French Open 2024: Sabalenka and Medvedev through; Djokovic and Zverev in action – live | French Open 2024
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Next on Chatrier: Novak Djokovic (1) v Roberto Carballes Baena.
Asked about the second-set comeback, Svito says that with the match apparently lost, Parry started hitting the ball well and hard, while she was low on energy. It’s not easy to close out a match, she adds, and she’s sure that Parry has a big future ahead of her. Finally, asked about her husband, Gaël Monfils, who plays on Chatrier tonight, she says they’re not sure how long the two of them will be on the tour so they want to enjoy it and she enjoys watching him; she hopes he’ll have amazing support and she’s sure it’ll be “really electric”.
Elina Svitolina (15) beats Diane Parry 6-4 7-6(3)
Svitolina lost focus when the match looked done, but as soon as it was in the balance again, she upped her game and sorted things. She meets Bogdan or Pavlyuchenkova (20) next, while Parry can take heart too – she has a lot of ability, and if she can find consistency to complement it, she can do something.
Ach, Parry breaks a string, in the process handing over the mini-break, and that is so unlucky, the netted forehand that follows it – also on her serve – less so. Svitolina leads 4-1 and is nearly home. Meantime on Lenglen, Goffin is struggling to avoid losing his serve again, saving a break point down 6-7 0-2.
Time’s up? Zverev breaks Goffin immediately with the help of two doubles, and given how hard it is for anyone to do likewise to him – he faced neither chances nor deuces in set one – he’s halfway home, Meantime, a hold apiece means Svitolina and Parry are now playing a tiebreak.
Now then! Parry opens body and clouts an inside-out forehand on to the line to take her second break back. Svitolina must’ve assumed she was home after establishing so significant an advantage, and she’s paying for that now – though still leads 6-4 5-5.
On Chatrier, Svitolina is at deuce, serving for the match – Parry just relieved her of match point with a lovely drop – while Goffin saves the first of three set points. But he then goes long down the line, and after almost an hour, Zverev leads 7-6(4).
At 2-2, Goffin does everything right to snatch a mini-break, only to overhit his putaway volley; he’s aghast and soon yields one instead, the ball popping up off the net-cord and beseeching Zverev to do the rest. The German leads 4-2.
Down 30-15, Zverev misses a chance to make things tight, a forehand down the line sent wide. But he does get to deuce then dashes in to flick back a drop and earn the first break point of the match that’s also a set point. Goffin, though, finds a first serve and when he comes in, the attempted pass goes into the net when it needn’t have done. From there, though, he serves out for 6-6 while, on Chatrier, Parry has reclaimed one of Svitolina’s two breaks to trail 4-6 3-5.
And actually it’s Svitolina who secures the double-break; she’s been really aggressive today, and because she has greater control than Parry, it means she’s now only two games away at 6-4 4-2.
Two more swift service-games, neither man able to make an impression on the other’s serve, and at 5-6, Goffin will now serve for a breaker; Svitolina leads Parry 6-4 3-1, and she too looks good for further holds.
There appears to be a leak in the Lenglen roof – Zverev calls out a blazer to have a look – and I imagine it’ll now be addressed.
Goffin plays an excellent forehand to make 0-15, but Zverev holds for 5-4, and nine games into the match we’ve had neither break point nor deuce. If we get to a breaker, you have to favour the German because of his serve, but his forehand is there for the targeting.
Parry has a proper problem now, broken in the first game of set two to trail Svitolina 6-4 1-0. She’s played some good stuff, so credit to her for that, but against the best players, without the consistency it’s not enough. At 21, she’s plenty of time to improve and has a pretty big game, but the one-handed backhand can be a problem under pressure.
Zverev’s hearing is set for tomorrow.
Goffin is an interesting test for Zverev, a player with great speed around the court who won’t be cowed by power or do silly things in a panic. The German leads 4-3, but it’s tight.
There’ll be no further play on the outside courts before 2.15pm BST, but I’d be pretty surprised if that time doesn’t move later and later.
Svitolina makes 30-0, then chasing a ball to the corner, Parry returns fresh air. So, three set-points, the first saved via chased-down drop. But the second is soon snaffled, an ace that breaks the sideline giving her a 6-4 lead.
Svitolina consolidates for 5-3 while Goffin secures 2-2 with his first ace of the match. He’s serving well, hitting every first delivery bar one, and if he’s to make an impression against Zverev, he’ll need to stay at that level.
It’s taken a lot of time and effort, but Svito has broken Parry now, leading 5-3 in the first. It really something, how she’s come back from having a baby – she looks a much better player now then before, which I absolutely did not see coming.
“If the aforementioned players do become the Big Four of women’s tennis,” says Shreyas Eswaran, “where does that put players like Gauff, or even Jabeur who could quite easily beat any of them on the right surface and the right day? Would they be in the Wawrinka category of proper challenger or the Cilic category of couple of ‘good circumstances’ Grand Slams?”
First of all, you’re right: Gauff may well belong in that category and i shou;d have namechecked her. I must say, I was a little surprised to see her win her first major when she did – I thought her dicky forehand would hold her back – but Brad Gilbert is doing a great job with her. Jabeur is more Jana Novotna, and needs to win one before we start thinking about her as anything other than a terrific and terrifically likeable player.
I imagine we’ll see more matches on Chatrier and Lenglen than are scheduled because this tournament needs to get moving. I daresay the organisers are chuffed with how quickly things have progressed on the latter.
Well done Diane Parry! She eventually secures her hold for 3-2 while, on Lenglen, Zverev opens his match against Goffin with 29km/h ace.
We’re in the middle of a 10-minute game on Chatrier, Parry struggling to hold at 2-2 hsving made deuce from 0-40 down. But I’m afraid we’ve to interrupt coverage for an oh eff eff ess: it’s raining again, we’re off on the unroofed courts, and I’m not certain we’re getting back on today given the forecast.
I’m afraid to report that I’ve extinguished wor Hubie from my third screen to watch the denouement of Volynets 6-0 1-4 Vondrousova. That’s because I think Vondrousova is a potential champion and she was given as much as she could handle yesterday.
After losing the second set, Auger-Aliassime leads Squire 4-2 in the third, while Shapovalov has levelled his match against Tiafoe at a set apiece.
Sebastian Korda (27) beats Kwon Soon-woo 6-4 6-4 1-6 6-3
Korda has a lot of talent, and if he focuses properly, he can start pushing into the second week of Slams.
Donna Vekic beats Marta Kostyuk (18) 7-5 6-4
Vekic has had her injury troubles so it’s great to see her back winning big matches – she meets Collins or Danilovic next.
Matteo Arnaldi beats Alexandre Muller 6-4 6-1 6-3
Keep an eye on the young Italian, for his way around a tennis court does he know. He meets Rublev next, and that match should be a lot of fun.
Grigor Dimitrov (10) beats Fábián Marozsán 6-0 6-3 6-4
He meets Marterer or Bergs next, the former leading 6-3 2-2, ands is playing well enough to be a factor here.
Next on Lenglen: Alexander Zverev (4) v David Goffin.
Rybakina says that against a lefty, she’s trying to cover the wide channels of the court but she also focuses on herself. She’s glad not to have played three sets, unlike in round one, but she’s not that happy with herself; still, she’s through and it’ll take something decent to beat her.
Elena Rybakina (4) beats Arantxa Rus 6-3 6-4
That was a decent and close match, but you just can’t argue with Rybakina’s serve, especially on big points. She meets Mertens or Martic next, and either of those could give her a decent test.
Oh dear: it’s raining again, but we’re still playing for now.
Parry breaks Svitolina back immediately, Rybakina does likewise to Rus, and how often do we see that? Someone stays wtth a top player and asks a few questions, but once we get to the business end of sets, class tells. the world number four will now serve for the match at 6-3 5-4.
Email! “Your red steak comment about Sabalenka prompted me to search for vegan tennis players,” writes Yonatan Ginzburg. “It might or might not be reliable, but informs us of the Williams sisters (health for Venus, sisterly empathy Serena), Martina (an avid supporter of PETA), Novak (also gluten free) and Kyrgios (ethical reasons, justified more or less like the great Yiddish author Bashevis Singer I did not become a vegetarian for my health, I did it for the health of the chickens). If we’re, as they say, results-orientated, looks like veganism works well for tennis, no need for steak.”
We’re away again on Chatrier, Parry facing two break points in the opening game. She saves the first a big forehand cross-court, but sends another looping long, and Svitolina leads 1-0.
We’ve not properly reflected on last night’s match between Osaka and Swiatek, but how good was that?! It’s so good to see Osaka back playing like that and enjoying her tennis; we’ll see how she goes from here, but it feels like when the hard-court season starts, the rest of the tour are on notice. I wonder if women’s tennis might soon have its own big four of Swiatek, Osaka, Sabalenka and Rybakina; I’m fairly sure we’d all accept it.
The forecast is still telling us that from 2pm local time, Paris will be in the drink. So let’s enjoy the feeling of needing seven or eight sets of eyeballs while we still can.
Oor Hubie – ok, Hubez – has just taken the third set to lead Nakashima 6-7 6-1 6-3 and looks pretty decent now, while Rus leads Rybakina 3-2 in set two, on serve, Rybakina having taken the first.
Looking around the courts, Dimitrov is now up two sets and a break against Maroszan; Potapova has beaten Golubic 6-2 6-2 and meets Wang or Tomova next, Wang up a set and 5-3; Vekiv leads Kostyuk 7-5 2-3; Korda leads Kwon 6-4 6-4 1-6 3-2; and Shapovalov, though down a set, leads Tiafoe 3-1 in the second.
Next on Chatrier: Elina Svitolina (15) v Diane Parry.
Sabalenka is really happy with how she played – Mats notes she’s now into her touch-shots – and she says her team probably don’t like it when she drops, so she’s glad he does. Given the record, she’ll probably watch Netflix in her hotel room and also feels like going for a good steak – I’m not surprised she’s into devouring red meat – and she has lots more confidence in herself than she did last year. It’ll take something significant to beat her,.
Whlie that was going on, Rybakina opened her shoulders and broke Rus; she’s now serving for the first set and at 40-15, an errant forehand lands wide giving the world number for a 6-3 lead. This is a decent contest, but every time Rybakina has needed to find something, she has.
Aryna Sabalenka (2) beats Moyuka Uchijima 6-2 6-2
And looks absolutely excellent in so doing. She meets Putintseva or Badosa next – currently the former leads 6-4 2-0 – and all the best to whichever of them it is. They’ll need it.
A succession of evil forehands nab advantage and Sabalenka has match point…
Rus musters another break point … and another nails serve confiscates it, further excoets securing the hold. This is a good contest though, Rybakina up 4-3. Elsewhere, Tiafoe has won the first-set breaker against Shapovalov; Hurkacz has broken Nakashima for 3-2 in the third; Dimitrov now leads Maroszan 6-0 6-1; and Sabalenka is doing all she can to finish Uchijima here and now, making deuce at 6-2 5-2.
Down 2-3 but up 15-0 and with Rybakina powering towards the net, Rus clobbers a terrific forehand pass down the line and eventually secures her hold. Meantime, Sabalenka has to save a four break points, one with a ninja’s forehand into the corner, and two more terrifying forehands secure a 6-2 5-2 lead.
I like Arantxa Rus’s t-shirt (she’ll be relieved to learn when checking the blog at change of ends).
A glorious lob – we don’t see her disburse many of those – gives Sabalenka three break points, and another backhand cross return is again too much for Uchijima. The world number two leads 6-2 3-1 and in comms, they wonder if she can win here. My sense is that she can – her power gives her a chance on any service, especially as her touch-shots have improved and she now knows she can handle the pressure of finals. And, of course, we saw the problems Iga Swiatek had last evening with Naomi Osaka’s weight of shot.
Arantxa Rus is from a place called Monster; I enjoy that. And as i type, she makes 0-30 on the Rybakina serve and though it’s soon 30-all, a long forehand means break point … and, of course, a devastating serve down the T. From there, Rybakina closes out, and having that kind of power and height is just such an advantage.
Uchijima again starts the set well enough as we learn that not since the US Open 2020 has she lost a match at a major in straights. That might tell us she’s phenomenally consistent and very difficult to beat – she is – or that she struggles to get over the line – she has done. She leads 6-2 1-1, and her serve looks impregnable.
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