Thanks for reading and to Daniel for all his work earlier. Our rolling French Open coverage will return tomorrow but don’t forget to return to our website tonight for Tumaini Carayol’s report from the Aryna Sabalenka v Naomi Osaka match. The showpiece match tonight is the women’s singles fourth-round match between Aryna Sabalenka, the top seed, and Naomi Osaka, the 16th seed.
And the big news from today is the return of Serena Williams, who announced she will be competing at Queen’s Club next week. Next up for Felix Auger-Aliassime, the fourth seed, is the Italian 10th seed, Flavio Cobolli. Matteo Berrettini will play either Frances Tiafoe, the 19th seed, or the unseeded Matteo Arnaldi.
Men’s quarter-finals Zverev v Jodar Fonseca v Mensik Auger-Aliassime v Cobolli Berretini v Tiafoe/Arnaldi Auger-Aliassime wins! The Canadian fourth seed was far too good for Alejandro Tabilo, advancing to the quarter-finals for the first time at Roland Garros after a 6-3, 7-5, 6-1 victory.
He tells the crowd of how he’s dreamed of this since being a child. Back on Chatrier and Auger-Aliassime is running away with the third set. He leads 5-1.
Berretini wins! He takes advantage of Cerundolo’s poor second serve to force an error. The Italian reaches his first quarter-final at Roland Garros since 2021 on his last appearance after a 6-3, 7-6 (2), 7-6 (8) victory Cerundolo squanders the first, now for the second set point on his serve and what a point.
Both players are dragged across court exchanging baseline-and-beyond strokes which ends when Cerundolo finds the net. He still has one set point but it’s on Berrettini’s serve and the Italian takes advantage to make it 6-6. Cerundolo backs up the mini-break by winning the next two points on his serve to lead 5-2.
A net-cord lands kindly for Berrettini to swot away to reduce the deficit but on the next point a Berretini backhand hits the top of the net and drops wide. Cerundolo has three set points. Auger-Aliassime breaks Tabilo to lead 2-1 in the third set.
He is closing in on a place in the last eight. Cerundolo has a mini-break after a Berrettini backhand finds the net. He leads 3-2.
The first three points go with serve. Cerundolo leads 2-1. And Cerundolo holds.
He recovered well after being broken in his previous service game. We’re going to a tie-breaker in the third set. Berrettini leads 6-3, 7-6 (2), 6-6 Berrettini looks like he senses he can finish it in this set.
The Italian is targeting Cerundolo’s backhand with some punishing strokes. The Argentinian will be serving to stay in the match at 5-6 in the third. Back on Lenglen, Berrettini roars after a winning forehand breaks Cerundolo’s serve.
We’re 5-5 in the third set. The shadow is creeping across Chatrier. Tabilo miscues a backhand well wide and Auger-Aliassime is two points from the set at 30-15.
Next, a lengthy rally ends when Tabilo tried to fire a forehand down the line but finds the net. Two set points. Tabilo saves the first one but not the second.
Auger-Aliassime leads by two sets Auger-Aliassime turns up the pressure and Tabilo finds the net. Break point. Another big forehand from the Canadian forces another error from Tabilo.
Auger-Aliassime breaks and will be serving to win the second set. Cerundolo is ‘looking more and more assured when he comes forward now’ says the commentator on TNT. Auger-Aliassime, meanwhile, misses an easy shot at the net for break point at 5-5.
Tabilo has the advantage to make it 6-5 … but it’s back to deuce. Cerundolo backs up his break by comfortably holding his next service game. Can he take this to a fourth set?
Back on Chatrier, Auger-Aliassime holds to love and it’s 5-5 in the second set. Auger-Aliassime holds but over on Lenglen Cerundolo breaks Berrettini to lead 3-2 in the third set. He badly need that trailing by two sets.
Thanks, Daniel. Auger-Aliassime has been taken to deuce on his serve at 3-4 in the second set. I don’t actually mind it, relatively speaking – it’s nice to hear kids try and get the “Ole!” response.
In comms, they note that Tabilo is allowing Auger-Aliassime to hit forehands as his +1, which I think is because he likes to go inside-out on his own forehand. But he’s got to know that isn’t the way to win this match and he isn’t, a hold secured through deuce for a 6-3 3-3 lead. Ah Cerundolo takes a medical timeout – I’m not quite sure what the issue is – while on Chatrier, we’re on serve in the second, Augeer-Aliassime leading 6-3 2-3 on serve.
Berrettini, by the way, hasn’t played this competition since 2021, when he made the last eight. It’s such a shame injuries have affected him so profoundly, because his ability is excellent, perhaps not quite excellent enough to win a slam, but not far off.
Cerundolo does really well to stay in a rally down 2-5, but then goes long on the forehand, meaning a double min-break and four set points … of which Berrettini only needs one, scampering ands skidding in to glide a volley-retrieval across the face of the net. He takes the breaker 7-2 and leads by two sets to love.
Berrettini holds for 5-5 in the second, but looking for 1-1, Auger-Aliassime tries a drop that Tabilo retrieves, forcing deuce in the process. But on advantage, he tries a retrieval of his own, flicking wide … then closes out from there to lead 6-3 1-1. From 0-30 down, Berrettini holds for 6-3 4-4, but Cerundolo is giving him grief now, his lefty angle making returning hard – especially out wide to the backhand, He rushes through a hold of his own, an ace sealing the deal and putting pressure on the Italian who must now serve to stay in the set.
Berrettini holds for 3-3 in the second, while Auger-Aliassime is serving for the first set against Tabilo, up 30-0. “Just noticed that in the women’s quarters we now have an (unexpected) Pole, a Romanian, two Ukranians and three ‘flagless’ Eastern Europeans,” writes Brad Elliott. “Should it go to form and Sabalenka join them it will be an all Eastern-bloc affair.
What were the odds on that coming in to the tournament?” Not a clue, but long. Not long ago, women’s tennis was difficult to predict because the standard was so low anyone could beat anyone, but now it’s difficult to predict because the standard is so high anyone can beat anyone. At 6-3 2-2, Berrettini makes 0-30 on the Cerundolo serve, but the Argentinian, who bears more than a passing resemblance to Gareth Keenan and currently sports a French crop, in France, wins four straight points, the game secured via ace.
Auger-Aliassime has never gone deeper than round four at this competition, and I’m not sure I’d back him to beat either any of Jodar, Zverev or Fonseca on clay. But he breaks Tabilo for 3-1 and in a match that brings plenty of pressure – he’s expected to win, and the absence of the two big dogs, has a better chance of claiming a major than he may get again – he looks calm.
On Chatrier, Auger-Aliassime has started well enough, leading Tabilo 2-1 in the first. Of course, the Chilean is in our collective bad books, having beaten Moise Kouame in the last round, and he’s a live dog here, but I’d expect Felix’s elite-level power and athleticism to carry the day – if his backhand and second serve don’t undermine him. Berrettini has won five of 10 titles on clay – his lack of drive backhand is well known, and the slower surface allows him to run around it more easily to play his fearsome forehand.
But up 40-0, he sends one down the line, opening the court for a corner-to-corner inside-out forehand. He takes the set 6-3, and looks in control of his opponent and himself. Auger-Alissime has spent six hours longer on court than Tabilo, who was awarded a walkover when Vacherot, his round two opponent, pulled out.
But he holds in game one while, on Lenglen, Berrettini is about to serve for set at 5-3 against Cerundolo. Of all the players left in the men’s draw, Berrettini might be the next best after Zverev. The problem he has is that his body regularly lets him down – “He’s got outrageously skinny legs considering how massive he is,” says Coach Calv, “and he’s just always injured.
Hasn’t played a full season in about six years.” It’s also worth noting that his slice isn’t as effective on clay, but his serve and line forehand are belting shots on any surface. I’d be pretty surprised if he loses to Cerundolo, and he leads 4-1 in the first. Back on Chatrier, Zaire-Emery leads the crowd in another song, then off they go, the World Cup awaiting them.
We’d take it. She’ll be playing doubles at Queen’s – and from there, who knows? I can’t wait.
We’re under way on Lenglen, then Flavio Cobolli, a massive football fan and excellent player, emerges – I’ve no idea why – saying he’s more nervous now than he was earlier. He takes photos with the players and trophies, the crowd sing, and we should soon be ready for more tennis.