Sportspersons of the Week Ending 6/7/2026

This Blog has seen dueling winners for Sportsman of the Week, but never a Sportsman AND Sportswoman of the Week in the same week.  Until now.  Mirra Andreeva and Alexander Zverev both surged through fields to win their first Grand Slam tournament at Rolland Garros, the French Open.  In Andreeva's case, it may be the sign of the next superstar of ladies' tennis.  She's 19 and this was her first Grand Slam Final.  The Russian teen cruised to victory over qualifier Maja Chwalinska, who shocked the whole tournament just by getting this far.  In fact, Chwalinska earned more money at the 2026 French Open than she had in her pro career to date starting in 2019 before the COVID disruption.  Meanwhile the talented German Zverev hasn't been able to break through the best players in any tournament, being denied titles in Grand Slams in 2020, 2024, and 2025. But at the French Open, he surged past Flavio Cobolli in a five-set thriller for his title.  2026 was the year for this pair, winning their first Grand Slams and, especially in Andreeva's case, one of more to come.  Congrats to Mirra Andreeva and Alexander Zverev, the Longhorndave Sportspersons of the week!

Sportswoman of the Week Ending 6/9/2024

So many amazing sports in late Spring style, but the French Open was center square (in advance of the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris) and new faces are taking control.  On the Ladies side of the bracket, Iga Swiatek won her third straight French Open and the fourth in five years.  The World's Number One lady dominated at Rolland Garros through 15 sets in seven rounds, only losing one and having one tiebreak (against the formidable resurgent Naomi Osaka in the second round).  Outside of that Sviatek lost a total of 20 games in six matches.  That's 72-20 games never a lost set.  She's so good and may be cementing herself as an all-time great but is the Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week!

This is Ms. Swiatek  second Sportswoman of the Week, she previously won in the COVID year which was her first Grand Slam Major.

Sportswoman of the Week Ending 6/13/2021

Winner.  Best way to describer our Sportswoman of the Week.  Win the singles.  Win the doubles.  At a Grand Slam.  Of course we're talking about Barbora Krejcikova.  An improbable unseeded single, and highly seeded double did things that haven't been done in decades.  Krejcikova began the weekend by downing another improbable finalist in Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the French Open finals at Roland Garros 6-1, 2-6, 6-4.  To cap off her weekend, she then won the doubles on Sunday with fellow Czech Katerina Siniakova beating Iga Swiatek and Bethanie Mattek-Sands 6-4, 6-2.  Entered Paris and never lost a match.  None of this was expected.  Krejcikova looked all the part of a Top 10 singles talent while not being ranked in the Top 30.  The Czech will be soon.  And our Sportswoman of the Week!

Sportswoman of the Week Ending 10/11/2020

The recovery of the sports world continues, this time with the French Open...in October.  And while the Gentlemen's side of the bracket went predictably, the Ladies' side most certainly did not.  Roaring through some of the biggest names in the sport, Poland's phenom star Iga Swiatek could not be slowed down.  Like not even a dropped set.  Not even a tiebreak.  Only once after the second round did an opponent get as many as four games against her in a set.  And that was in the finals against upshot fourth seeded American Sofia Kenin.  At 19 years old, the unseeded Swiatek (ranked 54th in the World) became the youngest to win at Roland Garros since legend Monica Seles in 1992.  Easy to guess she might not be done winning big championships.  A legend to watch and the Longhorndave Sportswoman of the Week!

Sportswoman of the Week Ending 6/10/2018

An action packed week of sports saw two of the major four North American team sports settle their titles, along with a Triple Crown winner.  But we turn to tennis for this week.  Simona Halep captured the 2018 French open and became the first Romanian to win a tennis Grand Slam final since 1978 (and is our first Romanian Sportswoman of the Week).  Halep is the World's Number 1 player and after three prior Grand Slam finals defeats, finally broke through against American Sloane Stephens after going down a set.  The only other set she lost in the tournament was to former Sportswoman of the week Angelique Kerber while dominating other prominent and ranked ladies players like Garbine Muguruza and Elise Mertens.  Halep is the next big star in ladies tennis, and is the Longhorndave Sportswoman of the Week!

Sportswoman of the Week Ending 6/11/2017

From unseeded to Champion, the women's side of the French Open produced a surprise winner.  The door for a new champion was left open, as four of the last five champions (Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova) did not play due to vastly different circumstances.  However, Jelena Ostapenko came from no where to capture the title.  The 19-year-old Latvian overcame a set deficit to beat 3rd seed Simona Halep 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.  It was the third time in the last four matches Ostapenko had to overcome a first set loss, and all four of her last matches went to a decisive third set.  With the Williams sisters getting older, and the likes of Sharapova perhaps never being the same as she was in her prime, is Ostapenko the new face of women's tennis?  Time will tell, but she is the Longhorndave Sportswoman of the Week!

Sportswoman of the Week Ending 6/5/2016

There was an upset at Rolland Garros in Paris, or was it a changing of the guard?  The defending French Open Champion Serena Williams was unable to defend her title against upstart Garbine Muguruza of Spain (Born in Venezuela) in a brisk two sets (7-5, 6-4).  Muguruza seemed to be the first Williams opponent to out Serena her.  More power.  More speed.  With Serena's recent (and not as recent) dominance, there hasn't been room on the stage for another women's player to run off a few tournaments.  Will Muguruza be the one? Her next test is at the Wimbledon Championship.  Where she met Williams last year in the finals.  Is a rematch afoot?  Only those that seed the players can make it happen.  But if Muguruza makes it two in a row, the guard might have changed.  For now, she breaks through as our Sportswoman of the Week!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 6/9/2013

This week's sportsman is slowly etching his name into the fabric of his sport.  Particularly at the French Open.  Rafael Nadal became the first gentleman's player to win the same Grand Slam event eight times.  Rafa is the best man on clay ever, and perhaps the best player on any individual surface.  In his last 60 matches at Roland Garros in Paris, he's lost one.  Fellow Spaniard David Ferrer had no answers over three sets, only eeking out 8 games.  At 12 majors, he's only chasing Pete Sampras and Roger Federer.  But chasing nobody in French Open history, and this weeks Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week.

Sportswoman of the Week Ending 6/10/2012

Another competitive week, so many sports going on, but this week's winner is a tour major winner, completing the career grand slam...Maria Sharapova.  The 2012 French Open winner, she dropped 5 games total in her first three matches, lost only one set overall (on a tiebreak), and only twice game up as many as 4 games in a set (once being the lost set).  She takes over the #1 in the world (again).  Hard to believe she's only 25 years old having been playing in majors for 9 years now.  Congratulations Maria, you are the Longhorndave, Sportswoman of the week!