Despite a few controversial moments arising from the opening week, the positive has ultimately been the breathtaking tennis on display - signalling a bright future for the sport in the years to come.
What began as a dire start to the tournament for the Aussies has now turned into pure delirium as Alex de Minaur became the first Australian man in 20 years to reach the quarter-finals of Roland Garros.
As expected, the top seeds suffered minimal pain to march one step closer to Paris glory.
Men’s Singles Results:
Alex de Minaur [11] d. Daniil Medvedev [5] 4-6, 6-2, 6-1, 6-3
Novak Djokovic [1] d. Francisco Cerúndolo [23] 6-1, 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3
Casper Ruud [7] d. Taylor Fritz [12] 7-6(6), 3-6, 6-4, 6-2
Alexander Zverev [4] d. Holger Rune [13] 4-6, 6-1, 5-7, 7-6(2), 6-2
A shaky and nervy start for de Minaur didn’t last long as the No.11 seed recovered from a one-set deficit to topple Daniil Medvedev in arguably the biggest win of the Australian’s career.
51 winners told the story as the 25-year-old neutralised Medvedev from the back of the court, helped in part by the Russian’s implosion in the third set as he turned to his player box in frustration.
The win sees the Demon become the first Aussie male to reach the last eight of Roland Garros since Lleyton Hewitt in 2004.
Will his journey end here against Alexander Zverev? The German has experienced a taxing opening week - facing Rafael Nadal in the first round and overcoming two five-setters, returning from the brink again this morning against No.13 seed Holger Rune ending just after 1:30am Paris time.
One of the concerns leading into Roland Garros for Novak Djokovic was his lack of form and tendency to lose matches he shouldn’t, and that was nearly the case when the Serb called for a medical timeout after feeling pain in his leg.
A slow start would’ve been understandable given the four-and-a-half-hour marathon against Lorenzo Musetti in the previous round, but this is Djokovic we’re talking about. A 6-1 opening set advantage had all the makings of a routine win, only Francisco Cerúndolo didn’t read the script to take a shock two sets to one lead before running out of legs.
The world No.1 was forced to dig deep from two improbable positions in the space of two days to survive the impossible.
Following consecutive battles, Djokovic has since been forced to withdraw from his quarter-final clash against Casper Ruud, after suffering with a right-knee injury.
Ruud - who grinded his way to a four-set win against an in-form Taylor Fritz, creating 27 break point opportunities - now moves one match shy of a third Roland Garros Final.
Women’s Singles Results:
Elena Rybakina [4] d. Elina Svitolina [15] 6-4, 6-3
Aryna Sabalenka [2] d. Emma Navarro [22] 6-2, 6-3
Jasmine Paolini [12] d. Elina Avanesyan 4-6, 6-0, 6-1
Mirra Andreeva d. Varvara Gracheva 7-5, 6-2
It wasn't an easy fourth-round match to navigate through, yet Elena Rybakina held her own against a player in Svitolina who had achieved some of her best results on clay to triumph in straight sets.
A 74 percent first serve win percentage helped the former Wimbledon champion dictate the flow and once again raise her hand as a genuine title threat.
The same could be said for Aryna Sabalenka with another relatively comfortable day at the office to dispatch quiet achiever Emma Navarro without conceding a single break point opportunity.
A rough start for dark horse Jasmine Paolini saw the No.12 seed trail 0-4 in the opening set, before claiming 16 of the next 19 games to book a date with Sabalenka in the last eight.
In a battle of the unseeded, 17-year-old sensation Mirra Andreeva is going through a whirlwind of emotions as she outlasted France’s final hope, Varvara Gracheva.
Other Aussie Results:
Women’s doubles No.2 pairing of Australia’s Ellen Perez and America’s Nicole Melichar-Martinez progressed to the third round without hitting a ball, benefiting due to a walkover.
It was Perez’s lucky day when shortly after she qualified for the next round with Matt Ebden in the mixed doubles through another forfeit from their opponents.
The rock-solid partnership of Matt Ebden and Rohan Bopanna continues to flourish with a hard-fought three-set win to reach the quarter-finals without dropping serve.
Rinky Hijikata lost in straights with Argentina’s Guido Andreozzi and John Peers could not get the job done in the mixed doubles, while Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson's French adventure was cut short at the hands of Australian open finalists Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori 6-3, 6-4.
Day 10 Preview:
We’re now at the pointy end of the tournament as the quarter-final brackets are set in stone, as the bottom half of the men’s and women’s consist of sheer quality.
In terms of seeds, Hubert Hurkacz and Andrey Rublev aside, you couldn’t ask for two better matchups in Jannik Sinner [2] vs Grigor Dimitrov [10] and Carlos Alcaraz [3] vs Stefanos Tsitsipas [9].
Dimitrov, off the back of achieving his first last-eight appearance at Roland Garros, won the only previous meeting against Sinner on clay in Rome four years ago, but the Italian has established himself as a consistent contender in Grand Slams.
No surprise to see Alcaraz and Tsitsipas fill the night session primetime slot, with the potential to produce an all-time classic between two clay heavyweights.
The Greek ninth seed survived a tense four-set battle against Matteo Arnaldi, however, it might serve him well in this matchup to have a competitive game under his belt.
Court Philippe-Chatrier commences the day session with back-to-back women’s quarter-finals, welcoming a contrast in styles for both encounters.
Ons Jabeur’s slice-and-dice variety and ability to change the pace will be a tricky assignment for Coco Gauff to overcome. At the same time, former finalist Marketa Vondrousova enjoys the slower conditions on clay, but will have to overcome a high-flying Iga Swiatek coming off a flawless double bagel performance and playing with a sense of freedom.
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