Latest news with #FábiánMarozsán
Irish Times
a day ago
- Sport
- Irish Times
Irish-Australian James McCabe suffers first-round defeat at Wimbledon
Australian James McCabe, whose father Patrick is originally from Walkinstown in Dublin, has been defeated in his opening-round match at Wimbledon by Hungary's Fábián Marozsán. The 21-year-old from Sydney, currently 181st in the ATP rankings, reached the main draw having come through last week's qualifiers. The Hungarian, who sits 58th in the ATP rankings, saw off McCabe 6-1 6-4 6-4 on Court 11. [ Wimbledon player James McCabe's Irish father: 'If the tennis court hadn't been where we rented, I don't think he would have picked up a racket' Opens in new window ] Elsewhere on day two at the All England Club, world number one Jannik Sinner has got his tournament under way with a straight-sets win over fellow Italian Luca Nardi. READ MORE Later, Novak Djokovic takes on Alexandre Müller on centre court.
Irish Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Times
Irish roots run deep for James McCabe as he prepares to take Wimbledon stage
Not since Conor Niland, back in 2011, has an Irish player reached the main draw at Wimbledon. While the Limerick man remains the last to play under the Irish tricolour at the famed Grand Slam event, on Tuesday one very proud Irish-Australian player will take to the turf at the All England Club. Twenty-one-year-old James McCabe will face Hungary's Fábián Marozsán in the opening round after coming through last week's qualifiers. Currently 181st in the ATP rankings, his attendance at Wimbledon will go some way towards helping him climb the ladder to the coveted . Quite the achievement, given his unconventional start in the sport. The son of Dubliner Patrick McCabe, who emigrated to Australia from Walkinstown in 1987, and his wife Irene, who is from the Philippines, McCabe's first introduction to tennis was in the complex where the family live in southern Sydney. READ MORE Clay is not his surface. He likes grass and hard courts 'There just happened to be a tennis court there,' Patrick McCabe explains. 'So when he was two-and-a-half I brought him down, and he seemed to have a very good aptitude for it, so I just kept on bringing him down daily.' Patrick himself has never played tennis. 'I didn't know what I was doing. There was a tennis club about a mile away, but we couldn't afford to hire the courts or the lessons because it was really expensive. 'If the tennis court hadn't been in that complex where we rented, then I don't think he ever would have picked up a tennis racket, because he wouldn't have been able to afford it.' But the tennis court wasn't the only sporting facility readily available: there was also a pool, and James took to swimming as naturally as he did to tennis, becoming a national champion in both sports before hitting his teenage years and earning himself a scholarship to a private school. Tennis player James McCabe and his sister Jasmine There, James discovered another aptitude, this time for music, learning the piano and flute before teaching himself to play the guitar. With his swimming and music commitments, tennis took a back seat for much of his school years, bar a stint which ultimately saw him earn a wildcard spot at the 2020 Australian Open junior championships. Unlike many of his tennis contemporaries, McCabe's time on the junior circuit was rather limited, playing in only a handful of tournaments, but it doesn't seem to have hampered his efforts in the senior ranks. In January, he played in the main draw at the Australian Open for a second year running, going one better than 2024 by winning his first-round match against Martin Landaluce, before being defeated by Alex Michelsen in the second. When James was two-and-a-half I brought him down to the courts, and he seemed to have a very good aptitude for it Wimbledon will be his first grand slam event outside of Australia, but the McCabes are confident the Melbourne outings will stand to him in southwest London. 'It's experience, it's just constant experience,' says Patrick. 'He played in the French Open qualifying and he didn't do too well there, but clay is not his surface. He likes grass and hard courts. He does have a very decent serve, so if he serves well and returns well, he's got a good chance.' MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 16: James McCabe of Australia celebrates a point against Alex Michelsen of the United States in the Men's Singles Second Round match during day five of the 2025 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 16, 2025 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by) So far in 2025, the ATP 250, Challenger Tour and majors have taken the McCabes around Australia, India, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, South Korea, China, Portugal, France, England and the Netherlands. After Wimbledon, it's more of the same. 'Eight months a year we're on the road,' Patrick says of the rigorous calendar. He does have a very decent serve, so if he serves well and returns well, he's got a good chance 'As soon as he's out of Wimbledon, he heads to America, then to Mexico, then to Canada. Hopefully he'll be in the main draw again for the US Open at the end of August. And then we'll be going to Asia – China, Japan, South Korea – and then looking to head back to Australia.' McCabe is proud of his Irish roots, holds an Irish passport and has visited a number of times, as Patrick has three sisters still living here. Tuesday will be a tough ask for McCabe, with his opponent Marozsán currently 58th in the ATP rankings. But his father says his son will treat this like any other tournament. They'll do a quick 20-minute debrief on the Hungarian tonight, but aside from that McCabe will go out and play his own game. 'It's a dream,' McCabe says. Long may his dream continue. ♦ McCabe is scheduled to be in action on Court 11 at 11am on Tuesday. BBC Two will have live coverage of the morning session.
CNN
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
Carlos Alcaraz leads French Open crowd in song after reaching the third round
Carlos Alcaraz fought back from a slip-up in the second set against Hungary's Fábián Marozsán to reach the French Open third round, eventually winning 6-1, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2. After a strong start, Alcaraz wavered in the second set and Marozsán pounced to level the scores, but the Spaniard soon stepped it up a gear to close out the match. One shot in particular in the third set highlighted the new level Alcaraz, the defending champion in Paris, quickly found. After chasing down an angled shot from Marozsán, Alcaraz flicked his wrist and crushed an unusual, one-handed, backhand passing shot, which just skimmed over the net and caught the line. Marozsán, hands on hips, turned to look at Alcaraz in bewilderment before a rueful smile crept across his face. Alcaraz stood there admiring the shot with a broad grin. Clearly in a good mood after his performance, Alcaraz led the French Open crowd in the famous chant, taken from the pasodoble 'En Er Mundo,' that can be heard across Roland Garros throughout the tournament's two weeks. 'One thing, one thing. I always wanted to do (this). I hope everyone follows me: popopopopopopo pololoooo!' Alcaraz sung, with the crowd responding with an: 'Olééé!' 'It was a great, great match. I played well in the first set,' Alcaraz said, per the ATP. 'I had really high confidence. In the second set, he started to play much better, really aggressively and didn't miss at all. 'It was a little bit difficult dealing with his game in the second set, but I was pleased to stay strong and refresh in the third set and I started to play better and better. I had a really good last two sets.' There appear to be no lingering effects of the adductor injury that kept Alcaraz from competing in his home Masters 1000 tournament in Madrid last month, as he showcased all of his speed and agility around the court against Marozsán. Alcaraz has also ditched the leg strapping he used in his title run at the Italian Open. Alcaraz, the French Open No. 2 seed behind Jannik Sinner, will face Bosnia's Damir Džumhur in the third round on Friday when he continues his quest to become the first man to defend a French Open title since idol Rafael Nadal in 2020. There were some high-profile casualties in the second round as No. 7 seed and two-time French Open finalist Casper Ruud was knocked out by Portugal's Nuno Borges. The unseeded Borges won 2-6, 6-4, 6-1, 6-0 and Ruud – who was playing through a knee injury – criticized a 'questionable' points system which 'forces players to show up injured or sick.' 'It's kind of like a rat race when it comes to the rankings,' Ruud said. 'You feel you're obligated to play with certain rules that the ATP have set up with the mandatory events. You feel like you lose a lot if you don't show up and play, both economically, point-wise, ranking-wise and opportunity-wise.' CNN Sports has reached out to the ATP for comment. Elsewhere, 2021 French Open finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas was beaten by unseeded Italian Matteo Gigante. The 23-year-old Gigante claimed an impressive 6-4, 5-7, 6-2, 6-4 win to reach the third round of a grand slam for the first time in his career. Tsitsipas, the No. 20 seed this year, is set to fall out of the world's top 20 for the first time since 2018 as he continues to struggle with form.
