Righto people, my watch is over. To do a quick around the courts before I depart, it’s Bencic 5-2 Andreescu, Korda 1-0 Gasquet (with a break), Dimitrov 6-0 4-3 Coric and Munar 6-2 7-6(3) 2-6 2-6 2-5 Schwartzman. Otherwise, join us again tomorrow!
It’s so nervous out there now, Alcaraz amping up the crowd before ceding match point ... then Ramos-Vinolas tamely nets! And have a look! Alcaraz climbs into the next point, and facing a defensive lob, he lets it bounce then, from the backhand corner, clobbers a flat smash cross-court for break-back point! Then Ramos-Vinolas nets a backhand, and we’re back on serve in set four! Ramos-Vinolas 1-6 7-6(7) 7-5 5-5 Alcaraz
A monstrous forehand gets Alcaraz 15-30, but then he nets from mid-court looking to be too precise with loads of margin for error. Ramos-Vinolas, though, can’t capitalise, going long to cede a break-back point ... but a long return takes us to deuce.
Alcaraz is in trouble again, serving at 4-4 30-40 ... and he goes long with his first effort. This is a colossal chance for Ramos-Vinolas, who plays his way into the next rally, then runs around his backhand to absolutely leather a forehand winner down the line! He will now serve for the match!
On Chatrier, Bencic and Andreescu are away; Bencic leads 2-1 with a break.
And Schwartzman, a semi-finalist in 2020, is 3-0 up on Munar in their decider.
We’re still on serve on Mathieu, where it’s now4-3 to Alcaraz in set four, but still 2-1 Rmos-Vinolas overall.
Novak Djokovic [1] beats Alex Molcan 6-2 6-3 7-6(4)!
He meets Bedene next, which will be more of a test, I think.
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Djokovic and Molcan are now playing a breaker in set three – Djokovic leads by two sets to one; Schwartzman has just forced a decider against Munar, having won sets three and four 6-3; and Dimitrov leads Coric 5-0.
But have a look! Ramos-Vinolas flicks a lob from under the net, not just over it but down the line, and that snatches back the break immediately!
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Alcaraz is very, very serious, and he breaks Ramos-Vinolas at the first time of asking – though, in fairness, he didn’t actually have to do all the much to get it. Anyroad, he leads 2-0 in the fourth, trailing 1-2.
Next on Chatrier: Bencic [14] v Andreescu.
Zverev tells Mats that he told Baez, this is the worst he’ll ever feel on a tennis court, and he knows that feeling himself having been two sets up and two points away from the US Open. But he couldn’t bring it home, losing in the fifth. What’s also interesting is that when asked why, match point down, he served down the middle, he says that he finds the forehand is the side on which people tend to get tight, and though he could’ve looked silly, it worked out for him.
Well! Ramos-Vinolas serves out for the third set! He leads Alcaraz 1-6 7-6(7) 7-5!
Alexander Zverev [3] beats Sebatian Baez 2-6 4-6 6-1 6-2 7-5!
What a match! What a performance from Baez! But it’s Zverev through to meet either Nakashima or Griekspoor next; currently, the former leads 7-6(6) 6-4 1-2.
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Zverev gets to 30-15, Baez nets, and from 2-0 down and then match point down, the number three seed has match point....
Sklhhhsqpp! Alcaraz hands Ramos-Vinolas a break point, looks set to save it when a drop means all his opponent can do is dig it out ... but he dumps the simple put-away! Ramos-Vinolas will no serve for the third set!
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Eeesh, Zverev sends Baez scurrying to hither and yon, a slice to the forehand corner setting up the put-away for break point. What foes Baez have left? Ach, he finds a fine forehand, but then going for the backhand winner cross-court, he goes fractionally, wife, and Zverev will now serve for the match at 6-5 in the fifth!
“There are some matches I watch, I feel proud that I was a player – when you see guys dig this deep,” says Mac, when Zverev levels at 5-5. It’s a lovely sentiment, though I’m not sure pride and Zverev go together.
Anyway, it’s been an unbelievable match, and we’re in great shape on Mathieu too, where Alcaraz and Ramos-Vinolas are 1-1 and 5-5.
Zverev, though, finds a colossal serve, good enough to save match point. But he’s not out of the woods yet, not by a long chalk.
A glorious drop from Baez gets him 30-all and he’s two tantalising points away from an incredible win. He’s been so brave in this final set, unloading the suitcase at everything. So he goes again, hauls Zverev to the net, and eventually whacks the ball at him hard enough so that the volley in response goes long!
Baez holds again and now leads 5-4 in the decider!
Alcaraz, champion that he is, breaks Ramos-vinolas back immediately; Djokovic now leads Molcan by two sets and a break; and Schwartzman has won the third against Munar to trail 2-1. But the most serious action is still on Chtrier, where a final-set breaker looks likely at 4-4. It’s extremely tense now...
Ach, Zverev nails two devastating backhands down the line to break back at the first time of asking, and now trails 3-4 in the fifth.
Sloane Stephens beats Sorana Cîrstea [26] 3-6 6-2 6-0!
That’s a bazzing win for the 2018 finalist, and she meets Osorio or Parry next.
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Aaarrgghhhh! Baez earns a break point and have an absolute look! He flings his entire being into a forehand to the backhand corner, and though Zverev gets it back, the ball floats long! This is unbelievable behaviour, it really is – to go up two sets, be yanked back 1 and 2 by one of the world’s best ... only to rebound like this? Amazing. Zverev 2-6 4-6 6-1 6-2 2-4 Baez
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Alcaraz is under pressure! The Madrid champ is broken early in set three and is struggling from the back against Ramos-Vinolas’ loopy lefty style. Djokovic, meanwhile, has taken the second set from Molcan and leads 6-2 6-3.
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Baez is doing a really good job here – we’re at 2-2 in the decider, the collapse that would not have been unexpected failing to materialise. oh, and Stephens has broken Cirstea for 2-0 in their decider – I’d love for her to recapture her best form, she’s such a lovely mover.
Elsewhere, Stephens has fought back to take the second set off Cirstea, 6-2, and leads 1-0 in the decider on serve; Munar now leads Schwartzman 6-2 7-6(3), so the number 15 seed is in deep trouble; and Djokovic s 6-2 5-2 up on Molcan.
Another error from Alcaraz hands Ramos-Vinolas his third set point, and this time his forehand doesn’t need backing up because Alcaraz whams one of his own into the net post! Alcaraz is struggling on the backhand return here, and consequently we gout waselves a ball-game! Ramos-Vinolas 1-6 7-6(7) Alcaraz
Ohhhh, Albert! He wallops a forehand to the corner, but then coming in, overhits his next effort. Props to Alcaraz for the retrieval, but he ought not to have smelt that. It’s 6-6 while, on Chatrier, Baez leads Zverev 1-0 in the decider.
A delicious backhand volley from Ramos-Vinolas, backing up a gigantic forehand, gives him 5-4 in the breaker, and though Alcaraz then levels things, an unforced error means he’s facing set point on his opponent’s serve....
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Zverev takes set four 6-2. Can Baez find the form with which he began this match?
Thanks Michael and hi again. I’m watching Zverev v Baez and Ramos-Vinolas v Alcaraz; Zverev is about to secure the fourth set, forcing a decider that, let’s be real, he looks certain to win, while Alcaraz leads 2-1 in the second set breaker having won the first ].
Daniel is back from his break, so I’ll hand him back the blog. Enjoy the rest of the today’s play. Cheers!
Sloane Stephens, unseeded here, is fighting to stay in the tournament. She lost the first set to Sorana Cirstea and it’s on serve in the second set.
Uh oh. Here comes Zverev with a double break of serve in the fourth set! Baez looks a little lost and has resorted to desperately trying drop shots from seemingly every position. It’s not going well.
Make that the first set. Djokovic isn’t hanging around.
Somebody called Novak Djokovic is playing on Lenglen. He’s 4-2 up on Alex Molcan in the first set.
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Zverev wins the third set, 6-1, with Baez still 2-1 in sets. Looked like Baez was conserving energy at the end of that set. The Argentinian has only one top-20 win in his career, over Cristian Garín in February at the Cordoba Open, so if he can close this last set out, it would be the biggest moment of his career.
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Leylah Fernandez is absolutely bulldozing her way past Katerina Siniakova. She’s 6-3, 4-0 up. The Canadian has conceded just eight games in her two matches thus far.
Zverev breaks Baez again. He’s serving for the third set. We’ll almost certainly be going to a fourth set. Worth bearing in mind that Zverev is 7-1 in five setters at Roland Garros.
Quick-work from Carlos Alcaraz.
⏱ 25 minutes@alcarazcarlos03 claims the first set against Ramos-Vinolas 6-1.#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/jaVNuhfl48
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) May 25, 2022
Our correspondent in Paris, Tumaini Carayol, wrote this on the Spaniard earlier this month.
Baez bounces back and holds before taking a 30-0 lead on Zverev’s serve. But a huge ace out wide and then a nimble dash to the net to dispatch a ill-judged volley means the German scrambles to deuce. This is great tennis: Zverev is starting to look sharp at the net and he saves another break point before a 131mph serve down the T. Baez roars back with an acute crosscourt backhand that catches Zverev on his heels. After a seven-minute game, Zverev eventually closes it out for a 4-1 lead. However, this remains a very even contest in the third set.
Hello everyone. What a game we have on our hands on Chatrier. Baez is two set up on No 3 seed Zverev, but the German has a break of serve at the beginning of the third. It’s 3-0 to Zverev. Baez looks fully focused, though. Just 5ft5in, his attitude has been outstanding today.
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Righto, I’m off for some scran - here’s Michael Butler to escort you through the next bit.
Jaime Munar has taken the first set of Diego Schwartzman [15] 6-2 while, in a match on which we can now focus, Carlos Alcaraz [6], our next superstar, leads Albert Ramos-Vinolas 4-1.
Karolina Muchova beats Maria Sakkari [4] 7-6(5) 7-6(4)!
That was a brilliant match, and it’s so good to see Muchova’s joy at winning it – she’s been injured most of the season, but now she’s in round three at Roland Garros, where she’ll meet Amanda Anisimova [27]. You absolutely love to see it.
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Yes Sebastian Baez! He powers through deuce and now leads Zverev, the number three seed, 6-2 6-4! What a shock this could be!
Muchova gets herself a mini-break to lead 4-2; can Sakkari respond yet again? Of course she can, opening her shoulder to clobber two gigantic forehands cross-court! Baez, meanwhile, has allowed Zverev back to deuce, and things are getting tight on Chatrier.
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Muchova hangs in there, so we’ve got waselves that breaker, while Zverev has forced Baez to serve for their second set.
Sakkari now leads 6-5 in set two – it feels like these have been playing for about five hours, not the 2 hr 18 the clock advises is the case – with Muchova serving for a breaker. Zverev, meanwhile, is also serving, at 3-5, and though it might not be enough to get him this set, the tide might just’ve turned.
Bernabé Zapata Miralles beats Taylor Fritz [13] 3-6 6-2 6-2 6-3!
It’s Isner next for him.
Zverev has roused himself, snatching back a break while – as I meant to note – Gauff has seen off Van Uytvanck 6-1 7-6(4) and meets Haddad Maia or Kanepi next. Currently, Kanepi leads 6-4 2-3.
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Back on Lenglen, Sakkari has broken Muchova back and followed it with a hold, so she now leads 5-4 in set two. I’d absolutely love a decider here, I don’t mind telling youse.
Zverev is enduring one of the great meltdowns here, but from 15-40 he battles back to deuce then saves another break point before holding. I don’t think I can show the footage attached so a link will have to do, but after Baez followed in from six feet behind the baseline then put away a volley, Calvin, the coach I mentioned earlier, noted on Twitter as follows: “I love this play from Baez and always try to encourage it in players I coach. It’s so underused. The delayed approach on the ‘hit’ or on the ‘location’. Baez is 6ft behind the baseline when he hits it, it’s not his intention before he hits it to come to the net. Zverev isn’t out of position before the shot, he’s in the middle of the court. There’s no angle to work with. But Baez knows on contact that he’s done enough damage to force a defensive slice. Elite decision making. Making the decision on the feeling of the hit, and the location.” Zverev 2-6 1-3 Baez
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It’s beginning to look like Muchova has got Sakkari now, consolidating easily enough, while Baez now has a double break in set two! He’s got a really annoying, scurrying style and no massive shots, but it’s in perfect working order and unless something massive changes, he is going to despatch the number three seed! Zverev 2-6 0-3 Baez
Cameron Norrie [10] beats Jason Kubler 6-3 6-4 6-3!
Next for him is Khachanov, and that should be a lot of fun.
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Break-point down, Zverev disburses a double, and he is absolutely all sorts! In comms, McEnroe reckons he got negative after being broken at the start of the match, but Baez is playing what is, so far, the match of his life. He leads 6-2 1-0!
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Another long, sapping, brutal game, and again Muchova comes out of it on top; she breaks Sakakri again and now leads 7-6(5) 3-2).
Baez serves out to 15, taking the first set 6-2 in just over half an hour, and Zverev has a problem. Meantime, I retract that I told you so; Gauff is now serving for the match against Van Uytvanck and Norrie will do likewise if Kubler holds at 3-5 in the third.
Sakkari isn’t letting Muchova have this – she’s so fierce – and breaks back immediately for 2-2, while Baez holds again for 5-1. He is looking smooth.
Baez is absolutely all over his first appearance on a show court, securing the double break against Zverev! He now leads 4-1 and the number three seed has a problem and knows it!
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Zapata Miralles might just’ve broken Fritz, taking set three 6-2 for a 2-1 lead, while Van Uytvanck – I told you not to sleep on her – now leads Gauff by a break, having lost set one 6-1.
I’ve not seen Baez before but I know he’s a talent – he’s been taking advice off Juan Martin del Potro, apparently, and if he deems him worth giving time to, that’s a very good sign. He’s hitting the cover off it anyroad up, 3-1 in front, while Sakkari has subsided to hand Muchova a break and a 7-6(5) 2-1 lead.
Baez, eh? More than enough reason to publish this, especially given yesterday was Bob’s 81st.
Baez has broken Zverev first up.
More than 11 months after Olga Sharypova first came forward with accusations of abuse by her ex-boyfriend Alexander Zverev, the ATP has announced an investigation into one of the incidents. pic.twitter.com/s2zdz3QdiL
— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) October 4, 2021
Amanda Anisimova, the 27th seed, leads Donna Vekic 6-4 1-1; Zapata Miralles v Fritz is 3-6 6-2 3-2; and Gojo trails Krajinovic (5)6-7 1-4.
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Sakkari swipes a forehand wide down the line, handing Muchova her eighth set point! All that work – and truss, there’s been absolutely loads of it – gone in a second, because Muchova has just walloped that same shot into the corner, to take the first set 7-6(5)! That’s a great effort from Muchova, who didn’t get discouraged when it looked like she’d be overtaken, and this is another super match.
On Chatrier, Zverev and Baez will soon be under way, while in that breaker, we’re back on serve at 4-4. This will come down to a point here or there by the looks of things
It’s Sakkari playing with all the aggression and conviction now, taking the mini-break quickly ... but then ceding it for 2-2. Muchova, though, knows how this is going, forced to fight for every point, and when she glides a slice into the net, Sakkari again has the advantage at 3-2.
Sakkari saves two set points, much to Muchova’s disgust, then another with a brutal serve, and a belted long forehand gives us a breaker. Muchova will be wondering what she has to do here, but Sakkari is so good and so tough. A breaker it is.
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Coco Gauff has breezed through the first set against Van Uytvacnk to the tune of 6-1; Van Uytvacnk is more of a grass-courter really, seeing off Muguruza at Wimbledon a few years ago with an absolutely devastating display. Sakkari, meanwhile, is playing nicely now, and will shortly serve for a first-set breaker against Muchova, who’s played more or less as well as she can and still hasn’t clinched the set.
Karen Kahchanov [21] beats Hugo Dellien 4-6 6-4 7-6(1) 6-3!
The Bolivian, who played so well against Thiem, has gone; Khachanov meets Norrie or Kubler next, the former having just taken the second set.
Angelique Kerber [21] beats Elsa Jacquemot 6-1 7-6(2)!
She plays Sasnovich next – that should be a lot of fun – and I’m excited to see how Jacquemot develops.
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Kerber knows just a little too much for Jacquemot, now leading 5-2 in the breaker, but don’t ignore how hard she’s had to work for it; Sakkari has broken Muchova back, and is now serving at 4-5.
On Mathieu, Gauff and Van Uytvanck are away, while Sakkari has improved a little against Muchova ... only to cede two set points serving at 2-5. She saves the first, then unleashes a fearsome forehand down the line to obliterate the second, eventually hanging on through deuce for 3-5. Back on Lenglen, Kerber and Jacquemot swap holds and are now 1-1 in the breaker.
Jacquemot, who was 6-1 2-0 40-15 down unfurls a colossal forehand to earn break point, but then dumps one. No matter, she earns another ... but this time, after hauling Kerber to the net, sticks a backhand into it. She is going to be a serious player – she already is – but can’t secure the break, meaning she’ll shortly serve to stay in the match at 1-6 5-6.
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Now let’s have a closer look at Muchova v Sakkari, where the former is dominating, leading 4-1, but excuse me while I interrupt myself for Andrew Muzza, he hath spaken.
I follow golf very closely and have no idea how many ranking points the winner of the @TheMasters gets.
— Andy Murray (@andy_murray) May 25, 2022
Me and my friends love football and non of us know or care how many ranking points a team gets for winning the @FIFAWorldCup
But I could tell you exactly who won the World Cup and the Masters. I’d hazard a guess that most people watching on centre court @Wimbledon in a few weeks time wouldn’t know or care about how many ranking points a player gets for winning a 3rd round match🤷♂️
— Andy Murray (@andy_murray) May 25, 2022
But I guarantee they will remember who wins. @Wimbledon will never be an exhibition and will never feel like an exhibition. The end.
— Andy Murray (@andy_murray) May 25, 2022
Oh, and Jacquemot holds for 5-5 – through deuce but nevertheless.
Back in the men’s event, Khachanov has taken the third-set breaker off Dellien 7-1, and now leads by 2-1; Fritz now leads Zapata Miralles 6-3 0-1; and Kubler has broken Norrie back in set two.
Jacquemot is playing really nicely, but she can’t get anything on the Kerber serve, so at 1-6 4-5 is now serving to stay in the match. I’d love for her to prolong this, aside from the fact that I’ve got Kerber ins my acca, because this is a really good match and you can see how much she’s loving the contest – and the joy of knowing that, at 19, you can hang with such a champ.
Muchova has started beautifully, leading Sakari 3-0 without losing a point on serve, while Kerber and Jacquemot are locked at 4-4 in set two, Kerber having sprinted to the first 6-1. I’m sure there’s a Jacamo line to be inserted here, but I’m far too mature so to do.
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John Isner [23] beats Grégoire Barrère 6-4 6-4 3-6 7-6(5)!
Isner meets Fritz or Zapata Miralles next; Fritz leads 4-3 on serve.
And with that, I’m leaving Norrie v Kubler as Muchova v Sakkari has just started.
Norrie has broken Kubler first up in set two, and looks really at ease with himself. When he was playing on Monday, I asked Calvin Betton, our resident coach, if people expected him to get this good, as my suspicion was they did not, so I asked and also wondered how he’s done it, and this is what he said: “Most people thought top 50, but definitely not top 10. He moves well, absolutely loves competing, serves pretty good. He’s got two unique ground strokes. His FH is this slow loopy thing that he usually goes cross-court on that means you’re always hitting a high BH with no pace off it, and his BH is like a weird drive under-spin thing. No one else plays like that really. So it’s hard to get a handle on it.”
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Jacquemot is now getting treatment for what looks like a blister/foot interface situation; she’ll be fine, I think. Dellien, who rousted Thiem in round one, is now giving Khachanov plenty; the Russian is serving for a third-set breaker after one and two were shared.
Felix Auger-Alissime [9] beats Camilo Ugo Carabelli 6-0 6-3 6-4!
Easy as you like for Felix, who meets Gojo or Krajinovic next; they’ve just started, and it’s 1-1 in set one.
I’m watching Kerber 6-1 2-2 Jacquemot now, and as you can see, Kerber’s break has been retrieved. Jacquemot, who beat Heather Watson in round one, is only 19 and won the girls’ championship here in 2020. She’s playing pretty well, apparently. Oh, and on Court 6, Norrie has taken the first set off Kubler 6-3 and looks very smart out there.
Next on Lenglen: Muchova v Sakkari [4]. This should be decent.
Raducanu played alright there, but failing to take those break points at 2-1 cost her in the end. Norrie, though, leads Kubler 5-1 now.
Aliaksandra Sasnovich beats Emma Raducanu [12] 3-6 6-1 6-1!
That’s a great performance from Sasnovich, who played the big points better. She meets Kerber of Jacquemot next; Kerber currently leads by a set and a break.
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Raducanu gets to 30-all, but then dumps a forehand into the net...
Yeah, Sasnovich breaks again, and at 3-6 6-1 5-1 will now serve for the match.
Sasnovich holds easily for 4-1 and suddenly, this feels very over. It’s not, though, because closing out is hard.
A tremendous forehand earns Sasnovich a break point – remember she saved five in her previous service game – and that’s what I meant when I said during it that it felt like the match was there. Shonuff, Raducanu frames a forehand, and Sasnovich now leads 3-1 in the decider!
With that match done, I’ve moved to Norrie v Kubler; Kubler has broken back, so trails 1-2 on serve.
Victoria Azarenka [15] beats Andrea Petkovic 6-1 7-6(3)!
She meets Teichmann [23] next.
Auger-Aliassime has his third-set break, and he should be back in the locker room shortly.
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I keep banging on about Raducanu’s temperament, but Sasnovich has played the break points superbly – there’ve been five so far – and as I type that, Raducanu swipes a backhand down the line wideand now trails 1-2 in the decider. As for Azarenka, she leads Petkovic 5-2 in their second-set breaker, and looks set for round three.
There’s also a monstrous game in progress on Court 14, just over now, in which Petkovic has saved a match point in earning a second-set breaker against Azarenka. Elsewhere, Cam Norrie, the number 6 seed, is away against Jason Kubler, Berrere has taken set three to trail Isner 2-1, and Sasnovich is still saving break points earned by Raducanu.
Kerber, playing Jacquemot, has taken the first set 6-1, and Aguer-Aliassime now leads Ugo Carabelli 6-0 6-4 while, back with Raducanu, Sasnovich might’ve gone off the boil; she allows a forehand to go by, only for it drop in! That makes 15-30 and we end up at deuce, Raducanu then racing to the net to do enough with a backhand when a drop pops up invitingly. But offered a forehand down the line for the break, her stroke is wild, Sasnovich then saves a further break point – this might just be the match here...
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Out on court 13, Khachanov [21] has taken the second set against Dellien, levelling the match in the process; Azarenka has broken Petkovic back again for 5-5 in set two – she won set one; and Raducanu hauls herself back from 0-30 to hold for 1-1. Her moxie is really very special.
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Raducanu takes a fairly long break and is well in the first game of set three. But an error at 30-all has her clutching her face in anguish, and when a backhand goes long, Sasnovich seals the hold. How this next service games goes will tell us a fair bit about how things will proceed from here.
Raducanu leaves the court, presumably to compose as well as do whatever she’s said she’s doing. The difference in set two was that she got fewer first serves in and Sasnovich monstered her second. Meantime, Petkovic has broken Azarenka again and will now serve for a decider; the winner will meet Teichmann, who’s beaten Danilovic 6-4 6-1, and Barrere is fighting back having lost the first two sets against Isner, leading 4-1 in the third.
Sasnovich breaks for a third time, to seal the second set 6-1! She’s responded brilliantly to going behind, just as Raducanu responded brilliantly to her opponent’s fast start. This decider should be a jazzer. Sasnovich 3-6 6-1 Raducanu
Or not. Petkovic nets on break point and it’s now 4-4 in set two.
I’ve changed from Auger-Aliassime to Azarenka 6-1 3-4 Petkovic; it looks like a final set is in the offing, as Petkovic is up a break.
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Auger-Alissime has his second-set break, leading Ugo Carabelli 6-1 4-2, and he’s playing very nicely now; clay isn’t his best surface, but he’s a threat on it and improving. On Lenglen, Sasnovich leads Raducanu 4-1 in set two.
Isner now leads Berrere 6-4 6-4 and we’re now away on Chatrier, where Kerber is already a break up on Jacquemot.
This is such a fun match! Sanovich raises a break point, saved by Raaducanu with a booming serve, then another is repelled via backhand winner down the line, and another at the end of a long rally when a deep backhand forces the long riposte. But Sasnovich isn’t arsed at all! She chops a backhand slice drop on advantage, and that’s her double break! We’re going to get the decider the match merits and we so richly deserve! Sasnovich 3-6 3-0 Raducanu
Ugo Carabelli is making a match of things now, forcing Auger-Aliassime to go through deuce for his hold – he now leads 6-0 2-1. Meantime, Isner is now a break, as well as a set up, Teichmann is a set up, and Petkovic leads Azarenka 3-1 in set two, Azarenka having won the first.
Colossal forehands give Sasnovich the break first up in set two, and she consolidates in short order. This is a really good match – both players are terrific athletes, below only Swiatek reckon our commentators, and they’re hitting beautifully. Sasnovich 3-6 2-0 Raducanu
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Elsewhere, Azarenka has taken the first set off Petkovic, 6-1, Ugo Carabelli has won his first game against Auger-Aliassime to trail 6-0 1-1, and Teichmann, the women’s number 23 seed, leads Danilovich 5-4 on serve.
...and Raducanu only needs one, chasing in to smite a backhand cross-court that breaks the sideline! She takes the first set 6-3 and is playing very nicely indeed – Sasnovich started fast, but gradually, Raducanu has climbed all over her. Great stuff.
Sasnovich goes long with a forehand down the line, raising two set points for Raducanu...
Again, Raducanu hangs tough, going to leave a ball she thought was going out, changing her mind, playing it, and winning the point for a come-from-behind hold to 30. Sasnovich will now serve to stay in the set, trailing 3-5.
“Totally agree with you about Raducanu’s win at the US Open,” emails Rob Corcoran. “What made it even more incredible was how emphatic all her victories were. Each win in straight sets, no tiebreaks required – including wins against the Olympic champion Bencic and Shelby Rogers who’d just beaten Ash Barty in the previous round. I was thinking earlier in the week about how Raducanu’s superior fitness saw her over the line in the first round here at Roland Garros. Had any of her opponents taken her to a third set at the US Open the more seasoned pros could have seen off Raducanu as she tired, but that scenario never played out as she just swatted everyone away in two sets. It was truly phenomenal.”
Women’s tennis is in an incredible place at the moment, with so many different major winners. The overall standard is brilliant and so are the contests, because no one has a clue what’s going to happen – though Iga Swiatek is showing signs of developing into our next dominant champ.
Auger-Aliassime bagels – or beigels – Ugo Carabelli 6-0; Isner takes the first set off Barrere 6-4; Azarenka leads Petkovic 5-1; and Raducanu consolidates her break, through deuce again, for 4-2. I keep saying it, but her ability to squeak through the tight ones is a joke.
Two terrific backhands from Raducanu, the second a clean winner that breaks the sideline, earns her break point, and after two more thunderous backhands, she uncorks a forehand winner! She is so good when it gets tight! Sasnovich 2-3 Raducanu
Updated
“Where are the spectators?” wonders Chris Hardwick. They’ll be with us during the course of the day, but it’s also the case that Parisians aren’t as compelled by their major as Londoners are.
Sasnovich forces a break point, but Raducanu finds a decent first serve to force the long return, then saves a second with a change-up backhand down the line. We then go backwards and forward from deuce to advantage, before Raducanu secures her hold for 2-2. Elsewhere, Auger-Aliassime now leads Ugo Carabelli 4-0, Isner leads Barrere 5-3 and Azarenka is a break up on Petkovic.
Auger-Aliassime breaks immediately, while Sasnovich holds emphatically. The more I think about it, the more absolutely rabid it is that Raducanu won the US Open, not because she isn’t good – she is – or didn’t deserve to – she did – but even so. To just turn up at 19 and breeze through, when there are so many brilliant players around, remains unfathomable the best part of a year later. It’s up there with Bozzer Becker winning Wimbledon in 1985 – though he also won Queen’s and retained his title – and Rob Cross winning the world darts in 2018 – as one of the all-time great achievements I’ve ever seen, in any sport.
Raducanu didn’t play especially well in her first-round match, but she hung in there when it got tough – she’s got serious mentality. Should she win today, Sasnovich would the highest-ranked opponent she’s beaten this year, and she looks “pumped” – is there a a more tennis word than that? – in holding to 15. Auger-Aliassime, meanwhile – who needed to come from two sets down to beat Varillas, a qualifier, on Monday – holds his first service game via deuce.
Who’d like to hear a funny story? I just got a call from the office of the school attended by my eight-year-old; her contact lens has come out and she’s forgotten to take her glasses. My wife is away with the car, and I’ve not got time to run them over before the tennis, so I stick them in a cab. Great parenting, Daniel. Then the school call again: thanks a lot, but you’ve sent an empty case. so please excuse me for a moment while I return to Ali, the same driver – of course. Sasnovich 1-1 Raducanu
I might’ve changed my mind: Korda v Gasquet might be the match of the day. But in the meantime, Sasnovich and Raducanu are warming up – I’ll start by watching them and, I think, Auger-Aliassime v Ugo Carabelli.
Order of play: show courts
Chatrier
Kerber [21] v Jacquemot
Zverev [3] v Baez
Bencic [14] Andreescu
Moutet v Nadal [5]
**
Lenglen
Sasnovich v Raducanu [12]
Muchova v Sakkari [4]
Djokovic [1] v Molcan
Korda [27] v Gasquet
**
Mathieu
Isner [23] v Barrere
Gauff [18] v Van Uytvanck
Ramos-Vinolas v Alcaraz [6]
Osorio v Parry
Preamble
Morning! I love this time of year, an absolute fest of ridiculous sport during the working day. And we’ve got absolutely loads of it for me you us right here – the match of the day looks like Carlos Alcaraz v Albert Ramos-Vinolas, but don’t sleep on Coco Gauff v Alison Uytvanck, Karolina Muchova v Maria Sakkari, Sebastian Korda v Richard Gasquet or Belinda Bencic v Bianca Andreescu – and in addition to that, we’ve got Emma Raducanu, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Angelique Kerber. Frankly, it’s ridiculous.
On y va!
Play: 11am local, 10am BST
