Sports world daily: Rune, Haddad Maia win French Open thrillers; Fati, Nacho receive Spain call-ups

The French Open on Monday saw two epic matches as Holger Rune and Beatriz Haddad Maia secured their place in the quarter-finals in two marathon matches. In contrast, defending champion Iga Swiatek was on court for just 31 minutes to move into the quarter-finals after he opponent withdrew through illness.

Barcelona’s Ansu Fati and Real Madrid’s Nacho have been called up to Spain’s squad for the Nations League finals.

Premier League club Tottenham Hotspurs have appointed Australia xxx as their new manager from Scottish club Celtic.

Here’s a look at the key stories from international sporting events through the day for June 6, 2023:

Rune, Haddad Maia win French Open epics

Holger Rune and Beatriz Haddad Maia triumphed in marathon French Open epics which took almost eight hours to complete on Monday while Iga Swiatek required just 31 minutes to move into the quarter-finals.

World number six Rune reached a second successive quarter-final in Paris with his first ever five-set win.

The 20-year-old Dane claimed a four-hour 7-6 (7/3), 3-6, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (10/7) victory against Francisco Cerundolo and will face 2022 runner-up Casper Ruud in a repeat of last year’s bad-tempered quarter-final.

Rune was jeered by the Court Philippe Chatrier crowd for hitting the ball on a double bounce in the fourth game of the third set.

His 23rd seeded Argentine opponent stopped playing, expecting the umpire to call the point for him.

Play continued and Cerundolo, who was called for hindrance when he halted, dropped serve.

“This is tennis. This is sports. Some umpires, they make mistakes. Some for me; some for him. That’s life,” said Rune.

Cerundolo, playing in the second week of a Slam for the first time, had the crowd on its feet when he hit back to level the match.

In a dramatic decider, Rune survived being 3-4, 0-40 to hold and then break.

He served for the match at 5-4 but the 24-year-old from Buenos Aires hit back to level for 5-5 and held for 6-5 before the match went to a knife-edge super-tiebreak.

Rune finished the match with 48 winners and 73 unforced errors.

Haddad Maia won the third longest ever women’s match at Roland Garros to become the first Brazilian woman in the last eight of a Slam since 1968.

Haddad Maia battled from a set and 3-0 down to defeat Sara Sorribes Tormo in three hours and 51 minutes.

The 27-year-old left-hander came through 6-7 (3/7), 6-3, 7-5 against her 132nd-ranked Spanish opponent on Court Suzanne Lenglen, the venue also for the Rune-Cerundolo clash later in the afternoon.

The match was just 16 minutes short of the record four hours and seven minutes it took Virginie Buisson to beat French compatriot Noelle van Lottum in the first round in 1995.

Haddad Maia is the first Brazilian woman in a Slam quarter-final since seven-time major winner Maria Bueno in 1968.

She will face world number seven Ons Jabeur of Tunisia for a place in the semi-finals.

Defending champion and world number one Swiatek set-up a quarter-final with Coco Gauff after Lesia Tsurenko retired from their last-16 clash through illness after just 31 minutes.

Swiatek was leading 5-1 when the 66th-ranked Tsurenko, who had called the doctor after experiencing dizziness and shortness of breath, decided not to continue.

In her last round, Swiatek was on court for just 51 minutes in a 6-0, 6-0 blitz of China’s Wang Xinyu.

Gauff, 19, reached the quarter-finals for a third successive year with a 7-5, 6-2 win over Anna Karolina Schmiedlova of Slovakia.

Last year Swiatek defeated Gauff 6-1, 6-3 in the final to win the title for a second time.

She holds a 6-0 lead over the American in head-to-head meetings.

Jabeur powered into the quarter-finals for the first time with a 6-3, 6-1 rout of Bernarda Pera, breaking the American’s serve eight times.

Jabeur, a Wimbledon and US Open runner-up last year, has now reached at least the quarter-finals of all four Slams.

Fourth-ranked Ruud, the runner-up to Rafael Nadal a year ago, beat in-form Nicolas Jarry of Chile 7-6 (7/3), 7-5, 7-5.

Two-time semi-finalist Alexander Zverev made the quarter-finals for the fifth time in six years with a comfortable 6-1, 6-4, 6-3 over Grigor Dimitrov.

The German will face Tomas Martin Etcheverry after the 49th-ranked Argentine booked a place in a Slam quarter-final for the first time thanks to a 7-6 (10/8), 6-0, 6-1 win over Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka.

French Open results on Monday, the ninth day of the 2023 championships at Roland Garros (x denotes seeded player; players representing Russia and Belarus are banned from competing under the name or flag of their countries):

Men

4th rd

Holger Rune (DEN x6) bt Francisco Cerundolo (ARG x23) 7-6 (7/3), 3-6, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (10/7)

Casper Ruud (NOR x4) bt Nicolas Jarry (CHI) 7-6 (7/3), 7-5, 7-5

Alexander Zverev (GER x22) bt Grigor Dimitrov (BUL x28) 6-1, 6-4, 6-3

Tomas Etcheverry (ARG) bt Yoshihito Nishioka (JPN x27) 7-6 (10/8), 6-0, 6-1

Women

4th rd 

Iga Swiatek (POL x1) bt Lesya Tsurenko (UKR) 5-1 - retired

Coco Gauff (USA x6) bt Anna Karolina Schmiedlova (SVK) 7-5, 6-2

Beatriz Haddad Maia (BRA x14) bt Sara Sorribes Tormo (ESP) 6-7 (3/7), 6-3, 7-5

Ons Jabeur (TUN x7) bt Bernarda Pera (USA) 6-3, 6-1

Nacho, Fati called up to Spain squad

Barcelona attacker Ansu Fati and Real Madrid defender Nacho were called up to the Spain squad for the Nations League finals on Monday after injuries to Nico Williams and David Garcia.

Williams was replaced just after the hour mark in Athletic Bilbao’s 1-1 draw with Real Madrid on Sunday.

Garcia was injured in Osasuna’s 2-1 victory over Girona on the same day.

After receiving medical reports from Osasuna, coach Luis de la Fuente gave the nod to the 33-year-old Nacho to link up with the squad.

Fati, 20, made the last of his seven Spain appearances during December’s World Cup last 16 loss to Morocco.

Spain will play Italy on June 15, a day after the opening Nations League semi-final between the Netherlands and Croatia.

The winners of each semi will face off in the final in Rotterdam on June 18.

Later on Monday, the Spanish Football Federation announced La Roja would face Brazil in a friendly in March 2024 to raise awareness for the fight against racism.

Last month, Madrid’s Brasil forward Vinicius Junior said Spain was seen a “racist country” in his homeland after he received abuse during a game at Valencia.

Tottenham appoint Postecoglou as new manager

Tottenham Hotspurs have appointed Ange Postecoglou as their new manager on a four-year deal, ending their long search for a new coach.

The 57-year-old Australian, who won the domestic Scottish treble with Celtic this season, will replace Antonio Conte at the Premier League club.

Conte left Spurs by “mutual agreement” in late March, with Cristian Stellini and then Ryan Mason taking temporary charge.

Postecoglou will officially join the London club, who finished a disappointing eighth in the Premier League this season, on July 1.

“Ange brings a positive mentality and a fast, attacking style of play,” Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy said on Tuesday.

“He has a strong track record of developing players and an understanding of the importance of the link from the academy – everything that is important to our club.”

The Greek-born Postecoglou enjoyed huge success during two years in Glasgow, winning five trophies. He also managed the Australia team.

But the lure of the Premier League proved too much to resist as he takes on the challenge of trying to revitalise Spurs after a disastrous 12 months.

The club were still challenging for a top-four place when Conte departed but they ended up missing out on European competition.

He becomes the fourth permanent appointment as Spurs boss since Pochettino was sacked less than four years ago.

Postecoglou may also have to cope without the presence of talismanic striker Harry Kane.

Tottenham’s all-time top goalscorer has just one year left on his contract and is attracting interest from Manchester United and Real Madrid.

Long-serving captain Hugo Lloris could also depart after a disappointing season for the French goalkeeper.

With text inputs from AFP

Updated through the day