The 2014 French Open draws to a exciting climax on the clay courts of Roland Garros this weekend and ITV Sport and British Eurosport will screen all the drama as the second Grand Slam winners are crowned in Paris.
Following a tournament of many shocks, surprises and epic matches, more tension and pulsating tennis is expected over finals weekend as the sport’s biggest names battle to be crowned Roland Garros champions.
First up on Saturday is the women’s singles final between Russia’s Maria Sharapova, who plays in her ninth Grand Slam final, and Romania’s Simona Halep, who plays her first.
Sharapova needed all her battling qualities to beat Canadian Eugenie Bouchard to reach a third successive French Open final, coming through in three sets.
Sam Stosur and Garbine Muguruza had been seen off in previous rounds by Sharapova, also in three sets and rising star Bouchard went the same way despite a similarly impressive start in their semi-final encounter.
The 2012 French Open champion will face fourth seed Halep in Saturday’s final, with the Romanian beating Germany’s Andrea Petkovic in straight sets to reach her first Grand Slam final.
Halep will be aiming to cap an incredible year by beating Sharapova on Court Philippe Chatrier on Saturday by winning her first Grand Slam title.
Ranked 57th in the world when she lost in the first round at Roland Garros 12 months ago, Halep will move to number three in the world after the final, no matter what happens.
Sharapova remains an obstacle she has yet to overcome, however, with the Russian having won all there of their previous matches.
Attention turns to the men’s singles final on Sunday as once again the two giants of modern men’s tennis go face-to-face once more – Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic – in a meeting of the world’s top two players.
Djokovic battled past Latvia’s Ernests Gulbis on a hot semi-finals afternoon in Paris to reach his second Roland Garros final, winning in four sets, setting up a repeat of last year’s epic semi-final with the eight-time champion Nadal, who breezed past Britain’s Andy Murray in his last four clash.
Djokovic remains on track to win a first French Open title and with it become the eighth man in tennis history to win all four Grand Slams, however Nadal is in ominous form having powered past Murray to reach his ninth French Open final in 10 years.
While Murray heads to London to defend his titles at Queen’s Club and Wimbledon, Nadal and Djokovic will battle it out in Paris on Sunday in what promises to be another spectacular encounter as the latest chapter in their epic rivalry is written.
ITV Sport will screen live free-to-air coverage of the conclusion to the 2014 French Open at Roland Garros over the weekend of June 7-8 across ITV and ITV4.
Both the women’s and men’s singles finals will be screened live on ITV and ITV HD on Saturday and Sunday afternoons respectively, with coverage starting at 1.30pm ahead of a 2.00pm start for both finals.
If both matches run beyond 5.45pm, live coverage will switch to ITV4 until close of play. Saturday’s coverage will also include the men’s doubles final, which follows the women’s singles final.
As a result of Andy Murray’s run to the semi-finals, ITV Sport will screen the Wimbledon champion’s match against Rafael Nadal in the last four on both ITV and ITV4, with ITV4’s coverage of both men’s semi-finals starting at 11.30am on Friday, June 6.
ITV will then simulcast coverage between 3.00pm and 6.00pm, which is likely to take in the bulk of Murray’s encounter with eight-time French Open champion as it is the second scheduled semi-final to take place on Court Philippe Chatrier, with play starting at 12.00pm.
John Inverdale anchors ITV Sport’s coverage from a specially constructed studio in the heart of the Roland Garros complex overlooking the outside courts throughout the weekend.
Expert analysis and commentary comes from four-time Grand Slam winner Jim Courier, 2013 Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli, Andy Murray’s former coach Mark Petchey, Fabrice Santoro, who played in a record 70 Grand Slams, former British ladies number one Sam Smith and Nick Mullins, while roving reports and interviews come from Celina Hinchcliffe.
For further details on ITV’s coverage, along with live video, match highlights and interviews, visit ITV’s dedicated French Open website – itv.com/frenchopen – or follow the ITV Sport Twitter feed for the latest updates from Roland Garros – @ITVSport.
British Eurosport will also have extensive live coverage across both its channels, ensuring viewers can follow every smash, slice and ace as it happens over the weekend.
Former world number four Greg Rusedski and 1977 Wimbledon winner Virginia Wade will join presenter Rob Curling in British Eurosport’s London studio for daily live coverage, with further comments from former Great Britain Davis Cup player Jamie Baker.
British Eurosport’s expert commentary team includes three-time French Open winner Mats Wilander, 1983 Roland Garros semi-finalist Jo Durie and 1972 French Open doubles winner Frew McMillan, alongside regulars Simon Reed, Chris Bradnam and David Mercer.
Wilander will also present Eurosport’s daily review show, Game, Set and Mats, alongside Annabel Croft, which will be shown following the conclusion of Eurosport’s live coverage each day.
Additional coverage is available via the online subscription service Eurosport Player across a range of mobile, tablet and connected TV devices, while British Eurosport’s tennis website has all the latest news and updates from the tournament. :
SOTB’s guide to the 2014 French Open on ITV & Eurosport:
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OFFICIAL WEBSITE DRAWS SCHEDULE LIVE SCORES
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DAY 14: SUNDAY 8th JUNE
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Court Philippe Chatrier Men’s Final – 14:00 BST start| [1] (ESP) R NADAL. | v | N DJOKOVIC (SRB) [2] |
CLICK HERE for full ORDER OF PLAY
. When & Where to Watch . LIVE: 1.30pm-5.45pm ITV / 5.40pm-8.00pm ITV4
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Watch online via Eurosport Player [£]
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