How well do you know the French Open, the Grand Slam tennis tournament that begins Sunday at Roland Garros in Paris? Give this AP quiz a try:
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1st Round: Neither Serena Williams nor Venus Williams entered the French Open this year. Serena first participated in the tournament in 1998; Venus made her debut a year earlier. In the quarter-century since, how many times has it been held without either of the sisters, who own a combined 30 Grand Slam singles titles (23 for Serena, seven for Venus) and another 14 in doubles (all earned together)?
a.) Never
b.) Once
c.) Twice
d.) Three times
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2nd Round: Who was the last opponent beaten by 2021 French Open champion Novak Djokovic in a Grand Slam match?
a.) Rafael Nadal
b.) Daniil Medvedev
c.) Alexander Zverev
d.) Matteo Berrettini
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3rd Round: How many consecutive French Open women’s singles champions were first-time Grand Slam champions?
a.) 2
b.) 4
c.) 6
d.) 8
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4th Round: Who was the most recent Roland Garros boys’ champion to claim the men’s championship?
a.) Stan Wawrinka
b.) Ivan Lendl
c.) Mats Wilander
d.) Bjorn Borg
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Quarterfinals: Barbora Krejcikova won women’s singles and doubles trophies at the 2021 French Open. Who was the last woman to do that in the same year?
a.) Kim Clijsters
b.) Chris Evert
c.) Martina Navratilova
d.) Mary Pierce
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Semifinals: Danielle Collins, a 28-year-old American who won two NCAA singles titles for the University of Virginia, reached her first Grand Slam final at this year’s Australian Open. What remains the only season in the Open era (which began in 1968) in which no U.S. woman reached any Slam final?
a.) 2016
b.) 2006
c.) 1996
d.) 1986
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Women’s Final: Who was the last French Open women’s singles champion to win the trophy at Roland Garros without dropping a set?
a.) Serena Williams
b.) Justine Henin
c.) Iga Swiatek
d.) Garbiñe Muguruza
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Men’s Final: How many times has 13-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal won the trophy at Roland Garros without dropping a set?
a.) 6
b.) 4
c.) 2
d.) Zero
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ANSWERS
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1st Round. b. Neither Williams participated in the 2011 French Open because of health issues — Serena sat out the first half of the season after being treated for blood clots in her lungs; Venus missed time early that year because of a hip problem, then later announced she had been diagnosed with Sjogren’s syndrome, an autoimmune disease. The 2011 French Open also was the only instance of both sisters missing a major tournament between the 2003 U.S. Open and the 2021 U.S. Open.
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2nd Round. c. Djokovic defeated Zverev 4-6, 6-2, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 in the semifinals of the U.S. Open last September. In Djokovic’s next match, he lost to Medvedev 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 in the final at Flushing Meadows, ending a 27-match winning streak at majors and a bid for the first calendar-year Grand Slam in men’s tennis since Rod Laver in 1969. Djokovic has not competed at a major since; he sat out the Australian Open in January because he is not vaccinated against COVID-19.
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3rd Round. c. Each of the past six women’s champions in Paris collected her first major trophy there: Barbora Krejcikova (2021), Iga Swiatek (2020), Ash Barty (2019), Simona Halep (2018), Jelena Ostapenko (2017), Garbiñe Muguruza (2016). Barty, Halep and Muguruza later added other Slam titles.
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4th Round. a. Wawrinka followed up his 2003 boys’ title with the 2015 men’s title, defeating Novak Djokovic in the final 4–6, 6–4, 6–3, 6–4. A total of six men have added the main trophy to a junior triumph, including Wilander (junior in 1981; men’s in 1982, 1985, 1988 men’s) and Lendl (junior in 1978; men’s in 1982, 1985 and 1988). Borg, a six-time men’s champion in Paris, never won the junior title there, nor did Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic or Roger Federer.
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Quarterfinals. d. Pierce won the singles and doubles titles in 2000.
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Semifinals. b. That year, with Serena and Venus Williams both limited by injuries, the four Grand Slam finals were: Amelie Mauresmo of France beat Justine Henin of Belgium at the Australian Open; Henin beat Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia at the French Open; Mauresmo beat Henin at Wimbledon; Maria Sharapova of Russia beat Henin at the U.S. Open.
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Women’s Final. c. Swiatek did not drop a set en route to the 2020 championship, which was not only her first Grand Slam title, but also her first tour-level title. Three of the past four women’s Grand Slam titles were collected by players who did not drop a set, including Emma Raducanu at the U.S. Open and the since-retired Ash Barty at the Australian Open.
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Men’s Final. b. Nadal won the 2008, 2010, 2017 and 2020 French Opens without ceding a set. He is the only man in the Open era to win four Grand Slam titles that way. Since the start of the professional era, the only other men to do it more than once at a major are Bjorn Borg (three times) and Roger Federer (twice). Serena Williams holds the women’s Open era mark of six Slam titles without dropping a set.
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