Plum native Bjorn Fratangelo qualifies for French Open
Plum native Bjorn Fratangelo will play in this year’s French Open after winning a qualifier Thursday in Paris.
The nine-year pro secured his spot with a 6-2, 7-6 (3) win over Australia’s Alexsandar Vukic.
Fratangelo, 27, will enter his 11th Grand Slam tournament. He is 2-10 in 12 Grand Slam matches.
He is 1-2 all-time at the French Open. He made the second round in 2016 and also played in the 2017 tournament.
Fratangelo also owns a Grand Slam victory at the 2017 U.S. Open.
This year marks the 10th anniversary of Fratangelo winning the French Open boys singles title. The win helped him rise to No. 2 in the junior rankings.
Fratangelo is matched up with Great Britain’s Cameron Norrie in the first round. If Fratangelo is able to win two matches, he could face No. 3 Rafael Nadal in the third round.
Nadal, 34, is hoping to win his fifth straight French Open title. It also would be his record-extending 14th men’s singles title overall at Roland Garros.
The French Open begins Monday.
Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.
Remove the ads from your TribLIVE reading experience but still support the journalists who create the content with TribLIVE Ad-Free.