Tennis

French Open 2023 results: Cameron Norrie beats Benoit Paire at Roland Garros..By Jonathan Jurejko, BBC Sport at Roland Garros.

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British number one Cameron Norrie is aiming to go beyond the third round at the French Open for the first time

Britain's Cameron Norrie was unhappy that an "absurd" call from the umpire changed the momentum of his French Open match against France's Benoit Paire.

After winning the first set, Norrie was penalised for hindrance early in the second after being ruled to have put off Paire by shouting mid-point.

Paire broke serve and won the next two sets, before 14th seed Norrie fought back to win 7-5 4-6 3-6 6-1 6-4.

"I've never been called for that. I think it's unacceptable," Norrie said.

"Both of us didn't know why he called it. I think Benoit thought it was for him, both of us were a bit confused. It was for sure a grunt.

"[The umpire] must have thought that I said something and I think to get involved there was absurd."

Norrie put the incident behind him to hold off Paire in an entertaining first-round contest and maintain British interest in the Roland Garros singles.

Norrie, 27, is the only Briton through to the second round with Jack Draper's injury problems continuing as he retired from his opening match with a shoulder issue.

Dan Evans lost his opening match on Sunday and there are no British women in the main draw.

Evans, who was beaten by Australia's Thanasi Kokkinakis, was also on the receiving end of an unusual decision by the officials when he was penalised for a harsh foot-fault.

"For me, I was a grunt, and for Evo, he was nowhere near foot faulting," said British men's number one Norrie, who plays another Frenchman, qualifier Lucas Pouille, in the second round on Wednesday.

"I got away with it and I was able to come through in five sets. But it was a big call and it changed the momentum of the match."

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French Open 2023: Cameron Norrie plays Lucas Pouille..By Jonathan Jurejko, BBC Sport at Roland Garros.

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Britain's Cameron Norrie says he is relishing playing in "the tough moments" as he prepares to face home player Lucas Pouille at the French Open.

Norrie, seeded 14th, plays qualifier Pouille at about 18:00 BST on Wednesday, returning to Court Suzanne Lenglen where he beat Benoit Paire - another Frenchman - in a partisan atmosphere.

The British number one was regularly booed by the Paris crowd for aborting his ball toss, while he was also harshly penalised by the chair umpire for hindrance after being deemed to have distracted Paire with a mid-point shout.

It was another controversial moment for Norrie, who was criticised by 22-time major champion Novak Djokovic for his behaviour at the recent Italian Open.

Speaking about the prospect of facing Pouille, Norrie said: "I think it's great to play those matches in Grand Slams against home favourites - that's why I play tennis. I love those moments.

"On the flip side of that, it is difficult at times. I think the crowd can be tough.

"But I keep reminding myself it's good to be playing, that I want to be out there competing, and being in those tough moments when the crowd is against me.

"It makes it even better to come through those matches."

The 27-year-old is the last Briton remaining in the singles draws at Roland Garros after Dan Evans and Jack Draper both lost in the first round.

Paire, 34, is a showman who engages the home crowd with his demonstrative antics and the fans created a noisy atmosphere on Monday as he threatened to cause an upset against Norrie.

A similar mood will face the Briton on the fourth day in Paris.

While Pouille is a different character to Paire, he too has recovered from mental health struggles to play at the highest level again and has received extra support from the Roland Garros crowd.

The former world number 10 revealed earlier this year he had depression and alcoholism after a host of injuries derailed his career.

Coming through his first-round match was Pouille's first main-draw victory at a major since the 2019 US Open, leading to an emotional celebration from the 29-year-old as he sang the French national anthem with the crowd on Court Simonne-Mathieu.

"I think a lot of people are supporting me since the first round of the qualifying, and people are really supporting me and want me to win," said Pouille, who reached the 2019 Australian Open semi-finals.

"They've never pushed me as hard as they've done."


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French Open 2023 results: Cameron Norrie beats Lucas Pouille at Roland Garros..By Jonathan Jurejko, BBC Sport at Roland Garros.

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Britain's Cameron Norrie matched his best run at the French Open by ruthlessly swatting aside home hope Lucas Pouille to reach the third round.

Norrie, seeded 14th, was much improved from his opening match, hitting heavier and precisely in a 6-1 6-3 6-3 win.

The British number one silenced the boisterous Paris crowd with a fast start and largely stayed in control.

Norrie will play either 17th seed Lorenzo Musetti or Russia's Alexander Shevchenko in the last 32.

The 27-year-old has made the third round in his past two appearances at Roland Garros but has never reached the last 16.

Norrie is the only British player left in the singles after Dan Evans and Jack Draper lost in the first round and no women made the main draw.

"I feel good - there have been ups and downs recently but I have a great team around me," Norrie said.

"We really want to play well at the Grand Slams. I definitely improved my game and performance from the first round and enjoyed the match more.

"I'm happy to be through."

Norrie continues to revel in pantomime villain role

Speaking before the match against French qualifier Pouille, Norrie said he relished playing in "the tough moments" as he prepared to face another home favourite in front of a passionate crowd.

But to Norrie's credit there was little of the same jeopardy as there was in Monday's five-set win over Benoit Paire.

On his return to Court Suzanne Lenglen - the second show-court at Roland Garros where he beat Paire in the first round - he walked out to the sound of boos from the French fans.

It would have acted as a reminder that he needed to make a fast start to dishearten Pouille and quieten the crowd.

Playing at a higher level than in his opener, Norrie did exactly that as he outclassed the one-time world number 10 in a 24-minute first set.

His level dropped in the second set, unable to find angles and winners with the same regularity as 675th-ranked Pouille recovered from falling an early break down.

But Norrie reasserted his authority to win the final three games and looked on course for smooth progress.

Then came another flashpoint in the third set which did not endear Norrie to the French fans, when the Briton seemed to get away with a double bounce and broke in the next point for a 3-1 lead.

Television replays indicated the ball did bounce twice but, in the absence of on-court technology assistance, umpire Eva Asderaki-Moore's decision stood.

More boos were directed at Norrie at the end of the game and during the next changeover before things threatened to become more complicated.

After going a double break up, Norrie was initially unable to close out the match.

Pouille, who has resurrected his career after a series of injuries plus subsequent issues with depression and alcohol, broke back for 5-2 and had two more chances in the ninth game to put the set back on serve.

However, Norrie retained his composure and served out victory in just one hour and 45 minutes.

"All credit to Lucas, I expect to see him back and enjoying his tennis," Norrie told the Lenglen crowd.

"It was nice to share a court with him, it was a tough battle, a great atmosphere and I'm sorry to take another Frenchman out. I hope you can support me in the next round."


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Emma Raducanu: Former US Open Champion splits with fifth coach in less than two years..

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Emma Raducanu withdrew from this year's Madrid Open because of injury

Former US Open champion Emma Raducanu has split with coach Sebastian Sachs, her fifth coach in less than two years.

Sachs joined the Briton's team in December after former coach Dmitry Tursunov warned of "red flags".

Raducanu was forced to miss the French Open and will not return for Wimbledon this year as she recovers from minor surgeries on her ankle and hands.

The 20-year-old has now dropped out of the top 100 in the women's world rankings.

"I have really enjoyed Seb's coaching and working with him, it's unfortunate that circumstances made it unfeasible for both of us to continue right now and we have decided to part ways," Raducanu posted on her Twitter account.

"I wish Seb all the best moving forwards."

Raducanu's 2021 US Open win is her only singles title as she has struggled with injuries and a revolving door of coaching staff.

She has played only 10 WTA Tour matches in 2023, winning just five, with three of those victories coming at Indian Wells before a defeat by Polish world number one Iga Swiatek.

The lack of match wins has resulted in Raducanu's drop to 107 in the rankings, meaning there are no longer any British women in the top 100. She will not qualify automatically for this year's US Open and would need to either progress through qualifying or be given a wildcard to compete there - providing she is fit enough to do so.

The absence of British talent in the singles at this year's Roland Garros has drawn criticism as only three men and no women qualified for the main draws. Britain's highest seed Cameron Norrie, the world number 13, is the lone remaining competitor after Dan Evans and Jack Draper bowed out in the first round.

Draper is another promising young British player who has been hampered by a series of injuries, having retired from his first-round match In Paris against Argentina's Tomas Martin Etcheverry with a shoulder issue.

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Analysis
BBC tennis correspondent Russell Fuller

The partnership was very much in its infancy, having only begun in December.

It ultimately lasted just five tournaments and 10 matches because Raducanu struggled with a series of injuries and a bout of tonsillitis.

The 2021 US Open champion is unlikely to play again for several months, leaving Sachs with little to do. But the foundations of the relationship cannot have been strong enough to persevere.

Raducanu's recovery from surgery allows plenty of time to mull over future options, and to find the person best suited to rebuild the 20-year-old's confidence and ranking.

French Open 2023: Cameron Norrie faces Lorenzo Musetti & could play Carlos Alcaraz next..By Jonathan Jurejko, BBC Sport at Roland Garros.

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Britain's Cameron Norrie says he is not distracted by the looming prospect of playing top seed Carlos Alcaraz as he tries to reach the French Open fourth round for the first time.

Norrie, seeded 14th, first faces a tough task in the third round against Italian 17th seed Lorenzo Musetti.

Spain's Alcaraz plays Canadian 26th seed Denis Shapovalov and the winners of each match will meet in the last 16.

"I saw it's Alcaraz but I'm focused on taking it match by match," said Norrie.

British men's number one Norrie has reached the third round at Roland Garros for the third successive year, following back-to-back wins over French players Benoit Paire and Lucas Pouille.

Norrie is yet to progress past this stage on the Paris clay after defeats by Spanish great Rafael Nadal in 2021 and Russian 21st seed Karen Khachanov last year.

Musetti will provide another stern test for the 27-year-old Briton when they meet third on Court Simonne Mathieu at about 15:00 GMT.

The 21-year-old has enjoyed a productive European clay-court swing, having won 10 of his 14 matches and reaching the Barcelona semi-finals.

That run included a three-set comeback win over Norrie, while Musetti also earned a notable victory against 22-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic to reach the Monte Carlo quarter-finals.

"It's a tough match-up because I'd say his favourite surface is clay," added Norrie, whose best Grand Slam run came when he reached the Wimbledon semi-finals last year.

"He's a great player, really talented and obviously I lost to him last time.

"I lost a bit of concentration and a bit of focus, and my level dropped a lot, but I was able to figure out ways to win points.

"It will be difficult and I'll have to come out with the energy I did against Pouille to have a chance."


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Rafael Nadal has keyhole surgery for hip injury that kept him out of French Open..

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Rafael Nadal has had keyhole surgery on the left hip injury that ruled him out of the French Open.

The 36-year-old Spaniard, who plans to retire after the 2024 season, has not played since sustaining the injury at the Australian Open in January.

Nadal, a 14-time men's singles champion at Roland Garros, has been practising in recent weeks, but was not fit enough to play competitively.

The results of the surgery will be made public on Saturday morning.

When confirming he would miss the French Open for the first time in 19 years last month, Nadal added that he was aiming to put himself in the best position physically for his farewell season next year.

Nadal, who has won 22 Grand Slam singles titles, holds the joint record number of men's major triumphs alongside Serbia's Novak Djokovic.

BREAKING NEWS: French Open 2023: Elena Rybakina withdraws from Roland Garros through illness.

Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina pulled out of the French Open shortly before her third-round match because of illness.

One of the favourites for the title at Roland Garros, the 23-year-old Kazakh was set to play Spain's Sara Sorribes Tormo at 10:45 BST on Saturday.

"I was not sleeping well two days. I had fever, headache," she said.

"It's difficult to perform, to run and even breathe. So I think that was the only right decision I could make."


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French Open 2023 results: Neal Skupski into men's doubles quarter-finals but Jamie Murray and Joe Salisbury out..By Adam Chowdhury, BBC Sport.

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Neal Skupski (left) and Wesley Koolhof (right) have won seven titles together

Britain's men's doubles players had mixed fortunes at the French Open as Neal Skupksi reached the last eight but Joe Salisbury and Jamie Murray lost.

Skupski and Dutch partner Wesley Koolhof, the top seeds, beat Kazakh Aleksandr Nedovyesov and Mexican Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela 7-5 6-4.

But second seeds Salisbury and American Rajeev Ram lost 6-1 4-6 6-4 to Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni.

Murray and New Zealander Michael Venus also failed to make the quarter-finals.

The 13th seeds lost 6-2 6-2 to Marcelo Arevalo of El Salvador and Dutchman Jean-Julien Rojer.

Reaching the last eight equals Skupski's best result at Roland Garros, while Koolfhof made the semi-finals in 2020.

Neither have won a men's doubles Grand Slam title.

The British-Dutch pairing broke in the penultimate game of the match, which lasted eight minutes and proved to be crucial.

Salisbury and Ram, who have won the Australian and US Open together, were taken out by Argentine 14th seeds Gonzalez and Molteni in a match lasting more than two hours.

Murray and Venus struggled against Arevalo and Rojer, who received healthy crowd support on court six.

Murray has won the Australian and US Open titles in men's doubles but has never made it past the quarter-final stage at Roland Garros.

The doubles world number 28 is still in the mixed doubles competition and will play his second-round match with American partner Townsend on Sunday.

If they win, they would face Lloyd Glasspool and his American partner Asia Muhammad in the quarter-finals. They defeated fifth seeds Lyudmyla Kichenok of Ukraine and Australian Matthew Ebden 7-5 6-3.

Skupski could not make it two wins in one day as he and Mexican partner Giuliana Olmos lost 6-2 7-6 (9-7) to Indonesian Aldila Sutjiadi and Dutchman Matwe Middelkoop in the second round of the mixed doubles.

French Open 2023: Doubles team disqualified after Miyu Kato hits ball girl with ball..By Adam Chowdhury, BBC Sport.

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A women's doubles team was disqualified from the French Open after Japan's Miyu Kato hit a ball girl with a ball.

Between points, Kato sent a ball cross-court towards the ball girl, hitting her shoulder and leaving her visibly distressed.

Kato was initially given a warning by the umpire but after protests from opponents Marie Bouzkova and Sara Sorribes Tormo, they were disqualified.

Kato left the court in tears, consoled by Indonesian partner Aldila Sutjiadi.

The Japanese-Indonesian team tried to plead their case to French Open officials on the court, saying it had been accidental, and Kato went over to the ball girl to apologise.

One official on the court compared the incident to Novak Djokovic's disqualification from the 2020 US Open, saying: "If you hit someone and they're injured, then you're responsible for that action. Even if you don't mean it, you're still responsible for that action."

Czech Bouzkova and Spain's Sorribes had taken the first set 7-6 (7-1) in the third-round encounter but were a break down at 3-1 in the second when the incident happened.

The crowd booed the decision to disqualify the 16th seeds, who were applauded off the court.

After the match, Bouzkova explained why she and Sorribes Tormo had protested to the umpire.

"It's difficult. The girl was crying for 15 minutes. I think the warning first happened because he [the umpire] didn't see she was crying and she was in that kind of pain," said the Czech.

"We told him he should look more into because the girl was crying and the ball went directly at her, it wasn't kind of a slower ball. We told them [Kato and Sutjiadi] it's very unfortunate."

According to International Tennis Federation (ITF) rules, "players shall not violently, dangerously or with anger hit, kick or throw a tennis ball within the precincts of the tournament site except in the reasonable pursuit of a point during a match (including warm-up)".

The ITF defines abuse of balls as "intentionally hitting a ball out of the enclosure of the court, hitting a ball dangerously or recklessly within the court or hitting a ball with negligent disregard of the consequences".

It is up to the discretion of the umpire and Grand Slam Supervisor if an incident warrants a single warning, which is often seen during matches, or a default from the event.

On Saturday in the women's singles, 16-year-old Mirra Andreeva received a code violation, as per Grand Slam rules, in her first-set tie-break against Coco Gauff when she thumped a ball into the crowd and it hit a spectator, although the world number 147 could have been defaulted if umpire Timo Janzen had deemed it more serious.

"Right after I thought that it was a really stupid move because it was not necessary to do that," the Russian said.

"It was really bad what I did. I had thoughts [about being defaulted], but he just gave me a warning."

In 1995, former British number one Tim Henman was disqualified for a similar incident during Wimbledon. Henman, 20 at the time, accidently struck a ball girl with a wayward ball during a men's doubles match.