a good few months.

Konta, likewise, believes Williams return can be nothing but good for tennis and the grass court season.

“If nothing else, it is getting people talking about it,” she explained. “What an opportunity for people, for youngsters, even younger tennis players who are just starting out on Tour.

“They’ve never seen her in real life. It’s going to be an experience. I’m a bit shocked. But why? Then why not?”

The women’s draw at Queen’s is set to begin on June 8th, just two days after the women’s Roland Garros final. The likes of Elena Rybakina, Jessica Pegula, and Amanda Anisimova are currently signed up for the event.

The post John McEnroe believes he knows the key reason behind Serena Williams’ shock return to tennis appeared first on Tennis365.

One of the worst kept screts in tennis is out with Serena Williams confirming she will make her comeback to tennis in just over a week.

Nearly four years after losing against Ajla Tomljanovic in the round of 32 at the 2022 US Open, Williams has announced that she will return to tennis with her first tournament taking place on the grass courts in London.

Her comeback announcement was a short video captioned “Good news travels fast” on social media of her phone ringing and then followed by the message: “Guess everybody heard the news”.

She ends by saying: “I gotta change my number.”

Not long after Queen’s Club Championship organisers got in on the act as they announced they will have the honour of hosting the 23-time Grand Slam in her first event back as she will compete in the doubles.

In a statement, Williams said: “Queen’s Club feels like the perfect place to begin this next chapter. Grass has given me some of the most meaningful moments of my career, and I’m excited to be back competing on one of the sport’s most iconic stages.”

WTA Tournament Director Laura Robson added: “Serena Williams is one of the greatest athletes the world has ever seen, and we’re delighted that she will be making her return to tennis at the LTA’s HSBC Championships.

“Women’s tennis made a historic return to The Queen’s Club last year, and now we have an icon of the game stepping back on to court at this prestigious venue – it’s very exciting for the tournament and the fans.”

It has been reported she will play alongside exciting youngster Victoria Mboko, but it is yet to be confirmed.

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When rumours that Williams would team up with the 19-year-old Canadian broke last week, Mboko was determined not to steal the tennis great’s thunder as she told the media: “I think for me I wanna kinda leave the moment for her.

“I feel like if she’s ready to come back on her own terms, then I feel like it’s up to her to announce that. Other than that, I don’t have much to say.

“The moment is all up to her and when she’s ready to come back. It’s up to her.”

Williams will play only doubles at the WTA 500 tournament – with first-round matches getting underway on Monday, 8 June and concluding with the finals on Sunday, 14 June.

What’s To Come After Queen’s Club?

German media has reported that the American will return to singles action at the Berlin Open as she will join a high-class field at the WTA 500 event from 15-21 June.

Nine of the world’s top-10 players have signed up for the tournament, with world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka leading the line-up that will also include Elena Rybakina, Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula, Amanda Anisimova, Elina Svitolina, Mirra Andreeva and Mboko.

It remains to be seen if she will also play doubles at the Rot-Weiss Tennis Club.

The Berlin event will be preparation for Wimbledon as insiders have revealed she has received a wildcard for the grass-court Grand Slam.

Williams’ last match on grass was on 28 June, 2022 at Wimbledon when she also received a wildcard into the main draw after slipping out of the top 600 in the WTA Rankings, but she was beaten in the first round by Harmony Tan with the Frenchwoman winning 7-5, 1-6, 7-6 (10-7).

The post Serena Williams’ possible grass-court schedule as tennis great announces her return appeared first on Tennis365.

Casper Ruud and Joao Fonseca played a fantastic fourth round match at Roland Garros, but it was steeped in controversy as the Brazilian confirmed his place in the quarter-finals.

The second set between Ruud and Fonseca went to a nail-biting tie-break and it featured a murky line call when the Norwegian had a match point.

A member of the crowd called out during one of Fonseca’s shots, which was then disputed by the umpire after she checked the mark of the ball.

After it was determined to be in by the umpire, hawkeye confirmed that the ball was actually out, which would have awarded Ruud the set to level up proceedings. Instead, Fonseca took the second set to take a 2-0 lead. He eventually won the match three sets to one.

Ruud was magnanimous about the Roland Garros mistake, but fans and pundits have been disappointed by the lack of Electronic Line Calls at the Grand Slam.

Roland Garros is the only Grand Slam not to have Electronic Line Calls on the calendar and one of the only clay court events not to adopt the system.

Tournament director Amelie Mauresmo has unveiled a staunch defence of Roland Garros’ decision not to use Electronic Line Calls in a statement following Ruud’s match with Fonseca.

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“We remain open to all developments. But what we observed in the tournaments leading up to Roland Garros is that the system’s reliability on clay courts is not yet complete,” said Mauresmo.

“Under these circumstances, we have chosen to continue relying on human officiating. This does not mean the debate is over, but for now we believe this is the best solution.”

While the tennis has been superb at Roland Garros this year, there have been several controversies at the Grand Slam already in Paris.

Several players, including Katie Boulter, have complained about Roland Garros’ advertising hoardings, as they have caused a nuisance at the back of the court.

Zeynep Sonmez collided with the hoardings in a doubles match, which forced her to unfortunately withdraw from the event with a bruised knee.

Ruud himself launched the same complaint at Roland Garros in his match with Fonseca, which he lobbied with the umpire during the first set.

The Norwegian could be heard stating: “I think it’s more important player health than the frigging sponsors” during a passionate appeal to the umpire.

It was just another disappointment for Ruud as his missed out on the quarter-finals of Roland Garros in a year where he would have been one of the overwhelming favourites, following the early exits of Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner.

As for Fonseca, however, he will not rightly have his eye on the Roland Garros title. He plays Jakub Mensik in the last eight next.

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