Otherwise, though, that’s us done for the day; join me again tomorrow at 11am BST for day five and until then, peace and love.
Going around the courts, Rublev now leads Moutet 6-4 2-1 with a break; Hurkacz and Griekspoor are level at 6-3 5-7 6-6 (7-7); Davidovich Fokina leads Van Assche 6-4 6-3 2-3 with a break; Tauson leads Fernandez 3-0; and Bautista Agut has just started a deciding set against Varillas.
Norrie gives credit to Pouille saying how good it is to see him enjoying his tennis. It was a tough battle and tough to get over the line, but he enjoyed the atmosphere and apologises for taking out another Frenchman; he hopes the crowd support him in the next round. He feels good but has had ups and downs lately; luckily he’s got the help of his team and all they’re focused on is doing well in the majors. He’ll watch his potential opponents, gameplan with his coach, then enjoy Paris and a nice dinner.
Cameron Norrie [14] beats Lucas Pouille 6-1 6-3 6-3!
Norrie reaches round three for the third year in a row, and will meet Musetti or Shevchenko next. What a few weeks Pouile has had though, and I hope he moves on from here to find equilibrium.
Updated
No he didn’t! Pouille saves match point with a backhand-slice drop, then when Norrie hooks wide it’s another break point. The crowd are loving this, but a fine volley brings us back to deuce, someone in the crowd shouting out at the crucial moment, and Norrie then earns another chance to put this match away…
On Mathieu, Moutet has just aced Rublev … with an underarm serve! Incredible!
Pouille is swinging for the fences now, spanking a forehand into the corner for 15-all, then moving inside to swat another inside-out. And when Norrie nets on 30-all, you wonder if this match is still alive, but Pouille sends a return long and wide we we retreat to deuce.
Oh look at that! Pouille slams a fantastic forehand down the line for 40-15, secures the game with an ace at 40-30, and Norrie will now serve for round three a second time.
Rublev clinches the set with an overhead while, on Lenglen, Pouille wins the longest rally of the match, 18 strokes, for 30-all, then Norrie goes long ceding a break point … and Pouille sends a lovely backhand into the corner, then cleans up with an overhead! Norrie leads 6-1 6-3 5-2.
Norrie breaks again for 5-1 in set three and will now serve for the match, while Rublev is serving for a tight first set against Moutet, leading 5-4.
Updated
Controversy! Norrie chases down a drop, flicks it back over, and Pouille is certain there was a double bounce. The umpire and line judges say nowt so Nozza gets is 30-40, dictates the next point with his forehand, and leads 3-1! I should be clear, he won’t have known he lost that point he won, but it’s amazing that no one in authority saw, nor that they couldn’t just use a replay to check. So Norrie then holds for 4-1 and change of ends, Pouille is still chuntering.
Alcaraz tells Alex he’s really happy with his level – Daniel played well and it was windy – then, in a move no one was expecting, praises the crowd.
Carlos Alcaraz [1] beats Taro Daniel 6-1 3-6 6-1 6-2!
Daniel did well to nab a set given, as Mac reminds us, Alcaraz will be an all-time great if he stays healthy. Next for him is Shapovalov, who’s had a tough time, but if he brings his A-game that could be a lot of fun.
Varillas has taken a set off the number 19 set, Bautista Agut, who leads 6-1 6-4 3-6, while Davidovich Fokina now leads 6-4 2-4 – though it should be said that Van Assche is a supremely talented player.
…but no more, an excellent backhand into the corner forcing him to go long and wide with the forehand. Norrie leads 6-1 6-3
Norrie holds for 5-3, then races to 0-40 and three set points; not long ago, Pouille was right back in the match or appeared to be, thing is, the top players can step on the gas when challenged to and that’s what we’re seeing here. Pouille, though, makes 30…
Updated
On Mathieu, Rubelv has broken Moutet early doors and leads 3-1; he’s playing well at the moment and I wonder if he’s over a hump to become someone who regularly makes the last eight of Slams and better.
Norrie’s gran appears to have dressed him today, but he’s broken Pouille again and now leads 4-3 in set two, while Daniel has handed Alcaraz a break for 3-2 in set four.
Shapovalov has beaten Arnaldi 6-2 3-6 6-3 6-3; he plays Alcaraz or Daniel next, on which point Daniel has broken back so now leads 2-1 in the fourth. Then we see some of Garcia’s interview and she criticises herself for being too passive. She’d know better than me but that is not the match I think I saw – she saved eight match points because she was went for her shots.
Khachanov has broken Albot for 1-0 in the third; Alcaraz has broken Daniel for 1-0 in the fourth. In co-comms, Mac reckons Carlitos has the game to win Wimbledon, but perhaps not quite yet, saying his best surface is hard. Thing is, grass is sort of a combination of hard because it’s quick, and clay because the bounce is low, so it seems a matter of time before he masters it as Nadal did.
Go on Lucas! Pouille breaks Norrie for 2-2 in set two, and the crowd are totally behind him as you’d expect – he’s a Frenchman who’s come back from issues with depression and alcohol abuse to qualify for this competition. Norrie absolutely wiped him in the first set, but he’s into the match now.
While I was typing that, Norrie saved a break point before closing out for 6-1 2-0, Khachanov broke Albot for 6-4 6-4, and Alcaraz took set three off Daniel 6-1.
Looking around the courts, Hurkacz leads Griekspor 6-3 5-6; Davidovich Fokina leads Van Assche 5-3; Begu has beaten Errani 6-3 6-0; Shapovalov leads Arnaldi 6-2 3-6 6-3 4-2; and Bautista Agut leads Varillas 6-1 6-4 1-3.
As for our other matches, Norrie now leads Pouille 6-1 1-0 with a break, while Alcaraz is punishing Daniel for his effrontery in taking a set from him, 5-0 up in the third.
Thanks Stu. Kokkinakis notes that he may be 38 but Wawrinka played as well as possible for a set and a half – “I was nowhere”. He goes on to say that having lost a 2-0 lead against Murray, when he served for the match and Stan came back from 40-0, “you could imagine what was going around my mind,” and he admits he was shaking. But he saw it out and reaches round three for the first time since 2015, when he was 19. “I looked like I was gonna have a big future, then disappeared for a while,” he says, but he loves the surface and hopes the crowd support him in the next round given he won’t be playing Stan again – he in fact faces Khachanov or Albot, Khachanovv currently leading 6-3 4-4.
Thanasi Kokkinakis beats Stan Wawrinka 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-7 (4), 6-3
Come back any time, Stan. Hell, come back every time. Another dogged performance from the Swiss veteran, who shows he still belongs on this stage when his body allows. Even at 0-40 down he finds a baseline to make his opponent go again. And then again. And then all over again. All the way back to deuce. And then back there again after another match point, stinging the Australian’s racket as he lurked netside waiting to pick up anything retrievable.
At deuce No 3 Wawrinka thrashes wild and long to give the man facing him another window. Next the Australian forces him to return wide. Today it’s Kokkinakis’s occasion, one he’ll be relieved to have survived. In the face of nostalgia and romance, the 27-year-old held a limping, three-time slam champion – along with the crowd – at bay superbly. A cracking match.
Meanwhile Alcarez v Daniel has been rumbling along. I’ll let Mr Harris return and tell you all about it.
Updated
Wawrinka goes 0-30 down, and I’ll be honest … I start typing out the result. The Stan sails look markedly wind-bereft, but the prickly old pro finds a breeze from somewhere, first getting the benefit of a line call before crashing a forehand crosscourt right into the corner. He closes out to possibly the biggest roar Simonne-Mathieu will hear all week.
Now Kokkinakis must serve out from 5-3 up.
Updated
Kokkinakis is getting a thigh-rub after reopening a three-game lead in the final set. It’s now 5-2 with Wawrinka about to serve in an attempt to remain in this year’s men’s singles.
Taro Daniel has levelled things up against the world No 1!
It’s Alcaraz 6-1, 3-6 Daniel after a set of 12 unforced errors from the young Spaniard. The tournament favourite still looks cool and relatively unruffled in his chair but there was absolutely no sign whatsoever of this being a battle in the early stages. Now however … game on!
Wawrinka holds and is now 2-4 down in the final set against Kokkinakis. He’s also got the crowd on the end of a string.
More round-the-courts catch-up, with seeds in charge …
Karen Khachanov (11) leads Radu Albot 6-3, 2-2
Hubert Hurkacz (13) leads Tallon Griekspoor 6-3, 1-1
Roberto Bautista Agut (19) leads Juan Pablo Varillas 6-1, 5-3
Denis Shapovalov (26) leads Matteo Arnaldi 6-2, 3-6, 5-2
Updated
Irina-Camelia Begu (No 27 seed) is a set up against Sara Errani on court 9. She took the opener 6-3.
Taro Daniel, now well over his slow start, is serving for the second set against Alcaraz.
WAWRINKA BREAKS. Now 4-1 down with ball in hand. Strap in.
Wawrinka is broken again – now 4-0 down in the decider. Now 38, he has repeatedly declined the invitation to announce his imminent retirement this season. It will be interesting to see how he reflects on his two brutal five-setters at this year’s tournament, that would have sapped the heart out of most players half his age.
But ‘ello … he has two break points …
French sports minister warns Djokovic not to repeat political message
The French sports minister, Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, says Novak Djokovic’s message about Kosovo was “not appropriate” and warned him not express his political view at the French Open again.
However, from within the ranks of the elite professionals at Roland Garros, Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina backed the men’s world No 3, saying that in a free world the Serb should have the right to express his opinion.
Crucially for his continued participation in Paris, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) said Djokovic’s expression of his views did not violate any rules because the grand slam rulebook does not ban political statements.
Daniel is now 4-1 up as he plots to level things up against Alcaraz.
Meanwhile, is Wawrinka’s race run? He’s been broken early in the fifth, and is looking noticeably leggy in the face of the Kokkinakis serve. He’s already 3-0 down, and his Australian opponent looks undeniably the fresher of the two as the sun bakes four-fifths of Court Simonne-Mathieu.
Aryna Sabalenka [2] beats Iryna Shymanovich 7-5, 6-2
More quickfire fun and frolics, all wrapped up well within an hour and a half. The second seed from Belarus is getting a warm reception before analysing her performance courtside: “I’m not very happy with my game … I’ll work a little bit tomorrow [to be] a little bit more than I was ready today.”
She has now equalled her best performances at Roland Garros, having reached the third round in each of the past three years. Next up for her: the victor of Magdalena Frech v Kamilla Rakhimova.
Updated
Sloane Stephens beats Varvara Gracheva 6-2, 6-1
Stephens closes out for a regulation, 73-minute victory over her Russian opponent… she will play Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva in the third round.
Meanwhile, Daniel has held on to his serve to open up a 3-0 lead in the second set against Alcarez.
Sloane Stephens is another gazing right through her opponent towards the light of the third round. She’s serving to beat Varvara Gracheva on court 14 – the American has stormed her way to 6-2, 5-1.
Make that 5-2 in the second set – Shymanovich must now serve to stay in the tournament.
On Lenglen, Sabalenka is well in charge against Shymanovich. The No 2 seed leads 7-5, 4-2 with ball in band.
Daniel is enjoying a significantly better second set, taking the opening game … and finding two break points on the Alcaraz serve. The Spaniard nets an attempted cross-court power-punch, and Japan’s world No 112 is suddenly giving him plenty to think about. It’s 6-1, 0-2 on Philippe-Chatrier.
Wawrinka is hanging on in there … he’s taken a fourth-set tie-break to drag Kokkinakis the distance on Simonne-Mathieu. That is deliciously balanced at (Stan’s score first) 6-3, 5-7, 3-6, 7-6 (4).
I don’t imagine anybody’s looking seriously at odds for the Swiss for the tournament, but it’s an utter joy to see him delighting fans at Roland Garros once again. At various points in recent years his run of three grand slams between 2014 and 2016 must have felt a long, long time ago.
“It’s the best I’ve ever seen a 20-year-old – ever,” purrs McEnroe as Carlos Alcaraz closes out the first set 6-1, within 32 minutes. The first game in particular was such an effortless mowing that I genuinely thought they were still knocking up.
Taro Daniel is absolutely no mug by the way – this season alone he has tally-marks denoting victories over the likes of Casper Ruud and Alexander Zverev scratched into his racket-handle. This is just enormously impressive from the world No 1.
Wednesday's results so far
Greetings all. Here’s what’s been concluded so far today (all second round) …
Women’s singles
Jessica Pegula (3) bt Camila Giorgi 6-2, retired
Daria Kasatkina (9) bt Marketa Vondrousova 6-3, 6-4
Elina Svitolina bt Storm Hunter 2-6, 6-3, 6-1
Peyton Stearns bt Jelena Ostapenko (17) 6-3. 1-6, 6-2
Elise Mertens (28) bt Camila Osorio 6-3, 7-6 (3)
Yulia Putintseva bt Zheng Qinwen (19) 6-3, 4-6, 6-2
Anastasia Potapova (24) bt Mayar Sherif 3-6, 6-4, 6-1
Karolina Muchova bt Nadia Podoroska 6-3, 0-6, 6-3
Anna Blinkova bt Caroline Garcia (5) 4-6, 6-3, 7-5
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova bt Liudmila Samsonova 4-6, 7-5, 7-5
Men’s singles
Stefanos Tsitsipas (5) bt Roberto Carballés Baena 6-3, 7-6 (4), 6-2
Lorenzo Sonego bt Ugo Humbert 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (3)
Fabio Fognini bt Jason Kubler 6-4, 7-6 (5), 6-2
Sebastian Ofner bt Sebastian Korda (24) 6-3, 7-6 (1), 6-4
Diego Schwartzman bt Nuno Borges 7-6 (3), 6-4, 6-3
Sabalenka breaks immediately at the start of set two, and that’s no great surprise given how set one ended; Alcaraz leads Daniel 4-1 in the first; and Kokkinakis, leading Wawrinka 2-1, is serving for a breaker in the fourth. Otherwise, though, I’m off to perform the camp run, so here’s Stuart Goodwin to coax you through the next hour.
“She is quite right though,” says James W of Kasatkina’s musing that playing Vondrousova is ‘pain in the arse’. “Artists do tend to be a pain for mere mortals to play, namely coz (per Roddick vs Fed) ‘you throw the kitchen sink at them – and they come back with the bathtub’.”
I remember someone interviewing Roddick and calling what he and Federer had a rivalry; he pointed out that for that to be the case, he’d need to win a few. I’m sure he’d have settled for that 2009 Wimbledon final, one of the great matches.
At the end of a marathon game, Sabalenka breaks Shymanovich, who’s played pretty well, for a 7-5 set. Meantime, Muchova has beaten Podoroska 6-3 0-6 6-3 and meets Errani or Begu next; Bautista Agut leads Varillas 4-0; Shapovalov leads Arnaldi 6-2 4-2; and Schwartzman, who’s endured a miserable year, will face Tsitsipas after beating Borges 6,4 and 3. That should be a very good match.
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova beats Liudmila Samsonova [15] 4-6 7-5 7-5!
Pavlyuchenkova meets Potapova next, and so far today we’ve lost Garcia, Ostapenko, Samsonova and Zhang of the women’s seeds
Back on Lenglen, Sabalenka and Shymanovich are fighting over deuce-advantage, the world number 2 leading 6-5 in the first while Khachanov and Albot are away on Court 6 and Stephens has taken the first set of Grachova 6-2.
And of course Alcaraz – who, we’re advised, sometimes goes for too much down the line – breaks at the first time of asking, leading Daniel 2-0. And it’s hard to see a way for him, because though he’s a good player, he doesn’t have a weapon to trouble a player as complete as the world number 1, he’s just solid in all areas.
Asked if Alcaraz has any weaknesses, the best Mac can do is his backhand return out wide – which means a lefty could give him grief if it really is a weakness which it isn’t, it’s just something he doesn’t do quite as brilliantly as all the other things he does more brilliantly. “Who could possibly have thought he’d be this good this fast,” he adds later.
Shymanovich has broken Sabalenka and is now serving at 4-5 … while, on Chatrier, we’ve not only got Alcaraz but JP McEnroe on comms. Lucky us! He says he’s never seen a better teenager than yerman, rhapsodising how good he is for the game because he wants to try stuff the whole time.
Updated
Putintseva did indeed serve out against Wang, dismissing the number 19 seed 6-2 in the third – she meets Stephens or Grachova next – Pavlyuchenkova has broken Sansonav for 5-5, also in the third.
Next on Chatrier: Carlos Alcaraz [1] v Taro Daniel.
Phew. On Lenglen, Sabalenka has just broken Shymanovich for 4-2 while Samsonova is serving for the match against Pavlyuchenkova at 5-3 in the third. Stephens, meanwhile, is 2-0 up on Gracheva, Putintseva is serving for the match against Zheng, and Wawrinka leads Kokkinakis 2-1 in the fourth, Kokkinakis 2-1 ahead in sets.
Blinkova is remarkably calm as she speaks in French – she’s just played two hours 51 minutes! – saying she needed to take the crowd out of it, and is taking things game by game. She lost five match points in that final game alone, but mainly because Garcia took them from her not because she froze, and that is a massive upset.
Anna Blinkova beats Caroline Garcia [5] 4-6 6-3 7-5!
Blinkova showed so much bottle in this match and she finishes with a service winner when she might just’ve taken pace off. She meets Svitolina next and that’s one of the biggest wins of her career.
Blinkova unfurls a lovely top-spin forehand from the back, breaking the sideline and saving break point, then Garcia nets before saving yet another match point. Another follows, though, and just when it looks like it’s done, Blinkova finding a lovely angle on the backhand, her opponent frames one, turning an attempted pass into a drop-shot. Expletive!
No way! Garcia saves another match point … but then well in the rally on advantage, nets with a forehand. Oh man, and raising what I think is a fifth chance to finish things, Blinkova slings down a double! What a match this is; what a day this has already been.
“On Kasatkina (come from the Russian word, kasatka, meaning orca/killer whale btw!)‘ begins Proton Kuyon, “what a brilliantly cerebral player she is. So many cleverly-constructed points and different variations of spin and shot. Like a poor man’s Aga Radwanska, but getting better all the time.”
Yup, as I said, I don’t think I’ve seen her play as well as she did today, gut at 26 she still has time – especially given the capriciousness of the women’s game.
A backhand towards the tootsies and Blinkova breaks again for 6-5; she’s played so well today. Meantime, Kokkinakis hung on to take the third against Wawrinka, 6-3, so he leads 2-1; Sonego has just beaten Humbert 6-4 6-3 7-6(3) – he meets Moutet or Rublev next –; and Schwartzman leads Borges 7-6(3) 6-4.
Gosh, Garcia finds herself down 0-30 thanks in part to an injudicious double … but seconds later she’s again got her arm raised, tanking in to flick a drop over and onto the sideline. But Blinkova edges the next point and needs one more for the break…
Updated
Email! “Watching Stanimal Wawrinka absolutely smoke backhands is a joy to behold,” writes James W. “You’re right in saying that it’s immense that playing in the same era as the Big 3 and Andy Murray, it’s an ubermensch achievement to have got three slams (three different ones too!) and having to beat the World Number 1 (Novak twice, Nadal once) to win each one. Of course his career will not be remembered quite like Andy’s (who has over 20 career titles, a final or better at all four slams, the Number 1 ranking) for the sheer numbers. But for the sheer thrill of showing up in the first shorts he managed to find that morning, pulling them on and starting to smoke winners from all parts of the court (Novak’s coronation as finally winning the French was rather derailed coz everybody forgot just how good Stan is on clay, having grown up playing on it). It is a visceral thrill and one of the most beautiful things in sport today, watching Stan turn up looking hungover from the night before and just paint the lines. I really hope he goes far this French Open. At 37, you don’t know how many more slams he has in him! Make it count, Stan.”
Agreed, a hero.
Next on Lenglen: Shymanovich v Sabalenka [2].
Garcia earns another break-back point but Blinkova finds another first serve and the return drops long. This is fantastic stuff, it really is, and a backhand cross-court, breaking the sideline, gives Garcia another chance to save herself, and a booming forehand has her saluting the crowd as she makes 5-5! What it takes to play like this under this pressure is incredible, because Blinkova didn’t hand that over, quite the reverse – she handled herself, and Garcia was good enough to find what she needed.
A return drops wide, then facing her third match point, Garcia finds another forehand winner off the return, then what on earth! A backhand of decent length and Blinkova hits fresh air! OK, sweaty, heavy air, but air nonetheless! Perhaps it caught the paint and died, I’m not sure, but Blinkova composes and makes deuce only for Garcia to make advantage then thrash a backhand to the corner … Blinkova responds desperately, and somehow her forlorn attempt goes over her opponent and drops in! Amazing, and we’re back at deuce.
Match point down Garcia, sent out wide, spirits a blinding return cross-court for a winner, then skips onto a forehand and whips it into the corner; Blinkova stretches, but can’t control her riposte; deuce!
Garcia holds, forcing Blinkova to serve for it in the process and, though nothing we’ve seen so far today suggests the pressure will get too intense, it’s not been as intense as it now is.
Congratulated by Mats on a fun game, “two artists”, Kasatkina disagrees, saying that playing Vondrousova is “pain in the arse”. Though she made the semis last term, she likes the dry courts because it’s better for her style of play, even though the it’s hot, and on her tweener she admits to lobbing herself as a kid in order to practise that shot, then references this from Mary Pierce.
Updated
Back on Chatrier, Garcia is running out of road, serving to stay in the match at 3-5 in the third.
Daria Kasatkina [9] beats Marketa Vondrousova 6-3 6-4!
Kasatkina played beautifully today, the best I think I’ve seen her. She meets Stearns next.
I nip to the toilet and Kasatkina breaks Vondrousova! She’ll now serve for the match at 6-3 5-4!
Garcia gets to 30-all but credit to Blinkova, she’s handling the pressure really well and serves out from there. Elsewhere, meanwhile, we have:
Muchova 6-3 0-6 1-1 Podoroska
Sherif 6-3 4-6 1-6 Potapova [24]
Schwartzman 7-6(3) 4-1 Borges
Putintseva 6-3 4-6 Zheng [19]
Sonego 6-4 6-3 4-4 Humbert
Yeah, this.
THIS tweener 🫢#RolandGarros | @DKasatkina pic.twitter.com/rlKg6uwmCy
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) May 31, 2023
Garcia thunders down an ace to give her 2-3 in the decider, but Blinkova is still a break to the good. The crowd, though, are doing all they can to get behind their girl – I wonder if whoever wins will be encouraged to praise them for enjoying themselves when the match is over.
Oh my absolute days! Vondrousova sends Kasatkina chasing to her own forehand corner … and she sends a hotdog flat and cross-court for a clean winner! Incredible! if we see a better shot than that this tournament, we’ll have done very well indeed. And go on Thanasi Kokkinakis! He breaks Wawrinka for 2-0 in set three!
It’s going on on Lenglen too, Vondrousova climbing back into the match just in time, breaking Kasatkina back then holding for 3-6 3-2 … and on Chartier, serving at advantage down, Garcia runs around her backhand to go corner to corner with her fore … blazing wide. Blinkova leads 2-1 in the decider.
Kokkinakis hammers away from the back but Wawrinka has an answer to everything … except when he comes in to clean up after more monstrous hitting, in particular a backhand down the line, he comes in and nets a putaway that he only needed to get into court. So well played Kokkinakis, who ignored his opponent’s pyrotechnics to come from a break down and win that set 7-5, levelling the match in the process,
Facing a second set point, Wawrinka clouts a glorious inside-out forehand from centre to backhand side, then follows two glorious gets with a backhand slice dipping over the net, opening the court for an easy winner, tapped into open court with disguise. “Genius!” says our commentator, and I can’t argue with that.
A loose backhand hands Kokkinakis set point at 5-6, so Wawrinka opens his shoulders and steps into monstrous forehands until he finds a winner. Meantime, Vondrousova hangs in there for a match-saving hold for 1-2 in the second – but doesn’t look happy – while Blinkova holds for 1-1 in the decider, the crowd going wild for Garcia.
Vondrousova is an awkward player to face, swinging lefty serve and brilliant drop-shots. But Kasatkina has handled her superbly, playing the big points well and generally anticipating her opponent’s moves. She breaks and consolidates at the start of set two, and looks good for round three.
Yup, Blinkova holds her nerve well and secures a 6-3 set having lost the first 6-4. I can’t wait to see what happens next – Garcia only won 22% of first-serve points there, and if that continues she can’t win, except it surely can’t?
Kokkinakis will feel he’s in the match now, having broken back in set two, while Garcia holds so Blinkova will now serve for a decider a second time. And, as I type, she nails an ace for 40-0…
How often do we see that? Vondrousova gives everything to break, is foiled, then is broken herself. Kasatkina promptly serves out, and leads 6-3.
It might not be enough to save her in this set, but after much to-ing and fro-ing, Garcia drags back a break and perhaps plays herself back into form in the process. She now leads Blinkova 6-2 2-5.
Aha, Kasatkina survives more break points to hold for 4-3, and this is really fun match between two well-matched players – though both are tightening up as we reach the business end of set one.
Wawrinka has broken Kokkinakis for 4-2 in set two having won the first 6-3, and much as I’ve nothing against the Aussie, seeing the Swiss buzzing off his tennis gives me much pleasure. Elsewhere, meanwhile, Vondrousova and Kasatkina are slogging through deuces with the latter serving at 3-3, while Blinkova and Garcia are doing likewise with the former serving at 5-1 in the second.
Mooching around the courts, Sonego leads Humbert 6-4 4-3, with a break; Samsonova leads Pavlyuchenkova 6-4; Putintseva leads Zheng 6-3; and Borges leads Schwartzman 3-2.
Updated
Vondrousova hangs on then raises a break point of her own, but Kasatkina finds a ruinous backhand slice and the ball dies on the clay, forcing a netted response. No matter, she earns another, then hooks a forehand over the sideline and Kasatkina hangs on for 3-2. Meanwhile, offered a glimmer, Blinkova has has burst through the gap and now leads 4-1 in set two while Garcia, so solid on her first serve previously, is now struggling with it.
Garcia saves three break points but Blinkova redeems the previous game’s break, and I wonder if there was a loss of concentration there because the home favourite was so dialled in when closing out set one and taking the lead in two. But she now leads 6-4 1-1 while, on Lenglen, Vondrousova is also saving break points – four currently.
One break was enough for Garcia in set one, and she takes Blinkova’s serve immediately in two. She looks really comfortable out there, taking risks and going for her shots, and momentum might just be building.
Wawrinka breaks to snaffle the first set off Kokkinakis 6-3 while Vondrousova and Kasatkina have swapped breaks off the bat. This could be a really fun match.
Updated
Garcia wins the first set against Blinkova 6-4, the principal difference between them the 88% v 65% on first serve points won – though Garcia also has double the winners, 12 v 6.
I’ve replaced Ofner v Korda with Wawrinka v Kokkinakis, because how can you not watch Stan? He’s the oldest man in the draw, has a backhand of heavenly proportions, and looks like he’s come straight from the club – it’s incredible, when you compare his approach to tennis with that of Andy Murray, they’ve won the same number of majors, three, in the same era. He leads 4-3 in the first.
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Sebastian Ofner beats Sebastian Korda [24] 6-3 7-6(1) 6-4!
There are a fair few Austrians on Court 13 and they celebrate with their man – this is his best-ever performance in Paris, and he meets Fognini next.
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I’ve not watched this as closely as I’d hoped, what with everything that’s going on everywhere else, but Ofner is serving for the match against Korda.
Next on Lenglen: Vondrousova v Kasatkina [9]. Vondrousova reached the final in 2019, losing to Ash Barty, and if she finds her rhythm, is a threat here.
Thiago Wild said yesterday was not the time to talk about his domestic violence case yet, according to UOL Esporte, his case has stalled since April as he hasn't been at the different addresses provided the 3 times Rio courts have attempted to subpoena him https://t.co/boxOCrZ54Q
— Tumaini Carayol (@tumcarayol) May 31, 2023
It was absolutely reasonable to ask Wild about the case in his first tour level main draw match since public criminal actions were initiated against him. I also fully support the journalist who was intimidated by a member of Wild's team after the press conference.
— Tumaini Carayol (@tumcarayol) May 31, 2023
Fabio Fognini beats Jason Kubler 6-4 7-6(5) 6-2!
He meets Ofner or Korda next, and having downed Auger-Aliassime in round one, looks in terrific nick. I fancy him to win his round three match too.
Is there a rule that every interview has to begin with the player incited to praise the crowd? It’s quite odd. Anyhow, Tsitsipas likes playing in the sun because the ball bounces nicely, and he also enjoys getting the adrenaline going early in the morning – it’s like his espresso. He’s then asked abut Alcaraz and having fun, so says there’s a lot of suffering required to do what they do, so adding a bit of fun to it is important. They’re not in an office, they’re playing a game, and making it enjoyable contributes to the players’ wellbeing.
Stefanos Tsitsipas was asked about shaving his beard today and he responded by talking entirely about... *checks notes* Carlos Alcaraz. pic.twitter.com/bXhtLdMjw1
— Tumaini Carayol (@tumcarayol) May 28, 2023
On Chatrier, Garcia has broken Blinkova for 2-1; Fognini leads Kubler 6-4 7-6(5) 5-2/
Stefanos Tsitsipas [5] beats Roberto Carballes Baena 6-3 7-6(4) 6-2!
He plays Borges or Schwartzman next, and that’s an impressive win against a wily specialist.
Tistsipas now leads Carballes Baena 5-1 in the third and he’s growing into the tournament nicely. However the bracket has him meeting Alcaraz in the last eight, and should that match happen, he’ll need to play much better to win.
Elise Mertens [28] beats Camila Osorio 6-3 7-6(3)!
Mertens meets Pegula next, and that match should be a jazzer.
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Coming up next on Chatrier: Garcia [5] v Blinkova. They’re knocking up.
Tsitsipas wants done: he’s now a double break up in set three, leading 3-0, and this match is O-V-E-R. Meanwhile, Mertens has retrieved Osorio’s second-set break, so they’re about to play a breaker.
Ofner is in a great spot; he takes his second-set breaker against Korda 7-1 and now leads 2-0. Korda got to the last eight in Melbourne, beating Medvedev and Hurkacsz in the process, so this would be a big win for the Swiss in the Sebastian derby.
Elina Svitolina beats Storm Hunter 2-6 6-3 6-1!
That’s a brilliant win from Svito, whose comeback from injury and maternity gathers pace. She served really well in the back-end of that match and meets Garcia or Blinkova next.
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Peyton Stearns beats Jelena Ostapenko [17] 6-3 1-6 6-2
Just another normal day of Ostapenkz. Stearns meets Vondrousova or Kasatkina next.
A forehand down the line drops just long, and Tsitsipas, who dictated the point up till then, takes the breaker to four for a 2-0 lead. Ultimately, he knows, Carballes Baena knows and we know that when it comes to it, he can find what he needs to win matches like this one.
I’ve left my Ostapenkz because, let’s be real, that match is over, snivel. Instead, I’m on Ofner 6-3 6-5 Korda, which is to say the unseeded Swiss has retrieved the number 24’s break.
Carballes Baena holds to force a breaker, and is immediately sent nashing to hither and yon as Tsitsipas snatches an immediate mini-break at 2-0. Meanwhile, Stearns has a second final-set break against Ostapenko, leading 4-1, and Svitolina looks set to following her husband’s miraculous victory last evening with one of her own; she leads Hunter 4-0 in the decider.
Is it just me who’s noticed how much Jessica Pegula looks like Jessica Penne, the MMA fighter?
Jessica Pegula [3] beats Camila Giorgi 6-2 retired
Ach, that’s a shame – I hope Giorgi is OK for the grass-court season. Pegula meets Osorio or Mertens next.
In classic Ostapenkz style, after taking a set 6-1 she’s broken at the start of the decider, so Stearns leads 6-3 1-6 0-1 … oh, and as I type it becomes 0-2; Svitolina, meanwhile, has levelled a match in which she trailed by a set and break, and how good is that to see? She and Hunter are just about to start their decider, while Mertens, seeded 28, is a set up but a break down to Osorio at 2-3 in the second.
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Four straight breaks on Lenglen so it’s 4-3 Tsitsipas in the second while, in good news for my daily acca failure, Korda is a break up at 3-2 in set two, having lost the first to Ofner.
Pegula is pasting Giorgi here, leading 4-0 in the first, while Fognini is battering Kubler, 6-4 4-0.
After much deliberation I’ve decided to go Ostapenko 3-6 6-1 Stearns on my third screen – principally because I love the former, whose attacking abandon and carefree yahooing is a lesson for life.
Ball dropping out the sun and close to the baseline, Tsitsipas lets it bounce then clobbers a smash that gives Carballes Baena no chance. But then he leaves a ball he’s sure is out, it isn’t, and that’s two break-back points; a double follows, and we’re back on serve in set two, Tsitsipas leading 6-3 3-2.
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Tsitsipas is wearing down Carballes Baena, breaking him for 3-1 in set two after gradually upping the backhand power.
On Chatrier, Pegula – and who saw her rising to number three seed? – has broken Giorgi in the first game.
Oh and one more: regular readers will know that Calvin Betton, our resident coach, supplies us with expert, insider analysis. Well, his charge, Henry Patten, is playing men’s doubles with Julian Cash, and they lead Purcell and Shelton 6-3 2-1 with a break.
OK, so far this morning: Tsitsipas leads Carballes Baena 6-1 1-1; Hunter leads Svitolina 6-2 2-1 with a break; Stearns leads Ostapenko 6-3 1-2, Ostapenko with a break; Mertens leads Osorio 6-3; Fognini leads Kubler 6-4; and Offner leads Korda 6-3 2-1.
Preamble
Morning all and welcome to Roland-Garros 2023, day four! Anyone got a spare set of eyes? Because today sees the start of our second round, and of course it blesses us with an array of matches that is both ordinary and extraordinary.
We begin with Stefanos Tsitsipas taking on clay-court specialist Roberto Carballés Baena, while Jessica Pegula takes on Camila Giorgi. Then, in the second tranche of matches, Stan Wawrinka, the former champ and oldest man in the draw, faces Thanasi Kokkinakis, conqueror of Dan Evans, while Daria Kastkina meets Marketa Vondrousova and Caroline Garcia is also in action.
Goodness me, then by mid-afternoon we should be watching Carlos Alcaraz, Aryna Sabalenka and Andrey Rublev, before rounding out the day with Lucas Pouille – a local favourite who qualified after struggling with alcohol addiction and mental health – against Cameron Norrie.
And that’s just the show courts! Elsewhere, we’ve got Jelena Ostapenko, Elise Mertens, Hubert Hurkacz, Sloane Stephens, Lorenzo Musetti, Laylah Fernandez, Karen Khachanov, Denis Shapovalov, Roberto Bautista Agut and Sebaskian Korda; frankly it’s ridiculous. Chouette! On y va!
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