Around the grounds at the Porte D'Auteuil venue as fourth round singles matches began
©Corinne Dubreuil / FFTZheng Qinwen celebrates victory
Sunday proved to be a day to savour at Roland-Garros when it felt like these clay court gladiators took the quality up a notch as the first fourth round matches were contested.
Eight battles in the last 16 were spread across the two biggest show courts - the top half of the women’s draw and the bottom half of the men’s.
The match of the day on the women’s side saw four-time champion Iga Swiatek recover from 6-1, 2-0 down to eventually beat big-hitting Kazakh Elena Rybakina 1-6, 6-3, 7-5 in a captivating and high-quality match on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
The victory extends the Pole’s win streak to 25 matches in Paris and makes the 24-year-old only the fifth player to hit that mark at the French slam, joining Rafael Nadal (39), Chris Evert (29), Bjorn Borg (28) and Monica Seles (25) in an exclusive club.
The big upset had come a little earlier in the day when Elina Svitolina saved three match points on her way to beating Italian fourth seed and last year’s runner-up Jasmine Paolini 4-6, 7-6(6), 6-1.
Top seed Aryna Sabalenka continued her incredible consistency at the majors with a hard-fought 7-5, 6-3 success against American 16th seed Amanda Anisimova.
That sets up another meeting with China’s eighth seed Zheng Qinwen after the Olympic gold medallist dug deep to beat Liudmila Samsonova 7-6(5), 1-6, 6-3.
The men’s matches included a fabulous contest between defending champion Carlos Alcaraz and explosive lefty Ben Shelton.
The American missed three set points in a gripping first set tiebreak, and although he went on to steal the third to extend the contest it was the Spaniard who ran out a 7-6(8), 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 winner.
‘Carlitos’ will be back to play Tommy Paul, who with Frances Tiafoe made sure the American men have two players in the last eight here for the first time since 1996.
Paul had too much quality for Aussie Alexei Popyrin, while Tiafoe put away Germany’s Daniel Altmaier 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(4).
Late in the day under the Chatrier lights Lorenzo Musetti got his first win over young rival Holger Rune and with it moved into his first RG quarterfinal. His four-set victory earns him a shot at Tiafoe.
Monday features more fourth round tennis in the men’s and women’s draws - as well as doubles, mixed doubles and the junior events, which got under way on Sunday.
Here are Alix Ramsay’s Monday matches of the day as the hunt for quarterfinal spots continues on the Paris clay.
ROLAND-GARROS
19 May - 8 June 2025
©Julien Crosnier / FFT