The Parisian sun wasn’t particularly glowing amongst the grey clouds, but fans and tournament organisers weren’t complaining after a dreadful stop-start opening week due to unwanted rain delays.
Open roofs and covers removed from the outside courts weren’t the only unfamiliarities, as Court Philippe-Chatrier commenced play an hour early at 7pm AEDT to avoid another early morning fiasco after Novak Djokovic’s four-and-a-half-hour epic against Lorenzo Musetti.
As it turned out, that was never going to be an issue.
Women’s Singles Results:
Iga Świątek [1] d. Anastasia Potapova 6-0, 6-0
Coco Gauff [3] d. Elisabetta Cocciaretto 6-1, 6-2
Markéta Vondroušová [5] d. Olga Danilović 6-4, 6-2
Ons Jabeur [8] d. Clara Tauson 6-4, 6-4
What more is to say about the steam train that is Iga Świątek? The three-time French Open champion didn’t give Potapova a moment to breathe from minute one to minute 40, (yes, you read that correctly).
A 6-0, 6-0 demolition in 40 minutes embarrassed the 23-year-old Russian who only managed to win 10 points in the entire match. Świątek becomes the first player this century to win back-to-back double bagels at Roland-Garros - and on this form with less energy expended on court, the world No.1 means business.
Reigning US Open champion Coco Gauff also experienced a routine victory, dropping three games to Italy’s Elisabetta Cocciaretto to set up a date with eight seed Ons Jabeur, taking care of her match with little fuss against bright prospect Clara Tauson.
Meanwhile, the fairytale run of Serbian qualifier Olga Danilović came to an end as an early 3-0 lead in the first set wasn’t enough to derail 2021 French Open finalist Markéta Vondroušová. With a tendency to fly under the radar and do her business quietly, Vondroušová’s defensive skills and strike power on the slower clay courts can threaten the rest of the field.
Men’s Singles Results:
Carlos Alcaraz [3] d. Felix Auger-Aliassime [21] 6-3, 6-3, 6-1
Stefanos Tsitsipas [9] d. Matteo Arnaldi 3-6, 7-6(4), 6-2, 6-2
Grigor Dimitrov [10] d. Hubert Hurkacz [8] 7-6(5), 6-4, 7-6(3)
Jannik Sinner [2] d. Coretin Moutet 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-1
Unseeded Matteo Arnaldi had four set points to take a two sets to love lead before Stefanos Tsitsipas rallied back from an almighty scare on court Suzanne-Lenglen. Tsitsipas, a former finalist in Paris, was forced to work extremely hard from the back of the court as he settled comfortably after the second tiebreak to wrestle momentum.
Not used to having the crowd against him, Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner had to block out the noise with Frenchman Corentin Moutet on the other side of the net as he experienced his own difficulties.
Dropping serve three times in the opening set, the hip issue suffered recently became a talking point, but those doubts were brushed aside as the Italian grew into the game to drop six games thereafter to stretch his record to 52-4 since the US Open.
Carlos Alcaraz showed why he is the slight favourite to win the tournament, recovering from a slow start to defeat Canada's Felix Auger-Aliassime in straight sets. Still wearing the arm sleeve to protect the elbow that forced the Spaniard out of action for the past few events, there were signs that the forehand was beginning to feel more comfortable generating natural power, producing jaw-dropping winners.
Auger-Aliassime is a player to watch heading into the rest of the season, as the 23-year-old grew in confidence until requiring the physio for treatment.
In the other fourth-round clash, it was arguably the toughest to call, yet Dimitrov didn't see it that way as the Bulgarian came up clutch during two tiebreaks to send eight seed Hubert Hurkacz packing. During the middle of the match, the Pole proposed to switch chair umpires after disagreeing with a crucial call in the third set in what was a bizarre incident.
Day 9 Preview:
All eyes will be on Alex De Minaur as he prepares for one of the biggest matches of his career against world No.4 Daniil Medvedev for a spot in the quarter-finals up for grabs.
The Russian leads the head-to-head 6-2, which could mean very little as all eight encounters were tussled on the hard courts. De Minaur should feel confident on the back of his best-ever stretch of form on the red dirt, admitting to feeling more comfortable on a less favourable surface for both players.
Can Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev, and Taylor Fritz recover after sweating out hard-fought five-setters? The first two names are among the title's favourites, but Francisco Cerúndolo and Holger Rune stand in the way, while two-time runner-up Casper Ruud will enter as favourite against the American.
Match of the day on the women’s side belongs to Elena Rybakina and Elina Svitolina to kick off proceedings on centre court, followed by the hard-hitting Aryna Sabalenka who looks in her element and the right frame of mind. Watch out for pocket-rocket Jasmine Paolini as she has a golden opportunity to reach her first-ever Grand Slam quarter-final. But the feel-good story is 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva looking to continue her magical ride against 21-year-old French hopeful Varvara Gracheva in a battle of the youth.
Elsewhere, quarter final spots up for grabs as Australia's Matt Ebden and India's Rohan Bopanna pair up in the men's doubles later tonight on court 7, while Aussie pair Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson aim to continue their impressive form in 2024 against Australian Open doubles finalists Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori
Mixed doubles No.1 seeds Matt Ebden and Ellen Perez will have their eyes set on a quarter final appearance.
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