Djokovic Clinches his 100th Career Singles Title at Geneva Open

Winner Novak Djokovic of Serbia poses with the trophy after the final match of the ATP 250 Geneva Open tennis against Hubert Hurkacz of Poland, in Geneva, Switzerland, Saturday, May 24, 2025. (Martial Trezzini/Keystone via AP)
Winner Novak Djokovic of Serbia poses with the trophy after the final match of the ATP 250 Geneva Open tennis against Hubert Hurkacz of Poland, in Geneva, Switzerland, Saturday, May 24, 2025. (Martial Trezzini/Keystone via AP)
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Djokovic Clinches his 100th Career Singles Title at Geneva Open

Winner Novak Djokovic of Serbia poses with the trophy after the final match of the ATP 250 Geneva Open tennis against Hubert Hurkacz of Poland, in Geneva, Switzerland, Saturday, May 24, 2025. (Martial Trezzini/Keystone via AP)
Winner Novak Djokovic of Serbia poses with the trophy after the final match of the ATP 250 Geneva Open tennis against Hubert Hurkacz of Poland, in Geneva, Switzerland, Saturday, May 24, 2025. (Martial Trezzini/Keystone via AP)

Novak Djokovic made more tennis history by winning a 100th career singles title on Saturday and his first in a city that is special to his family.

Djokovic finally reached his century after rallying to beat Hubert Hurkacz 5-7, 7-6 (2), 7-6 (2) in more than three hours in the Geneva Open final. He lost his two previous finals since his 99th title win nine months ago at the Paris Olympics at Roland-Garros.

He joins tennis greats Jimmy Connors, who has a record 109 titles, and Roger Federer on 103 as the only men with a century of tournament wins in the Open era, The Associated Press reported.

The 100th followed a typically tough and hard-working match, two days after his 38th birthday and surrounded by his family in the Swiss city where some relatives reside.

“I’m just grateful to clinch the 100 here,” Djokovic said in an on-court interview. “I had to work for it, that is for sure.”

His wife and children joined him in Geneva to celebrate his birthday after cutting a day off school, Djokovic quipped, also revealing another reason why he grabbed a late wild-card entry into the last clay-court warmup for the French Open.

The lakeside city is home to a much-loved aunt and uncle, and cousins including one who recently gave birth to a baby the Djokovics really wanted to meet.

The three-time French Open champion now heads back to Paris looking to add to his 24 Grand Slam singles titles. He has a first-round match on Monday against Mackenzie McDonald of the United States.

Winner in 20 different seasons The Serb clinched with an ace down the middle to complete a surge to victory after breaking Hurkacz’s serve for the first time while trailing 4-3 in the deciding set. Djokovic took that break-point chance with a forehand cross-court winner advancing to the net on Hurkacz’s sliced half-volley.

“Hubert was probably closer to the victory the entire match than I was,” Djokovic said. "I don’t know how I broke his serve.”

He is the first man in the Open era to win a title in 20 different seasons.

Djokovic's 100th singles title came nearly 19 years after the first in July 2006. That also was on clay, at Amersfoort in the Netherlands, against Nicolás Massú — the Chilean who now coaches Hurkacz.

“It’s really inspiring how you present yourself on the court, off the court. It’s just really incredible what you have achieved,” Hurkacz said to the winner in the on-court trophy presentations.

Djokovic collected his trophy in front of three golden balloons tethered to the court spelling out 1-0-0.

Came to Geneva desperate Since the Paris Olympics, he had lost finals at the Shanghai Masters to Jannik Sinner last year, and the Miami Masters to Jakub Mensik in March.

Djokovic got much more than the match practice he came to Geneva for. He had fallen to quick exits in April from the previous tournaments he entered in the European clay-court season, at Monte Carlo and Madrid.

Djokovic had break-point chances early in the first two sets and did not take them. At 2-2 in the first set, Hurkacz saved the second of back-to-back chances with a powerful service winner.

Hurkacz clinched the first set with his only break-point chance when Djokovic double-faulted.

In the opening game of the second set Hurkacz saved Djokovic's next chance with an overhead winner at the net. In the tiebreaker, Djokovic dominated to force the decider.

Hurkacz immediately broke serve again to lead the third set. He got the chance when a low bouncing ball dived under Djokovic’s racket, and took it when the second-seeded Serb sent a forehand long.



Big Names Crash but Italians Shine on Damp Day at French Open

Jasmine Paolini of Italy celebrates a point during her Women's 2nd round match against Ajla Tomljanovic of Australia at the French Open Grand Slam tennis tournament at Roland Garros in Paris, France, 28 May 2025. EPA/CHRISTOPHE PETIT TESSON
Jasmine Paolini of Italy celebrates a point during her Women's 2nd round match against Ajla Tomljanovic of Australia at the French Open Grand Slam tennis tournament at Roland Garros in Paris, France, 28 May 2025. EPA/CHRISTOPHE PETIT TESSON
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Big Names Crash but Italians Shine on Damp Day at French Open

Jasmine Paolini of Italy celebrates a point during her Women's 2nd round match against Ajla Tomljanovic of Australia at the French Open Grand Slam tennis tournament at Roland Garros in Paris, France, 28 May 2025. EPA/CHRISTOPHE PETIT TESSON
Jasmine Paolini of Italy celebrates a point during her Women's 2nd round match against Ajla Tomljanovic of Australia at the French Open Grand Slam tennis tournament at Roland Garros in Paris, France, 28 May 2025. EPA/CHRISTOPHE PETIT TESSON

Italians Jasmine Paolini and Lorenzo Musetti lit up a damp day at Roland Garros by moving into the French Open third round with stirring victories while twice runner-up Casper Ruud made a shock exit on Wednesday, Reuters reported.

Unheralded Matteo Gigante kept the Italian tricolor flying high in the afternoon with the biggest win of his career as the qualifier sent former finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas tumbling out of the year's second Grand Slam.

Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz endured a minor scare but got past unseeded Hungarian Fabian Marozsan before women's title holder Iga Swiatek dismantled Briton Emma Raducanu to keep her bid for a sixth major title on track.

World number one Aryna Sabalenka started off on the wrong foot before trampling Swiss Jil Teichmann into the Parisian red clay while fellow Grand Slam champion Elena Rybakina mowed down wild card Iva Jovic.

Fourth seed Paolini, a surprise runner-up last year, barely put a foot wrong on Court Philippe Chatrier as she brushed aside Australia's Ajla Tomljanovic 6-3 6-3 after paying homage to the venue's greatest champion Rafa Nadal.

The diminutive Italian, who trains with Nadal's former mentor Marc Lopez, touched the newly installed footprint of the Spanish great on center court before delivering a polished display in front of a sparse crowd.

"It was great to play again there," said Paolini.

"It's an amazing court and I'm happy how I played, because I played better than the first round which is good. I'm just happy about the performance."

Musetti continued his claycourt resurgence with a clinical 6-4 6-0 6-4 dismantling of Colombian lucky loser Daniel Galan on Court Simonne Mathieu.

The eighth seed, a finalist in Monte Carlo and semi-finalist in Madrid and Rome, overcame patchy weather to extend his recent successes on clay.

"It was a solid performance from the beginning until the end," said Musetti, whose confidence has soared since reaching the Monte Carlo final last month.

"After that, I felt like another player. The results in Madrid and Rome confirmed this step forward."

He was joined in the next round by Gigante, who beat 2021 runner-up and 20th seed Tsitsipas 6-4 5-7 6-2 6-4, leaving the Greek player blaming his own immaturity after his earliest French Open exit in seven years.

TRICKY SITUATION
Alcaraz has a wise head on his shoulders at 22 and showed plenty of composure in a tricky situation on his return to Court Philippe Chatrier to seal a 6-1 4-6 6-1 6-2 win over Marozsan, who beat him in Rome two years ago.

"I've done really great things on this court. I've had great moments and some bad moments, which I've learned from," he said.

"I love playing here. It fits pretty well with my tennis, every time I step on this court I show good tennis."

Seventh seed Ruud has also enjoyed his Roland Garros center court outings after twice making the final but his latest quest for a maiden major title unraveled as he fell 2-6 6-4 6-1 6-0 to Portugal's Nuno Borges.

The Norwegian appeared in control after claiming the opening set but faded as soon as Borges took command, with Ruud needing a medical timeout for a knee injury before being blanked in the fourth set.

The medical staff were on hand again when Bosnian Damir Dzumhur suffered a nasty fall in his match against Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard but recovered to outlast the big-serving Frenchman 7-6(4) 6-3 4-6 6-4.

China's Zheng Qinwen, the Paris 2024 Olympic champion on these courts, powered past Emiliana Arango of Colombia 6-2 6-3 as the eighth seed's big-hitting game proved too much for the world number 85.

She faces Canadian 18-year-old qualifier Victoria Mboko, who extended her fairytale run with a 6-4 6-4 win over Germany's Eva Lys in her Grand Slam debut.

Swiatek made light work of former US Open champion Emma Raducanu, sealing a 6-1 6-2 victory and stretching her winning run in Paris to 23 consecutive matches.

The world number five, looking to become the first woman in the professional era to claim four consecutive titles at Roland Garros, has beaten Raducanu in all five of their meetings in straight sets.

Sabalenka, who is looking to dethrone Swiatek, was broken early in her match with Swiss Teichmann but found her range to complete a 6-3 6-1 win.

Kazakh Rybakina won 6-3 6-3 against American Jovic, whose compatriot Caroline Dolehide was beaten 5-7 6-3 6-3 by 2017 champion Jelena Ostapenko.

The United States had reason to cheer though when Frances Tiafoe eased past Pablo Carreno Busta 6-4 6-3 6-1 while Tommy Paul came back from the brink of defeat to beat Marton Fucsovics 4-6 2-6 6-3 7-5 6-4.

Emilio Nava was unable to punch his ticket into the next round, however, falling 6-3 7-6(5) 6-3 to 10th seed Holger Rune in the night match.

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