11:51 AM ET Simon Cambers PARIS — Some players are born for clay; others learn to love it. For Karolina Pliskova, the jury is still out. Seeded No. 2 at the 2019 French Open and with increased expectations on her shoulders after winning the title in Rome earlier this month, the Czech lost 6-3, 6-3
Tennis
7:22 AM ET Associated Press Second-seeded Karolina Pliskova was eliminated from the French Open, ensuring that Naomi Osaka will hold onto the No. 1 ranking after the tournament. Pliskova lost to No. 31 Petra Martic 6-3, 6-3 in the third round. Pliskova entered the tournament with a seven-match winning streak, which included the Italian Open
12:46 PM ET Associated Press PARIS — Novak Djokovic notched another career milestone: His young son, Stefan, watched him play, and win, at Roland Garros for the first time. The top-ranked player bidding to win his fourth consecutive major beat 104th-ranked Henri Laaksonen 6-1, 6-4, 6-3 Thursday. Djokovic will play 147th-ranked Salvatore Caruso of Italy
10:09 AM ET ESPN News Services PARIS — Serena Williams advanced to the third round of the French Open by defeating Japan’s Kurumi Nara 6-3, 6-2 on Thursday. Nara, ranked No. 238, reached the main draw at Roland Garros via the qualifying tournament. The gulf between her and Williams, a 23-time major champion, was quickly
9:08 AM ET SPECTATORS IN JAM-PACKED Philippe Chatrier stadium at the French Open watched with disbelieving eyes. A hush gradually fell over the customarily buzzing international press workroom as reporters huddled around video monitors. Fans outside Chatrier on this chilly, cloudy day gathered wherever they could to get a glimpse of the live feed from
5:37 PM ET Alex de Minaur wants to bulk up after the lightweight Australian was muscled out of the French Open’s second round. The 20-year-old’s resistance lasted less than two hours against clay court supremo Pablo Carreno Busta on Wednesday in a 6-3 6-1 6-1 loss that de Minaur says will bring plenty of reflection.
1:46 PM ET PARIS — Most tennis players would never admit that a freshly minted No. 1 ranking was renting space in their heads. Just another day, just another match — these are the safe responses the thought police would advise. Naomi Osaka is not most players, so after sword-fighting her way out of a
9:43 AM ET ESPN News Services PARIS — Rafael Nadal has advice for the kids dreaming about winning the French Open. “The main thing is, don’t think about winning Roland Garros,” the 11-time champion said after reaching the third round with a 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 win over German qualifier Yannick Maden. The stands at Roland
11:03 PM ET Simon Cambers PARIS — Novak Djokovic followed Rafael Nadal on to Court Philippe Chatrier at Roland Garros on Monday, the pair seemingly inextricably linked here in their quest for Grand Slam glory. Where one goes, the other follows. With 32 Grand Slam titles between them, the pair are heavily tipped to meet
2:54 PM ET Simon Cambers PARIS — At 6-foot-6, it’s impossible for Juan Martin del Potro to go unnoticed, however hard he might try. This is a man whose hammer of a forehand draws gasps from crowds all over the world. Good luck keeping that quiet. And yet, here at the 2019 French Open, Del