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After a fortnight of drama, plenty of exciting matches, and compelling storylines, the 2022 French Open came to a close on Sunday. The in-form Carlos Alcaraz and last year's finalist Stefanos Tsitspas were expected to do well, but went out in the middle stages of the tournament.
Novak Djokovic appeared to be back to his best, but his title defense came to an end in the quarterfinals at the hands of his old foe Rafael Nadal. As for the King of Clay himself, he arrived in Paris with concerns regarding his fitness and form, but established his surpemacy at Roland Garros once again.
The women's draw was marked by upsets galore right from the start. Most of the top players bowed out early, with just three top-10 players making it to the third round. 2018 Roland Garros finalist Sloane Stephens had a resurgence this year, making it to the quarterfinals once again.
Teenager Coco Gauff was deemed one of the sport's biggest stars right from her debut a few years ago. She reached her maiden Grand Slam final in singles, while also making it to the title round in doubles. Unfortunately, the American failed to emerge victorious in either.
Amidst the chaos and uncertainty of the women's tour, Iga Swiatek has been a beacon of consistency. The World No. 1 was the pre-tournament favorite and she demonstrated why she's a cut above the rest by lifting the trophy in Paris for the second time in her career.
Along with Nadal and Swiatek, more victors were crowned. Here's a list of the 2022 French Open champions:
# Men's singles - Rafael Nadal
With 13 French Open titles and a 105-3 win-loss record, Rafael Nadal should've been the outright favorite to triumph in Paris yet again. However, with his foot injury acting up coupled with a tough draw, the Spaniard, while still a contender, wasn't the frontrunner this time around.
But counting out Nadal at Roland Garros is a foolish endeavor. After straight-sets victories in the first three rounds, he passed a tough test by overcoming Felix Auger-Aliassime in five sets in the fourth round. He got the better of arch-rival Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals and Alexander Zverev's mid-match injury in the semifinals saw him advance to the title round yet again.
Nadal easily brushed aside first-time finalist Casper Ruud to win his 14th title in Paris along with a record-extending 22nd Grand Slam title. He remains on course for a calendar year Grand Slam, but hasn't guaranteed his participation at Wimbledon just yet.
# Women's singles - Iga Swiatek
Iga Swiatek stamped her authority on the women's tour as she won her second Grand Slam title at this year's French Open. She was the overwhelming favorite to win the title in the lead-up to the tournament and with good reason. She arrived in Paris on a 28-match winning streak, nabbing five titles on the trot.
Swiatek eased past her opponents with relative ease, dropping just one set in the tournament against Zheng Qinwen in the fourth round. She defeated Coco Gauff 6-1, 6-3 in the final to emerge victorious at Roland Garros for the second time. With the victory, she extended her unbeaten run to 35 matches, equalling Venus Williams' record for most consecutive wins this century.
# Men's doubles - Jean-Julien Rojer and Marcelo Arevalo
Jean-Julien Rojer and Marcelo Arevalo won the title the hard way, showing nerves of steel by saving three championship points. The duo defeated Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek 6-7(4), 7-6(5), 6-3 to win their maiden Grand Slam title as a team.
It was Rojer's third Major title and his first in Paris. He just needs to win the Australian Open to complete a Career Grand Slam. He also became the oldest player to win a Grand Slam title in doubles. Arevalo became the first player from Central America to win a Grand Slam title. It was his maiden Major title.
# Women's doubles - Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic
Back in 2016, Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic won their maiden Grand Slam title in the women's doubles at the French Open. The duo were a formidable doubles team, but parted ways a year later, competing together sporadically after that.
They reunited to compete in Paris once more this year and had a fairytale run to the title. They defeated Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 in the final. This is Mladenovic's sixth Grand Slam title in the women's doubles and second for Garcia.
# Mixed doubles - Ena Shibahara and Wesley Koolhof
Wesley Koolhof and Ena Shibahara defeated Joran Vliegen and Ulrikke Eikeri 7-6(5), 6-2 to claim the mixed doubles title. All four players were vying to win their maiden Grand Slam title across all disciplines, but the Dutch-Japanese pair ultimately came out on top.
After failing to serve out the opening set, Koolhof and Shibahara trailed 5-2 in the tie-break. But the duo won the next five points to clinch the set and faced no trouble in the second as they bagged the title.
# Boys' singles - Gabriel Debru
Gabriel Debru's Grand Slam debut as a junior got off to a disappointing start as he lost in the first round of the Australian Open earlier this year. However, the teenager stepped up his game at his home Slam, winning the boys' singles title at the French Open.
Debru defeated Gilles-Arnaud Bailly 7-6(5), 6-3 in the final. He dropped just one set en route to the title, which was against Dino Prizmic in the semifinals.
# Girls' singles - Lucie Havlickova
Petra Kvitova, Barbora Krejcikova and Karolina Pliskova, among others, have made the Czech Republic a powerhouse in tennis. The country has now found itself another promising talent in the form of Lucie Havlickova.The teenager won the French Open girls' title by defeating Solana Sierra 6-3, 6-3 in the final.
En route to the final, Havlickova won a few difficult three-set matches, demonstrating the full extent of her capabilities. As if winning the singles title wasn't enough, she claimed the title in doubles as well.
# Boys' doubles - Edas Butvilas and Mili Poljicak
Edas Butvilas and Mili Poljicak defeated the Peruvian duo of Gonzalo Bueno and Ignacio Buse 6-4, 6-0 to win the boys' doubles title at the French Open. This is the second junior Grand Slam doubles title for Butvilas, having won the boys' doubles title at Wimbledon last year as well.
# Girls' doubles - Lucie Havlickova and Sara Bejlek
Lucie Havlickova defeated compatriot Sara Bejlek in the semifinals of the girls' singles. However, the duo teamed up to compete in the girls' doubles and ended up winning the title. The Czech team defeated Nikola Bartunkova and Celine Naef 6-3, 6-3 in the final.
Both Havlickova and Bejlek performed extremely well in the junior events this year and will be expected to make the transition to the WTA tour in the not too distant future.
What is the foot injury that has troubled Rafael Nadal over the years? Check here
