Tennis

Cameron Norrie, the British tennis star, found himself embroiled in a post-match controversy at the Moselle Open on Monday. His opponent, Roberto Carballes Baena, took issue with Norrie's repeated use of the Spanish exclamation "Vamos!" during their match.Carballes Baena, a former Top 10 player, expressed his displeasure after the match, confronting Norrie about his choice of celebration. "You say 'Vamos!' all the time, looking right in my face," the Spaniard said. "You don't need to do that."Norrie, who has worked with an Argentinian coach, Facundo Lugones, since their days as teammates at Texas Christian University, was taken aback by the accusation. He defended his use of "Vamos!" as a way to motivate himself during a difficult match."A couple of 'vamoses' and you get pissed off? ... I'm playing so bad, so I had to fire myself up," Norrie replied.The interaction between the two players recalled a similar incident between Alizé Cornet and Sara Errani at the 2013 Rogers Cup. Errani admonished Cornet for cheering in Spanish rather than her native French.Norrie's post-match comments echoed similar themes of tension, but he maintained that his celebrations were not intended as a slight to his opponent. "I was trying to get fired up ... but I stopped doing it and I started playing better," Norrie said.Despite the controversy, Norrie emerged victorious from the match, rallying from a set down to defeat Carballes Baena 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. He will next face No. 3 seed Grigor Dimitrov, who will be the first alternate for the season-ending ATP Finals in Turin.

Defending champion Novak Djokovic cruised into the third round of the French Open on Thursday, extending his remarkable streak of reaching the last 32 at Roland Garros to 19 consecutive years. The 37-year-old Serbian maestro dispatched Spain's Roberto Carballes Baena in straight sets, 6-4, 6-1, 6-2, in a dominant display that showcased his unwavering class.Djokovic, who is chasing a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title, will next face either Frenchman Gael Monfils or Italian 30th seed Lorenzo Musetti. The Serb holds an unblemished 19-0 record against Monfils and has defeated Musetti four times in five meetings. However, Musetti gave Djokovic a significant scare at the 2021 French Open, winning the first two sets before retiring injured in the decider.Despite dropping his opening service game against the 63rd-ranked Carballes Baena, Djokovic quickly regained control of the match. From 4-4 in the first set, he reeled off 14 of the last 17 games, overwhelming his opponent with an impressive array of 43 winners.Djokovic's victory was a testament to his enduring dominance on clay. He has now won 86 matches at Roland Garros, second only to Rafael Nadal's 105. The Serb is also aiming to become the first man in the Open Era to win all four Grand Slams twice.