French Open 2025 men’s singles semi-finals

Date: Friday, 6 June Time: 13:30 BST Venue: Roland Garros

Coverage: Live radio commentaries across 5 Live Sport and BBC Sounds, plus live text commentaries on the BBC Sport website and app

The era of the ‘Big Three’ may be coming to an end – but the threat has not disappeared.

Players born in the 1990s were restricted to just two Grand Slam singles titles between them as Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic diced up the major prizes for more than two decades.

Two players born after 2000 have captured seven major titles between them.

That is the current top two of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, who are on a collision course in Paris.

But Novak Djokovic still looms large as the ‘Gen Z’ players look to add to their hauls.

The 38-year-old faces Sinner – who is 15 years younger than him – in Friday’s first French Open semi-final, having become the oldest man to reach the last four since 1968.

“I think at the moment he’s a bit underrated,” world number three Alexander Zverev said after falling to Djokovic in four sets on Wednesday.

“I think a lot of people count him out already, but this year he’s had wins over Carlos at the Australian Open, he has beaten me at the French Open.

“Forget the age. For any player, those are pretty good results.”

Defending champion Alcaraz, meanwhile, will look to continue his recent dominance over Lorenzo Musetti in the second semi-final.

Djokovic is bidding for another slice of history. Win in Paris and he will secure a record-breaking 25th major singles title.

But no man has defeated the top three men’s players to win a major since the ATP rankings were introduced.

Djokovic is on a nine-match winning streak heading into the 51st major semi-final of his career. Victory in Geneva last month secured him the 100th tour-level title of his career – a timely confidence boost following a run of three successive defeats.

That run included consecutive opening-round defeats to begin his clay-court season, and the Olympic champion entered Roland Garros in the unusual position of sixth seed.

But he showed age is not inhibiting him as he won a 41-shot rally to save a break point in the fourth set on his way to beating Zverev in three hours and 18 minutes.

He displayed impressive variety to disrupt the German’s baseline dominance with drop shots and serve-and-volley tactics.

Sinner, however, will pose a sterner test.

While their head-to-head record stands at 4-4, the Italian has won their past three meetings.

The reigning US Open and Australian Open champion is on a 19-match winning streak at Grand Slam tournaments – the fourth longest this century after the Djokovic (30), Federer (27) and Nadal (25).

He is chasing history of his own at Roland Garros, seeking to become the first Italian man to win the tournament since Adriano Panatta in 1976.

In his 52nd week as world number one – despite serving a three-month doping suspension between February and May – Sinner could become the first man to win three consecutive majors since Djokovic in 2021.

With unshakeable consistency and devastating precision, Sinner is yet to drop a set this fortnight before attempting to break down arguably the greatest defensive player the game has seen.

Alcaraz looks to continue dominance over Musetti

Alcaraz appears to have hit top gear at the perfect time.

After losing just five games in his straight-set quarter-final win over American Tommy Paul, the Spaniard said: “I could close my eyes and everything [would have gone] in.

“My feeling today was unbelievable. I was trying to hit every shot at 100% – not thinking about anything else, just hitting.”

The four-time major winner did not face a single break point in that match and will now target a sixth successive win over Musetti, having lost just one set in their previous five meetings.

Musetti, whose sole victory over Alcaraz came in their first meeting back in 2022, has risen to sixth in the live rankings after moving to the brink of a first major final.

The Italian will hope to offer greater resistance in their latest meeting after working to improve his serve in the off-season.

“We shortened a bit the motion to have more control, and then I got more confidence in what I was having as a motion,” Musetti said.

“Right now in really difficult situations, I make an ace or have my serve as a weapon, and it was a pretty big change for my game.”

Bbc.com

Liverpool has been assured that new acquisition Jeremie Frimpong will quickly find his feet next season while a deal for Florian Wirtz would see a “proper number 10” arrive at Anfield.

The Reds have recently completed a deal with Bayer Leverkusen for Frimpong and the two clubs are again locked in talks over Wirtz. Liverpool have had two bids rejected for the Germany star but both parties are confident of reaching an agreement.

Nathan Tella, once of Southampton and Burnley, has shared the pitch with the pair at the German club over the past couple of years. And he is adamant that Frimpong, who’s 24, will further his development at Liverpool and effortlessly transition to Premier League play.

“He’s a brilliant player,” remarked Tella. “He wouldn’t have got the move without having great performances for a number of years now.

“He’s one of those players that just gets better every game. I don’t think it will take him any time to adapt.

“I’m quite confident that his speed, his main asset, is going to give defenders a lot of problems, and he’ll be able to use it to get goals for Liverpool and create chances as well.

“It’ll be great for him. He’s probably one of my favourite team-mates I’ve had. He has so much energy. He’s always in a good mood, he’s someone you always want to see and one of those players you always want to have around you.”

In a chat with Sky Sports, Tella was full of praise for Wirtz’s skills and discussed what the 22-year-old could add to a Liverpool side that stormed to the Premier League title this season.

“He’s great as well, you can see his ability every time he gets on the ball,” Tella remarked. “He’s one of those players between the lines, he dribbles, he can create passes, he can score. For me as a forward he’s great to play with.

“He’s a very creative player, someone who can change the game just like that. He has so much talent, so much technical ability, he has an eye for goal, he’s just a brilliant, a proper number 10. They should look forward to watching him (if he leaves).”

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Meanwhile, the Athletic reports that Arne Slot has also held talks with Rayan Cherki and even left his holiday early to speak to the Lyon midfielder.

Cherki has been linked with Manchester City in recent weeks and it is claimed that Liverpool met with his representatives before the chase for Wirtz intensified.

Liverpool.com

Former Chelsea talent, Malik Mothersille, has been added to the Jamaica roster ahead of their clash against the Super Eagles of Nigeria, according to Soccernet.

The 2013 Africa Cup of Nations champions will lock horns with the Reggae Boyz—who defeated Trinidad and Tobago—at the Gtech Stadium on Saturday, having defeated the Black Stars of Ghana in the semi-final of the Unity Cup.

Ahead of the clash, the London-born talent, who is eligible to play for England and Jamaica, got confirmation to play for Jamaica, having pledged his allegiance to play for his parents’ country.

What Has Mothersille Said?
Having been selected for the Unity Cup, the former Chelsea academy player also made the 60-man preliminary squad for the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

Following this, Mothersille, as cited by theposh, is honoured to play for his parents’ country and excited to make his debut on Saturday against Nigeria.

Mothersille said:

“It was an honour to receive a call-up for the Jamaica squad and I have enjoyed this week and getting to know everybody. It caps off a really positive year or so and I am excited for the game on Saturday.”

What Can Mothersille Offer Against Nigeria?
Mothersille can be found on the left and right wings or at centre-forward. The 21-year-old, who has scored 16 goals and provided 10 assists for Peterborough United in the 2024–25 season campaign, is expected to channel this form to the national level by posing a threat to the Super Eagles’ defence.

Having gone through the ranks at Chelsea, the forward is expected to have had experiences in facing tough opponents like Nigeria.

Should Eric Chelle Be Worried?
Although Jamaica has thrown Eric Chelle a curveball with a new addition, in the Super Eagles camp, Brentford talent Benjamin Frederick has been added to replace Christantus Uche—who is unable to come due to personal issues.

Aside from that, stars like Igoh Ogbu, Semi Ajayi and a host of others are expected to use their experience to stop any threats at the back line.

Soccernet.ng