The Schwerin tennis top-talent Niels McDonald crowned a “blatant week” at the French Open on Saturday-the 17-year-old won the final in the junior individual against the Sailor Max Schoenhaus of the same age with 6: 7), 6: 0 and 6: 3. For the first time ever, two German tennis players faced each other.
McDonald, born in the Welsh Cardiff, son of a Scotsman and a German, has been the first German young player to get a Grand Slam title in individual since Alexander Zverev in Australia. Annika Beck recently won the juniors in Paris in 2012.
The last German junior winner in Paris was Daniel Elsner in 1997, Zverev reached the final in 2013. Nicolas Kiefer won the last purely purely German Grand Slam final among the juniors in 1995 at the US Open against Ulrich-Jasper Seetzen.
National coach Petzschner now with bald
National coach Philipp Petzschner had shaved a bald head in front of the match. This had been due for the former Wimbledon winner in doubles after it was stated that one of his boys wins the Paris title.
Petzschner saw on the court Simonne Mathieu, the third largest place in Stade Roland Garros, initially a tight match of his two protégés. After the first set, McDonald, who completed his training focus in Stockholm, was superior and always benefited from slight mistakes from his opponent: Schoenhaus made 53 unforced errors, McDonald only 23.
The Schwerin also had the much more stable serve. While he took the service four times, he only allowed his opponent two break balls, which he both defended.
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Sport Current | 06.06.2025 | 3:17 p.m.
