PARIS (AP) — Jannik Sinner stretched his Grand Slam winning streak to 15 matches by grabbing the last five games to complete a 6-4, 6-3, 7-5 victory over Arthur Rinderknech of France in the French Open's first round on Monday night.
The No. 1-ranked Sinner is playing in his second tournament since serving a three-month doping ban that was announced shortly after he won the Australian Open in January. His case came to light shortly before last year's U.S. Open, which Sinner also won.
The 23-year-old Italian has three Grand Slam titles in all, each trophy arriving on hard courts, and his best showing at Roland-Garros was making it to the semifinals a year ago before losing in five sets to eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz.
The result against the 75th-ranked Rinderknech in Court Philippe-Chatrier was Sinner's 62nd win in a row against opponents outside the top 20.
Sinner was pretty close to perfect over the initial two sets Monday, combining for 19 winners and just eight unforced errors in that span. His level dipped a bit in the third, with nine unforced errors off his racket contributing to deficits of 4-0 and 5-2.
But Sinner righted himself from there and was on his way to a matchup against another Frenchman, 38-year-old Richard Gasquet, who has said this tournament will be the last of his career.
“I know you will support him,” Sinner told the fans with a smile, “but that’s OK.”
Rinderknech, whose best Slam appearance was reaching the third round at the 2023 U.S. Open, did his best to involve the partisan crowd, playing to the spectators and wildly celebrating his best points by sprinting around or waving his arms or shaking his head or reaching into the front row of the stands for a high-five or a handshake.
He has been to known to rile up his supporters and get under an opponent's skin. During a loss against American Taylor Fritz at Roland-Garros two years ago, when Rinderknech was the last French man in the field, the crowd booed and whistled heartily at the end. Fritz put a finger to his lips, then spread his arms to egg on the crowd and yelled, “ Come on! I want to hear it! ”
In the lead-up to a rematch between the two at Wimbledon last year, Rinderknech made a reference to the meeting in Paris, which upset Fritz. So when the All England Club contest ended with the same winner, they got into a bit of a back-and-forth up at the net, an exchange that included Fritz telling Rinderknech to “have a nice flight home.”
France's Arthur Rinderknech sits as he plays Italy's Jannik Sinner during their first round match of the French Tennis Open, at the Roland-Garros stadium, in Paris, Monday, May 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Italy's Jannik Sinner serves the ball to France's Arthur Rinderknech during their first round match of the French Tennis Open, at the Roland-Garros stadium, in Paris, Monday, May 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Italy's Jannik Sinner serves against France's Arthur Rinderknech during their first round match of the French Tennis Open, at the Roland-Garros stadium, in Paris, Monday, May 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Richard “Dick” Codey, a former acting governor of New Jersey and the longest serving legislator in the state's history, died Sunday. He was 79.
Codey’s wife, Mary Jo Codey, confirmed her husband’s death to The Associated Press.
“Gov. Richard J. Codey passed away peacefully this morning at home, surrounded by family, after a brief illness,” Codey's family wrote in a Facebook post on Codey's official page.
"Our family has lost a beloved husband, father and grandfather -- and New Jersey lost a remarkable public servant who touched the lives of all who knew him," the family said.
Known for his feisty, regular-guy persona, Codey was a staunch advocate of mental health awareness and care issues. The Democrat also championed legislation to ban smoking from indoor areas and sought more money for stem cell research.
Codey, the son of a northern New Jersey funeral home owner, entered the state Assembly in 1974 and served there until he was elected to the state Senate in 1982. He served as Senate president from 2002 to 2010.
Codey first served as acting governor for a brief time in 2002, after Christine Todd Whitman’s resignation to join President George W. Bush’s administration. He held the post again for 14 months after Gov. Jim McGreevey resigned in 2004.
At that time, New Jersey law mandated that the Senate president assume the governor’s role if a vacancy occurred, and that person would serve until the next election.
Codey routinely drew strong praise from residents in polls, and he gave serious consideration to seeking the Democratic nomination for governor in 2005. But he ultimately chose not to run when party leaders opted to back wealthy Wall Street executive Jon Corzine, who went on to win the office.
Codey would again become acting governor after Corzine was incapacitated in April 2007 due to serious injuries he suffered in a car accident. He held the post for nearly a month before Corzine resumed his duties.
After leaving the governor’s office, Codey returned to the Senate and also published a memoir that detailed his decades of public service, along with stories about his personal and family life.
“He lived his life with humility, compassion and a deep sense of responsibility to others,” his family wrote. “He made friends as easily with Presidents as he did with strangers in all-night diners.”
Codey and his wife often spoke candidly about her past struggles with postpartum depression, and that led to controversy in early 2005, when a talk radio host jokingly criticized Mary Jo and her mental health on the air.
Codey, who was at the radio station for something else, confronted the host and said he told him that he wished he could “take him outside.” But the host claimed Codey actually threatened to “take him out,” which Codey denied.
His wife told The Associated Press that Codey was willing to support her speaking out about postpartum depression, even if it cost him elected office.
“He was a really, really good guy,” Mary Jo Codey said. “He said, ‘If you want to do it, I don’t care if I get elected again.’”
Jack Brook contributed reporting from New Orleans.
FILE - New Jersey State Sen. and former Democratic Gov. Richard Codey is seen before New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy delivers his State of the State address to a joint session of the Legislature at the statehouse, in Trenton, N.J., Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)
