Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka and world no. 3 Jessica Pegula experienced contrasting victories to secure their R3 berths, while six more seeds fell across both draws on Day 4. Despite a gripping 89-minute first set, Novak Djokovic ensured there was no repeat of the previous night’s electricity on Philippe-Chatrier – winning in straight-sets against a fearless Marton Fucsovics.
Sabalenka the spoiler for her compatriot, a Major debutant
Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka didn’t have things all her own way, but ultimately proved a worthy winner against compatriot Iryna Shymanovich, who successfully navigated three qualifying rounds last week to earn her Major debut.
Shymanovich, 11 months older than the world no. 2, recovered from a set down to beat Hungary’s Panna Udvardy in her opening round encounter and didn’t let her head drop after being broken to trail 4-2 in the opening set – breaking straight back.
Not many on tour can match or hang with Sabalenka when she’s unleashing powerful groundstrokes during rally exchanges, but the qualifier kept her honest early on and showed great touch with a series of well-executed drop shots to boot.
Used to life on the Challenger tour, Shymanovich’s level dropped after losing a 13-minute game where she had several points to take set one into a breaker.
A flurry of cheap unforced errors, an inability to consistently find first serves and perhaps most cruelly, the drop shot working against her in the final sequence of the set, it was an uphill climb she couldn’t manage as Sabalenka got into her stride.
Sabalenka in set one: 70% first serve… 9 winners, 17 unforced errors
set two: 72% first serve… 12 winners, 6 unforced and two break points saved
After three consecutive third-round defeats at the French Open, Sabalenka will hope history doesn’t repeat itself as she prepares for a maiden meeting with Russia’s Kamilla Rakhimova on Friday for a place in round four.
Rakhimova won 6-3, 6-4 against Poland’s Magdalena Frech, while a compelling clash awaits elsewhere in their section between Sloane Stephens and Yulia Putintseva.
2017 US Open champion Stephens backed up her Karolina Pliskova scalp by dropping just three games against Varvara Gracheva (6-2, 6-1) while the Kazakh fended off a resurgence to beat China’s Qinwen Zheng [19].
That result means Sabalenka’s the only seed remaining in that section of the draw, while two others fell in the one directly above it.
WTA Finals champion Caroline Garcia [5] took an early advantage, but was undone by Russia’s Anna Blinkova in a rough match from both over nearly three hours.
15 double-faults, 80 unforced errors combined and suspect break point conversion made for an exhausting battle with the 24-year-old coming out on top.
She’ll play the returning Elina Svitolina, thrice a quarterfinalist in Paris, similarly recovering from a set down to beat Australian qualifier Storm Hunter 2-6, 6-3, 6-1.
Meanwhile… 21-year-old American debutant Peyton Stearns is having a week to savour on Parisian clay.
After logging her first top-50 victory against Katerina Siniakova in R1, she went one better and produced a three-set win over #17 seed and 2017 champion Jelena Ostapenko.
She’ll play Daria Kasatkina [9] in R3, with the winner then moving on to face whoever wins from the aforementioned Blinkova-Svitolina matchup for a quarter-final berth.
After a hard-fought win over 2022 Australian Open finalist Danielle Collins in R1, world no. 3 Jessica Pegula will gladly take an early day’s work as Alize Cornet’s conqueror Camila Giorgi abruptly retired with injury having lost the first set 6-2.
Elise Mertens awaits her in R3, after the #28 seed won 6-3, 7-6 (7-3) against Colombian lucky loser Camila Osorio during another match where neither served particularly well (14 double-faults combined), but the Belgian’s experience was key.
Djokovic battles past Fucsovics, Monfils withdraws and more
Djokovic [3] bt. Fucsovics 7-6 (7-2), 6-0, 6-3
- Stefanos Tsitsipas records 46 winners en route to straight-sets win over Spain’s Roberto Carballes Baena to kick off Wednesday’s play
- Italian trio Fabio Fognini, Lorenzo Sonego and Lorenzo Musetti all earn comfortable victories as they venture into round three while Britain’s no. 1 Cameron Norrie also gets job done comfortably against a home hopeful
- Sebastian Korda [24] undone by Austrian qualifier Sebastian Ofner as talented American’s return from wrist injury halted early, while Roberto Bautista Agut [19] loses from two sets up vs. Peru’s Juan Pablo Varillas
- Thanasi Kokkinakis equals best Major singles result of his career after epic five-set win over 2015 champion Stan Wawrinka while #13 seed Hubert Hurkacz survives a deciding set contest of his own vs. Tallon Griekspoor
- Gael Monfils withdraws with lingering wrist injury before much-anticipated R2 night session showdown against Holger Rune, while French trio Luca van Assche, Lucas Pouille and Corentin Moutet all beaten
On a day where Carlos Alcaraz dropped a set against Taro Daniel but won in four, Andrey Rublev and Denis Shapovalov did the same en route to victory.
Alcaraz-Shapovalov is a tasty third-round encounter that fans will get excited for, while Monte-Carlo champion Rublev could face Djokovic at the quarter-final stage should both continue to remain successful in their respective sections of the draw.
Fucsovics was fearless, utilised slice shots well and got the Chatrier crowd on side as his court coverage and ability to outlast the 22-time Major champion in their longer rallies was impressive for the first 90 minutes. Yet those efforts largely felt in vain.
He’d just lost an exhausting, emotion-sapping set of tennis on a tiebreak that quickly evaded his grasp and Djokovic wasn’t playing his best by any stretch.
His forehand groundstrokes seemed heavy, movement unsteady and the Serbian didn’t mask that fiery frustration: things would take a turn soon enough.
As he so often does, starting set two like he had other places to be. Fucsovics gift-wrapped him an early break after making a few cheap mistakes, the momentum change was sharp and suddenly the second set was over in a flash.
Djokovic was playing better, found his striking rhythm and besides a brief lull early in set three, asserted himself in ways that have typified his ever-improving arsenal over recent seasons. Exquisite defensive lobs, drop shots and forcing errors to finish well.
He’ll play #29 seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, after the talented Spaniard was also made to work for a straight-sets win bypassing highly-rated French teen Luca van Assche (6-4, 6-3, 7-6). 24 on Monday, can he conjure up magic to progress further?
What’s next?
Day 5: Matches to watch out for
ATP
Tomas Martin Etcheverry vs. Alex de Minaur [18]
Aslan Karatsev [Q] vs. Frances Tiafoe [12]
Arthur Rinderknech vs. Taylor Fritz [9]
Alexander Zverev [22] vs. Alex Molcan
WTA
Elena Rybakina [4] vs. Linda Noskova
Diana Shnaider vs. Beatriz Haddad Maia [14]
Diane Parry [WC] vs. Mirra Andreeva [Q]
Iga Swiatek [1] vs. Claire Liu
Thanks for reading the latest piece from Paris as the year’s second Major continues to hot up. If you’ve missed any of my previous round-ups across this tournament, click here. Stay tuned to moandsports.com for more coverage.
Picture source: Getty Images
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