Martina Hingis & Chan Yung-Jan reach semis at Roland Garros

Taipei, June 8 (CNA) Taiwan's Chan Yung-jan (詹詠然) and Martina Hingis of Switzerland defeated their opponents with relative ease to reach the women's doubles semifinals at the French Open in Paris on Wednesday.

The third seeded Chan and Hingis beat Raluca Olaru of Romania and Olga Savchuk of Ukraine 6-2, 6-1 in the quarterfinals of the competition.

This is the first time Chan has reached the semifinals in women's doubles at the French Open.

Chan, 27, has come close to winning a Grand Slam title before, reaching the women's doubles final at the US Open in 2007 and the Australian Open in 2007 and 2015.

Chan/Hingis will meet with the top-seeded Bethanie Mattek-Sands of the United States and Lucie Safarova from the Czech Republic in the semifinals on Friday. Mattek-Sands and Safarova won their fourth Grand Slam title at the 2017 Australian Open in January.

The Chan-Hingis pairing has won three women's doubles titles this year at Indian Wells, Madrid and Rome.

focustaiwan.tw

Good luck ladies, next one is gonna be tough.  Looking forward to watching it!.

Martina Hingis & Chan Yung-Jan roll into the quater-finals at Roland Garros

Taipei, June 4 (CNA) Taiwanese tennis player Chan Yung-jan (詹詠然) and Martina Hingis of Switzerland cruised passed their opponents with relative ease to reach the quarterfinals at the French Open in Paris on Sunday.

The third-seeded Chan and Hingis beat 13-seeded Kiki Bertens from the Netherlands and Johanna Larsson of Sweden 6-2, 6-0 in the third round of the competition.

The duo proved to be tough opponents for Bertens and Johanna, who won just two games in the first set before losing all the way until the match ended.

The Chan-Hingis pair have won three women's doubles titles so far this year, in Indian Wells, Madrid and Rome.

focustaiwan.tw

Martina Hingis and Chan Yung- Jan stay on course at Roland Garros

Chan Yung Jan Twitter

PARIS, France - No.3 seeds Martina Hingis and Chan Yung-jan were in impervious form at Roland Garros on Saturday, as they dropped just two games against Kristyna Pliskova and Viktorija Golubic to move into the third round.

With the 6-1, 6-1 victory, the duo improved their current winning streak to 10 straight matches, and look to raise their third straight trophy in Paris after winning the Mutua Madrid Open and the Internazionali BNL d'Italia on the European red clay.

The No.3 seeds have dropped just five games in two matches, and their victory sets up a meeting with No.13 seeds Kiki Bertens and Johanna Larsson for a spot in the quarterfinals.

Chan Hao-ching, the younger of the two Chan sisters competing in Paris, partnered recent Nürnberg Versicherungscup singles finalist Barbora Krejcikova to a hard-fought victory over Chinese pair Chang Liang and Wang Qiang.

In over two hours, the No.12 seeds advanced, 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 and Roland Garros could potentially see a meeting between the Chan sisters in the final.

wtatennis.com

Martina Hingis and Chan Yung-Jan march on at Roland Garros

PARIS, France – The top seeded teams stayed on course at the French Open on the second day of doubles play on Thursday, with No.3 seeds Chan Yung-Jan and Martina Hingis leading the pack into round two.

Hingis and Chan were the heavy favorites leading into Roland Garros – the pair joined forces at the start of the Middle East swing and snapped up two of the season’s three Premier Mandatories (Indian Wells and Madrid), as well as completing the Madrid-Rome double.

They proved their might against the unseeded duo of Naomi Broady and Maria Sanchez, dropping just three games en route to a comprehensive 6-0, 6-3 victory.

The No.1 seeds also had little trouble in their Roland Garros opener; Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Lucie Safarova overpowered crowd favorite Alizé Cornet and partner Elise Mertens, 6-1, 6-2.

Meanwhile, defending champion Kristina Mladenovic got her title defense going with new partner Svetlana Kuznetsova, but faced some tough resistance from British-American duo Heather Watson and Shelby Rogers.

wtatennis.com

Martina Hingis & Chan Yung-Jan receive tricky doubles draw at Roland Garros

THE TOP 4 SEEDS:

Bethanie Mattek-Sands & Lucie Safarova: Mattek-Sands and Safarova, ranked World No.1 and No.2 in doubles, respectively, started the season with a Grand Slam title in Melbourne, and are keen to add a second to their ever-growing collection. The pair picked up their only clay title of 2017 in Charleston, taking down Lucie Hradecka and Katerina Siniakova in the final.

The top seeds haven’t been handed an easy draw in Paris – they could get the dangerous No.14 seeds, Svetlana Kuznetsova and crowd favorite Kristina Mladenovic, in the round of 16. Should they progress, No.17 seeds Darija Jurak and Anastasia Rodionova and Prague champions No.11 seeds Anna-Lena Groenfeld and Kveta Peschke are potential quarterfinal opponents.

Ekaterina Makarova & Elena Vesnina: By their standards, the No.2 seeds Makarova and Vesnina have had a low key clay season, reaching the final in Rome after posting a first-round loss in Madrid. Though they’ve yet to get going on the red stuff, the pair already have a title under their belts at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships and a semifinal appearance in Indian Wells.

In Paris, the Olympic champions could face a number of tricky floaters; the No.6 seeds Lucie Hradecka and Katerina Siniakova loom in their quarter of the draw. They could also face No.12 seeds Chan Hao Ching and Barbora Krejcikova or No.15 seeds Andreja Klepac and Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez.


Chan Yung-Jan & Martina Hingis: Though seeded No.3, Hingis and Chan are widely considered the favorites to take home the Roland Garros crown after their dominant tear through the clay season.

Hingis and Hingis and Chan paired up at the start of the Middle East Swing and have quickly become the team to beat, winning two of the season's three Premier Mandatory titles at the BNP Paribas Open and Mutua Madrid Open, claiming the Rome title and reaching the semifinals at the Miami Open.

Looming as potential quarterfinals opponents are No.5 seeds Timea Babos and Andrea Hlavackova – in a potential rematch of their Madrid final – and surprise Miami champions No.9 seeds Gabriela Dabrowski and Xu Yifan.

Sania Mirza & Yaroslava Shvedova: Mirza and Shvedova partnered earlier in the clay season at Madrid, and despite the titles eluding them the pair are building on momentum. Together they reached the quarterfinals in the Spanish capital and backed it up with semifinals in Rome.

The No.4 seeds’ section of the draw is littered with potential landmines; awaiting in the round of 16 could be the unseeded but red-hot Aussie duo of Casey Dellacqua and Ashleigh Barty. It won’t get any easier after that, as they could then get Stuttgart champions Raquel Atawo and Jelena Ostapenko or veterans Abigail Spears and Katarina Srebotnik.

TEAMS TO WATCH:

Gabriela Dabrowski & Xu Yifan: The No.9 seeded team of Dabrowski and Xu loom in Chan and Hingis’ quarter of the draw, and they’re primed to spring another upset. The pair capped off a fairytale run in Miami to take home the title in their first tournament together, and are fresh from a quarterfinal run in Strasbourg.

Svetlana Kuznetsova & Kristina Mladenovic: The No.14 seeded Kuznetsova and Mladenovic both have special ties to Roland Garros; Kuznetsova reached the final in singles twice – winning the title in 2009, her second Grand Slam crown – while Frenchwoman Mladenovic won her home Grand Slam last year in doubles with then-partner Caroline Garcia.

The pair teamed up to reach back-to-back quarterfinals in Indian Wells and Miami, but haven’t yet found their rhythm on the terre battue. Still, Mladenovic’s penchant for bringing out her best tennis in front of her home crowd and both players’ prowess on clay makes for a dangerous combination.

Raquel Atawo & Jelena Ostapenko: Ostapenko teamed up with Atawo at the start of the clay season in Charleston, and the results came immediately. The pair reached the semifinals – knocking out heavyweights Sania Mirza and Andrea Hlavackova in the quarterfinals – and Ostapenko even reached the final in singles. In Stuttgart, the pair dropped just one set en route to the title. Seeded No.10 in Paris, the pair could run into Mirza once again, as they’re drawn into the Indian’s quarter.

UNSEEDED & LOOMING:

Ashleigh Barty & Casey Dellacqua: The Aussie duo has been quietly making their mark on the doubles circuit during the season and they come into the French Open in fine form, and with the momentum of winning at the Internationaux de Strasbourg just a few days ago.

They teamed up earlier in the year for a title at Kuala Lumpur, as well, and back in 2013 the pair reached three Grand Slam doubles finals – they could pose big problems for any seeds they run into in Paris.

wtatennis.com

Roger Federer to skip French Open after all, focus on grass & hard court season

Swissminipeople Twitter

After spending a few days practicing on clay courts in Switzerland, a healthy and well-rested Roger Federer settled on his upcoming schedule: He will bypass the French Open and turn his focus to Wimbledon, then the U.S. Open.

"It was a tough decision to take, because he likes to play the French Open, likes to play the big tournaments," Severin Luthi, who coaches Federer, said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press on Monday. "But I think it was the best decision for him. It’s an investment in his career — for this season and for the coming seasons."


Federer posted a message entitled "Roger to skip Roland Garros" on his website on Monday, announcing that he will stay away from competing on clay entirely in 2017 and instead will prepare for the grass- and hard-court events that follow.

"I’ve been working really hard, both on and off the court, during the last month," Federer wrote, "but in order to try and play on the ATP World Tour for many years to come, I feel it’s best to skip the clay court season this year."

It's the second year in a row that Federer pulled out of the French Open, where main-draw play begins in Paris on May 28. He won the title at the clay-court major in 2009 to complete a career Grand Slam.

His absence a year ago, because of back and knee problems that plagued him in 2016, ended his record streak of appearing in 65 consecutive Grand Slam tournaments -- every one since the start of 2000.

Now, though, the owner of a record 18 major championships feels great.

And he wants to keep it that way.

"We are in a good situation. He is (healthier than he's) been in the last five years. We could take the decision out of a position of strength," Luthi said about pulling out of the French Open.

"We talked a few times about it but wanted to give ourselves time to think about it," he added. "We spoke again yesterday and made the final decision today."

Luthi said Federer plans to play at two grass-court tournaments in Germany -- at Stuttgard starting June 12, and at Halle the week after that -- before heading to Wimbledon, where play begins on July 3.

The 35-year-old Federer has not played in a tournament since April 2, when he won his third title of 2017 at the Miami Open and improved his record this year to 19-1, all on hard courts, his best start in more than a decade. At the time, he said he would be taking a break from the tour and did not commit to returning in time for the French Open.

"The start to the year has been magical for me but I need to recognize that scheduling will be the key to my longevity moving forward," Federer wrote. "Thus, my team and I concluded today that playing just one event on clay was not in the best interest of my tennis and physical preparation for the remainder of the season."

Clay tends to be the most physically demanding of tennis' surfaces, requiring plenty of tricky movement and sliding, along with lengthy, grind-it-out points.

Federer's great rival and the man known as the King of Clay, Rafael Nadal, has been back to his dominant self on the red stuff lately, compiling a 15-match winning streak and three consecutive titles, including at the Madrid Open on Sunday. That has made Nadal the favourite to collect a record 10th trophy at Roland Garros, which would be his 15th overall at majors, three away from Federer.

Luthi said Federer didn't take Nadal's recent play -- or anyone else's -- into account as he weighed his options.

"It's really more a decision about him than the others," Luthi said. "It would be a mistake to look at them too much."

Federer missed the last half of 2016, including the Rio de Janeiro Olympics and the U.S. Open, because of his surgically repaired left knee. He started this season the best way possible, winning the Australian Open in January.

As for Paris, if there were those worrying about whether they might have seen the last of the Swiss superstar there, Federer offered a message about the future.

"I will miss the French fans, who have always been so supportive," Federer said, "and I look forward to seeing them at Roland Garros next year."

sportsnet.ca

Pros and Cons of Roger Federer playing the French Open

Every week Tennis Channel and TENNIS.com will be introducing a Tough Call around a thought-provoking topic, and our panel of experts will chime in both on-air and online. Be sure to join the discussion, weigh in on our polls, or comment on Facebook and Twitter using #TennisToughCall.

Here is this week's edition of Tough Call. Should Roger Federer play Roland Garros?

Ready, set, go...

5 REASONS FOR FEDERER TO PLAY ROLAND GARROS

- His focus at this point in his career is winning majors, so why skip any major?

- If he wins, it’ll be his 19th major and the second leg of a calendar-year Grand Slam.

- He missed Roland Garros last year, so will only be adding points onto his ranking.

- It’s his worst major, but he’s done very well there before (one title and four finals).

- He’ll have had two months off the tour, so he’ll be fully rested and recovered.

5 REASONS FOR FEDERER NOT TO PLAY ROLAND GARROS

- He could skip his worst major to focus on his best major, Wimbledon.

- He’ll have missed the clay-court lead-up, so it’ll be harder for him to win there anyway.

- He could transition straight from hard to grass (easier than hard to clay to grass).

- He could make sure he avoids injuring himself during best-of-five play on clay.

- He can relax as the rest of the field wears themselves out … then pounce at Wimbledon.

OUR EXPERTS WEIGH IN

Steve Flink says: No

In my view, unless he changes his mind and plays in Rome, Federer should not play the French Open. Without any tournament preparation, he would risk an injury or a surprising loss. He achieved an almost miraculous triumph at the Australian Open after six months away from the game, but at least then he competed in the Hopman Cup. He ruled in Melbourne on fast hard courts, a far cry from the slow clay of Roland Garros. Federer should save himself for the grass-court season and a serious pursuit of an eighth title at Wimbledon.

Steve Tignor says: Yes

Federer said he would play in 2017 only when he felt like he could be the “real me”—in other words, only when he’s rested and at full strength. By entering Paris, he'll risk getting injured or worn down before Wimbledon. But that risk is worth the possible reward. With his three wins over Rafael Nadal this year, and with Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray struggling, Federer has a real chance to win the French. He can’t pass it up.

Ed McGrogan says: Yes

Who in tennis is bigger than Federer? In 2017, only the sport itself surpasses its greatest star. Which is why Federer’s presence is needed in Paris. Title contender or not, it’s a bad look for the game if its top draw and runaway player of the year can’t find it within himself to play for a week or two at one of the game’s four pillar events. An early-round loss won’t sully his season or legacy, and the only way he can outdo himself at this point is to—wait for it—beat Rafa at Roland Garros.

Nina Pantic says: Yes

Federer has played just four events this year, so he’ll certainly enter the French Open well-rested, both mentally and physically. Of course, he doesn't have much left to prove in his career, but no one can argue against the fact that the one-time Roland Garros champion still has work left to do in Paris. He's 0-5 against Nadal on Court Philippe Chatrier; that should be motivation enough to return.

Ashley Ndebele says: No

If Federer wants to maintain his winning record and a shot at winning his 19th slam, skipping Roland Garros is the way to go. He was smart enough to forego the lead-up tournaments to avoid the clay-court grind, considering his age. It makes a lot of sense for him to just segue into grass, where he's had a lot of success. Besides, the Roland Garros-Wimbledon back-to-back schedule can be brutal to a 35-year-old body, so why risk the injury?

Brad Kallet Says: Yes

Without question. Federer already cemented his status as the GOAT in January with his 18th major title, and reminded us that he’s superhuman in winning a Slam at 35 after six months off the tour. It’s all gravy from here, isn’t it? By Roland Garros, he won’t have played a match in two months, so he should be fresh. He’ll also be playing with house money: Rafa will be the favorite after his brilliant clay season. With limited pressure and every chance to win, it’s a no-brainer.


tennis.com

I'm not sure why this is a debate, since Roger pretty much said he already registered for Roland Garros. But I'm still on the fence about it myself.

Roger Federer says he will play Roland Garros

Roger Federer, coming off victories at the Australian Open and ATP events in Miami and Indian Wells, says he plans to play in next month's French Open.

After defeating John Isner 6-4, 7-6 (9/7) in an exhibition at Seattle, Washington, to benefit his charity foundation, Federer told the Tennis Channel he plans to play at Roland Garros for the first time since 2015.


"I am registered and my intention is to play Roland Garros," the 18-time Grand Slam champion said in a post-match interview.


The 35-year-old Swiss star, ranked fourth in the world, made a quarter-final exit in the 2015 French Open and missed last year's event while dealing with knee and back injuries.

His lone title on the red clay in Paris came in 2009 and completed a career Grand Slam. He owns five US and Australian Open crowns and seven Wimbledon titles.

""Last year was extremely difficult, having had surgery and the knee never healing. Then I had back pain too, and it all got too much at Wimbledon and I was out for six months.I feel very privileged to be back on a tennis court," Federer told the network.

"But I was able to spend some incredible time with the family and start preparing for this season and hoping that the work that I put in the off season was going to really pay off.

"I was going to get a second chance to really play tennis again on the professional tour and so when I did come back in Australia was really exciting."

Federer, whose first three exhibitions for African children's charities were played in Switzerland, raised almost $2 million and also played a doubles exhibition alongside Microsoft founder Bill Gates, beating Isner and Pearl Jam lead guitarist Mike McCready.

Yahoo Sport.com

Roger Federer still undecided on this year's Roland Garros

(CNN)Will he? Won't he? Roger Federer has cast an element of doubt over whether he will compete in the tennis season's second grand slam -- next month's French Open.

The Swiss great told CNN Sport that missing the second major of the year to extend his current break from the Tour was "still an option right now" and he will make a firm decision just before the French Open starts.

Federer, who missed six months of last season with a knee injury, surprised the tennis world in March by announcing he would take eight weeks off to recover from a fairytale start to the year.

At 35, and having won the three biggest titles of the year to date -- the Australian Open, Indian Wells and the Miami Open -- the 18-time grand slam champion decided he needed to rest and would return to action two weeks before the start of the French Open on May 22.

But Federer, who has won the French Open once, in 2009, told CNN Sport: "I don't think I will skip it, but I will have to see in, say, four or five weeks how I feel when I get on the clay, how my mood is.

"If I feel like I'm not 100% in it, that I'm (not) really fired up -- and I believe that is something possible -- then it is better to skip it.

"But then I think maybe the break is a long one. It will be 10 weeks until the grass -- that could be a bit long, but I will make a definite decision in five weeks. But I think I will play the French."

Last month the world No.4 revealed his physiotherapist had advised him not to play too many matches on clay because of the impact the demanding red dirt would have on his knee.

He had, after all, taken an enforced six months off after Wimbledon last year because of an injury which had threatened to end his glorious career.

After winning the Miami Open in March, his 20th match of the season, Federer said his body and his mind needed time away from the grueling Tour.

Roger Federer (L) plays world No.1 Andy Murray on a floating tennis court before the pair prepared to play each other in 'Match for Africa 3' to raise money for the Swiss' foundation.

Federer, outside the world's top 10 before his incredible Australian Open triumph in January, has climbed to No.4 in the world rankings, having suffered defeat just once this year.

The Swiss will not currently play enough matches to close the big gap between him and world No.1 Andy Murray, who is six years his junior.

In fact, these days Federer is less concerned about his ranking and has no intention of changing his schedule in a bid to knock Murray off the top spot.

"I just don't think I can," said Federer, speaking before his exhibition match with Murray for the Swiss' foundation earlier this month.

"I would like to. At 23 years old, absolutely, you can start saying I'll play the last 20 tournaments of the season if it helps with me getting a better chance with the world No.1.

"That's exactly, though, when I get injured. That's exactly when I burn out and that's exactly when it all ends so that's exactly why I did take a break for six to seven weeks and just really relax the body again.

"I also said the mind needs a break, the stress and pressure that I have every single day from playing is a lot.

"I won't change anything. If it happens great, but I really think it's a long, long shot. But, who knows. I really hope I can do very well at Wimbledon and the US Open this year."

It is at Wimbledon, not the French Open, where Federer is more likely to claim his 19th grand slam.

Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Murray will be above him in the pecking order in Paris on a surface he has not always enjoyed playing on.

But even if he did win a record eighth Wimbledon title, Federer said he had no plans to retire
.
"Honestly, I wish I knew a date, where I said 'okay this is going to be my last tournament,' then I could plan my whole life around it, but I don't," he said.

"I want to leave it open. We'll see what happens, see what I feel. I just hope when I leave, I can do it on my terms."

CNN Sport.com