For Roland Garros Youth, Quarter-Final Moment of Truth

Rafael Jodar of Spain during his Men's 4th round match against Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain at the French Open Grand Slam tennis tournament at Roland Garros in Paris, France, 31 May 2026. (EPA)
Rafael Jodar of Spain during his Men's 4th round match against Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain at the French Open Grand Slam tennis tournament at Roland Garros in Paris, France, 31 May 2026. (EPA)
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For Roland Garros Youth, Quarter-Final Moment of Truth

Rafael Jodar of Spain during his Men's 4th round match against Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain at the French Open Grand Slam tennis tournament at Roland Garros in Paris, France, 31 May 2026. (EPA)
Rafael Jodar of Spain during his Men's 4th round match against Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain at the French Open Grand Slam tennis tournament at Roland Garros in Paris, France, 31 May 2026. (EPA)

The young kings of tennis have been deposed and as the French Open reaches its quarter-finals on Tuesday, the sport's even younger princes will be strutting on the clay.

Between them 24-year-old Jannik Sinner, and 23-year-old Carlos Alcaraz have won the last nine majors. But the Spaniard is injured and Sinner could not stand the Paris heat and lost in the second round.

In their place are three striplings playing a first Grand Slam quarter-final.

The next in the line of Spanish clay monsters, 19-year-old Rafael Jodar, faces the top remaining man, Alexander Zverev.

The honor of ending the first day when all the main-draw matches can be fitted onto Court Philippe Chatrier, has been handed to 20-year-old Czech Jakub Mensik and the phenomenon of the tournament, 19-year-old Brazilian Joao Fonseca.

The third 19-year-old in quarter-final action on Tuesday is, by comparison, a grizzled veteran of Grand Slam late rounds.

Eighth-seeded Mirra Andreeva will be playing her third straight Roland Garros quarter-final when she faces Romanian Sorana Cirstea.

Of all the majors, the French Open most favors young men. Of the five youngest men to have won majors in the Open era, Michael Chang, Mats Wilander, Rafael Nadal and Bjorn Borg all did it at Roland Garros.

Of 16 women who have won majors in their teens, Monica Seles, Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, Steffi Graf, Iga Swiatek, Chris Evert and Evonne Goolagong all did so in Paris.

Chang and Wilander were at Roland Garros on Monday for an annual reunion of former champions.

The American, who won aged 17 in 1989 and now coaches rising American Learner Tien, said youth gave advantages.

"I think it can be easier on some aspects if you're not dwelling too much on it," he said before adding that for some the spotlight was already bright.

"I think there's also a lot of pressure for some of these young guys because there are expectations. That doesn't necessarily give them freedom to go out there and play.

"When I was 17, nobody expected me to win. So I had the freedom to be the underdog... in the second week."

Wilander, who won the first of his three French Open crowns at 17 in 1982, was clear the youngsters had a mental edge.

"You find me a 19-year-old that does have the fear. None of them do," the Swede said.

"No pressure, no nerves. I don't think, I know."

"They don't have any history of losing," the Swede said. "So you're losing the quarter-finals? It's not gonna hurt, and then they realize that it hurts to lose. And then suddenly things change."

Wilander is a fan of Fonseca who is "going to be a great player".

Fonseca came from two sets down to beat first Dino Prizmic and then tennis titan Novak Djokovic, before conquering Casper Ruud.

"It's great to have new generations," the Brazilian declared after beating Djokovic.

"The next generation is doing pretty well. Not only Jodar and Mensik and me, but also Learner, (Alex) Michelsen. There is (Martin) Landaluce... It's good to have them around, pushing me for sure, doing some great battles."

- 'Margin of development huge' -

Chang has been impressed by Jodar.

"On the clay, he just took off," said Chang.

"He's just he's just riding a wave of great tennis right now. I don't think he's thinking a whole lot. He's going out there and playing some great tennis."

Jodar is full of confidence.

"I am trying to develop that game," he said after reaching the last eight. "But, overall, I think I still have a margin of development huge, you know?"

The other match of the day changes the focus as 31-year-old Elina Svitolina takes on 23-year-old compatriot Marta Kostyuk.

Svitolina said that she believed two Ukrainians had never met so late in a Slam.

Kostyuk said the older player had a lot to do with that happening.

"She's a legend of Ukrainian tennis... she's paved the way."



Portugal Changes How No. 7 Is Written to Honor Cristiano Ronaldo

Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates after scoring the 1-2 goal during the FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Hungary, in Budapest, Hungary, 09 September 2025. (EPA)
Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates after scoring the 1-2 goal during the FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Hungary, in Budapest, Hungary, 09 September 2025. (EPA)
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Portugal Changes How No. 7 Is Written to Honor Cristiano Ronaldo

Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates after scoring the 1-2 goal during the FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Hungary, in Budapest, Hungary, 09 September 2025. (EPA)
Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates after scoring the 1-2 goal during the FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Hungary, in Budapest, Hungary, 09 September 2025. (EPA)

The Portugal football team is making a change to how the No. 7 is written to honor the recently-retired Cristiano Ronaldo.

Ronaldo, who wore the number and went on to make it his own as “CR7,” retired from international soccer last week, ending a remarkable career that spanned six World Cups, a European title, and the men’s all-time international scoring record.

“Time to debut a new 7. Because there’s one that will be eternal,” the Portuguese national team wrote on social media on Saturday. The post included a goat emoji to signify “Greatest Of All Time.”

It also included a video that showed a horizontal crossed line through the No. 7 as it’s commonly written in Europe, suggesting that Ronaldo’s successors will all have that cross to bear when they wear the number.

Portugal, already assured of reaching the quarterfinals, was hosting Denmark in the Nations League later Saturday.

The 41-year-old Ronaldo quit on Nov. 5 after falling out with coach Jorge Jesus. His last appearance with Portugal was Sept. 24 in a 1-0 home win over Wales in the Nations League.

Jesus kept him on the bench for the following match and said he didn’t plan to start him in the next one, so the superstar forward decided to leave the team’s training camp.

Jesus later said Ronaldo would be welcome back and the decision to return was up to him.


Ronaldinho Poised for Ravenna Start and, Perhaps, One Last Goal

Brazilian football legend Ronaldinho waves during Ravenna FC’s team presentation for the 2026-27 season in Marina di Ravenna, Italy, Aug. 20, 2026. (AFP)
Brazilian football legend Ronaldinho waves during Ravenna FC’s team presentation for the 2026-27 season in Marina di Ravenna, Italy, Aug. 20, 2026. (AFP)
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Ronaldinho Poised for Ravenna Start and, Perhaps, One Last Goal

Brazilian football legend Ronaldinho waves during Ravenna FC’s team presentation for the 2026-27 season in Marina di Ravenna, Italy, Aug. 20, 2026. (AFP)
Brazilian football legend Ronaldinho waves during Ravenna FC’s team presentation for the 2026-27 season in Marina di Ravenna, Italy, Aug. 20, 2026. (AFP)

Ronaldinho will roll back the years this weekend when the 46-year-old Brazilian starts his first competitive match in over a decade, and in the unlikely setting of an Italian third-tier derby the World Cup winner may realize his dream of scoring one last time.

The Brazil great and Ballon d'Or winner signed for Ravenna in June, also taking a stake in the club, but because he had not played since his final appearance for Fluminense in 2015, doubts remained over whether fans would ever see him in action.

Ravenna revealed ‌three weeks ago ‌that the former Barcelona and AC Milan player ‌would ⁠make his return ⁠in Sunday's home clash with local rivals Forli, and on Friday, manager Andrea Mandorlini told reporters that Ronaldinho would start the match.

"He will play from the start, there's no doubt," Mandorlini said.

"Then together we will decide how long he plays. He is one of the greatest players of the modern era. And we have to get a ⁠result. We always play with three forwards. He will ‌be one of the three."

Ronaldinho was ‌welcomed by the Ravenna fans in August, without committing to a return ‌to the pitch. He returned to Italy on Friday afternoon and ‌will have just one training session with his teammates on Saturday before making his club debut.

A temporary stand has been erected at the Stadio Bruno Benelli to cater for the crowd, and if this does turn out ‌to be one last hurrah for Ronaldinho, he may well get the chance to score his 300th ⁠professional goal.

"I ⁠scored my first Italian goal in the derby," Ronaldinho told Corriere della Sera, referring to his first official goal for AC Milan, which came against Inter Milan.

"It was a special evening that will remain in the memory of all AC Milan fans. It was September 28, 2008. I scored with a header, which is not my specialty. Who knows if I'll be able to repeat that feat tomorrow."

"... Returning to the pitch at 46 is the best move of my career."

Simone Rabbi will play alongside the Brazilian up front for Ravenna, and in Friday's press conference he said that if his side are awarded a penalty on Sunday, Ronaldinho will take the spot kick.


Andreeva Says She Is Learning to Move on Faster from Defeats After WTA Finals Sweep

Mirra Andreeva plays Diana Shnaider during day six of the FAGE WTA Finals at Indian Wells Tennis Garden on November 13, 2026 in Indian Wells, California. (Getty Images/AFP)
Mirra Andreeva plays Diana Shnaider during day six of the FAGE WTA Finals at Indian Wells Tennis Garden on November 13, 2026 in Indian Wells, California. (Getty Images/AFP)
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Andreeva Says She Is Learning to Move on Faster from Defeats After WTA Finals Sweep

Mirra Andreeva plays Diana Shnaider during day six of the FAGE WTA Finals at Indian Wells Tennis Garden on November 13, 2026 in Indian Wells, California. (Getty Images/AFP)
Mirra Andreeva plays Diana Shnaider during day six of the FAGE WTA Finals at Indian Wells Tennis Garden on November 13, 2026 in Indian Wells, California. (Getty Images/AFP)

Mirra Andreeva said she has learned to recover more quickly from setbacks after the Russian teenager completed an unbeaten run through the WTA Finals round-robin stage on Friday.

Andreeva won her third group-stage match in straight sets after a late opponent change, having already secured a semi-final berth. The 19-year-old said the match against tournament alternate Diana Shnaider presented a new mental challenge because her progression was guaranteed, but she still wanted to preserve her momentum.

"Before the tournament started I was afraid ‌that I ‌wouldn't win a match in the group," ‌Andreeva ⁠told reporters. "Now you ⁠see how it turned out."

The victory set up a first career meeting with American Jessica Pegula on Saturday. Andreeva described Pegula as one of the calmest players on tour and said coach Conchita Martinez would help prepare a detailed tactical plan.

Andreeva's poise in the desert marked a contrast with her emotional ⁠exit from Indian Wells in March, when ‌she lost her title defense ‌to Katerina Siniakova. Frustrated by the defeat, Andreeva launched into a profanity-laced ‌tirade toward spectators and was booed as she left ‌the court.

The French Open champion said her response to losses has changed significantly over the course of the season.

"Before it was super bad. I was very dramatic," Andreeva said. "It would take me a ‌good two, three days. I wouldn't talk to anybody. I would just sit in the ⁠room locked ⁠up, not wanting to practice."

Now, she said, disappointment generally lasts a day at most before the demands of the tour force her attention back to training or the next match.

Andreeva said the Indian Wells setback came while she was trying to incorporate changes made in practice into her match play, which produced inconsistency and frustration. She said continued work on court, along with sessions with psychologists, helped her make progress.

The results have followed. Andreeva won her first Grand Slam title at Roland Garros this year and arrived at the WTA Finals for her singles debut after a 50-win season.