French Open 2024: Gauff and Swiatek race through, Tsitsipas on court – live | French Open 2024

On Chatrier, Auger-Aliassime has made a fine start, breaking Alcaraz immediately … only to be broken back immediately. This has the makings of a proper contest.

Consecutive doubles from Tsitsipas leave Arnaldi two points away from the second set, and when he wins a net exchange for 15-40, he wheels away in triumph. The no9 seed, though, is nobody’s patsy and makes deuce … only to thrash wide on the forehand! Arnaldi is asking a lot of questions here, his power inciting Tsitsipas to overhit, but the Greek finds the answers, forcing the youngster to serve for a 2-0 lead.

Arnaldi finds an awesome forehand down the line that gives him 40-0, but a lazy drop followed by two further errors bring us to deuce. If the Italian sees this out, he’ll feel very good about himself, and when he punishes a forehand winner, Tsitsipas discharges fury. And he’s no more jubilant when Arnaldi finds a winner and a huge serve to secure a game that ought to have been his time ago. He leads 6-3 5-3.

Alcaraz and Auger-Aliassime are readying to come on to court. I remember the first time Coach Calv saw the latter as a 16-year-old, and was amazed by how good he was. Problem being he’s not improved much since then, still with three major weaknesses: second serve, return and volleying, his rendition of them not dreadful but not good enough. Tennis players don’t really get time to improve, but Auger-Aliassime had four months during Covid and emerged from it the same player he went into it. All of which puts in mind Shane Warne’s saying that Monty Panesar hadn’t played 30 Tests, he’d played the same Test 30 times.

A delectable lob earns Arnaldi 3o-40, he pushes Tsitsipas to the backhand corner with his next return, and backing away to hit a forehand, the no9 seed can only net! At 6-3 3-2, he’s in a fantastic position, meaning grief for the Greek.

Lovely length on the return allows Tsitsipas to drop for World Cup glory for 15-all, but Arnaldi is so solid, making 40-30 with a colossal serve-forehand combo move and securing the hold with another of weapons-grade. He leads 6-3 2-2.

Arnaldi larrups a return cross-court for a winner that, at 40-30, gives him a sniff. But Tsitsipas dominates the next point for hold for 3-6 2-1 and this match is on a rolling boil now.

A hold from Tsitsipas who then takes Arnaldi to deuce, thwacking from the back to make advantage. But a big first serve is returned long and when he misses again, Tsitsipas chunters to himself, disgusted by his largesse. And he’s equally unamused when netting a drop-recovery, Arnaldi now leading 6-3 1-1 – but pressure is growing.

Running in to pick up a drop, Tistsipas makes 0-15, and when Arnaldi goes long on the forehand, he’s a sniff. BUT HAVE A LOOK! Sent racing to the forehand corner, Arnaldi absolutely clobbers a fantastic winner down the line, a backhand return flies wide, and the youngster leads 6-3!

Tistsipas holds to love in short oder, forcing Arnaldi to serve for the set at 5-3. P-R-E-S-S-U-R-E.

Arnaldi is being given a proper examination by Tistsipas – nothing is coming easily – but he retinas his break, leading 5-2 in the first.

Gauff says she’s been working hard on her footwork – she moved great today – and unusually for an American, she’s been lucky enough to play on clay since she was 10. She likes to slide after drop-shots, she says, then explains that after her morning warm-up they talk tactics for two or three minutes – not long. She likes to keep things simple, has played most players before so knows what they like to do, and also that they may change things up sop there’s no point being too fixed of mindset. She’s got her first-round doubles match today, and though, if she wins, she’ll be playing again tomorrow on her day off, this is what she loves to do and the rain means she’s actually done less than she’d have expected to by now.

Next on Chatrier (but not for 45 minutes): Felix Auger-Aliassime (21) v Carlos Alcaraz (3). De-cent!

Coco Gauff (3) beats Elisabetta Cocciaretto 6-1 6-2

Arnaldi breaks Tsitsipas then consolidates for 4-1, and this match is hitting a decent level.

Gauff is feeling herself. Her lengths are so good, and it’s no great surprise to see her earn two points for a double-break and 5-2; she saves the first, but in control of the second – Gauff retrieves superbly – she doesn’t do enough with a drop, and for the second time in the game, sees her opponent race in, seize control of the rally, and secure a 6-1 5-2 lead. The American will now serve for the match.

Tistsipas, by the way, has found a bit of form after a dodgy period, his serve and forehand firing. It’s still hard to see him winning a Slam unless he does a lot of work on his backhand, but the form he’s in, he can beat anyone in a one-off – and if he wins here, he meets Alcaraz or Auger-Aliassime next.

As all that was going on, Gauff broke Cocciaretto again for 6-1 3-1 – she’s nearly home – and Arnaldi hangs on to lead Tsitsipas 1-0.

We’re under way on Lenglen, and I’m looking forward to this one, Arnaldi is one of a stable of young Italians en route to the top of the men’s game – Flavio Cobolli, who ought to have beaten Holger Rune in round two, only to capsize in the fifth-set breaker is another. Down 30-40 in game one, he finds a second-serve ace, then facing a third break-point, he clumps a forehand winner on to the line. Already, this is intense.

Hang about! Cocciaretto makes 0-40 … so Gauff saves the first break-back point with an inside-out backhand winner, then second with a leaping forehand winner down the line … but a weak double of her own means Cocciaretto is on the board in set two, trailing 1-6 1-1. Do we got ourselves a ball-game?

Cocciaretto looks a little underpowered, I’m afraid to say. I’m not sure if that’s partly because her left leg is hurt, but she’s also made 13 unforced errors – relative to Gauff’s four – the combination not necessarily a winning one. And down 30-40, a weak double cedes the immediate break, and this looks like being another hiding.

A backhand swiped cross, and Gauff takes set one 6-1. She’s so solid now – you can assume she’ll beat everyone you assume she’ll beat – and though I’m not sure her forehand’ll hold up in biggest matches, she’s a proper player now.

Brad Gilbert, Gauff’s coach, appears to have come in disguise.

Cocciaretto holds to avert the bagel and at 1-5 will be feeling a little better. Gauff will now serve for set one.

Gauff now leads Cocciarretto 5-0, and so far, this is a proper daughtering-off.

Next on Lenglen: Matteo Arnaldi v Stefanos Tsitsipas (9).

Vondrousova loves Lenglen and says the match was tough – Danilovic played “some amazing points” – but she focused until the end and it’s amazing to be in the quarter-finals again.

Marketa Vondrousova (5) beats Olga Danilovic 6-4 6-2

Cocciaretto is taped up her left leg and Gauff is bullying her, zetzing from corner to corner as her opponent scurries, before finishing with an overhead. That means three points for a double-break and the US Open champ leads 4-0.

Gauff breaks Cocciaretto immediately for 2-0, then consolidates, as Danilovic again works a rally nicely only to net her swing volley, and she’s tearful out there. Real talk, it’s incredible we see as little of that as we do, given how much the players put into their careers and how intense the competition is, and Danilovic is gone, broken again. Vondrousova will shrtly serve for the match at 6-4 5-2.

Danilovic loves a chunter, and down 4-6 2-3 15-40, she gives herself what for then swings a lefty forehand that sends Vondrousova to the corner, only to send the clean-up down the line wide. This match is being taken away from her.

Gauff holds for 1-0 against Cocciaretto – of whom, I must confess, I’ve seen little. I’m looking forward to addressing that forthwith.

Vondrousova now leads Danilovic 6-4 3-1 while, on Chatrier, Cocciaretto – who seems very pleasant – and Gauff, who does too – are knocking up.

Danilovic forces a break point but goes long from the back – she’s as delighted by this development as you’d imagine – then again, with a huge target at which to aim. Vondrousova leads 6-4 2-0.

That win for Swiatek is the quickest since Graf beat Zvereva 6-0 6-0 in the 1988 final; Potapova won just 10 points.

Vondrousova breaks Danilovic immediatelty in set two, and this looks like another match that’s going to go as expected.

Next on Chatrier: Coco Gauff (3) v Elisabetta Cocciaretto.

Swiatek says she was really focused and in the zone, not looking at the score and working on the things she wanted to. The balls are bouncing higher today, which is what she wants, but it’s still not warm and doesn’t feel like summer in Europe, but they’ll see how it goes today – even if the forecasts are imprecise. She then goes on to say that in her team is an ex-sailor, who helps her navigate Chatrier’s idiosyncratic winds, but she’s also got good at doing it herself.

Talking of whom, Vondrousova is now in full control of their match, serving out for a come-from-behind 6-4 set.

Iga Swiatek (1) beats Anastasia Potapova 6-0 6-0

I said Danilovic was serious but because of that she’s losing her temper with herself … though as I type, she clobbers a redemptive overhead for 4-4 40-30, baying at her box in celebration. She can’t close out though, and at deuce offers Vondrousova a wrong-footing pass down the line that she gleefully seizes upon. And though a decent volley, saves break point, a return towards the ankles converts another, and after a little sit-down, the Czech will serve for the set. And as for Swiatek, she now leads Potapova 6-0 5-0, which is to say Sunday morning bagels are on the agenda.

Here it comes! Down 0-6 0-1 0-40, Potapova blazes a forehand at Swiatek, then an inside-out winner followed by another down the line. Er yeah. She loses the next point in short order to trail by a set and a break; Vondrousova is now in charge on Lenglen, levelling at 4-4.

On Court 5, Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten have beaten Luke Johnson and Skander Mansouri in the men’s doubles; watch out for those two.

Oh yes! A gorgeous lob from deep in the backhand corner raises break-back point, and a glorious, oblique stop-volley at the net cements in. We’re back on serve on Lenglen, Danilivoc leading Vondrousova 4-3.

Gosh, Potapova ends the set in the only way she can, a double to see herself broken to love and bagelled – in 19 minutes. Swiatek is hitting so cleanly off the ground, and Potapova just can’t get it going. Vondrousdova, though, is starting to settle – she’ll not get away with taking this long should she continue progressing – down 2-4 but up 0-30.

This is ruthless from Swiatek, who consolidates her double break, and that classic which I semi-predicted looks on schedule: Potapova, now trailing 0-5, is already plotting her miraculous comeback.

Danilovic is a serious competitor and having spent time injured, at 23 is absolutely ravenous. Vondrousova is on the board now at 1-3 and started slowly in her last match too – she was bagelled in set one by Volynets – but the Serb won’t let her off the hook as easily. Swiatek, meantime, has broken Potapova again for 4-0, taking full advantage of the extra life granted her by Naomi Osaka.

So we’ve had immediate breaks in both matches, Danilovic leading Vondrousova 3-0 and Swiatek up 2-0 in Potapova; the winners meet in the last eight.

Apologies, by the way: my mouse decided to cease operating hence my apparent disappearance, but I’ve remonstrated and it’s now back with us.

Our resident coach, Calv Betton – whose charges, Luke Johnson and Henry Patten, are playing each other in the men’s doubles as we speak – messages to say he was at the junior Davis Cup in 2016, and saw Swiatek play Potapova. At the time, it was the Russian seen as the next big thing with the Pole considered a good but not special player. A lot’s changed since then, of course, Coach Calv noting that Potapova has periods of being good and others of just whacking everything.

And off we go!

Out come our players…

Preamble