Sabalenka beats Jacquemot: 6-4, 6-2
The No 1 seed is safely through to the third round in the women’s singles.
That’s the end of our live coverage for today: thanks for reading and see you for more tomorrow.
“I was super happy inside,” says Juan Manuel Cerúndolo on TNT Sports of what was apparently a subdued celebration after victory against the fatigue-stricken Jannik Sinner earlier. “Really glad for the win, I feel bad for him cramping up, it’s not something you want for any player.
“I was really nervous, I was going home at 5-1, and suddenly it was 5-4 … I moved him around the court, tried to stay calm …”
He’s through to the third round, along with his brother Francisco.
Updated
Au revoir Daniel, and thanks.
Sabalenka is 5-1 up now in the second set v Jacquemot.
Righto, that’s me done for today. Luke McLaughlin will keep you updated on the rest of the session – Sabalenka now leads Jacquemot 7-5 4-1, while Auger-Aliassime is 4-1 up on Burruchaga in the fourth. Peace.
Gauff says it was a tough, physical match that tested her patience. She praises Sherif as a player who never gives away an easy point, saying she hit a lot of balls from above shoulder-height so hopes her team can see her arms looking muscular.
Then, when Julien Benneteau says she’s got expectations, she corrects him, saying there are none and she’s just having fun; I totally get why she’s saying that, but am less sure she truly believes it.
Finally, it’s pointed out that various of her staff are French, so she says she’s been coming to Paris since she was a kid and it’s been her favourite city since the age of 10.
Coco Gauff (4) beats Mayar Sherif 6-3 6-2
A sensational backhand, spirited flat down the line, and Gauff is through, the 3 and 2 score not reflecting how well Sherif played. Next for the champ: Boulter or Potapova.
Updated
Gauff wants this did, racing to a 5-2 40-0 second-set lead. The champ is nearly there.
Auger-Aliassime is into this now, raising break point and hammering a forehand return for the winner which puts him up 2-1 3-1. The highest seed left in the top half of the draw is looking good.
Elsewhere, Keys is nearly there, leading Ruzic 6-4 5-1; Nakashima and Van Assche are level at 1-1 in a first-set tiebreaker; and Darderi leads Comesana 6-7 6-4 1-0.
And of course Sabalenka holds then, up 30-40, unleashes three terrifying forehands, the last of them an overhead the reverberations of which have been traced as far as Ulaanbaatar; she leads 7-5 2-0.
A leaping forehand down the line gives Gauff two break points – just as Sabalenka saves three – but Sherif has serious moxie, closing to deuce … before succumbing. Gauff leads 6-3 2-1, and if she can consolidate, victory will feel close.
I don’t suppose we should be surprised to see Gauff break Sherif again for 6-3 2-1 … nor that she’s now 0-40 down. It’s not often we have so brilliant a player with so poor a serve – and we’ve watched her try all sorts to sort it over the years. But it remains a weakness, and Sherif secures another break-back with a barrage of backhands, then a gorgeous winner, her wrist breaking to get the ball flat and cross.
Hold tight Mayar Sherif! At 3-6 0-1 with a break, she looked done for, but she broke back … while Sabalenka holds for 6-5, then makes 15-40 to raise two set points. And she only needs one, Jacquemot doing too little with her opening groundstroke following a fine serve, and her backhand slice then falls wide, ruining 57 minutes of good work. Sabalenka leads 7-5.
Serving art 5-6 in the third, Burruchaga finds himself down 0-40, rushes a forehand, and Auger-Aliassime leads 4-6 6-0 7-5. It’s a long way back from here for the son of the winning goalscorer in the 1986 World Cup final.
Sabalenka holds for 5-4 then, at 30-40, earns a set point, racing in to retrieve a drop with so many options as to where her winner should go. Line looks easiest but she opts for cross … and hits the tape. That’s a big missed opportunity, and from deuce, Jacquemot closes out, a lovely forehand drop too good and the crowd duly noised up. She’s not only enjoying this, she’s carrying herself like she thinks she can win.
Updated
Gauff breaks Sherif in the first game of the second set and it seems inconceivable that she lose from here. The question really is whether she’s playing well enough to retain her title, or if that looks like a level she can hit in the next week; I’m leaning no.
Jacquemot, whose look is a bit like the murderer in an Agatha Christie, noises up the crowd after making 40-15, and though Sabalenka annihilates an overhead to make things dicier, the home favourite closes out to level set one at 4-4.
And of course, while I was focused over there, Auger-Aliassime broke Burruchaga back over here, so those two are level at 1-1 4-4, and look to be settling in for a longun.
Gauff serves out to love for a 6-3 first set, finishing it with an ace, and she’s looking good – though, to give Sherif her due, she made it difficult for a bit.
Back with the one like Felix, he’s been broken in set three and Burruchaga leads 6-4 0-6 3-4.
On Chatrier, Jaquemot has made a decent start, level at 3-3 with Sabalenka while, on Lenglen, all Sherif’s good work looks to be for nowt. Gauff waves a forehand slice, she can’t respond, and that’s a second break for 5-3.
Maria Sakkari beats Claire Liu (7)6-7 6-3 6-3
I’m delighted for Sakkari, who could never produce her best form at slams. But she’s playing well here and faces Chwalinska next.
Up 3-2, Gauff earns a break point, but we don’t play it for a while, someone in the crowd having taken a turn. Then when we get back under way, Sherif targets the forehand – as you would – with loopy top-spinners, comes in off a floaty squash-shot, and punishes the volley.
But when Sherif nets a forehand, then fails to finish the next point despite various opportunities so to do, Gauff thwacks a backhand cross on to the tootsies, a brilliant shot after terrific retrieving, and that’s the break back at 4-2 in the first.
Updated
OK, that makes a bit more sense. Sinner is a consummate athlete and, unlike Alcaraz, when the cramp did him against Djokovic in the 2023 semi, he wasn’t under any kind of pressure – quite the reverse. So it was shocking to see him suffer so much when, for example, Kouame and Vallejo, two much younger men far less used to going the distance, played for nearly five hours; that he was ill explains things.
Aha, I’ve not seen Sinner’s press conference quotations yet, but here he is now, explaining that he felt very low on energy. He tried to serve out the third, the fourth he kind of let go to preserve energy for the fifth, and the first game was very important but he couldn’t hold, then it “went downwards”.
Whewn he woke up this morning, he didn’t feel very well, so he tried to keep the points short and was hitting “very clean, very well”, but then “I just kind of hit the wall and that’s it.”
Gosh, Sakkari is now up 5-2 in the third against Liu, and after a tremendous win over Noskova in round one, she’s making decent progress – more so than on occasions when she was seeded in the top 10, And, with Chwalinska awaiting the winner in the next round, she’ll fancy her chances of progressing from there, should she make it.
Back on Lenglen, Sherif has broken Gauff back for 2-3 in the first, and she’s playing nicely here. But can she maintain her level?
Auger-Aliassime is under some pressure here. I’ve said this before, but Coach Calv Betton, a great friend of the blog, turned me on to him well before he broke through, sating he was the mover he’d ever seen on a tennis court. Since then, though, he’s barely improved and hasn’t got close to winning a major; well, this is his chance, and it’s one he might never get again. Does he have the drive and cruelty necessary to impose himself on the field? He leads 1-1 2-1 on serve.
Thanks Dom and hi again all. On Chatrier, Sabalekna and Jacquemot are almost ready to get going – I’m watching them, along with Gauff 3-1 Sherif and Auger-Aliassime 4-6 6-0 1-1 Burruchaga.
Right, with Coco Gauff 3-1 up in the first set of her match against Sherif, Daniel Harris is back in the hot-seat.
Things are hotting up, quite literally.
Surely we can’t lose both the men’s and women’s top seeds on the same second round day, can we? After Jannik Sinner’s defeat earlier today, anything is possible.
Auger-Aliassime stormed to a 6-0 win in the second set of his match with Roman Andres Burruchaga, by the way. 1-1 in sets, that one.
Daria Kasatkina beats Susan Bandecchi 7-5 7-6
Kasatkina, the Australian who was once a semi-finalist at Roland Garros, found it hard going against Bandecchi, needing seven match points to close out the second set tie break.
That tie break was eventually ended after 16 minutes by a fine passing shot from Kasatkina. Her likely third round opponent will be Sabalenka, should the Belarusian come through her match, which begins shortly.
Updated
Four hours and 43 minutes that Tiafoe v Hurkacz lasted. I can only imagine the toll that’s taken on the body for the American.
Madison Keys v Antonia Ruzic is the next match due on Court 6.
Diane Parry beats Ann Li (30) 6-3 6-4
Big cheers from the Parisian crowd as Parry gets the job done against Ann Li, who was the seeded player … instead the world no 94 has looked the dominant force throughout and deservedly secures her spot in the French Open third round for the first time since 2022.
Li did dig deep in that final game, but far too many errors cost the American this afternoon.
“I really wanted to finish it, I’m relieved, it’s tough to finish out a match like that,” says Parry in her on-court interview. “I kept on going and I’m delighted to keep on playing at this tournament.”
Parry will face Amanda Anisimova in the next round. “I’ll have to play my best tennis to get the win,” she says of that match. “I’ll give it my all and I hope you [the crowd] will be behind me.”
Updated
Frances Tiafoe (19) beats Hubert Hurkacz 6-7 7-6 6-4 6-7 6-4
An absolute epic comes to a close with the American victorious. He just had that little bit more in the tank and has overcome the stubborn Polish player, and the heat, to reach the third round.
Having been a quarter-finalist at Roland Garros last year, Tiafoe will hope this is a mere springboard to further success in the coming days.
Gauff has now begun her match against Sherif on Suzanne-Lenglen, hoping for as straightforward an afternoon as possible, in the searing Parisian heat.
Back over on Simonne Mathieu, Auger-Aliassime has broken early in the second after that first set loss and is looking strong at 3-0 up.
Tiafoe definitely looks the stronger, possibly also the fresher of the two men if such a thing is possible at this stage of a match. A nice slide ‘n’ stretch to reach a defensive forehand forces an error from Hurkacz, who must now hold serve to stay in the tournament.
Hurkacz hits a big ace out wide and follows it up with another down the T. That’s how it’s done, lads. It’s 4-4 in the final set.
Just to remind you Hurkacz won the first set 7-6, then Tiafoe won the second and third 7-6 6-4 before Hurkacz triumphed in a fourth set breaker.
I’m going to focus on Hurkacz v Tiafoe for a bit. The man from Poland is working hard to hold serve at 3-4 down in the fifth, with Tiafoe making an unsuccessful line challenge which would have brought him close to a break. Instead Hurkacz gets to Advantage … before Hurkacz hits a backhand long after failing to find a first serve.
Burruchaga has won the first set against Auger-Aliassime 6-4. Eesh, not the start the would have wanted. He’s the fourth seed at this year’s Roland Garros and Burruchaga, the Argentine, is the current world no. 56.
Back in our featured match (for now), Parry has broken Li in the second set and looks in pole position to progress.
Home favourite Parry continues to impress against Li, especially on serve, holding to love to make it 3-3 in the second set. Time is running out for the American, as he fellow countrywoman Gauff prepares to walk out onto court.
Hubert Hurkacz and Frances Tiafoe are thrashing out a thrilling deciding set as we speak… predictably on serve at 3-3 in the fifth, after three of the four completed sets so far have gone to tie breaks. To paraphrase cricket’s Fred Trueman, whoever wins it will be bloody tired.
Updated
Anna Kalinskaya (22) beats Alina Korneeva 7-6 6-4
Kalinskaya, the 22nd seed, is safely through to the third round after a straight sets victory over fellow Russian Alina Korneeva – neither competing under the Russian flag, of course, on Court 6. The 27-year-old has been a quarter-finalist at the Australian Open but this is uncharted territory for her at Roland Garros.
Women’s fourth seed Coco Gauff will be on Court Suzanne-Lenglen soon after the early retirement in Anisimova’s match – she’s taking on the Egyptian Mayar Sherif. Fellow big-hitter Aryna Sabalenka is going through her preparations; she’s due next on Philippe-Chatrier after Li v Parry, against Elsa Jacquemot of France.
Ann Li has started the second set confidently enough against Diane Parry, despite losing the first. Two strong holds of serve from the American have it at 2-1.
How many truly ‘surprise’ grand slam winners have we had in men’s tennis in recent years? Daniil Medvedev and Dominic Thiem at the US Open, I guess, but both were Covid-era wins, to different extents. My mind goes to Juan Martín del Potro at Flushing Meadows in 2009, but there have been others since.
Thanks Daniel. That defeat for Jannik Sinner is certainly reverberating around the tennis world – indeed the wider sporting world. You simply don’t get shocks like that in modern tennis and, as Daniel said, it really opens up the men’s singles draw.
Bear in mind there have only been five different winners of the French Open since 2004. One of those men is still in the draw: Novak Djokovic. But plenty, including Félix Auger-Aliassime, will be sniffing an opportunity. It’s still on serve in the Canadian’s match against Burruchaga, the latter holding to make it 3-3 in the first set.
Righto, I’m off to slowly expire for a break; Dominic Booth will chill with you through the next hour.
Amanda Anisimova (6) beats Julia Grabher 6-0 retired
Next for her: Li or Parry.
Updated
Anisimova polishes off a bagel set to lead Grabher 6-0; Parry leads Li 6-3; Hurkacz takes the fourth set against Tiafoe in a third breaker of the match to force a decider; Liu lerads Sakkari 7-6 3-1; Kalinskata leads Korneeva 7-6 4-4; Chwalinska beat Mertens 6-4 6-0; and Kasatkina leads Bandecchi 7-5 1-1.
That being the case, I’ve stuck on Auger-Aliassime v Burruchaga, and not just to tell you, again, that the latter is the son of Jorge, a legendary figure in the childhood of anyone aged 45 and above. It’s 2-2 in the first.
Every men’s match now seems loaded with meaning, pressure ratcheting up on all those still in the draw; they’ll be pleased to see Sinner out alongside Alcaraz, but this is now a chance, especially for those in the top half of the draw – one they might never get again in their career.
On Lenglen, Anismova, last year’s sensation – she made the finals of Wimbledon and Flushing Meadow, establishing herself among the elite – has started quickly, leading Grabher 5-0. I’m not sure she’s ready to win on clay yet, but she can absolutely beat the best on grass and hards.
“Was Jannik Sinner’s loss to Juan Manuel Cerundolo the biggest upset in tennis history?” wonders Kurt Perleberg.
Not in mine, partly because of how it happened, though from 6-3 6-2 5-1, I’m not sure there’s been a more surprising comeback. But I’m still going for Doohan against Becker.
A few words on Serena from Joy of Six: champions.
I enjoyed this from Maddy Keys:
Serena Williams playing tennis is only good for tennis. Let’s be real, we all want to watch Serena play tennis. I am excited. I’m going to check some entry lists occasionally, see what pops up. But she’s the GOAT, so it would be amazing if she came back. You literally get to watch history every single time she takes the court, so why not watch more?”
Grateful for this newsline on a quiet day:
“A few years back I was hired to run/sort out a hotel restaurant over a summer,” says Julian Menz. “The first thing I noticed was that the serving staff were walking into the dining room dripping with sweat. I measured the ambient temperature on the pass, and it was over 40C.
The kitchen staff had it even worse, regardless of their proximity to ovens or workstations. Even with the windows open as wide as possible, the (fluctuating) ambient kitchen temperature was well over 50C on average during a service. Staff were experiencing serious medical symptoms as a a result of the extreme heat.
I immediately took this up with the owners, and their reply was along the lines of ‘it’s not financially viable to install AC for a couple of weeks of heat’. The Union were ‘understanding’, but said they couldn’t really do anything without shutting down every kitchen in the country.
My point is this….
It’s only going to get worse, and we should have been implementing solutions yesterday. Not putting people through hellish and potentially fatal conditions today and tomorrow. As a well-known player said last summer … someone is going to die out there.”
I’m not qualified to comment, which is why I didn’t raise this during the match – on the one hand, part of the test is executing under pressure, including heat and including exhaustion but as you say, on the other, there’s a level at which things become too much. I’m in no position to judge, but I guess there are protocols because in Melbourne, they sometimes abandon play – Sinner benefitted from that against Rune last year.
If anyone has expertise in this area, please hit us up, because temperatures are only going one way, and though our players are better conditioned than ever before, there is of course a limit to what even the most bionic human body can suffer.
Mates, I am spent. Luckily, there’s hours more of reviving tennis to come, so let’s go around the courts!
On Chatrier, Li and parry are level at 2-2, and on Mathieu, Francisco Cerundolo has completed an amazing day for his family, beating Gaston 2-6 6-4 6-2 6-1 to set up a meeting with Svajda.
Elsewhere, Tiafoe leads Hurkacz 6-7 7-6 6-4 5-5; Snaider beat Kessler 7-6 6-1; Sakkari leads Liu 5-3 in a first-set tiebreak; Kalinskaya leads Korneeva 7-6 0-1 with a break; Kopriva leads Landaluce 6-1 6-2 4-6; and Osorio leads Putintseva 7-5 6-6 (6-6).
Updated
Cerundolo says he was a bit lucky as he couldn’t win more than three games in a set and feels sorry for Sinner, who deserved to win the match. He doesn’t know what happened, maybe he cramped, maybe pressure, but he hopes he recovers.
He’s super-happy to move on and tried to play his best, clay is his best surface, and he hopes to be ready for the next match, Finally, told about his brother, he says sorry to the French people, but all his family are here and he hopes his brother wins.
Er, do you mean to tell me that not even an hour ago, Jannik Sinner lost to Juan Manuel Cerundolo? No expletive way! Let’s go to the interview – I’m anticipating another banger.
The Moise of the Moment begins by thanking the crowd, saying the victory is theirs – which of course isn’t true, he’s the one who put in goodness knows how many hours, overcoming who even knows what obstacles, but oh my days he got some support out there. “Without you, I would never have own this match,” he continues. “Never, ever, ever.”
“You don’t realise how you supported me,” he continues, “chanting my name and giving me life. It worked perfectly.”
Then, told it’s not just the crowd, it’s also him, he explains that last year, he watched Alcaraz beat Sinner in the final, match points were saved, and at 5-3 down, he never stopped believing; “no one should stop believing, ever,” a lesson from him to all of us.
Finally, asked how he’ll prepare for the next round, he pauses for what seems like ages, then says “Thanks, see you, ha ha!”, his charisma enveloping Lenglen and anyone else lucky enough to be watching in a delightful buzz of freshness. I love him.
Kouame can barely stand up straight, calling for water before trying to talk. Take your time, young boss, you’ve earned it, and the crowd fill the gap with song and he huffs down; I can’t lie, I think my eyeballs are sweating. What a battle! what a moment! what a feeling!
I don’t even know what to tell you anymore; this is up there with the most absurd, inspirational days of sport I’ve ever seen, but enough from me: here’s Moise!
What a day, mates, what a day. Moise Kouame is an absolute superstar, a ludicrous confection of talent and intelligence, power and composure, humility and charisma. In the fourth set, he looked beaten, but by the fifth he was all over it, his bravery in crucial moments beautiful to behold.
Moïse Kouamé beats Adolfo Daniel Vallejo 6-3 7-5 3-6 2-6 7-6(8)
Kouamé! Kouamé! Kouamé! The crowd lose it entirely as Kouame flops to his back, the youngest player to reach round three of a major since Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon in 2003. But this isn’t even about records, it’s about the explosive flowering of youth and identity, an expression of love, joy and grit. In four hours and 56 minutes, Moise Kouame has made himself a hero.
Updated
Vallejo smites a forehand to the corner, somehow Kouame forces it back over the net, on the stretch, the ball dips … and the riposte hits the net! At 9-8 in the match breaker, the 17-year-old from Sarcelles has match point!
Kouame hits a banging length with his groundstrokes, on top in the rally, but he then goes cross on the backhand, overhits, and at 8-8 his mini-break advantage has gone.
I’m starting to feel loss that this wondrous match is about to end, the human spirit exposed and naked on the clay for us to marvel at. Vallejo reads a drop and seizes 7-6, but sent out wide to return, he nets and that’s Kouame’s first point in seven. Incredibly, an ace follows, Kouame’s fastest delivery of the match, and at 8-7 he’s two points from paradise.
Whatever happens from here, both men have burnished their reputations, and two points for Vallejo make it 6-3, then he wins another at the net for 6-4; the tension is immense, and I’ve just caught myself struggling to swallow. I’ve not a clue how these lads do what they’re doing, and a cunning flip down the line, to the corner, closes the gap to won – this is incredible stuff from Vallejo, who has the resting pulse-rate of a pencil, and when Kouame nets, from 6-1 we’re level at 6-6.
Vallejo nabs the final point before change of ends, but when Kouame ushers a forehand to the corner, his riposte hits the net; 6-1, and four points from victory.
They’re singing in the stands now, Kouame vaporising a backhand winner down the line for 4-0; Vallejo must be feeling exceedingly poorly … all the more so when another backhand winner screams past him, this tie on return! Kouame leads 5-0, and the way he’s played the biggest points – not just today, but in round one – is mind-boggling. He’s 17!
We will, of course, continue talking about the match – for many decades, noch – but on Lenglen, in the match tiebreak, Kouame has established an immediate mini-break in his equally astounding ruck with Vallejo – having been down a break in the fifth. He leads 3-0.
Oh my complete and utter days, mates. What on earth just happened? I guess sport happened – Sinner didn’t hurt himself like Griggzy Dimitrov did when leading him by two sets to love at Wimbledon, his body just couldn’t cope with the demands put upon it by the heat and pressure – and Cerúndolo could.
Updated
Juan Manuel Cerúndolo beats Jannik Sinner (1) 3-6 2-6 7-5 6-1 6-1
I can’t remember the last time I was this staggered by something I saw on a sports field, and given how much staggering stuff we see, that is quite something to say. For the first time in 30 matches, the world no 1 is beaten, the heaviest favourite in a decade has gone, and well done Juan Manuel Cerúndolo, who processed the confusion in mature, composed manner, seeing out the biggest win of his life with composure that it’s almost impossible to believe.
Updated
Serving to stay in the match, Sinner stretches to try and volley a pass, hitting the net; 0-15, soon parlayed into 0-30. The world no 1, limping about at the back, knows the jig is up, and when Cerúndolo stays calm to return a barrage of forehands, eventually nets to raise three match points! That is not a misprint! What on earth are we seeing?!
Updated
Kouame plays another outrageous shot under a pressure, a drop that has him waving fingers in appreciation of how hot it was, to regain deuce at 5-5. Oh, but back on Chatrier, Sinner backs away from a serve, opening the angle for a cross-court winner and at 15-40, he has two points to retrieve a break. Again, though, Cerundolo stays composed, closing to deuce with the help of a gloriously sadistic drop, and from there, he closes out! Cerundolo leads 5-1 in the fifth, he’s a game away, and on Lenglen we’re still playing the same game, locked at 5-5 deuce.
Chalé! Terrifying hitting from Kouame earns him break point … saved with a big serve … while Sinner begins his comeback, holding to win his second game since his body forsook him. Cerundolo leads 4-1 in the fifth…
Cerundolo consolidates once more and leads 4-0 in the fifth; reminder, earlier, he trailed 3-6 2-6 1-5.
I wonder what Alexander Zverev is thinking. If Sinner goes, with Alcaraz not involved, he becomes the favourite … but imagine if he still can’t land that elusive major … and imagine what Novak Djokovic is plotting! It’s amazing, it really is – just when we think we’ve seen it all, we’re reminded we know nothing.
Unbelievable! Kouame, who turned 17 in March, must’ve aged about a decade in this match, but he’s still in it, holding for 5-5 in the fifth while, on Chatrier, Cerudolo has a point for double break … AND SINNER SWATS A FOREHAND INTO THE NET! JUAN MARTIN CERUNDOLO LEADS 3-0 IN THE FIFTH SET, AND THE OVERWHELMING FAVOURITE IS SURELY GOING OUT! THIS IS THE BIGGEST SHOCK OF THE SPORTING YEAR – AND THEN SOME!
At 15-40, Cerundolo returns into the net then, after hitting a decent return, he tries a drop that Sinner retrieves. So, perhaps remembering his recent success with the lob, tries one, but doesn’t give it enough and a slam-dunk overhead takes us to deuce. Meantime, Kouame blazes a backhand down the line for advantage … only to go long on the forehand. At 4-5 in the fifth, he’s two points from defeat once more.
This next game is gigantic. If Sinner goes down a double break, he’s surely done for, and when a tame forehand falls long, at 15-30 it’s only two points away. and so too is Vallejo, Kouame down 4-5 in the fifth and serving at deuce.
Updated
Sinner’s moving a bit better now, but Cerundolo breaks him through deuce to lead 1-0 in the fifth, and this is really brilliant from him, not so much in how he’s playing but the way he’s keeping composed against a man who’s not been beaten for 30matches. This is the opportunity of a lifetime, he knows it, and rather than snatch at it, he’s methodically moving towards it.
Updated
In half a day, not even, it feels like we’ve had enough drama for about a decade. Kouame makes 15-30, then stretches out wide to attack a second serve … and somehow, conjures a wondrous winner, cross-court. Two break-back points, a febrile crowd … and another brilliant return! I cant believe what i’m seeing here, the crowd chanting Kouame’s name and we’re back on serve in the fifth! This is amazing.
Updated
On Lenglen, Kouame holds for 3-5, forcing Vallejo to serve for a wonderful match. The crowd are absolutely loving it.
Learner Tien (18) beats Facundo Díaz Acosta 7-5 4-6 3-6 7-6(4) 6-3
Next for him: Cobolli. That should be a belter.
Updated
Back on Lenglen, Vallejo breaks Kouame for 4-2 in the fifth – this epic feels like it’s already lasted several days – and Cerundolo is now serving for set four at 5-1. Sinner can hit it, but he can’t run for it, so not unlike me in part, and a love hold means he’s a set away from enduring the biggest shock of the year. He needed his body to give him just one more game, but it said not, and if he doesn’t recover at least a little bit more, he’s done for.
Sinner’s walking about really, but he still makes 15-40 on the Cerundolo serve … except that takes it out of him, he’s got nothing left for the rest of the game, loses it, and when he sits down at 1-4, someone gives him a can of brown fizz and of course when he opens it, it shpritzes everywhere. It’s hard to watch really, a consummate athlete reduced to loping about, and a timely reminder to the rest of us of what it takes to do what these guys do.
On Mathieu, Cerundolo Major has levelled with Gaston at a set apiece, as Tiafoe has against Hurkacz. Shnaider now leads Kessler 7-6 3-1, while Taien and Diaz Acosta are level at 3-3 in the fifth – which, with Heliovaara & Patten now through to round two, I’m watching.
Down 15-30, Cerundolo does well to stay in a rally as Sinner unloads forehands, and when one hits the tape, he has two break points … but only needs one, dashing in to flip a drop back down the line, the world no 1 left spectating. That’s 3-1 to the underdog, Sinner having won just one game since leading 6-2 6-2 5-1.
Back on Lenglen, Kouame looks much better, burning a break point as he and Vallejo reach 2-2 in the decider; in the dubs, Heliovaara & Patten now lead Boerges & Zhang 6-3 5-3.
Better from Sinner, a drop and a forehand winner helping him to 40-15, then another forehand winner clouted down the line, levels us up at 1-1 in set four. the last coupe of points there, he looked more like himself, and oh yes, he unloads on two more forehands to make 0-15. He’s going for almost everything now, looking to get this won, and Cerundolo must get him on his bike – if he can plant feet and hit, he’s got enough enough left to win. And, sure enough, he doesn’t even bother chasing a ball to the corner, but does then find a winning drop for 15-40 … bending double after Cerundolo halves the deficit before running around a forehand to punish a second serve … only to hit the tape. Based on what we’ve seen this set, I think Sinner has enough left to win, but at advantage a lob forces him to chase, he looks like he’s moving in slow motion, and he can’t get it back. From there, Cerundolo closes out for 2-1, but it’s taking all he’s got to stay with an opponent who can barely run. Any change in that, even a minor one, and he’s history.b
Sinner isn’t back back, but he might be back enough, swatting a forehand winner for deuce. But looking at the replay, all the power comes from the arm – his legs still aren’t there under him so, down advantage, he comes in looking to shorted the point, and is immediately passed. You’ve got to admire the way Cerundolo has kept focus, left outside for 10 minutes then eight minutes, and he’s not going for mad stuff, just playing his game. I guess Sinner might hope to lose this set to be ready for a fifth, or hope to hold then go for a break later on, but it really doesn’t look good for him out there.
Given things have got tight in our two main matches, let’s quickly go around the courts: Gaston leads Cerundolo F 6-2 3-4 with a break; Shnaider lesds Kessler 7-6; Hurkacz leads Tiafoe 7-6 5-5; Diaz Acosta and Tien are 1-1 in the fifth; and Chwalinska and Mertens are 4-4 in the first.
I’m not sure why Cerundolo has stopped out in the heat – though he’s under a brolly, inside is aircon, and if this match goes all the way, he’ll need to play two more sets. But he stays sat down, then Sinner returns, and we’re ready to go again.
Sinner isn’t the only one struggling with the heat – Kouame looks to have little left, Vallejo taking the fourth set 6-2. It’s hard to see how he doesn’t complete the comeback, but if Kouame can hold serve, he’s definitely got some big shots left in him to finagle a break.
Updated
Sinner finds himself at 30-all, a double ceding set point; again, though, the question isn’t so much whether he can save it but whether he can recover. Because when he takes an overhead out of the air, his smash is clearly underpowered, the ball comes back, he nets, and is Cerundolo now favourite? Sinner, who leads 6-3 6-2 5-7, departs for a bathroom break and some fresh kit, but I’m not sure a slash and some Nike are the answer. No doubt he’ll be piling down the pickle juice, though – I hope, for his sake, it’s Mrs Elswood sweet.
Cerundolo holds for 6-5 in the third, the question now not so much whether he can win this set – it’s hard to see how he doesn’t – but whether Sinner can recover enough to snaffle another set. He takes some treatment between games, and this isn’t the first time he’s found himself in this situation.
Updated
Back on Lenglen, Vallejo has broken Kouame in set four, leading 4-2, and he looks by far the stronger man now. I wonder if the 17-year-old will tank the remainder of the set to have something left for a fifth, because he looks pretty wiped out there.
Sinner returns and he’s ready to go again – but what does he have left, serving three break-back points down? Er, no that much i don’t think, shots played at half-pace before he waves a a forehand wide. He had 10 minutes off, but 5-1 still became 5-5, and I’m really not sure if he’ll be able to go on! Initially, i thought he’d get it sorted, but now I’m seriously concerned.
Sinner feels dizzy and wants to vomit but can’t – does he have heat stroke? He leaves the court but is he allowed to take a medical timeout for cramp? I don’t think he can, but he can be assessed, we’re told, to see what the issue is, so even if they diagnose a problem the rules prevent him from getting treated, he gets a nice lie-down in the aircon, while Cerundolo loiters in the heat.
Updated
Er, I’m not sure what on earth is going on here, but Sinner has now lost 15 points in a row and, serving for the set at 2-0 5-4, he finds himself down 0-40 and sitting on a hoarding, clutching his back. The umpire comes down to talk to him, telling him he can either call the physio or take a time violation; he opts for the former, and it’s not clear if he’s hurt or has cramp, but either way, he’s getting a break.
Heliovaara and Patten break Borges and Zhang, then serve out the first set to lead 6-3; Gaston leads Cerundolo F 6-2; Hurkacz leads Tiafoe 7-6 1-2; and Tien has broken Diaz Acostas back in the fourth to trail 7-5 4-6 3-6 5-5;
At 30-all, Vallejo finds a fine delivery out wide, ending the point with an overhead, while Cerundolo JM, down 1-5 in the third, breaks Sinner to love, then holds to love – not many can say that. So the world no 1 will shortly serve for the match a second time.
After amping up the crowd before the start of set four, Kouame breaks, but then down 15-40, he advances to net … only to direct his volley into the tape. We’re level at 1-1, but the direction of travel is towards a decider, Vallejo now the more assured player.
I’m taking in a bit of doubles – as well as everything else – with Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten, Wimbledon champs in 2024 and Aussie 0pen champs in 2025, facing Nuno Borges and Zhang Zhizhen, a tough round one assignment. They lead 4-3 in the first.
Jaime Faria beats Jan-Leonard Struff 7-5 7-6(1) 6-2
Struff saw off Bublik in round one, but couldn’t exploit the no 9 seed’s path through the draw, losing to a qualifier – who meets Hurkacz or Tiafoe next.
Updated
Zach Svajda beats Adam Walton 6-3 6-4 (4)6-7 6-2
A terrific win for the 23-year-old American – what a cohort they’ve got coming through. Next for him: Cerundolo F or Gaston.
Back on Chatrier, Sinner now leads Cerundolo 6-3 6-2 4-0, and it’s a funny thing, really: obviously you put the best players on the best court, but as a spectator, I’d rather be almost anywhere else because at this stage of the competition, neither Sinner nor Sabalenka look pregnable, with the third match one for the domestic audience, Li taking on Parry.
Kouame takes his bag and takes a break so, while he’s doing that, let’s give Vallejo his biggups: alone on a packed court where everyone wants him to lose, he might easily have faded after losing the second set, but instead he kept at it and is now right into the match.
On Lenglen, Vallejo has retained his break, down 2-0 but up 5-3, and returning on deuce, he spanks a forehand to raise set point. Which is quickly extinguished via wide serve and clean-up forehand, Vallejo protesting that Kouame served too quickly; you can imagine how the home crowd react to such grassing. Anyroad up, Vallejo makes advantage, Kouame swipes a forehand long, and that’s one set back, the 17-year-old leading 6-3 7-5 3-6.
Obviously Sinner breaks Cerundolo at the first time of asking in set three; he’s nearly there, with Landaluce or Kopriva awaiting him in round three. In the other half of his eighth, we’ve got Rinderknech, Berrettini, Comesana and Darderi, so not much that’s scary, with Shelton his seeded quarter-final opponent and Auger-Aliassime or Cobolli his most likely semi-final adversary. I’ve not a clue how any of them go about beating him.
With Osaka and Vekic finished, I’m taking in a bit of Svajda 6-3 6-3 6-7 1-1 Walton. I was extremely impressed that the young American lost the first set to Popyrin, then reeled off three on the spin and, in the same eighth as Cobolli, will feel he’s a chance to do something here.
Sinner serves out the second set to lead JM Cerundolo 6-3 6-2, while Vallejo, who’s never played a five-setter, never mind come back from 2-0 down to win, has broken Kouame for 3-1 in the third. But can he see out the set?
On 14, Hurkacz has broken Tiafoe back and leads 4-3 in the first; Diaz Acosta now leads Tien 2-1, the winner to meet Cobolli next; and Walton has taken set three to trail Svajda 2-1.
Flavio Cobolli (10) beats Wu Yibing 6-4 6-4 6-4
A second straightforward win for Cobolli, who with Medvedev gone from his eighth and Auger-Aliassime his seeded last-eight opponent, will be eyeing a deep run.
Updated
Now on Mathieu: Francisco Cerundolo (25) v Hugo Gaston.
OK, let’s do Osaka’s interview. She’s into round four for the first time since 2018 and says it means a lot, thanking the crowd for watching. She feels so grateful, this is another milestone and she hopes she gets to play more matches.
Despite a difficult first and second-round draw, she’s won both in two sets so has tried to play her best, be focused, and go point by point; eventually, she ended up winning, so she’s really happy.
On to the dress – we weren’t going at the start, so I didn’t report it – but she feels she’s developed a community with her on-court outfits, likes to keep people guessing, and she enjoys that people enjoy it.
Finally, asked for a word in French for the crowd, she offers “Merci”.
Sinner breaks Cerudolo again to lead 6-3 4-1, and he’ll soon be back in the locker room, so too Cobolli, who leads Wu 6-4 6-4 4-3. Otherwise, Tiafoe leads Hurkacz 2-1 with a break, Diaz acosta now leads Tien 5-7 6-4 5-3, Faria leads Struff 7-5 7-6 2-0 and Svajda leads Walton 6-3 6-4 5-6 on serve.
Back on Lenglen, Kouame – another it’s hard to see losing –holds for 6-5, then reaches 30-40 and set point, varying the trajectory and pace of his forehands … before exploding into a backhand winner, sent from centre to corner, inside-in! It’s a fantastic shot but more than that, a fantastic rally, totally controlled by a 17-year-old who looks terrifyingly complete. So he strikes what has already come to be his pose, right hand cupping an ear and left arm stretched across his body, hand on heart. This is amazing, affirming and inspiring to watch, a young man announcing himself to the world like it’s his; this is so overjoying I barely know what to do with myself and Kouame leads 6-3 7-5.
Updated
Naomi Osaka (16) beats Donna Vekic 7-6(1) 6-4
It always felt like Osaka had too much and she did, never in serious danger as she settled into form. Next for her comes Iva Jovic, and I cannot wait for that.
Updated
…but this time, Osaka finds the shot she missed last, a serve out wide tidied to the opposite corner, then an unreturned serve raise match point.
At 15-all, Osaka finds a big fist serve, and Vekic is vexed to swipe it wide. A decent return, though, on to the baseline, helps her to 30-all, and a backhand wiped wide means a break-back point…
A brave swing-volley gives Osaka break point at 30-40, a decent backhand return forces her into the point, and her second shot, a forehand guided – ushered – to the inside-out corner, means that at 7-6 5-4, she’ll shortly serve for the match. Her best stuff remains too good for almost everyone.
We’re on serve in our other feature matches, Osaka leading Vekic 7-6 4-4 and Kouame leading Vallejo 6-3 5-4. It feels like we know who’s going to win both matches, but we can’t be sure how either leader will respond once the finish line hoves into view.
Sinner holds to 15 and leads Cerundolo 6-3. I think there’s a good chance he wins this one.
Updated
While all that was going on, Vekic broke Osaka back, and they’re now level at 3-3 in the second, Osaka having taken the first; on Lenglen, Kouame has just broken Vallejo back after threatening it pretty much since it happened, to lead 6-3 3-3; and I’m now watching Sinner, who leads Cerundolo Jr 5-3.
Jovic and Navarro share a hug of obvious affection, then the younger player moves along the front row, signing stuff and taking selfies like it’s nothing. She knows this is where she belongs – I know this feels a lazy comparison, but she’s almost Mirra Andreeva, with definitive weapons.
Updated
Next on Court 14: Hubert Hurkacz v Francis Tiafoe (19).
Iva Jovic (17) beats Emma Navarro 6-0 6-3
An amazing performance from Jovic, who played unstoppable tennis for a set and a bit, rode out a comeback from a serious opponent, then took over again. She is going to be a factor for a long, long time, and might just contest the title this year – and if it isn’t now, it’ll be soon. Next for her: Vekiv or Osaka, and what a blockbuster that might be. We are watching greatness, people.
Updated
Sinner now leads Cerundolo Jr 4-2; Cobolli leads Wu 6-4 5-3; Tien leads Diaz Acosta 7-5 4-4; and Svajda leads Walton 6-3 6-4 1-1. Meantime, back on 16, Jovic again asserts herself, missing a putaway at 15-40 but securing her break next point. She’s now serving for the match at 6-0 5-3.
Vallejo nets a putaway he ought to have monstered, and you can’t be handing Kouame gifts like that – a terrific backhand cross-court raises both a break-back point and the pressure. Back on 16, Jovic stops the rot, holding for 6-0 4-3, while Osaka breaks Vekic to 15 for a 7-6 2-2 lead … and Vallejo saves another break-back with a booming backhand cross, but must still pass through deuce to retain his advantage.
It takes him a while, but Vallejo eventually endorses his break for 3-6 2-0, Kouame still at it, and, on Mathieu, Vekic needs some time to secure her hold in the first game of set two; she trails Osaka 6-7 1-0. Oh, and on 14, Navarro makes it three games on the bounce, holding, just, to trail Jovic 0-6 3-3
On Chatrier, Sinner breaks Cerundolo Jr immediately for 2-0. He’s my dark horse to make the final.
Now then! Navarro gets herself on the board at 0-6 1-3, then makes 30-40 … and is that a sign of stress? Jovic flaps a forehand way wide and, after winning the first nine games, she’s lost two on the spin and we’re back on serve in the second, the match still in the balance.
Yup, Vekic nets a backhand and Osaka leads 7-6 while, on Lenglen, Vallejo breaks Kouame at the start of set two to trail 3-6 1-0. Otherwise, moving around the courts, Cobolli now leads Wu 6-4 1-2; Tien leads Diaz Acosta 7-5 1-1; Faria leads Struff 7-5; and Svajda leads Walton 6-3 4-4.
Gosh, Osaka is all over Vekic now, rushing to a 6-0 breaker lead, and though a drop retrieves a point, this is a depressing way to lose a set – even if it’s been in the post for a few games now.
Updated
We’ll soon be underway on Chatrier, where Sinner faces Cerudolo – I guess I’ll join that match when Jovic has finished with Navarro, her lead 6-0 3-0. Her shot-selection is really excellent, especially given her commitment to attack – she rarely reaches for one that isn’t there, and there aren’t many who can play better than she is this morning.
Vekic has lost the run of herself, gifting two set points after Osaka holds for 6-5. So she marches on to a forehand and unloads, a winner making 30-40, then, sending down a second serve that sits up nicely, watches the overhit return fly long. That’s a big missed opportunity then, when she arranges another, a wide serve and line backhand restore deuce; excellent work from Vekic. An ace follows, and from there, she closes out the hold; a breaker will settle things.
Back with Kouame, he’s up advantage, takes control of the next rally, and a deep backhand incites Vallejo to net on the forehand! The 17-year-old takes the first set 6-3, with two breaks, and Lenglen is jumping!
Kouame holds for 5-3, then makes 30-40 and set point; Vallejo saves it well, serving out wide then putting away a shoulder-high volley. But he’s soon down advantage, Kouame missing his backhand down the line to restore deuce, but Vallejo shanks his forehand so back round we go. Meantime, Jovic outlasts Navarro in a protracted game on 14, taking her sixth break point to leads 6-0 2-0. She’s taking an experienced top-10 talent to the absolute cleaners.
Updated
Osaka makes 0-15, then a double, the first of the match, gives her a serious sniff; this might be a turning point. So Vekic slams down an ace, her first of the match, a return goes long, and this is a decent response … but a fine return from Osaka raises break-back point then, out of nowhere, she ups the pace, an inside-out backhand to the corner the shot of the match so far. We’re level at 5-5, and this is brewing into a very acceptable contest.
Talking of Vekic and Osaka, the former is about to serve for set one at 5-4, still in charge but probably second-best in terms of play now. Otherwise, Cobolli leads Wu 6-4, Tien is about to serve for the set against Diaz Acosta at 5-4, and Svajda leads Walton 6-3 0-2.
Updated
On Mathieu, Jovic has bagelled Navarro, and might she be a threat to win this title, this year? What I enjoy about her in particular is her attitude – she looks to dominate and does, but if she’s behind in the rally, she’s certain she can work her way back into it. There’s not much she can’t do, really, and if she were to win today, then beat Vekic or Osaka, she’d probably face Sabalenka in round four. That could be quite a contest.
At 30-all, Kouame hooks a forehand wide, his first proper error … so he plays a gorgeous backhand drop to save break point …then punishes a backhand winner down the line for advantage … then seizes momentum in the next rally with a backhand … only to net the follow-up forehand. But you can see that at 17, his tennis brain is seriously precocious, and a ludicrous forehand, taken early and sent cross-court to the opposite corner, restores advantage. Again, he can’t see it out, but increasingly, I’m convinced we’re watching a superstar. As I type, he flings down an ace, then dashes in to sweep a forehand cross, and the break is thusly endorsed, Kouame up 4-2.
Given how much tennis I watch, and it’s a fair bit, I’ve not seen loads of Jovic, but I’m certain that’ll be addressed over the next decade or two. She’s started beautifully here, up 4-0 on Navarro – still feeling her way back after taking a career break to refresh:
I think it should be normalised. The circuit is very tough, long, and exhausting. Fans see us on TV for an hour and a half every few days, and that’s pretty much all they see of many things we do on and off the court. So yes, there is a lot involved in trying to be at the top level in your sport, and it requires constant care of the body and mind. It takes a toll, without a doubt.
It’s important to normalise it and take a break if necessary. I tried to step back from the circuit and didn’t follow the results or watch any tennis matches when I wasn’t playing. I just wanted to feel like a normal person, a person who wasn’t playing tennis, rather than a tennis player. I spent a lot of time with my family and friends at home and, well, yes, I managed to feel quite normal. That was really nice. Yes, it made me appreciate many things when returning to the circuit.”
These are important words. Of course there are worse things to do for a living than travel the world playing tennis, but that doesn’t mean it should be an endurance test with domestic consequences.
Elsewhere, Cobolli leads Wu 3-2 with a break; Tien leads Diaz Acosta 3-2 with a break; and Svajda leads Walton 5-2.
Righto, I’m watching Vekic 3-1 Osaka; Jovic 3-0 Navarro; and Kouame 3-2 Vallejo – and the younger of the two youngsters has just broken.
Updated
Preamble
Salut à tout le monde et bienvenue à Roland-Garros 2026 – cinquième jour! Et oh là là, quel tennis nous attend!
We begin today with a raft of compelling contests. Naomi Osaka takes on Donna Vekic and Iva Jovic meets Emma Navrro, with Flavio Cobolli, Learner Tien and Zach Svajda also in action. But the most exciting among the exciting is to be found on Lenglen, where Moise Kouame, the 17-year-old local boy whose destruction of Marin Cilic made him the hero of round one, addresses Adolfo Daniel Vallejo in what looks an exceedingly winnable matchup.
Soon after, Jannik Sinner takes to the clay against Juan Manuel Cerúndolo – whose seeded older brother faces Hugo Gaston later in the day. But while that’s going on, we might easily be distracted, given the appearances of Amanda Anisimova, Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, Madison Keys and Felix Auger-Aliassime – whose battle with Jorge Burruchaga’s son will engage football fans of a certain medieval.
Then, as the day continues, we’ve got the first appearance of Henry Patten and Harri Heliovaara, former men’s doubles champions at Wimbledon and in Melbourne; Victoria Mboko against Katarina Siniakova; with Ben Shelton, Anna Kalinskaya and Katie Boulter also in action. Or, in other words, quelqu’un aurait-il des yeux de rechange?
Chauette! On y va!
