Third round singles action begins on Friday in Paris.
Two of the WTA’s biggest hitters clash in the third round on Friday, as Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina takes on Roland Garros champion Jelena Ostapenko. The winner will likely play Iga Swiatek in the next round, and since both women have caused problems for the defending champ in the past, this match could have huge implications on the tournament.
Swiatek plays her third round match earlier in the day, as does top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka as well as last year’s runner-up, Jasmine Paolini. And in another match between seeded players, Amanda Anisimova faces Clara Tauson.
In men’s singles, two of the top American men collide, as Frances Tiafoe goes up against Sebastian Korda. Another American, Tommy Paul, plays two-time Major semifinalist Karen Khachanov. And Carlos Alcaraz will play his first night match of this fortnight.
Throughout the tournament, this preview will analyze the day’s most prominent matches, while highlighting the other notable matches on the schedule. Friday’s play gets underway at 11:00am local time.
Clara Tauson (22) vs. Amanda Anisimova (16) – 11:00am on Court 14
Anisimova was a surprise semifinalist here six years ago at the age of 19. She has not been able to equal that result at a Major as of yet, in a young career where she has battled injuries as well as mental health issues. But she is currently at a career-high ranking, thanks to her first WTA 1000 title this past February in Doha.
Tauson also earned a lot of ranking points this past February at a WTA 1000 event, when she advanced to the final of Dubai. The 22-year-old reached the round of 16 here a year ago, her best result at a Slam to date. Clara did not arrive in Paris in strong form, with a record of just 2-4 on clay this season.
In their first career meeting, I give the slight edge to Anisimova. She possesses the bigger game, better results at bigger tournaments, and advanced more comfortably through the first two rounds than Tauson.
Karen Khachanov (24) vs. Tommy Paul (12) – Second on Court Simonne-Mathieu
Paul is 2-0 against Khachanov, though both matches went the distance. Three years ago on a hard court in Miami, Tommy prevailed in a final-set tiebreak. And just last month in Madrid, Tommy won 6-2 in the third.
Both men are coming off five-setters in the last round. Paul came back from two sets down to overcome Marton Fucsovics, while Khachanov survived in five against Sebastian Ofner.
Paul has been the better performer of late, with a 2025 record of 23-8, compared to 14-12 for Khachanov. However, Tommy suffered a leg injury during his five-setter against Fucsovics, so his condition for Friday is in question. But if Paul is relatively healthy, he’s the favorite.
Elena Rybakina (12) vs. Jelena Ostapenko (21) – Third on Court Suzanne-Lenglen
This will be their sixth encounter within the past six years. Ostapenko claimed the first two, yet Rybakina has claimed the last three. That includes their only clay court matchup, which took place two years ago in Rome, and went to Elena in straight sets.
Rybakina is now 25-9 on the year, and is currently on a six-match winning streak, after winning the title a week ago in Strasbourg. She is a two-time quarterfinalist at Roland Garros. Of course Ostapenko won the title here back in 2017, but she’s only once advanced to this round of the tournament ever since. Her record this season is inferior to that of Rybakina’s, at 15-11, and unlike Elena, Jelena required three sets in both of her first two rounds to reach this stage.
Based on their recent history, both individually and shared, Rybakina should be favored on Friday. Plus, she’s not quite as streaky a performer as Ostapenko. And a Rybakina victory may bring some relief to Swiatek, as Iga is 4-4 against Rybakina, but she’s 0-6 against Ostapenko.
Frances Tiafoe (15) vs. Sebastian Korda (23) – Last on Court Suzanne-Lenglen
I doubted Tiafoe’s chances in the last round against Pablo Carreno Busta, as he’s underperformed since his semifinal loss at last year’s US Open. Yet for just the third time since that heartbreak, he’s won back-to-back matches, soundly defeating Carreno Busta in straights. That brought his record this season to 15-12, and 9-6 on clay.
Korda is a similarly modest 11-9 on the year, and 5-4 on this surface. But Sebi has been unable to repeat the success of his 2023 Australian Open quarterfinal appearance, suffering a serious wrist injury during that quarterfinal which would sideline him for months. At the last eight Majors, he’s failed to make the second week.
Just like the Rybakina/Ostapenko head-to-head, the Tiafoe/Korda head-to-head can be split into two parts. Frances took their first three meetings, while Korda has now taken the most recent three. Their only clay meeting was also their longest, and went to Tiafoe in three, though that occurred over three years ago.
Both players will be feeling a lot of pressure in this match, as the winner will be the favorite in the next round against an unseeded opponent in an open part of the draw. On this surface, I favor the marginally more consistent groundstrokes of Korda. Plus, as per Tennis Abstract, Tiafoe hasn’t defeated a top 30 player since last September, with Korda at least owning one recent top 30 victory, over Stefanos Tsitsipas two months ago in Miami.
Other Notable Matches on Friday:
Aryna Sabalenka (1) vs. Olga Danilovic – Sabalenka has dropped only five games through four sets. Danilovic took out another big hitter, Danielle Collins, in the last round.
Jacqueline Cristian vs. Iga Swiatek (5) – Swiatek lost only three games in the last round against Emma Raducanu. This is her first meeting with Cristian, who has never advanced beyond this round of a Major.
Jasmine Paolini (4) vs. Yuliia Starodubtseva (Q) – Paolini defeated Ajla Tomljanovic in straight sets on Wednesday. This is the best Major result to date for 25-year-old Ukrainian Starodubtseva.
Damir Dzumhur vs. Carlos Alcaraz (2) – Alcaraz lost the second set on Wednesday to Fabian Marozsan, yet stilladvanced comfortably in four. On the same day, Dzumhur upset 31st-seeded Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard.
Friday’s full Order of Play is here.
