Third round singles action concludes on Saturday in Paris.
Fans have been lining up for hours to catch a glimpse of teenage sensation Joao Fonseca on outer courts through the first two rounds. On Saturday, he finally gets placed on a bigger court, albeit the still modestly-sized Simonne-Mathieu, as he faces fifth-seeded Jack Draper, who outlasted Gael Monfils in a dramatic contest on Thursday night.
Saturday also provides other appetizing third round matchups. World No.1 Jannik Sinner takes on Jiri Lehecka. And in a battle between Australian Open champions from the USA, Madison Keys faces Sofia Kenin.
Plus, Novak Djokovic, Coco Gauff, and Mirra Andreeva all play on Day 7.
Throughout the tournament, this preview will analyze the day’s most prominent matches, while highlighting the other notable matches on the schedule. Saturday’s play gets underway at 11:00am local time.
Jannik Sinner (1) vs. Jiri Lehecka – Second on Court Suzanne-Lenglen
Sinner is yet to be challenged through two rounds against two Frenchmen (Rinderknech, Gasquet), as he vies for his fifth appearance in the round of 16 at his sixth French Open. He was a semifinalist here a year ago, losing in five sets to Carlos Alcaraz, despite holding a two-sets-to-one lead. This year, Jannik would not collide with Carlitos until the final.
Lehecka achieved some noteworthy results last year, but he also missed three months of action due to a back injury. And he has struggled mightily these last few months, arriving in Paris having lost eight of his last 11 matches. But the 23-year-old earned an impressive four-set victory in the last round over Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, and Jiri possesses a powerful game which came threaten almost anyone when he’s at his best.
Sinner leads their head-to-head 2-0 at tour level, with a pair of straight-set victories last year on hard courts. I’m curious to see how they match up on clay, and this is not a straightforward draw for Jannik. However, the Italian is the more versatile player, and remains a significant favorite to advance. Andrey Rublev awaits the winner in the next round, as Arthur Fils has already withdrawn from their third round match due to a back injury he sustained on Thursday.
Joao Fonseca vs. Jack Draper (5) – Third on Court Simonne-Mathieu
This is a blockbuster third round matchup between two of the sport’s fastest-rising stars. And it’s a burgeoning rivalry that will likely permeate the tennis world for the foreseeable future. Their first meeting occurred two months ago at Indian Wells, where Draper easily won 6-4, 6-0.
The Brit is on the verge of cracking the ATP top four, thanks to reaching four finals since last fall, a span highlighted by his first Masters 1000 title at Indian Wells. Despite his lack of experience on clay, he’s now 11-3 this season on this surface, and even reached the final of Madrid last month. Jack is looking to achieve his third consecutive round of 16 appearance at a Major.
Fonseca is 25-8 this season at all levels, with two Challenger titles and his first ATP title. The 18-year-old was slumping a bit prior to this fortnight, losing four of his last five matches, yet hasn’t dropped a set this week in Paris. With a victory on Saturday, Joao will make his top 50 debut, and it will likely be a long time before he’s ever ranked outside the top 50 again.
This surface certainly favors the Brazilian, who grew up playing on clay. As impressive as Draper has been during this clay court season, he still does not look fully comfortable moving on the terra baute. And this match being scheduled outside of the two biggest stadiums on the grounds may also favor Fonseca, who seems to thrive on smaller courts filled with vocal fans, many of whom will be Brazilian. However, it’s worth noting the courts at Indian Wells play rather slowly, and Jack beat Joao rather comfortably in the desert.
Both men will be feeling a lot of pressure considering their opposition, as well as knowing the winner will face unseeded opposition in the next round. In a tough match to call, I give the slight edge to Draper. He is the more proven commodity at this level, as well as in best-of-five set matches.
Madison Keys (7) vs. Sofia Kenin (31) – Last on Court Suzanne-Lenglen
This is a second consecutive match against a fellow Australian Open champ for Kenin, who beat Victoria Azarenka in a tight two-setter on Thursday. This equals Sofia’s best result at a Slam in four years, and it comes during her best season of results in five years. Kenin was the runner-up here back in 2020, at a Major where she is now 15-5 lifetime.
Keys is enjoying the strongest half-season of her career, with a record of 26-6, and of course claiming her maiden Major title in Melbourne. She’s 26-12 in her career in Paris, with a semifinal appearance back in 2018, followed by a quarterfinal appearance in 2019. Madison has only lost seven games between her first two rounds.
Their head-to-head stands at 3-1 in Keys’ favor, as she’s taken their last three meetings in straight sets. However, their only clay court matchup went to Kenin, though that also took place over six years ago. On Saturday, I favor the reigning Australian Open champ over the former Australian Open champ. Madison has been playing the best tennis of her career since making a racquet change during the offseason, and her easy power should allow her to dictate play.
Other Notable Matches on Saturday:
Mirra Andreeva (6) vs. Yulia Putintseva (32) – Andreeva is now 9-2 at Roland Garros. This is her first career meeting with Putintseva, who was a quarterfinalist here back in 2016 and 2018.
Daria Kasatkina (17) vs. Paula Badosa (10) – Badosa has come back from a set down in both of her first two matches, despite being less than 100% due to an ongoing back injury. This is the first Major where Kasatkina is representing Australia, and this has easily been the best Major of her career, and she was a semifinalist three years ago. Their head-to-head is tied at three-a-piece, and one-a-piece on clay.
Marketa Vondrousova vs. Jessica Pegula (3) – Pegula is yet to drop a set, while Vondrousova took out 25th-seeded Magdalena Frech in the last round. But this is only Marketa’s fifth tournament of the season, as she’s battled multiple injuries this past year. Two years ago in the Wimbledon quarterfinals, Vondrousova defeated Pegula 6-4 in the third, on the way to Marketa’s only Major title to date.
Alexander Zverev (3) vs. Flavio Cobolli – Zverev is vying to reach the second week of this event for the eighth consecutive year. Cobolli already has two clay court titles this season, including just last week in Hamburg. This is another first-time matchup on the day.
Marie Bouzkova vs. Coco Gauff (2) – Gauff has advanced comfortably through two rounds, and she’s advanced to the quarterfinals or better the last four years in Paris. However, she is 0-2 against Bouzkova, with losses on both a hard court and grass court, though one of those losses was via a mid-match retirement.
Filip Misolic (Q) vs. Novak Djokovic (6) – Djokovic is also yet to drop a set, and he has not lost in the third round of the French Open since 2009. Misolic is a 23-year-old qualifier who upset Denis Shapovalov in five sets on Thursday, to achieve his best result at a Major.
Saturday’s full Order of Play is here.
