On a day when the men’s title favourite exited the French Open, there were no shocks for two key contenders in the women’s draw.
Aryna Sabalenka continued her quest for a maiden title at Roland Garros with a 7-5, 6-2 win over Elsa Jacquemot, who was playing against a top 10 player for the first time. Sabalenka was tested at times by her rival as she dropped serve once in each set. However, she still managed to dictate play with the help of 45 winners, which was three times more than Jacquemot.
Sabalenka’s victory is her 31st at a Grand Slam event whilst being the world’s highest-ranked player. It also continues her run of reaching at least the third round of every major event played since the 2020 US Open.
“That was a very tough opponent. Tricky match. I’m happy that I closed it in straight sets,” said Sabalenka.
“They (the crowd) were cheering for her but I have to say that they were really respectful, and it was really nice playing on Chatrier even against the French.
“I really enjoyed it, and happy to be through.”
The top seed is hoping to go one set further than her run to the final in Paris 12 months ago. She has also reached the quarter-finals and semi-finals on two other occasions.
Sabalenka’s next test will be against a resurgent Daria Kasatkina, who won a WTA 125 and reached the quarter-finals in Strasbourg earlier in the clay season. Kasatkina, who now plays for Australia, defeated Swiss qualifier Susan Bandecchi 7-5, 7-6(11).
“It’s another tough match, but I’m ready to fight. I’m ready to face every condition possible,” Sabalenka commented.
Gauff marches on
Fourth seed Coco Gauff, who beat Sabalenka in the 2025 final, dropped only five games during her 6-3, 6-2 win over Mayar Sherif. There is still room for improvement for the American, who won only five out of 18 points behind her second serve and hit the same amount of winners as unforced errors (23).
“It was a physical match, tough match, my patience was really tested today,” said Gauff. “Mayar is a great player, she makes you compete for every point.
“I’ve got to work on getting the rhythm back, but I’m really happy with how I played. Shout out to my team, I think I hit so many points up here (shoulder height), hopefully my arms look pretty muscular, because it took a lot of strength to hit those balls.”
The 22-year-old has now won 29 matches at the Paris Grand Slam, which is more than any other female American player under the age of 23 in the Open Era. Despite her age, Gauff is already playing in her seventh French Open main draw and has reached the quarter-finals or better in her four previous appearances.
“No expectations, I’m just having fun,” Gauff explained. “I just have to keep on enjoying this journey, to focus on the process and not the results.”
Gauff will next play Russian-born Austrian Anastasia Potapova. She has lost their two most recent meetings, but the last time they locked horns was in 2023.
