(Credit: SportJustSport.com)
At the French Open this year, Mirra Andreeva and Alexander Zverev (pictured above) both won their first career grand slam titles. Below are my ten takeaways from the two weeks that were at Roland Garros this year. Ok, let's dive in!
#1. Alexander Zverev finally gets over the hump: Alexander Zverev defeated Flavio Cobolli in the men's singles final 6-1, 4-6, 6-4, 6-7, 6-1 to win his first career grand slam title. There had been many questions about whether or not Zverev had what it took to win a grand slam title as he is now 29 years of age. This tournament put those questions to rest. Zverev had a fantastic tournament and didn't fold under pressure in the final. Whether or not he wins more grand slams, he'll forever be a 2026 French Open champion. That in and of itself is a huge deal.
#2. Mirra Andreeva wins her first grand slam as a teenager: In this modern era of tennis, it's rare to see teenagers win grand slams and yet that's exactly what Mirra Andreeva did when she defeated Maja Chwalinska in the women's singles final 6-3, 6-2. At just 19 years of age, Andreeva proved herself to be the best in the entire tournament, only dropping one set all tournament long. It'll be fun to see what the future has in store for Andreeva. I have a feeling this won't be the last time we see her win a grand slam.
#3. Flavio Cobolli is dangerous on clay: By reaching the final, Flavio Cobolli showed that he is a threat on the clay. He hasn't gotten past the 3rd round at the Australian Open or US Open, so he's got some work to do on the hard court. Grass he's a bit better with back-to-back trips to the quarterfinals at Wimbledon, but clay is clearly his best surface. At just 24 years of age, there's no reason to think Cobolli can't one day go all the way at Roland Garros.
#4. Maja Chwalinska came out of nowhere to reach the final: Maja Chwalinska came out of nowhere to reach the women's singles final. She really did. She's never gotten past the 1st round at the Australian Open and hasn't gotten past the 2nd round at Wimbledon. As for the US Open, this will be the first year she enters the main draw as she got ranked No. 21 after reaching the French Open final. One big run in a grand slam virtually guarantees entrance into the other slams for a full calendar year. Whether or not this was a one off or if she's the real deal remains to be seen, but given she's only 24 years old, odds are good this won't be the last we see of her.
#5. Jakub Mensik had a breakthrough tournament: Jakub Mensik reached his first career grand slam semifinal, losing to Alexander Zverev 5-7, 2-6, 6-3, 3-6. The 20 year old from the Czech Republic had been coming on strong, getting ranked as high as No. 12 in the world in March. It really does seem like this is just the beginning for Mensik. His 4th round 6-3, 7-6, 4-6, 2-6, 6-3 win over No. 11 Andrey Rublev was super impressive. Mensik should really take a lot of confidence from what he was able to do in Paris.
#6. Aryna Sabalenka still has work to do on the clay: No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka fell in the quarterfinals to Diana Shnaider 6-3, 5-7, 0-6. While she is without a doubt the best hardcourt player in the world, clay remains a work in progress for Sabalenka. She did reach the French Open final in 2025, so she's getting close to breaking through on the dirt, but this year was a reminder that she still has a lot more work to do.
#7. João Fonseca has a breakthrough tournament, too: 19 year old João Fonseca from Brazil made his first career grand slam quarterfinal, losing to Jakub Mensik 4-6, 3-6, 6-7. While Mensik had a breakthrough tournament of his one, so did Fonseca. There's been a lot of hype surrounding his game. Brad Gilbert has been telling us to keep an eye out for him. This was the first tournament where at a grand slam level, we got to see why. His 4th round 7-5, 7-6, 5-7, 6-2 win over No. 15 Casper Ruud really sent a message. Definitely more to come from this guy.
#8. Marta Kostyuk is a budding force: Marta Kostyuk, currently ranked No. 11 in the world, reached her first career grand slam semifinal at the French Open this year. The 24 year old Ukrainian is someone who very well might win a grand slam at the rate she's playing at. At the same time, losing to Andreeva in straight sets was a reminder that she still is in need of more improvement. It'll be fun to see how she does in the future.
#9. Matteo Arnaldi had a breakthrough run: While he ended up having to withdraw from his semifinal match against Cobolli, Matteo Arnaldi still had a fantastic tournament, reaching his first career grand slam semifinal. He's currently ranked No. 35 in the world as a result and truly had the tournament of a lifetime. At 25 years of age, this could be the beginning of something special for him. We'll just have to see what the future holds. But, he should be taking a lot of confidence from the tournament he had in Paris.
#10. Diana Shnaider had a breakthrough run of her own: 22 year old Diana Shnaider reached her first career grand slam semifinal at the French Open this year. Given how young she is, this was a great tournament for her. She also battled Chwalinska tough in the semifinal, losing 6-7, 4-6, so she could have easily reached the final. It'll be fun to see what she does at Roland Garros next year and also what she does the rest of the season.
ATPGuy.com on X (Twitter): @atp_guy
ATPGuy.com on Facebook: @ATPGuyNation
ATPGuy.com on Bluesky: atpguydotcom.bsky.social
Ben Parker on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X (Twitter), YouTube, and Bluesky: @slamdunk406
No comments:
Post a Comment