Tennis
Harris stuns Cilic to qualify for the French Open─── MORGAN PIEK 08:04 Sat, 24 May 2025
South Africa’s top men’s singles player, Lloyd Harris, will be back in action at the French Open this year after missing out last season.
He booked his spot in the main draw on Friday by beating former world number three and Grand Slam champion, Marin Cilic of Croatia, in the third round of qualifiers in Paris.
Harris was put to the test in what was just his fourth win of 2025, grinding out a hard-fought 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 victory on the clay courts of Roland Garros after 2 hours and 15 minutes on court.
The 36-year-old Cilic also showed plenty of fight after trailing by a set and 0-2, managing to push the match into a decider. However, the Croatian – currently ranked 104th and having undergone two knee surgeries over the past two years – let four break-point opportunities slip away in Harris’ final two service games.
Marin Cilic. Photo: X
The 28-year-old Harris, whose parents hail from Bloemfontein, has also battled with injury setbacks over the past year, which saw his ranking tumble to 226 after previously reaching a career-high of 31. But he showed great resilience and determination to pull through.
Cilic last played at Roland Garros in 2022, when he reached the semi-finals of the year’s second Grand Slam, eventually losing to Norway’s Casper Ruud.
On Thursday, Harris got the better of Finland’s higher-ranked Otto Virtanen in the second round of qualifying after the match was delayed by almost a full day. He took an hour and 34 minutes to dispatch the 23rd-seeded Finn 6-4, 7-5.
Andrey Rublev. Photo: X
In the opening round of qualifiers, Harris enjoyed a more straightforward outing, beating Switzerland’s Marc-Andrea Hüsler 6-4, 6-2.
Reaching the second round of the French Open might be a tall order for Harris, as he faces a tough challenge in the first round on Sunday. He’s set to take on 17th seed Andrey Rublev of Russia.
While Rublev is yet to win a Grand Slam, he has reached the quarter-finals of a major on ten occasions, including twice at Roland Garros. However, Harris has beaten big-name players before – most notably Rafael Nadal in their only meeting to date.
Harris and Rublev are scheduled to play at 11:00 on Sunday, the opening day of the French Open.
