Guto makes history for Brazil with boys' title

Brazilian flags were flying inside Court Simonne-Mathieu as top-seeded Lius Guto Miguel of Brazil took on American Michael Antonius in Saturday’s boys’ singles final.

The Goiania, Brazil native played high-energy tennis to match the passion of his green-and-cold clad fans, stinging the ball from corner to corner as he rode to a 6-3, 6-4 victory.

"It was a big atmosphere," Miguel said. "I will never forget this day."

In the process, the charismatic youngster has made history for his country, becoming the first Brazilian to ever capture a Roland-Garros junior title.

No Brazilian had reached the boys’ final since 1967.

“It was always a goal to win this tournament,” an emotional Guto told his team. “I want to dedicate this title to my coach Kike [Granjeiro]. He’s passing through a tough moment now in his life. His brother passed away two weeks ago and he was here in Europe with me alone, supporting me every day and holding all the pressure – thank you so much.”

Miguel broke Antonius twice in the 36-minute opening set, relying on heavy topspin drives and delicate drop shots to put the American off balance.

He ripped 27 winners to just five for the American in the 75-minute contest.

Antonius, who hails from Buffalo, N.Y., the same town as American Grand Slam finalist Jessica Pegula, became the youngest American to win an ITF men’s singles title in Bakersfield, California earlier this year.

He had upset the No.2, No.5 and No.6 seeds to reach the final in his second career Grand Slam event.

The Guto show

The crowd gave Miguel the Fonseca treatment, chanting Ole Guto! as their new hero kept them entertained. They erupted late in the match when Miguel successfully pulled off a tweener at the net for a 6-3, 5-2 lead.

"I'm the kind of player that likes to play with the crowd," he said. "In Brazil, especially because we are mostly a football country, the crowd is always supporting a lot. I just want to thank everyone that cheered for me today."

Confidence surging, the Brazilian urged them to get louder as he went to his chair after the showstopping point. Though he dropped the next two games, he finished off his run with his fourth service break of the match before dropping to the clay in celebration.

“First I would like to congratulate Guto for a great tournament,” Antonius said during the trophy presentation. “Tough match today, but it was a great tournament and I’m happy with my result.”

Oktiabreva wins girls' title

Alisa Oktiabreva claimed the girls’ singles title on Court Simonne-Mathieu, delivering a 6-2, 6-1 victory over China’s Sun Xinran.

The 17-year-old was playing her first junior event since the 2023 US Open after testing the waters at the professional level for the last two years. Ranked No.309 on the WTA Tour at the moment, she had hoped to feature in qualifying for the main draw, but when a wrist injury slowed her ranking progress, she decided to take her spot in the juniors.

Oktiabreva's racquet was raining winners on a drizzly Saturday in Paris. She controlled the run of play from start to finish, putting on a dazzling display of power tennis and athleticism against the second seed.

Sun, the first Chinese player to ever reach the girls final in Paris, has been virtually unbeatable in 2026, but she ran into her arch nemesis on Saturday.

The only player who has defeated Sun in the last several months has been Oktabrieva.

She didn’t go without a fight. Trailing 6-2, 4-0, Sun continued to battle her heart out, and used her exceptional backhand to trim the deficit, striking an incredible cross-court winner that brought out loud cheers from the enthusiastic fans.

In the end, Oktabrieva proved impossible to contain.

She claimed the last two games to win a final that was far more entertaining than the scoreline indicates, and dropped to the clay on her back when the title was won.

“For sure you played better than me, but I’m not sure about next time,” said Sun, who was bidding to become the third Chinese player to win a Grand Slam junior singles title, after Wu Yibing (2017 US Open) and Wang Xiyu (2018 US Open).

Oktiabreva continued the good vibes during the trophy ceremony.

“What you’ve done at your age in your career is absolutely amazing, so congrats,” she said, adding: “We came here for a title and we got it – we can go home now.”

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