Third round singles action begins on Friday in Paris.
Following the shocking exit of World No.1 Jannik Sinner in the second round on Thursday, the men’s singles draw is suddenly wide open. And the next biggest threats to win this title are all in the bottom half of the draw, which plays on Friday.
Novak Djokovic will now feel he has a much better shot at claiming his record-extending 25th Major singles title, but he must first advance beyond 19-year-old phenom Joao Fonseca. Alexander Zverev has twice been just one set away from winning a Major, and he finds himself in an open section of the draw. On Friday, he faces France’s Quentin Halys.
Casper Ruud is a two-time finalist in Paris, but in the third round he reignites what has been a grueling rivalry with Tommy Paul. And could 19-year-old Rafael Jodar now be a threat to win this title, just like another Spanish Rafa that won this tournament in his debut at the age of 19? Jodar goes up against Alex Michelsen on Friday.
The women’s singles draw has felt pretty open since this fortnight began, but several of the top contenders play their third round matches on Friday, including Iga Swiatek, Mirra Andreeva, and Elina Svitolina.
Here’s a rundown of the most notable matches on Day 6 (in chronological order, all times local):
Magda Linette vs. Iga Swiatek (3) – 12:00pm on Court Philippe-Chatrier
In vintage Swiatek fashion, Swiatek has averaged just four games lost in her first two rounds. She’ll certainly be pleased to see Linette across the net, as Linette upset Jelena Ostapenko in the last round, and Swiatek is 0-6 lifetime against Ostapenko. However, Linette did upset Swiatek just a few months ago in Miami. Their only other prior encounter came three years ago in Beijing, which Iga won 6-1, 6-1.
Alex Michelsen vs. Rafael Jodar (27) – Second on Court Simonne-Mathieu
Jodar has lost one set through two rounds, as he vies the reach the second week of a Major for the first time, in only his second Major. Michelsen has also lost only one set, and he reached the fourth round of last year’s Australian Open, the 21-year-old’s best Major result to date. This will be the first of likely many career meetings between the youngsters.
Mirra Andreeva (8) vs. Marie Bouzkova (27) – Second on Court Philippe-Chatrier
Andreeva came back from a set down on Wednesday against a qualifier ranked 175th in the world, taking 12 of the last 14 games. Bouzkova was a Wimbledon quarterfinalist back in 2022, and won a clay court title two months ago in Bogota. Andreeva is 4-0 against Bouzkova, with four straight-set victories within the last 18 months.
Elina Svitolina (7) vs. Tamara Korpatsch – Third on Court Suzanne-Lenglen
After outlasting Anna Bondar in a final-set tiebreak in the first round, Svitolina cruised through her second round 6-0, 6-4. She’s now 31-7 on the year, and the Rome champ is on an eight-match winning streak. Korpatsch is a 31-year-old German who took out 32nd-seeded Xinyu Wang in the last round, to achieve the best result at a Major in her career.
Joao Fonseca (28) vs. Novak Djokovic (3) – Third on Court Philippe-Chatrier
Djokovic has survived a pair of four-setters to this stage, his first two match wins since early March. A win on Friday would be his 104th at Roland Garros, tying his tally at the Australian Open, the Major where he currently owns the most match wins. Novak has not lost before the quarterfinals of this event since 2009, when he lost in this same round to Philipp Kohlschreiber.
On Wednesday, Fonseca came back from two-sets-down for the first time in his career, against fellow 19-year-old Dino Prizmic. Joao now looks to achieve his first appearance in the fourth round of a Major. However, he’ll need to win a third match in a row for just the third time this season, as he’s struggled during 2026 after starting off the year with a back injury.
This will be the first matchup in this clash of eras, between a 39-year-old legend, and a 19-year-old breakout star.
Casper Ruud (15) vs. Tommy Paul (24) – Last on Court Suzanne-Lenglen
Ruud wilted in the heat during his opening round, yet unlike Sinner, was able to recover and win in five. He rebounded on Wednesday to comfortably advance in straights. Paul has dropped only one set thus far, and he was a quarterfinalist here a year ago. These two men have contested some long, back-and-forth battles in the past, with their head-to-head at 3-2 in Ruud’s favor. But most notably, all three of their meetings at Majors have gone to Ruud, which includes a five-setter six year ago at this same tournament.
Quintin Halys vs. Alexander Zverev (2) – Not Before 8:15pm on Court Philippe-Chatrier
Zverev has not lost a set, but will he now feel the pressure of being the highest seed remaining? Halys has also taken all six sets he’s played, and he upset fellow Frenchman Ugo Humbert on Wednesday. Their only previous match took place earlier this year in Miami, where Zverev claimed both sets in tiebreaks.
Friday’s full Order of Play is here.
