Saturday 8th June 2019

Our event of the day takes us to Roland Garros where Day 14 of the French Open will get underway. Today’s action is headlined by the women’s final which will be contested between Australia’s Ashleigh Barty and unseeded Marketa Vondrousova. For both, this represents their best ever finish to a grand slam, with neither having reached a final before in their respective careers. There is also action in the men’s draw today with the doubles final taking place as home crowd favourites Jeremy Chardy and Fabrice Martin take on German duo Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies. Additionally the second men’s singles semi-final needs to be completed, due to been disrupted by rain yesterday, with Novak Djokovic trailing Dominic Thiem 6 - 2, 3 - 6, 3 -1. This year’s women’s singles tournament has already proven to be one of the most unpredictable editions in recent memory and the final is just as difficult to predict. On paper, Ashleigh Barty will be labelled the favourite simply due to her position in the world rankings. The Australian is currently ranked the eighth best player in the world and has dropped just two sets during the competition thus far proving just how tough a competitor she can be.

However, prior to this tournament, her best finish at a grand slam came back in January at the Australian Open, where she reached the Quarter-finals. Furthermore, at this particular competition, Barty has never progressed further than the Round of 64, having won just two games in five previous visits to Roland Garros. Although, Vondrousova has also proven she can mix it with the heavy hitters of the women’s game and is yet to drop a single set in the competition. The left-handed Czech had made just two previous appearances at Roland Garros, highlighting just how incredible an achievement it is to reach the final this time round. Vondrouseva has already eliminated four seeded players on her route to the final, including 26th seed Johanna Konta who many tipped as a dark horse to go all the way. Though the 19-year-old will be the slight underdog heading into the day’s action, she will be out to upset the odds in what will be a thrilling clash on the clay this afternoon.

Honourable mentions around the globe go to the boxing as Gennady Golovkin looks to get back to winning ways against Canadian Steve Rolls at Madison Square Garden. After losing all three of his middleweight belts in his last bout against Saul Alvarez, Golovkin will be desperate to bounce back in New York tonight as the Kazakh goes in search of his 39th professional win. The Cricket World Cup also continues today as England take on Bangladesh at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff. The hosts were stunned last time out after an impressive performance from Pakistan, and they will look to get their campaign back on track aiming for their second win of the competition today. Elsewhere, Euro 2020 qualification continues today with France’s trip to Turkey the pick of the ties. There are also three matches to watch out for at the Women’s World Cup today as Germany face China, Norway do battle with Nigeria and Spain meet South Africa. There is more World Cup action in the darts today too as Peter Wright and Gary Anderson of Scotland look to continue their march to glory as they meet Dennis Nilsson & Magnus Caris of Sweden. In the golf, Rory McIlroy will continue his search for a second title of the year as he competes at the Canadian Open in Ontario. In the WNBA, Minnesota Lynx will look to extend their 100% home record this season as they welcome the Los Angeles Sparks to Target Center in Minneapolis. Finally, keep an eye on the F1 today as qualifying for the Canada GP takes place at Circuit-Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal.

Whatever you’re watching, enjoy!

Fixture

Photos by Roland Garros