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The Guardian - UK
Sport
Katy Murrells (now) and Gregg Bakowski (for a bit, earlier)

French Open 2020: Schwartzman beats Thiem, Podoroska shocks Svitolina – as it happened

Diego Schwartzman celebrates after reaching the first Grand Slam semi-final of his career.
Diego Schwartzman celebrates after reaching the first Grand Slam semi-final of his career. Photograph: Ian Langsdon/EPA

Some news, courtesy of Tumaini Carayol:

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Iga Swiatek and Martina Trevisan are now getting under way, as the clock ticks past 9pm, and there’s still Rafa Nadal and Jannik Sinner to come after that. After Nadal’s grumbles at the start of the tournament about the heavy balls and cold conditions, I wonder what he’ll make of this situation. Our coverage will stop here, but I’ll leave you with Tumaini Carayol’s report on Nadia Podoroska’s superb win over Elina Svitolina earlier. It’s certainly been a day for the Argentinian underdogs. Thanks for your company, do join me again tomorrow. Bye!

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The pair have a friendly chat at the net, before patting each other on the back, the rule breakers. But who’s going to pull them up on that after the match they’ve just produced. Thiem walks off court and will know he’s got a great chance of winning this tournament one day, but this event came too soon after his breakthrough slam win at the US Open just over three weeks ago. He faded fast in a final set that didn’t hit the dramatic heights of the rest of the match. As Thiem takes his leave, Schwartzman, still with a smile as big as the heart he showed today, says:

Dominic is one of the best players right now in the world, winning the last slam, two-times final here. We’re friends, I have a lot of respect for him, that’s why this match is so important to me. This is the third time I’ve played five sets here, this time I deserved to win.

Schwartzman and Thiem
The pair have a chat at the net. Photograph: Julien de Rosa/EPA

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Schwartzman takes out Thiem 7-6, 5-7, 6-7, 7-6, 6-2!

It’s probably best if Schwartzman doesn’t glance at the scoreboard, though, given the way he’s frozen when leading during this match. We probably can’t blame him given it’s only 12 degrees in Paris. But enough chatter about the weather, Thiem is serving to stay in a tournament where he has reached the final the past two years. This would be his earliest exit at the event since 2015. At 30-all, Thiem is living dangerously, and Schwartzman has match point when Thiem’s backhand meekly slumps into the net! Thiem then nets again with a tame drop shot and that’s game, set and match Schwartzman! The victor takes off his cap, raises his arms into the air and beams at his box. What a match.

Diego Schwartzman celebrates his win
Diego Schwartzman celebrates his win. Photograph: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

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Thiem looks spent. Schwartzman holds comfortably for 5-2. The Argentinian 12th seed has never beaten a top-five player at a slam, let alone reached a major semi-final. This would be a career-defining win for him.

A good stat from the ATP: Nadal has spent seven hours, 15 minutes on court so far, from the first round to the fourth, while Thiem has been inconvenienced for eight hours, 24 minutes and counting in the fourth round and quarter-finals alone. If Thiem does advance and assuming Nadal does against Jannik Sinner – whether that match still takes place today or tomorrow – would Thiem have enough in the tank in the semi-finals to trouble the 12-times champion who he’s lost to in the past two Roland Garros finals?

But back to the action. It’s another hold for Schwartzman. This match hasn’t really caught fire in the final set, but just as I type that, Thiem slumps 0-15, 0-30, 0-40 behind. The first break points of the decider. And on the stroke of five hours, Schwartzman will hope he’s struck the decisive blow when a tired-looking Thiem nets. Schwartzman leads 7-6, 5-7, 6-7, 7-6, 4-2.

It’s also admirable how Thiem has the energy to be moving well after four and a half hours, only weeks after winning the US Open and two days after his five-setter against Hugo Gaston. There’s not much giving on serve here, with another hold apiece, both to 30. It’s 2-2.

The 5ft 7in Schwartzman is still looking sprightly as he skips around the court in the first game of the fifth set. We probably shouldn’t keep referring to his height, but it really is impressive how he can go toe-to-toe with the world’s best players, many of whom are close to a foot taller than him. Inch for inch, you could say he’s been the better player today. Schwartzman holds to love; Thiem holds to 30. It’s 1-1 in the final set.

... Thiem misses his first serve, lands the second, and after a short exchange miscues into the tramlines! After four hours and 34 minutes, this one is going the distance. It was always going to end this way. It’s Schwartzman 7-6, 5-7, 6-7, 7-6 Thiem. And soon it will be winter.

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Plenty of scrambling and sliding and grunting as they get under way again with a lengthy rally. Schwartzman has his head in his hands after bashing a backhand into the net. But is mightily relieved when Thiem goes long. 4-4. 5-4 to Schwartzman, after a second successive Thiem error. Two points on Schwartzman’s serve to force a final set ... but of course nothing comes easy in this match, and once again they’re back on serve. 5-5. Under immense pressure, Schwartzman brings up set point with his 745th drop shot of the day ...

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Thiem takes the first point, on his serve, 1-0. Schwartzman holds for 1-1, but nets after a probing return from Thiem. The Argentinian is busy chattering and chuntering to himself about conceding the mini-break, which Thiem backs up for 3-1, before pulling the trigger on his one-handed backhand ... and netting! They’re back on serve, with Thiem leading 3-2, and they change ends with nothing to choose between them, 3-3 ...

Fancy another tie-break? Sure you do. Schwartzman scrapes through from deuce after another captivating game – some extraordinary tennis is being played at the moment – and if he wins this breaker, a match that already feels as if it has gone the distance, will really be going the distance. Sit tight.

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It’s nearly 8pm in Paris, with Iga Swiatek v Martina Trevisan and Jannik Sinner v Rafael Nadal supposedly still to come on Philippe Chatrier after this. It’s been announced there’ll be no more matches on Suzanne Lenglen today, so organisers won’t be moving either of the quarter-finals over there.

And lightning strikes twice, when Thiem produces another superb forehand winner, this time to save a break point at 5-5, 30-40. That’s 12 forehand winners for the set, compared to Schwartzman’s one. And again Thiem charges through the game from there. So Schwartzman, having had three set points at 5-4, must now hold serve at 5-6 to stay in this crazy contest.

That Thiem forehand:

So Diego, what are you made of? The Argentinian moves to 15-0, then a delightful drop shot gets him to 30-0, which is quickly 40-0, three set points. Thiem gets in on the winning drop shot act on the first, Schwartzman hits out on the second, then Thiem somehow lands an absolutely outrageous forehand winner down the line, hitting on the run from beyond the tramlines! The shot of the match so far! That’s woken the crowd up from their hibernation. Remarkable. It’s deuce. And Thiem takes full advantage to break. Cue a rueful Schwartzman smile at the ridiculousness of it all. It’s Schwartzman 7-6, 5-7, 6-7, 5-5 Thiem*.

Having been tight as a drum towards the end of the third set, how will Schwartzman cope here? Pretty well, it seems, when he moves to 0-30 on Thiem’s serve. Two points away from forcing a decider. But then he’s pulled back by Thiem, as he has been throughout this match, 15-30, 30-30, 40-30, game. The story of the match so far in one game. But Schwartzman still has the chance to serve this set out, leading 5-4.

Schwartzman holds to 30 for 4-2. Thiem grabs a rare love hold to cut his deficit to 4-3. Neither player appears to be feeling the nerves at the moment – perhaps that will come if Schwartzman gets closer to winning the set. And the underdog has given himself a chance here, taking another game when Thiem’s effort slides down his own side of the net. It’s 5-3 Schwartzman.

Diego Schwartzman plays a forehand.
Diego Schwartzman plays a forehand. Photograph: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

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Schwartzman continues his revival, breaking from deuce to take his third game on the spin for 3-2. Day is turning to night, as the skies darken and the floodlights shine brightly on Philippe Chatrier. By the time this match has finished, the Paris autumn will probably have turned to winter. The small bubbles of fans shiver. And the umpire doesn’t look too comfortable either:

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Among all the talk of Nadal reaching for a 13th Roland Garros title, which would see him move alongside Roger Federer on 20 majors, and Novak Djokovic attempting to move within one slam of Nadal, we shouldn’t forget Thiem’s French Open record in recent years. Victory today would put him into the semi-finals for the fifth successive year. But he’s still being made to work for the win, as Schwartzman holds for 2-2. That’s seven points on the spin for the Argentinian, who has shown such heart in this match but has blinked in some of the biggest moments.

Nice to see applause from Thiem when Schwartzman is somehow able to react quickly enough to put away the volley despite a tricky net cord. And no sooner than Thiem breaks, he is broken himself when he batters the ball into the tramlines after a rally he completely dominated. Schwartzman calls for a medical timeout and receives treatment to his shoulder and blisters on his fingers, with Thiem leading 6-7, 7-5, 7-6, 2-1.

Dominic Thiem slides to the net to play a sho.
Dominic Thiem slides to the net to play a sho. Photograph: Michel Euler/AP

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It’s going downhill for Diego in the fourth set, as Thiem strikes quickly for a 2-0 lead. But here’s one for the Schwartzman showreel from that terrific third set:

If Thiem does come through this match from here, having played five sets in the previous round, you have to wonder what shape he’ll be in for a possible semi-final against Rafa Nadal. Though at this rate, Thiem could get a day’s more rest than Nadal, who may not even make it on to court tonight. His match against Jannik Sinner isn’t due on until after Iga Swiatek v Martina Trevisan, who are currently waiting in the locker room for Thiem and Schwartzman to finish taking lumps out of each other.

Schwartzman shows quick reflexes at the net to reduce his arrears to 5-2, Thiem thinks he’s brought up set point with another rasping forehand but it’s called long. 5-3. Which turns into 5-4. Thiem repels Schwartzman’s fightback with a near-perfect drop shot after a high-quality rally of Thiem attack and Schwartzman defence, and it’s 6-4, two set points. But, of course, there’s nothing straightforward about this set, so Schwartzman drags himself level at 6-6, before blinking on serve to give Thiem another set point. This time Thiem thumps away a smash! The US Open champion leads 6-7, 7-5, 7-6 in a match he could have lost in straight sets. Incroyable.

Thiem, after suffering a near-whitewash in the first-set tie-break (7-1), gets on the board early for a 3-1 lead. Neither player is giving an inch on the next point, before Thiem thwacks a thunderbolt of a forehand winner for 4-1. They change ends at 5-1, this a complete reversal of the first breaker ...

So Thiem, who could easily have lost in straight sets today, steps up to serve for a two sets to one advantage. Despite the setbacks of the past two games, Schwartzman is still a bundle of energy on the baseline, chasing everything down, a player in the mold of the now-retired David Ferrrreerrrr. He could run all day. And then some more. And his reward here is a break to 15. Of course this set wasn’t going to end the easy way for Thiem. We’re going to another tie-break ...

Thiem has Schwartzman reeling at 0-30, and again at 30-40. Having saved that set point, Thiem has now earned himself a break point that could leave him serving for the third set. He takes it, as champions do. The fine margins in grand slam tennis. Thiem leads 6-7, 7-5, 6-5.

It has to be said that Schwartzman’s nerves got the better of him there, when he ballooned long on set point, just as they did at the end of the second set when he could have gone two sets to love up. The match clock has ticked over three hours.

I think the drama’s got too much for Gregg, as Thiem triumphs at deuce to bring up game point, from set point down. Schwartzman slaps into the net before screaming out in frustration. It’s *Schwartzman 7-6, 5-7, 5-5 Thiem. This. Could. Go. On. And. On.

There have been six breaks of serve in this set. Can Thiem hold his serve? He needs to or he will lose the third set and go 2-1 down. Schwartzman pings a string and Thiem takes a a 15-0 lead. A quick change a racket works wonders for Schwartzman, who shows feather-fingered touch to land a drop-shot and level at 15-15. Thiem tries and fails to lob Schwartzman and is 15-30 down. He battles back to 30-30 after a lame lob is brought back in by the wind. Lucky boy! Schwartzman brings up set point with a volley at the net but goes long on the next point to take the game to deuce. With that I’ll hand back to Katy.

Schwartzman has the chance to serve for the set. Thiem goes into defensive mode and forces two errors out of the Argentinian, one of which flies out of the picture on my TV to who knows where? His next point is not much better. It’s 0-40 … and very soon Thiem breaks him without really having to play a shot of note. Will somebody just get on top? We’re back on serve. It’s Schwartzman 7-6, 5-7, 5-4 Thiem.

General view of the match between Dominic Thiem and Diego Schwartzman.
General view of the match between Dominic Thiem and Diego Schwartzman. Photograph: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

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Schwartzman breaks again! Thiem reverts to playing sliced backhands in the wind … which really don’t work. It’s Schwartzman 7-6, 5-7, 5-3 Thiem.

It’s really not the weather for tennis is it? The few spectators are wrapped up like they’re at a football match in December. Schwartzman shows battling qualities in this game after a wobble in the wind on his serve. Thiem smells blood at 15-30 but Schwartzman digs in and battles back to 40-30 before outlasting his opponent in a back-court rally, with Thiem slicing a weak backhand long. Schwartzman 7-6, 5-7, 4-3 Thiem.

Thiem needs a comfortable service game … and he gets one, coming into the net twice to fire home winners and gratefully watching two overhit forehands from Schwartzman waft their way through the wind and out behind him. He holds to love. Schwartzman 7-6, 5-7, 3-3 Thiem.

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Thiem finds some resistance and fights his way to 15-40. Schwartzman could play it safe after a draining rally but instead plays an insouciant drop-shot that Thiem can’t reach. One break saved. But not the second. It’s another break. This is draining to watch! Schwartzman 7-6, 5-7, 3-2 Thiem.

Thiem really needs a solid service game but he’s grumbling to himself about the wind in next to no time and 15-30 down. He fires long after an epic 27-shot rally and he looks like a spent force. It’s 15-40. The irrepressible Schwartzman finds another winner and takes a clear lead in the third set after breaking Thiem again. It’s Schwartzman 7-6, 5-7, 3-1 Thiem.

That rarest of things in this match. A hold to love on serve! It’s Thiem 1-2 Schwartzman in the third set.

Thiem should really apply the pressure now but he finds himself 0-30 down in no time. An unforced error from Schwartzman brings Thiem back into the game at 15-30 but Schwartzman takes a risk and hammers a deep forehand to the line that Thiem can only lob up over his opponent and out. His shoulders slump and he wafts a weak forehand into the net on the very next point. Scharwartzman breaks back. Thiem 1-1 Schwartzman in the third set.

Thanks Katy. I’ve barely started typing and Schwartzman has been broken in the very first game of the third set. To lose that second set after putting such effort into it must have been particularly energy-sapping. Thiem races into the net at 30-40 and fires a volley down towards the corner that Schwartzman can only bat into the sparse crowd. It’s Thiem 1-0 Schwartzman in the third set.

With that, I’m going to take a break and hand you over to Gregg Bakowski ...

Schwartzman, having played perhaps his worst game of the match, gets to 15-30 on Thiem’s serve with a shot that has such wicked side-spin it leaves Thiem tumbling into the chair. Thiem dusts himself down and levels at 30-all, before moving to set point when Schwartzman misses. At 40-30, Schwartzman’s effort slumps into the net and that’s the set. It’s Schwartzman 7-6, 5-7 Thiem after nearly two and a quarter hours of play. It’s now down to best-of-three. And there are still two more quarter-finals to come after this. It could be a late night in Paris ...

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A disappointing dip from Schwartzman, given everything he’s done to get back into this second set, and it’s 15-40. Perhaps he’s still thinking about that horrible error at 15-30 in the previous game. He could be two sets up. Instead Schwartzman’s shot sails long and he hands the break to Thiem, who will now serve at 6-5 to level this match at one set all.

So with the wind almost blowing Thiem off his feet as he steps up to serve, he must hold to avoid sliding two sets to love down. At 15-30, Schwartzman has a terrific chance to bring up set point but inexplicably rams into the net. 30-all. 40-30. Thiem is on top on game point, but Schwartzman keeps running – and running – and running – before ripping a cross-court winner. Deuce. Advantage Thiem. Game Thiem, who shakes his racket in relief. It’s *Schwartzman 7-6, 5-5 Thiem.

A quick change in momentum, as Thiem tears through the points for 0-40 on Schwartzman’s serve. Another sudden shift, as Schwartzman steadies himself to deuce. Advantage Thiem, break point, but his forehand flies just beyond the baseline. Deuce. Thiem gets his racket on Schwartzman’s smash but it whistles wide. Advantage Schwartzman. Deuce. I wonder how crucial this game will prove in the set and the match. Advantage Schwartzman. Deuce. Advantage Thiem, his fifth break point this game. Deuce. Advantage Schwartzman. Thiem is yelling at himself; Schwartzman is pumping his fists. Deuce. Advantage Thiem. Deuce. Advantage Thiem. Deuce. I can’t take much more of this. And it doesn’t look as if Thiem can either, because two mistimed shots later and Schwartzman holds after 15 minutes and 22 points of tortuous tennis, having saved seven break points. Phew. Schwartzman leads 7-6, 5-4.

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Schwartzman, wasp-like in his black and yellow outfit, is stinging Thiem with his tremendous court coverage and refusal to concede in the rallies. Thiem holds to 30, but he was made to work for it. 4-4 in the second set.

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Just as I was looking at tomorrow’s schedule, Schwartzman scrambles to two break points, 15-40. Thiem fends off the first with a smash, but succumbs on the second with a double fault. Thiem was punished after letting a break slip away in the opening set, will the same happen here? Schwartzman holds to love to lead for the first time in the second set, that’s nine of the last 11 points and three games on the spin for him. The Argentinian leads 7-6, 4-3.

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Tomorrow’s order of play is out:

Thiem catches his breath with a straightforward hold to 15. But the wind is playing havoc out there, stopping the ball dead and giving Thiem absolutely no chance at the start of Schwartzman’s service game. Now it’s raining too. “I think it’s too dangerous,” says Thiem. The umpire is out of her chair inspecting the court. The supervisor is out as well. Schwartzman doesn’t seem happy with the umpire, but he may also be holding on to that awful overrule in the first set. They wait a little longer, before deciding to resume, with Schwartzman at game point, 40-30, which he quickly converts into game. Schwartzman 7-6, 2-3 Thiem*.

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As if Thiem hadn’t covered enough yards in his fourth-round, five-set win over the French wildcard Hugo Gaston, he’s now having to move from one corner to the other, Schwartzman dragging him around on a piece of string, and Thiem is left reeling. 30-all, then 40-30, when Schwartzman takes a point he had absolutely no right to win. Schwartzman prevails after another attritional rally to hold. Gruelling stuff. It’s Schwartzman 7-6, 1-2 Thiem*.

Looking at the first-set stats, Thiem’s low percentage of points won on his first serve – 55% – is what cost him. But it’s Schwartzman’s turn here to throw in some indifferent serves, and Thiem breaks in the opening game of the second set before backing it up. Thiem trails by a set, 7-6, but leads 2-0 in the second.

Having already hit the Eiffel Tower, Thiem now has his sights on the Arc de Triomphe as he frames the ball into the skies to let Schwartzman charge 3-0 ahead. Soon it’s 4-0, then 5-0, when Schwartzman, conceding six inches in height to his opponent, at full stretch puts away the volley. Thiem tonks a forehand winner for 5-1. But that’s as good as it gets for the US Open champion. It’s 6-1, and then the set when Schwartzman biffs away a backhand winner!

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Schwartzman has history at the French Open, having given Rafa Nadal a four-set scare at this stage in 2018. Then he claimed the first set from the champion; here he’s in danger of losing it, as he drops 0-30 down. Thiem, troubled by the wind and perhaps guilty of some slow footwork, miscues and it’s 30-all. Schwartzman holds from there, in an exact copy of his last service game. It’s tie-break time!

Gasps from the Covid-scattered crowd on Chatrier as Schwartzman nets a simple volley. Thiem holds to 15, edging 6-5 ahead, earning himself at least a tie-break in this first set.

Schwartzman, serving to stay in the set, chooses a bad time to send down his first double fault of the day, 0-30. Thiem lets him off the hook with a shanked shot so errant it probably clipped the top of the Eiffel Tower. 15-30. And Schwartzman sprints through the next three points to hold. 5-5.

Schwartzman then shows even more heart to hold from 15-40 down for 4-4. Thiem puts his foot on the gas to fly 40-0 ahead in game nine, but stalls with three errors and it’s deuce. Perhaps there is some tiredness after his draining fourth-round encounter. And look here, it’s Schwartzman’s advantage. Schwartzman is the aggressor on break point, but disappointingly nets. Deuce. Advantage Thiem. And a stupendous, searing cross-court forehand on the run gives Thiem the game. Thiem leads 5-4.

So apparently Thiem hit a shot out, the umpire overruled, costing Schwartzman his serve. Credit to the Argentinian for putting such an awful call behind him so quickly.

What Schwartzman lacks in height he more than makes up for in speed and stubbornness, and he shows tremendous court coverage to get to 15-40 and give himself the chance to break straight back. That he does at the first opportunity, putting to bed whatever the controversy was when he was broken himself. They’re back on serve, Thiem leading 4-3.

Diego Schwartzman plays a backhand.
Diego Schwartzman plays a backhand. Photograph: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

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Thiem, leading 3-2, claims his first point on Schwartzman’s serve to nudge 0-15 ahead. He’s hit 10 winners already, to Schwartzman’s five, and isn’t showing any signs of fatigue after squeezing through in five sets against the French wildcard Hugo Gaston in the last 16. Thiem works his way to 15-30 and then 15-40, his first break points of the match. At which point my computer freezes. By the time it whirs into action again Schwartzman is glaring at a line and Thiem has broken for 4-2.

Schwartzman, seeded 12 to Thiem’s three, has barely missed a first serve yet, let alone dropped a point on serve. Another love hold for the 28-year-old from Buenos Aires and it’s 2-2. Thiem may have been making the headlines the past few weeks after his US Open title, but Schwartzman is in excellent form, having beaten Rafa Nadal in the Rome quarter-finals the week before Roland Garros, eventually losing to Novak Djokovic in the final.

Well the sandwich (turkey, avocado and tomato, in case you were wondering) wasn’t quick enough because the first of the men’s quarter-finals is already under way on Chatrier. Gah. After Nadia Podoroska’s stunning victory, Gabriela Sabatini has another Argentinian underdog to cheer on, because Diego Schwartzman, all 5ft 7in of him, is up against the US Open champion and French Open runner-up of the last two years, Dominic Thiem. It’s been a high-quality start, with Thiem striking three consecutive aces having been break point down to hold in the opening game, before Schwartzman held to love and Thiem then did the same. It’s 2-1 Thiem.

Dominic Thiem serves to Diego Schwartzman.
Dominic Thiem serves to Diego Schwartzman. Photograph: Michel Euler/AP

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It’s raining again, but instead of the roof coming on the covers have been put on court. Perhaps the organisers think it’ll be a brief shower. So while we wait for Thiem and Schwartzman, I’m going to grab a quick sandwich ...

Spectators wait for the start of Dominic Thiem v Diego Schwartzman match.
Spectators wait for the start of Dominic Thiem v Diego Schwartzman match. Photograph: Ian Langsdon/EPA

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“I’ve been training a lot with my team during the quarantine. That’s why I’m here today,” says a beaming Podoroska in her on-court interview. Which brings up an interesting point. The six-month pandemic-enforced break seems to have levelled the playing field at this most peculiar of French Opens, especially on the women’s side. Podoroska’s win means that either her, the Polish teenager Iga Swiatek or the Italian qualifier Martina Trevisan will become the most unlikely slam finalist in quite some time. Swiatek and Trevisan play after the next match on Chatrier between Dominic Thiem and Diego Schwartzman.

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That was a fabulous display from Podoroska, mixing aggression (she finished with 30 winners) with clever drop shots and net play. But questions have to be asked of Svitolina, who hit only eight winners and won 33% of points on her first serve. It’s another missed opportunity at a slam for the world No 5.

Podoroska shocks Svitolina 6-2, 6-4!

Some rat-a-tat at the net at 15-all after Podoroska’s drop shot bounces high enough for Svitolina to sprint forward and eventually prevail. Podoroska is moving Svitolina from one way to the other before the space opens up and Podoroska pings a winner. 30-all. Make that 30-40, match point. Podoroska nets a nervous return. Deuce. Buts she hits freely to earn a second match point. This time it’s Svitolina’s turn to send her opponent left and right, a wonderful rally plays out, and Svitolina succeeds. Deuce. Advantage Podoroska, match point number three. And Podoroska moves into the forecourt to settle matters with a calm winner! The Argentinian qualifier, who’d never won a grand slam match before this event, is into the semi-finals!

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Svitolina has long been spoken of as a potential grand slam champion, and this tournament has opened up so nicely for the third seed, but she often lacks conviction in the latter stages of the big events and this is another case in point. Podoroska quickly moves to 40-15 on serve – given how this set has gone a hold of serve would feel like a break – and Svitolina skews a forehand wide! Podoroska, leading 6-2, 5-4, is a game away from the semi-finals!

A fifth successive break makes it 4-3 to Svitolina, who holds the curious stat in this match of winning nearly twice as many points on her second serve as her first. She just hasn’t been able to dictate on her serve today, and to illustrate that point promptly falls 0-40 down. Podoroska lets her off the hook for 30-40, and Svitolina is breathing a huge sigh of relief after her backhand drive volley just clips the line for deuce. Advantage Podoroska. Game Podoroska, after the pair trade cross-court forehands and Svitolina eventually nets. Svitolina slams the spare ball into the ground in disgust. A sixth successive break.

Elina Svitolina stretches to return the ball to Nadia Poodoroska
Elina Svitolina stretches to return the ball to Nadia Poodoroska Photograph: Martin Bureau/AFP/Getty Images

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Drop shots and breaks of serve seem to be the order of the day, given the way this match is going and the previous one between Danielle Collins and Ons Jabeur went. And here’s another break as Svitolina nudges 3-2 ahead. And yet another when Podoroska shows tremendous court coverage before gobbling up the short ball and firing it past Svitolina, who’s stranded at the net. It’s 3-3 in the second set.

There were a few loose shots from Podoroska in that game – perhaps the nerves are starting to kick in as she considers the possibility of being a set away from the Roland Garros semi-finals. She’d be the first women’s qualifier to ever reach the last four. Some more errors from the Argentinian in the next game and Svitolina secures the break, to 30. This could be a crucial moment in the match. Can Svitolina seize on the opportunity or will Podoroska steady herself? It’s the latter, as Podoroska gets herself to 15-40 on Svitolina’s serve and then bides her time, waiting for the right moment, before finishing off a lengthy exchange with a delightful drop shot. *Podoroska 6-2, 2-2 Svitolina.

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Podoroska’s combination of whipping forehands, depth, clever drop shots and smart net play is proving too much for Svitolina to handle. Podoroska holds to love to get the second set under way. Svitolina – finally – shows some resistance to not only hold for the first time in the match but hold to love. It’s *Podoroska 6-2, 1-1 Svitolina.

A let-up from Podoroska as she’s broken to 30, but I don’t think anyone can be too hard on her for that given the way she’s performed so far. And Svitolina must now do something she’s not yet done in this match to stay in the set: hold serve. The third seed doesn’t even come close to doing so as she slips 0-15, 0-30, 0-40 down, before Podoroska dismissively swats a backhand return winner down the line to claim the set 6-2 in only 34 minutes! And that just about sums up this crazy, chaotic women’s draw.

Nadia Podoroska lines up a backhand return.
Nadia Podoroska lines up a backhand return. Photograph: Gonzalo Fuentes/Reuters

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Podoroska consolidates the break for 4-1, and then calmly dispatches a cute drop shot to get to 15-40, two break points, on Svitolina’s serve. The pair engage in a draining rally, in which Podoroska peppers Svitolina’s forehand, before the challenger opens up the court and crunches a winner past Svitolina’s left wing. What smart play. You’d think Podoroska was the two-times grand slam semi-finalist, not Svitolina. Podoroska, remarkably, leads 5-1 and will serve for the set.

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It’s good to see an Argentinian woman in the quarter-finals – Podoroska is the first to reach this stage of a slam in 16 years. And it’s been some season for the 23-year-old. She was ranked 308 in the world this time last year, she’s now at 131 and will rise to at least somewhere in the 60s courtesy of this run. She’s lost only six matches all year, and is showing that form today. Her weight of shot is piercing through the swirling winds on Chatrier and she breaks Svitolina again – this time to 30 – for a 3-1 lead.

Credit to Podoroska who, despite being broken in the opening game, is refusing to be overawed by her opponent and the occasion. She breaks back from deuce to secure early parity at 1-1. There’s the chance of a third successive break when Svitolina secures advantage in the next game, but she scoops long. And from there Podoroska survives for 2-1.

That match was fun, but it’s now on to the serious business of the quarter-finals. First up, it’s Elina Svitolina, the only female quarter-finalist in action today to have gone this far at a major before, against the Argentinian qualifier Nadia Podoroska, who has emerged from the wreckage of Serena Williams’s and Victoria Azarenka’s section of the draw. There’s even a glimmer of sunshine on court – a rare scene in Paris this fortnight – as Podoroska steps up to serve. But the sun isn’t shining on Podoroska when she dumps into the net to concede an immediate break, having led 40-15.

Updated

The good news for Collins: she’s never lost to Kenin. The bad news: she’ll have to play three days in a row to reach the final. The weather’s been tough on her compared to the other quarter-finalists, but she’ll be delighted – and probably surprised – to get this far. She was on a three-match losing streak entering Roland Garros and hadn’t played a single match on clay this season. No one saw this coming.

Collins says:

It felt like I was in the driver’s seat until 6-4, 3-0. She’s tricky, she served really well, she hit drop shots on shots I wasn’t expecting. I lost my way a little bit, I just needed to try to stay positive.

Collins beats Jabeur 6-4, 4-6, 6-4

Collins attempts to make up for her eight double faults by serving her first ace of the day, on her way to holding for 5-4. It means Jabeur must hold serve to stay in the tournament; and there are no guarantees of that given the way this set has gone. Jabeur fizzes a fine forehand winner for 30-15. Collins comes back for 30-all. And Jabeur’s first double fault – what an awful time to serve it – means it’s match point. This time Jabeur lands her serve, Collins chops back ... and Jabeur nets! Collins celebrates by lying down on the red dirt, which has been more like a sludge this fortnight. She’s into the quarter-finals for the first time, where she’ll face an all-American meeting with Sofia Kenin.

Danielle Collins celebrates after beating Ons Jabeur.
Danielle Collins celebrates after beating Ons Jabeur. Photograph: Anne-Christine Poujoulat/AFP/Getty Images

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Remarkable scenes. A hold to love from Jabeur. 4-4 in the final set. Meanwhile over on Suzanne Lenglen, Jamie Murray and Neal Skupski have lost 6-4, 6-4 to the defending champions, Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies. And with that, British hopes in the doubles are over. It’s been a fairly bleak tournament for Britain in these damp and dark autumn conditions.

A scream from Collins as her vicious cross-court forehand is prodded long by Jabeur. That’s a fifth break in six games, but more importantly Collins has put daylight between herself and her opponent, leading 4-2. But you can guess what happens next, right? Yep, yet another break, despite Collins hitting a drop shot winner off Jabeur’s drop shot. So it’s Collins 6-4, 4-6, 4-3 Jabeur*.

Mon dieu! A hold on Chatrier, where Collins, having broken back for 2-2 and then promptly slumped 0-40 down on serve, has shown some resolve to dig herself out of a big hole and secure the first hold of the final set. Collins leads 6-4, 4-6, 3-2. I wonder how crucial that could prove to be.

Danielle Collins plays a shot against Ons Jabeur.
Danielle Collins plays a shot against Ons Jabeur. Photograph: Michel Euler/AP

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The winner, by the way, will set up a quarter-final against the Australian Open champion and fourth seed, Sofia Kenin, who turned it around last night to defeat France’s last remaining hope in the singles, the dangerous Fiona Ferro, 2-6, 6-2, 6-1. Kenin burst into tears after winning, saying she was unhappy with the partisan Parisian crowd. And that was with only small bubbles of socially-distanced fans. I wonder how she’d have reacted if the stadium had been at 15,000 capacity.

Here’s Kevin Mitchell’s roundup of yesterday’s action:

Jabeur does love to throw in a drop shot or two or three – she even dummied one quite ridiculously a couple of games ago – but now it’s Collins’ turn to get in on the act, as she drop shots straight off Jabeur’s return. It’s risky, but she gets away with it. And then breathes a big sigh of relief. Jabeur still manages to get to deuce on Collins’ serve, it’s soon advantage and break point, and Collins coughs up a seventh double fault to make it three breaks in a row. Collins 6-4, 4-6, 1-2 Jabeur*.

Jabeur is jabbing away in the first game of the third set, and has Collins on the ropes at break point, her advantage. The Tunisian takes it when her forehand just clips the line! A prolonged second game goes to three deuces and three break points, before Collins finishes off a well-constructed point by punching the backhand volley into the open space. It’s back on serve. *Collins 6-4, 4-6, 1-1 Jabeur.

Ons Jabeur stretches for a return.
Ons Jabeur stretches for a return. Photograph: Gonzalo Fuentes/Reuters

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Today's order of play

Court Philippe Chatrier

(30) Ons Jabeur (Tun) v Danielle Collins (USA)

(3) Elina Svitolina (Ukr) v Nadia Podoroska (Arg)

(12) Diego Sebastian Schwartzman (Arg) v (3) Dominic Thiem (Aut)

Iga Swiatek (Pol) v Martina Trevisan (Ita)

Jannik Sinner (Ita) v (2) Rafael Nadal (Spa)

Court Suzanne Lenglen

(8) Kevin Krawietz (Ger) & Andreas Mies (Ger) v (13) Jamie Murray (Gbr) & Neal Skupski (Gbr)

Marta Kostyuk (Ukr) & Aliaksandra Sasnovich (Blr) v (2) Timea Babos (Hun) & Kristina Mladenovic (Fra)

(9) Sofia Kenin (USA) & Bethanie Mattek-Sands (USA) v (4) Barbora Krejcikova (Cze) & Katerina Siniakova (Cze)

(9) Wesley Koolhof (Ned) & Nikola Mektic (Cro) v Nicholas Monroe (USA) & Tommy Paul (USA)

The roof is clunk, clunk, clunking away as it closes on Chatrier. Collins is now in the dry, but poor Jabeur is still getting a bit wet as she steps up to serve for the second set at 5-4. She wipes her forehead before taking the first point for 15-0. Make that 30-0, 40-0. Collins clobbers a forehand into the net and from 3-0 down in the second set, Jabeur has surged back to seize it 6-4. This is going to a decider.

Il pleut. Umbrellas are springing up among the smattering of spectators who’ve been allowed to watch on Philippe Chatrier. There’s a brief discussion; it seems the roof may be coming on. Jabeur is undistracted, as she backs up the break for 5-3.

Meanwhile over on Suzanne Lenglen – where there is no roof –Jamie Murray and Neal Skupski will have to come from a set and a break down if they’re to reach the men’s doubles semi-finals. The British pair trail the defending champions, Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies, 6-4, 3-1.

Wow. What a turnaround. Jabeur is now controlling the play with her wonderful variety and mix of pace and has three more break points. It’s 3-3, 0-40 on Collins’ serve. Jabeur doesn’t take the first break point, but she finds a mind-bending angle on the second to pull off the winner. Jabeur breaks for 4-3 in the second set.

It’s three games on the spin for Jabeur. The Tunisian draws level in the second set at 3-3.

Collins stepped it up at just the right time in the first set, breaking Jabeur at 5-4 to take it. Jabeur, the first Arab woman to play in the fourth round at Roland Garros, is such a lovely player to watch but the 30th seed is finding the blustery, slow conditions tougher than her American opponent; Collins has been better able to hit through the ball. Collins is an interesting character: equally feisty and sporting on court, she’s applauded several of Jabeur’s winners. She doesn’t look too happy though when she skews wide and Jabeur breaks back. It’s 6-4, 3-2 Collins.

Preamble

Bonjour mesdames et messieurs! Et bienvenue au jour 10 de notre couverture de Roland Garros que l’action quart de finale commence. And that’s about as far as my knowledge of French – with a little bit of help from Google Translate* – will take me.

It’s a loaded lineup on Philippe Chatrier, starting with the last remaining fourth-round match, Ons Jabeur v Danielle Collins, carried over from yesterday because of rain. The quarter-finals then begin with the highest seed left in a wildly unpredictable women’s draw, Elina Svitolina (3), against the qualifier Nadia Podoroska of Argentina; the US Open champion, Dominic Thiem, also faces an Argentinian opponent, the diminutive and determined Diego Schwartzman; then it’s the prodigy against the journeywoman as the Polish teenager Iga Swiatek, fresh from scoring that stunning win over Simona Halep, meets Martina Trevisan, the 26-year-old qualifier from Florence playing in only her second slam; before Rafael Nadal rounds things off in a match that represents the present and future. The 12-times champion plays the hugely gifted 19-year-old Italian Jannik Sinner, the first male player to reach the Roland Garros quarter-finals on his debut since … a certain Mr Nadal 15 years ago.

And play is already under way: with Collins a set and a break up on Jabeur, 6-4, 3-0. So let’s get on with this ...

* OK, a big bit

Updated

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