That, then, is us done for the day. Thanks all for your company, enjoy your evening, and à demain!
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Emotions are different when you win, says Djokovic, and the match was a big one for him, in conditions difficult for both players. He congratulates Royer for playing really well, especially in the third set and when he served for the match, but these are the kinds of matches which provide the challenges and he hopes he doesn’t meet another Frenchman. He’s played two matches and feels like he’s played for two weeks.
Xiyu Wang beats Hailey Baptiste (26) 5-4 retired
Hailey Baptiste has to retire after a nasty fall at the back of the court. Wang meets Starodubtseva next, in a section that now has Paolini, ranked 13, as its highest remaining seed – but the Italian is also struggling with a foot injury against Sierra.
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Talking of whom, momentum in their match has switched, Fonseca up 4-1 in set three having lost the first two. Elsewhere, Sierra has come back from a break down to level against Paolini at a set apiece; Michelsen has just had the trainer out, leading Basavareddy 2-1 4-3 on serve; and Jodar has beaten Duckworth.
Novak Djokovic (3) beats Valentin Royer 6-2 6-2 (7)6-7 6-3
Royer gave him plenty – I really hope he can produce this level moving on – but Djokovic had enough to get it done. At what physical cost, we’ll find out in fullness of time, but he’s playing nicely and meets Fonseca or Prizmic next.
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A 127mph ace and Djokovic raises yet another match point…
Inside-out backhand from Djokovic, from the corner, down the line … is perfect! He caps an ear, roars his approval, and what a contest this is … all the more so when Royer, caught coming in, somehow conjures a half-volley that climbs over the net, bounces just beyond it, and dies. Another match point saved so back to deuce we go!
Goodness me, a double donates break-back point, Royer seizes control of the next rally … then, with the point at his mercy, overhits a forehand, and we’re back to deuce. What a day this has been – the standard of tennis and of excitement have been off the scale.
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Djokovic nets a backhand – one match point gone – then goes long with another – two gone, and deuce. Royer has shown serious composure and skill under pressure here – the question is whether, at 24, this is a new level or a one-off showcase of his best play.
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An ace down the middle makes 15-0, then Djokovic strays wide; 15-all. Another ace follows, then a service-winner – it’s mad how Djokovic sneakily became one of the greatest servers ever in his 30s – means two match points.
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Down 30-15, Djokovic unloads on the forehand, whipping it to the corner, and Royer can’t respond; he’s two points from defeat. But an ace out wide raises game point, he secures the hold, and must now break to stay in the match at 3-5 in the fourth.
Djokovic presses home his advantage, holding for 5-2, and Royer might just’ve run out of puff. After change of ends, he’ll serve to stay in the match.
Prizmic, of course, beat Berrettini and Shelton in Madrid, then Djokovic in Rome, which is to say a grand slam performance of this quality was coming. I think he’ll need to fill out and develop more power if he’s to become a factor in the second week of majors, but I really like his speed and aggression.
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Basavareddy has some serious stones, serving out a 6-3 third set; he’s playing nicely now, and Michelsen leaves the arena while, on 14, Prizmic breaks Fonseca – he was the future once – and holds to lead 6-3 6-4 having not yet faced a break point.
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Djokovic earns break point at 2-1 and, on the run, he hooks a sensational forehand to the far corner – a ball that looks too slow to be a winner, but so accurate it can be nothing but. He leads 2-1 3-1 and, after frittering a break in the third, he’ll surely see this one out?
Paolini secures a 6-3 first set then breaks Sierra first up in the second – she’s looking good, so I’m going to stick with Basavareddy 6-7 3-6 5-2 Michelsen, at least until Baptise loses the first set to Wang, if she does. Currently, she trials 3-2, a break down.
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Oh, on 7, Jodar has come back from a break down to the the third set against Duckworth – he now leads 2-1 1-0 – and on 6, Wang leads Baptiste 3-2 with abreak.
A message from Royer, who holds in short order … then Djokovic does likewise. Up 40-15, he chases out of court and, somehow, lasers a winner down the line and through a pin-hole, absolutely ridiculous behaviour. He leads 2-1 2-1 while, back on 14, Fonseca is starting to impose himself – he hits it a lot harder than Prizmic, and holds for 4-3 in the second having lost the first.
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Basavareddy consolidates – eventually, Michelsen makes him fight hard for it – leading 3-0 but trailing 2-0. Meantime, Djokovic struggles for his hold at the start of set four, Royer continuing his strategy of all-out attack and, as I type, monstering a return cross-court that’s near enough a table-tennis smash – he’s properly enjoying himself. Djokovic, of course, responds with an ace, then Royer leaps to try the kind of backhand he invented, hitting the net. That’s 2-1 1-0 to the GOAT; on Lenglen, Paolini now leads Sierra 5-3.
Just as he looks out of things, Basavareddy shows signs of life, breaking Michelsen at the start of set three to trail 2-0 0-2. I’m going to forsake Paolini, who’s level at 3-3 with Sierra, to watch a bit of that before returning for the end of their first set.
A forehand on to the line from Djokovic, Royer replies in kind, and earns himself the rich, rare reward of applause from the greatest ever, who nets; set point again, this time on serve. And when he goes out wide, Djokovic’s return falls long, and the local man has done it! The crowd go wild, Royer poses for them, and into a fourth we go!
Royer hooks a forehand wide, meaning he’s down match point, but he does superbly to stay in the next rally, again sending Djokovic to the backhand corner, but this time he can’t quite send the ball down the line; 6-6. And what an effort this is from the underdog – he quickly makes 7-6 and set point – doing everything to get a forehand back from the corner, but the backhand to the opposite one is far too good. Meantime, Prizmic has taken the first against Fonseca, leading 6-3, while Paolini and Sierra are level at 2-2.
A ridiculous stretch and get from Djokovic, somehow redirecting a cross-court ball down the line for a winner, while performing the splits, gives him a 5-3 breaker lead, and he’s two points away from round three. But Royer opens shoulders to send a forehand to the corner, cleaning up via overhead, and we’re back on serve at 5-5.
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Righto, it’s off to Chatrier, where Djokovic, up 6-3 6-2, now leads Royer 3-1 in their third-set tiebreak. Elsewhere, Prizmic is up 5-3 on Fonseca, Duckworth leads Jodat 1-1 3-2 with a break; Paolini and Sierra are level at 1-1 in the first; Halys leads Humbert 6-47-6 1-0 on serve; and Michelsen leads Basavareddy 7-6 6-3.
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Mensik is up now; let’s hope he can get himself ready for round three, in which he’ll meet Alex de Minaur. He’ll sleep well tonight – or not at all, because his body and mind will be going through all sorts.
Oh man, that was so, so brilliant. Mensik is a serious talent, but today he showed the heart that will help him fulfil it – like when Andy Murray flexed his muscles after beating Richard Gasquet in 2008.
Jakub Mensik (26) beats Mario Navone 6-3 2-6 6-4 1-6 7-6(11)
A big serve, a colossal inside-out forehand, and Mensik has won! He collapses, unable to move and in so much pain Navone has to come around the net to shake his hand and offer him a hand up. But he can’t accept it, lying on his back until medical expertise arrives, and really, it’s so moving to see someone expend so much for something that means so much. Godspeed, old mate.
This is serious behaviour from Mensik, whose body is packing up, yet he’s still hurling himself into every rally – this, my mates, is love – making 12-11 and raising another match point on serve.
Oh my days, Mensik clouts a backhand down the line … and into the net. He’s seriously struggling with cramp, playing for all the time he can get, so Navone grasses and the umpire hurries him up. Whereupon he unleashes a barrage of inside-out forehands to raise yet another match point, but can he push it through? He cannot, Navone hanging in the rally until the error comes. This breaker has now been going more than 22 minutes.
Thanks Tom and let’s go straight to Court 6, where Mensik has match point against Navone at 10-9 in the five-set tiebreak – his fifth
Djokovic is unhappy with the crowd on Philippe-Chatrier. The third seed is down 0-30 and serving to stay in the set. He’s waving his arms around as the crowd get behind the Frenchman. Right, Daniel Harris is back to see this one through.
Valentin Royer has held his own in the third against Djokovic, we’re on serve at 4-4 in that one. In the all French matchup on Simonne Mathieu, 32nd seed Ugo Humbert has lost the first set to Quentin Halys 4-6. In the second it’s on serve with Humbert leading 6-5.
Thanasi Kokkinakis had taken the second set off Pablo Carreno Busta but has withdrawn in the third to hand the Spaniard the match.
Yuliia Starodubtseva beats Elena Rybakina 3-6 6-1 7-6!
Impeccably timed aggression from Starodubtseva to go into the net and she has match point at 9-3. Rybakina digs in to get one back but she needs another five of those and on the very next another missed forehand means it’s all over! Incredible stuff from Starodebutseva, that’s easily the biggest shock of the tournament so far.
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The unforced error count goes to 70 for Rybakina and she now trails 8-3.
Another missed forehand from Rybakina gives Starodubtseva a 6-2 lead…
Did I hear that right? Rybakina has hit 65 unforced errors? Wow. Her latest pair are a wayward forehand blast on Starodubtseva’s serve and a backhand that goes long to give the Ukrainian a 3-2 lead. Starodbutseva wins the first point of her serve to consolidate a double mini-break at 4-2 before the change of ends.
After some ‘highly illuminating’ studio chat on TNT we’re back on Suzanne-Lenglen and we’re into a tie-break. I’d love to tell you what happened in Starodubtseva’s last service game but I didn’t see a shot of it.
Rybakina goes up 40-0 on serve but has a little wobble before coming through to hold. TNT has taken this exact moment to cut away to interview fans on Court 14 who are waiting to watch João Fonseca, how about showing the tennis?
This time it’s Stardubtseva who holds to love.
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Rybakina wastes little time on her own serve, we’re all tied up on serve.
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As this one ticks over the two-hour mark on another sweltering day in Paris, the shadows on Suzanne-Lenglen have crept across almost the entire court, with Rybakina receiving on her forehand side whiel stood in the last strip of sun. It’s tough to track the ball but Rybakina is seeing it OK as she earns another break point at 30-40 and, unlike in Starodubtseva’s last service game, the world No 2 takes it. It’s 4-4 and all to play for.
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A welcome low stress hold for Rybakina. Pressure back on Starodubtseva, who is a couple of service games away from a major upset.
On Court 14, Marta Kostyuk, who won the recent Madrid Open, has come back from a set down to beat Katie Volynets. The 14th seeded Ukrainian eventually triumphed 6-7 6-3 6-3.
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On Chatrier, Djokovic has wasted little time sewing up the second set, he leads 6-3 6-2 going into the third.
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Rybakina has a chance to get level at 3-3 but an unforced error on break point gives Starodubtseva enough of a crack to get back into the game and when the world No 2 dumps a forehand into the net the hold is secured.
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Royer gets a morale-boosting hold on Chatrier, Djokovic has a 5-2 lead in the second set after winning the first.
I’ve dropped into mayhem on Suzanne-Lenglen, it seems. Rybakina saves a couple of break points and holds serve for the first time in the third set as Starodubtseva gets a bit loose with forehand that goes long. The Ukrainian still has a break and will serve for a 4-2 lead in this decider.
Oh, but afore I go, Rybakina retrieves a break to love; I’ve not a clue what’s going on here, but I absolutely love it.
On Chatrier, Djokovic has broken Royer a second time in set two to lead 6-3 4-1, and back here, I’m off for some scran, so here’s Tom Bassam to chill with you through the next hour.
Back with Kostyuk, she blazes a signature forehand winner from the corner to secure a hold for 3-2 in the fifth, but the big unfolding story is on Lenglen, where Starodubtseva has a point for a doubler break in the fifth! … And a net-cord takes Rybakina’s forehand wide! I know her game, with it’s big, flowing groundstrokes, contains within it margin for error, but she’s disintegrating out there! I’m not sure what else to say really, as you never know what’s going in someone’s life or head, but she took the first set 6-3 and since then, has won one game in nine! Starodubtseva leads the no 2 seed 3-0 in the third, the biggest win of her career within sight. Can she handle the pressure?
Rafael Jodar, the 19-year-old 27 seed, has taken the first set against James Duckworth 6-1 – and don’t forget, he lost just five games clobbering Aleksandar Kovacevic in round one. Elsewhere, Basavareddy leads Michelsen 2-1 on serve, Borges leads Kecmanovic 1-1 2-0, and Mensik leads Navone 2-1 on serve in the fifth.
Rybakina is playing like a drain, down 30-40 … and netting a forehand before stalking back to her seat. Starodubtseva, not someone with whom I’m familiar and I watch a lot of tennis – is a break up in the third, the 25-year-old Ukrainian just needing to hold serve to pull of a seismic shock.
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On Lenglen, Starodubtseva closes out what must be one of the worst sets Rybakina has ever played, levelling the match at 3-6 6-0; I’ve not a clue what’s going to happen in the decider but, after both players depart, both players return and, after just 78 minutes, the denouement begins.
Djokovic is strangely attired – who picks his schemes, seriously – but playing well, which is less so. He’s not had much preparation, and we don’t know if his body will allow him more than one epic – in Melbourne, he didn’t have much left in the final after beating Jannik Sinner in the semi – but he’s still a long way off losing to randoms in week one, breaking Royer to lead 6-3 1-0.
Djokovic does indeed secure set one, leading Royer 6-3, while Kostyuk gets her second break, sparing herself the stress of having to serve out the set. She and Volynets will now endure a decider while, looking around the courts, Mensik and Navone are about to begin a fifth; Carreño Busta leads Kokkinakis 7-5 0-1 with a break; and Kecmanovic leads Borges 6-3 2-4.
On Chatrier, Djokovic is serving for set one at 5-2, having missed a point to get it won on return; Starodubtseva survives break points to hold for 5-0, having won seven of the last eight games; and Kostyuk can’t quite get the second break she’s chasing to level with Volynets, the game having gone for around six minutes now
I don’t do that entirely willingly, not because I’m not buzzing for the rest of the match but becuase I’d love to be on Basvareddy v Michelsen from the off – we’ll get there. But gosh, on Lenglen, Starodubtseva now leads Rybakina 4-0 in set two, the no 2 seed now under serious pressure.
Back on Chatrier, Djokovic leads Royer 5-2; on Lenglen, Rybakina now trails Starodubtseva 3-0 in set two, so I’m going back to watch that; and I’m also returning to Kostyuk v Volynets, the latteer up 5-23 in the second and poised to force a decider.
Next on Mathieu: Ugo Humbert (32) v Quentin Halys.
Marie Bouzkova (27) beats Fran Jones 6-0 7-6(3)
Jones will be disappointed, having twice served for the second set, but she fought back well and looks to be developing her game nicely. As for Bouzkova, she moves on to face Bassols Ribera or Mirra Andreeva.
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Back with Jones, she trails Bouzkova 5-3 in the tiebreak and, when she can’t exploit a weak second serve, a booming forehand means she faces three match points.
Magda Linette beats Jelena Ostapenko (29) 6-2 2-6 6-2
The 2017 champ has gone, a relief for Iga Swiatek, who is 0-6 against her; it’s Linette who earns the biggie in round three.
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Rublev is happy to be in Paris and says it’s tough to describe how special the support is. The toughest aspect of the match was the focus, but in the heat and with the wind it’s not easy to play aggressively all the time, but the ideas was to keep hitting because if you slow down, the other guy has an advantage right away.
This is his fifth third-round in a row, but he doesn’t know what it means until after the next match – and of course, we all know that he’s great at beating those he should, just unable to get it done against those he shouldn’t.
Andrey Rublev (11) beats Ugo Carabelli 6-1 1-6 6-3 7-6(5)
That was a blinding match, perhaps the best I’ve seen so far this week, and it’s great to see Rublev come through. Next for him it’s Borges or Kecmanovic, the latter currently a set to the good.
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Down 5-6, Carabelli opens shoulders to unleash an inside-out forehand; it looks wide to me but he celebrates, Rublev is sure it’s out … but what will the umpire say?
Carabelli goes long, ceding a mini-break at 5-4, quickly consolidated for two match points; Bouzkova breaks Jones back a second time and they’re now playing a second-set tiebreak.
Two massive forehands from Rublev, one massive point won; he leads 4-3 in the breaker, on serve. And we’re under way on Chatrier, Djokovic up 2-1 on Royer, so I’m now watching them, not Rybakina.
Rublev does indeed force his breaker and it’s great to see him enjoying a proper ruckus, rather than turning the stress of it inwards. It’s currently 2-2, both men giving absolutely everything, while Rybakina serves out her first set with Starodubtseva at the second time of asking to lead 6-3 – she’s not playing all that well – and Jones breaks Bouzkova again, so will serve for a decider again, at 0-6 6-5.
Nope, Jones can’t serve it out, Bouzkova diverting a wide serve back with a tremendous stretch and levelling the set at 5-5 having taken the first 6-0,
Linette leads Ostapenko 5-2 in the third; Rublev must now serve at 5-6 to force a fourth-set tiebreaker with Carabelli; an ace takes Jones to deuce as she tries to level at a set apiece with Bouzkova; and Mensik leads Navone 6-3 2-6 6-4.
I’ve put Jones v Bouzkova on, at least until Djokovic and Royer are under way, but when they emerge i think I’ll leave Rybakina who, at 4-1, is well in charge against Starodubtseva. And hing aboot! A Bouzkova double donates Jones a break and, at 0-6 5-4, she’ll shortly serve for the second set!
Oh! Carabelli breaks Rublev back and at 4-4 in the fourth, this match is still in the balance. And so, just about, is Jones v Bouzkova, the Brit breaking back in set two to trail 0-6 4-4.
I wouldn’t, though, count Kostyuk out. She’s got the bigger game, which means a higher top level but also greater margin for error; if she hits a seam, she can blow Volynets away.
Kostyuk overhits a forehand, meaning Volynets, who saved a load of set-points prior to the breaker, now has two of her own … and she only needs one, easing a forehand to the corner to go in front 7-6(4).
On Lenglen, meanwhile, Rybakina is up 3-0 on Starodubtsevawithmyheadman, and on Mathieu, Rublev has broken Carabelli to lead 2-1 4-3.
We’ve got two matches in the women’s competition that I wish I had scope to watch, and actually, I’m going to stick on Kostyuk v Volynets while we await Djokovic, as they’re playing a first-set breaker. Otherwise, Linette leads Ostapenko 2-1 in the third, on serve, while out on Court 13, Bouzkova leads Fran Jones, of GB, 6-0 4-2.
Next on Chatrier: Valentin Royer v Novak Djokovic.
Svitolina is happy, saying she played really well in the first set, but knew Quevedo would improve, and she was happy that she stayed strong then served it out nicely.
In round one, she had to win a match tiebreak against Bondar, which gave her confidence, as she did from her run in Rome. A really big battle at the start of a tournament puts you “directly into fighting mode and tournament mindset” and now she’s happy to have moved on,
In 2010, she won the junior edition of this event and it’s crazy to think it was that long ago, but now she’s married “to the French guy”, has a little daughter at home, and tries a bit of French that I don’t fully understand – but I fully grasp her infectious happiness. She is delighted to be in her own skin, and it’s beautiful to behold.
It’s getting seriously physical on Mathieu, Rublev leading 2-1 but trailing 2-3 on serve. Both he and Carabelli are hitting it seriously hard – and chasing even harder.
Elina Svitolina (7) beats Kaitlin Quevedo 6-0 6-4
A decent work out for Svitolina, though the double she serves on her first match point is instructive, her second delivery so tame it barely reached the net. But she’s through to meet Korpatsch in round three, the question about whether she’s big enough weapons to win a slam will remain unanswered until she either does or retires.
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Quevedo, just 20, has done a really good job in this second set, but with a tiebreaker in sight, Svitlina breaks her and will shortly serve for the match at 6-0 5-4.
Ostapenko does indeed take Linette to a third set, seeking that round three meeting with her bunny, Iga Swiatek. Long-time readers will know she’s a favourite of this blog, or was until her US Open gozzing-off; hopefully she’s learnt from that experience.
OK, let’s nip around the courts. Svitolina leads Quevado 6-0 3-4, on serve; Rublev leads Carabelli 6-1 1-6 6-3 2-1 on serve; Kostyuk and Volynets are level at 4-4 in the first; Ostapenko is serving at 5-2 in the second to force a decider against Linette; and Navone is level with Mensik at 1-1 2-2.
Next on Lenglen: Yuliia Starodubtseva v Elena Rybakina (2).
“Please, don’t remind me,” says Khachanov when Alex Corretja mentions the missed overhead – in the process of gassing up both players following a terrifically entertaining match. “This is what it’s about, grand slam,” he says. “You live through these moments, one ball at a time, step by step.” He then explains that he could see he was getting closer, dominating as Trungelliti tired, but then all of a sudden the comeback happened – “he made me suffer, unbelievable.”
Finally, he says he tries to stay calm when it gets tight, but he has feelings. He played Trungelliti when he was much younger but at 36 it looks like he’s in his prime, forcing his younger opponent to complete plenty of sprints – and that’s our lot.
Back on Chatrier, Quevedo is up 3-2 in the second set having lost the first 6-0, and she’s giving Svitolina plenty, raising break point … confiscated via ace. From there, she secures her hod, but this is a proper contest now.
Khachanov looks seriously relieved. Had he lost, that missed overhead – and when I say missed I mean actually missed – would’ve haunted him beyond the grave. But he’s safely into round three, while Trungelliti, at 36, has us all wondering why it’s taken him until now to break into the top 100. I very much hope to see more of him, and I’m sure i’m not alone.
Karen Khachanov (13) beats Marco Trungelliti 7-6(5) 5-7 6-1 7-6(4)
The players enjoy an affirming embrace at the end of a wild contest. Next for Khachanov: De Jong.
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At 4-4 in the breaker, Khachanov retrieves a drop then, somehow, drags a forehand from behind him and over his shoulder, down the line, that Trungelliti can’t get back, the clenched fist he raises to the crowd well earned. And an unretrurned serve then raises another match point; can Khachanov stay focused this time?
Immediately, Trungelleti nets to cede a mini-break, but a drop that lands just over the net is followed by fast feet which allow a backhand winner down the line; Khachanov leads 2-1, soon made 2-2. On Mathieu, though, we’ve reached the end of our first competitive set, Rublev securing it to lead Carabelli 6-1 1-6 6-3. He’s playing pretty well – and he’s being made to.
On Chatrier, Quevedo is on the board, holding at the start of set two to trail Svitolina 0-6 1-1; on 17, Linette leads Ostapenko 6-2; Carabelli forces Rublev to serve for set three and 2-1, just; and Khachanov lands an ace meaning he and Trungelleti will now play a fourth-set tiebreaker.
And Trungelliti quickly secures a hold to leave Khachanov needing one of his own to stay in the set at 5-6. Can he get his head right? Or are we, somehow, going to a decider? either way, the underdog is enjoying his day, celebrating his points in grand style and milking the increasing enjoyment of the crowd.
Svitolina closes out a bagel set against Quevedo, while Rublev leads Carabelli 1-1 5-2. Back on Mathieu, meanwhile, though Khachanov saves break point with a big serve, a monstrous forehand from Trungelliti raises another … then an inside-out forehand lands just wide of the sideline and, from 0-4 down, the Argentine levels at 5-5! I can’t imagine an easier ball to win a match than the one Khachanov missed – genuinely, I think I’d have stuck it away, likewise the one before it that wasn’t dismissed.
Oh my goodness me! Khachanov takes control of what is surely the final rally, Trungelliti just about staying in the match, retrieving pending the inevitable winner. But when he lands a ball just over the net, which bounces up in friendly style to allow the winning putaway … Khachanov totally misses his shot! In comms, they think it’s stress but actually, I’d put it down to carelessness – mentally, he was celebrating – and as I type, he finds himself down advantage! This isn’t over yet.
And he gets himself to 15-30 but, when he misses a shot on the baseline, allowing Khachanov a forehand winner, he hugs a security guard in disappointment. Further flat forehands then come at him, he can’t respond, and is now match-point down at 5-4 40-30 in the fourth…
Lovely stuff! Trungelliti slices an outswinging backhand winner, securing a hold which forces Khachanov to serve for his spot in round three, noising up the crowd in celebration. He’s given loads to this game, his ballsy, imaginative style great fun to watch but impossible to sustain.
Before it’s played, let me let you know that Svitolina has raced to a 4-0 lead against Quevedo; now it’s been played, I can advise that Trungelliti is now up advantage, and Rublev has saved four break-back points to lead Carabelli 1-1 4-1.
And a terrific leaping backhand overhead makes 0-30, Khachanov saluting the crowd, but a storming forehand winner halves Trungelliti’s deficit. And another big forehand seizes control of the next rally – it takes two overheads to finish it when really one should’ve been enough – for all the good it does him, Khachanov unleashing a forehand barrage of his own to raise match point.
Trungelleti forces Khachanov to 30-all, but from there, the no 13 seed closes out, and is now a game away from round three.
Rublev has also righted himself, earning break point and sending back a high-kicking return that incites Carabelli to net a forehand; he leads 1-1 3-1. The bounce on these courts is quite something, almost like on hards, as if Jannik Sinner needed another advantage, but if the weather holds, I wonder if we might see some of the clay specialists sent home sooner than expected.
Down 2-4 in the fourth, having taken a break back, Trungelliti secures a hold with a big ace out wide, and he might just be enjoying a second wind; Khachanov leads 2-1 4-3, but will now serve under a little bit of pressure.
Thiago Tirante beats Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 4-6 7-6(4) 6-1 6-3
It’s a funny thing, really: I once spoke to an agent on behalf of a young tenniser, and the first question he asked me was how tall is he? Yet Tirante, “just” 6’1, is the fastest server on tour and in the tournament, and he’s through to face either Kokkinakis or Carreño Busta. I’m excited to see how he progresses, because Fritz, Lehecka and Davidovich Fokina, the highest seeds in his eighth, have gone.
Not quite yet, Rublev coming back to hold for 1-0, while Khachanov now leads 2-1 4-1, Trungelleti’s legs quitting on him. Meanwhile, we’re away again on Chatrier, the question – not one that’ll be answered today – whether Svitolina is finally ready to take a major. In Madrid, she lost in the first round to Bondár, but then in Rome, she beat Baptise, Rybakina, Swiatek and Gauff en route to the title. That is qiote some work.
As we feared, Trungelleti has gone. He takes a break between sets, still loses his serve twice at the start of the fourth, and Khachanov leads 2-1 3-0. On Mathieu, though, it might just be a different story, Carabelli levelling with Rublev at 1-6 6-1 and making 0-30 at the start of the third. We shall see.
De Jong is through, beating Cina 3, 1 and 3; replacing them on Court 6 are Navone and Mensik, who are level at 3-3 in the first.
Next on Chatrier: Elina Svitolina (7) v Kaitlin Quevado.
She says that Bejlek has a tricky game, breaking rhythm. so she needed to adjust to that, likewise the lefty serve out wide.
Otherwise, on her new coach, Francisco Roig she says it was good to start the clay-court season in Majorca and they speak the same language – he wants for her game what she wants for her game. With every coach, there’s a different approach, but she’s adjusting.
Finally, asked by Henri Leconte about how she’ll spend her time off, given generally speaking, she likes to see the places she visits, she confides that this year is more about cuisine. She has a chef from Roland-Garros in the evening, so is exploring healthy French food; there are loads of things she’d like to do, but they’ll probably have to wait until she’s finished playing.
Khachanov breaks Trungelleti to secure a 6-1 third set and with it a 2-1 lead, which means, finally, we can go to Swiatek’s interview…
On the other hand – or maybe the same hand – Carabelli is bang into it against Rublev, up 4-0 in the second set having lost the first 6-1. We’ve got to assume it’s a purple patch that will soon expire, but against an opponent given to imploding, he might not need to play that well for that long.
Khachanov is racing away with it against Trungeletti who, as we’ve seen so often, has a decent top level but can’t sustain it through a five-set match – can anyone? So, now he’s cooled, he’s finding his modal level isn’t high enough when faced with an opponent this good.
Iga Swiatek (3) beats Sára Bejlek 6-3 6-3
It wasn’t as easy as the scoreline suggests – Bejlek offered a challenge on return, just couldn’t hold serve – but Swiatek is through. Next up: Ostapenko, against whom she’s 0-6, or Linette.
Er, or not. Again, Bejlek is broken, meaning Swiatek is now serving for the match.
Oh have a look! Bejlek breaks yet again, doing brilliantly to stay in the decisive point before directing a forehand to the tootsies; the pick up goes into the net. That’s 38 unforced errors Swiatek’s made today, and this match might just be getting close.
When less heralded players take on seeds, it’s often not the top level that gets them but the consistency, and that’s what happens on Lenglen, Trungelliti – who played beautifully in set two – handing Khachanov a break to love that he didn’t have to earn. The Russian leads 7-6 5-7 2-0.
Rublev is playing nicely, rushing to a 6-1 first set against Carabelli, but will this be the major he finally beats a player seeded higher than him? In his eighth is Alex de Minaur, who he definitely has the game to bin, but does he have the head?
Again, Bejlek just can’t consolidate, broken by Swiatek for 6-2 3-1, but the four-time champ looks a lot less than impregnable here. Of course, she’ll improve through the rounds as she does, a relatively friendly draw facilitating that, but she’s seeded to meet Rybakina in the semis, and that’s a match that’d need the best version of her or close to it.
Updated
Tirante, who serves faster than anyone on tour, has taken the first set against Davidovich Fokina to lead 4-6 7-6 6-1. I daresay the hard courts and quick ball-speed are helping him in that regard.
…Trungelliti has a set! An ace down the T levels the match at 1-1, and this is brewing into something extremely intriguing.
It’s all going on: Bejlek breaks Swiatek but can she consolidate – she trails 2-6 1-2 having not yet managed so to do; Rublev breaks Carabelli for 3-1 in the first; and Trungelliti has 40-0…
Updated
Swiatek breaks Bejlek for 6-2 2-0 but let’s go back to Lenglen, where Trungelliti, who looks not unlike Danny from Withnail, has a break point … and he stays in the rally, then casually flicks a drop that’s far too good! He leads 6-5 in the second, and will serve for it following change of ends.
I don’t suppose anyone will be surprised to learn that Khachanov has three break-back points … and he takes the first, so leads 7-6 5-5 and looks just too good to lose to Trungelliti, well though he’s playing.
… but Khachanov responds well, battling to deuce before securing the hold; Trungelliti will now serve for the set at 6-7 5-4. Meantime, Swiatek is forced to and from deuce and advantage in game one of set two, but she gets there in the end, leading Bejlek 6-2 1-0.
Trungelliti holds for a 5-3 second-set lead and when an inside-out forehand from Khachanov drop wide, he’s two points from levelling the match … make that one, a forehand dumped into the net making 15-40…
Updated
On 14, Tirante took the second-set breaker to level with Davidovich Fokina at a set apiece, then broke at the start of the third for 1-0; Wang, the no 32 seed, also levelled her match at one set all, Korpatsch taking the opening game of the decider; and De Jong now leads Cina by two sets and a break. He, you may remember, beat Jack Draper in the 2024 edition of this competition, also taking a set off Carlos Alcaraz when they met thereafter, and saw off Stan Wawrinka in round one, so he’s got some game.
Though Swiatek isn’t really at it, Bejlek can’t play well enough for long enough to compete seriously, immediately handing back a set point before offering an overhead to seal it, the four-time champ punishing a winner to lead 6-2.
I’m enjoying Bejlek’s approach to this match, really attacking her forehands. It’s not working perfectly, but it’s a necessary tweak to enable her to live with the best around and evidences the aggressive mindset necessary in elite sport. At 15-40, though, she faces two set points … saving both …. and over on Lenglen, Trungelliti breaks Khachanov to love, leading 3-2 in the second having lost the first 7-6.
The left-handed Bejlek powers a sensational forehand winner down the line to raise break point at 1-5 and, though Swiatek saves it, she sends down a double to hand it back … then another. It’s probably too late to affect the outcome of this set, but at 2-5, the youngster is still in it.
Next on Mathieu: Ugo Carabelli v Andrey Rublev (11).
On Chatrier, Swiatek now leads Bejlek 5-1, but it hasn’t been as easy as the score suggests; on Lenglen, Khachanov leads Trungelliti 7-6 1-1; Korpatsch leads Wang 6-2 2-4; Davidovich Fokina leads Tirante 6-4 6-6 (3-5); and De Jong leads Cina 6-3 6-1 1-0.
Updated
Bencic is into round three for the first time since 2022, correcting the interviewer who says it’s 2019 and she’s delighted – she had good success at Roland-Garros as junior.
Mcnally is a very tricky opponent who isn’t easy to play, changing rhythm well, specially on clay, but she settled well and is happy.
On family life, she says “We’re living beautiful moments, I love to be a mum,” and is delighted to have her daughter in Paris with her.
Belinda Bencic (11) beats Caty Mcnally 6-4 6-0
Bencic does what she needs to do, easing through to a third-round meeting with Snigur or Stearns.
Mcnally has fully gone, broken again, and at 6-4 5-0, Bencic will shortly serve for the set.
While all that was going on, Bencic broke Mcally again for 4-0, and she’s almost into round three while, on Chatrier, Bejlek gets on the board only to be broken again; she trails Swiatek 3-1.
A backhand to the baseline from Khachanov is too good, Trungelliti unable to get it back and ceding three set points. The first vanishes when Khachanov goes long on the forehand; the second looks set for conversion when a colossal serve out wide captures momentum, but Trungelliti sticks in the point and elicits the error; oh, but have a look! The third, on return, sees him out wide to retrieve a high-kicking serve, Khachanov gets it back into play … then monsters a backhand winner down the line for to secure the set! He leads Trungelliti 7-6(5).
Swiatek breaks Bejlek for 2-0 and Bencic consolidates hers to lead Mcnally 6-4 2-0; Khachanov is up 4-3 on serve but oh, Trungelliti bets a forehand and, at 5-3, is in bing trouble.
Khachanov holds, then secures an immediate mini-break and, ultimately, this looks like one of those matches in which you know the favourite will find a way to do whatever is asked of him to win. Oh, but Trungelliti recovers it and we’re back on serve at 2-1, after which, consternation: Khachanov tries a moon-ball, it hits the overhead camera, and costs him a point; 2-2.
Bencic, up 6-4 0-40, hooks a terrific forehand into the corner for an immediate break in set two, and Mcnally is not enjoying this, at all – she just cant hit her spots consistently. Meantime, Trungelliti holds for 6-5, meaning Khachanov must do likewise to force a breaker in a set he looked to have won.
On Chatrier, Swiatek is preparing to serve against Bejlek; I’m excited to see how the youngster does, and how one of the most meticulous players on tour handles someone she’s never barely seen.
Khachanov saves another break-back point but Trungelliti earns another and they swap loopy, high-bouncing forehands … until the underdog tries a drop. Khachanov hares in to return it but cedes initiative in the process, and though he then has a chance to finish the rally with a forehand, he overhits, and we’re back level at 5-5, Trungelliti saluting the crowd and enjoying his morning.
Bencic, serving at 40-15, comes in to meet a loopy return, and though she doesn’t finish the point, Mcnally dumps her riposte, and that concludes a 6-4 set, taken by the no 11 seed.
Trungelliti tries a drop that works nicely for 0-15, so goes again next point and nets; no matter, a big forehand is backed up with a leaping back, and that’s 15-30. And, well, ahahaha, you’ve got to laugh: all that work, quickly eradicated by an ace down the T … but just as Khachanov unloads on forehands that look definitive, Trungelliti gets one back then creams a glorious backhand winner down thew line to raise break-back point. For all the difference it makes, a big serve out wide dulty cleaned up towards the opposite corner; deuce, while, on Mathieu, Bencic makes it seven consecutive points in racing to 40-0 and three set points.
I don’t think I understand why the stands are so sparsely populated; surely they could just charge less to give the players, tournament and sport the crowds they deserve? Anyroad up, back on Mathieu, Mcnally again breaks Bencic back, and again, Bencic unloads on return, racing to 0-40; a fifth double follows, Mcnally tossing her racket in frustration, and the Swiss leads 5-4; she’ll serve for the set after change of ends, likewise Khachanov on Lenglen.
This is so tangential and obscure, even for me, but the name Tirante reminds me of one of the most luminously brilliant concerts i’ve ever been to, Ludovico Einaudi’s Taranta! It’s not his usual classical thing, but a collection of incendiary folk tunes – Ferma zitella is our family favourite, but they’re all worth your time.
This is the difference with Bencic: once, she might’ve lost confidence and discouraged herself, but now, she immediately restores her break for 4-3. Meantime, on Lenglen, Trungelliti is starting to ask questions of Khachanov, who leads 5-3 having held under pressure, while Davidovich Fokina is up 6-4 0-1 on Tirante.
Of course, as I type, she’s broken back for 3-3 but, as we said at the top, Mcnally is a tricky test and a battle not unlikely.
Bencic looks a slightly different player since returning from maternity leave. I’m not going to attempt any cod psychology about a sense of perspective and wellbeing, but it’s hard not to. Of course, she’s still got a no-show in her – remember her Wimbledon semi against Swiatek – but she’s no longer one of the mist likely seeds to suffer an upset.
We’re away on all courts bar Chatrier. On Lenglen, Khachanov leads the unheralded Argentine, Marco Trungelliti, 4-2; on Mathieu, it’s Bencic 3-2 Mcnally, with a break; and elsewhere, Davidovich Fokina, who came through a marathon against Damir Dzumhur, leads Tirante 5-2; Korpatch leads Wang 3-1; and Cina leads De Jong 2-1 with a break.
Preamble
Salut et bienvenue à Roland-Garros 2026 – quatrième jour!
And into round two we go. We open today with a nasty one for Belinda Bencic, the no 11 seed taking on Caty Mcnally while, at the same time Karen Kahchanov returns – and, an hour later, so too does Iga Swiatek, the four-time champ facing the Czech youngster, Sara Bejlek.
The match of the day, though, could well come on Court 4, where Marta Kostyuk meets Katie Volynets and Joan Fonseca faces Dino Prizmic, the 20-year-old Croatian who’s beaten both Novak Djokovic and Ben Shelton this clay-swing. That said, don’t be sleeping on the tussle tucked away on 13 between young Americans Alex Michelsen and Nishesh Basavareddy, conqueror of Taylor Fritz.
Otherwise, we’ve plenty of big names getting to it – Elina Svitolina, Elena Rybakina, Andrey Rubelv, Jasmine Paolini, Mirra Andreeva, Karolína Muchová, Hailey Baptiste and more – some of whom will presumably be involved in epics, the joy that of them that, at this stage, we can’t predict which. And if to that we add Fran Jones – coming off the biggest win of her career against Bea Haddad Maia – against Marie Bouzkovà, Ugo Humbert v Quentin Halys and Casper Ruud v Hamad Medhedovic, we have another day of compelling Grand Slam TennisTM to elevate and enrich our existence.
Chauette! On y va!
