On the 7th day of the French Open, Daniel Altmaier has to give up after his Sinner coup. The top stars Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, Holger Rune and Casper Ruud, on the other hand, have reached the round of 16. Alexander Zverev is currently fighting Frances Tiafoe for progress.
French Open: Altmaier is defeated by Dimitrov
No further surprise: Daniel Altmaier failed in the third round of the French Open. After his spectacular five-set win over top ten player Jannik Sinner, the 24-year-old clearly lost 4: 6, 3: 6, 1: 6 to Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov, who was 28th.
He missed a possible duel against Olympic champion Alexander Zverev, who is fighting Frances Tiafoe in the night session for a place in the top 16.
Altmaier had made it to the round of 16 in Paris in 2020 – but he noticeably lacked the strength against the experienced Dimitrov. On Thursday, after a memorable match, he advanced to the third round. The emotional five-set victory over the Italian Sinner, who was eighth after almost five and a half hours, was only the Kempener’s second success over a top ten player.
French Open: Gauff stops Andreeva – Swiatek in fast forward
The highly acclaimed run by shooting star Mirra Andreeva at the French Open has been stopped. The only 16-year-old Russian had to admit defeat to last year’s finalist Coco Gauff (19/USA) in the duel of the two remaining teenagers in the tournament and missed the round of 16 in Paris. Top favorite Iga Swiatek from Poland, on the other hand, easily reached the round of the top 16.
6: 7 (5: 7), 6: 1, 6: 1 was the score after 2:03 hours on the Suzanne Lenglen court between Andreeva and Gauff, which for the young Russian, who increasingly lost the thread after a strong start, at the end was a size too big. Andreeva, who appeared conspicuously tidy and self-confident in Paris, missed her first win against a top ten player and her debut in a Grand Slam round of 16. She is the youngest player in 18 years to reach the third round at the French Open.
“She has a great future ahead of her. I remember playing here when I was 16,” said Gauff afterwards: “I stuck to my game plan even after losing the first set.” The sixth in the world rankings can continue to dream of her first major title – last year she was clearly inferior to Swiatek in two sets in the final.
The Pole, meanwhile, rushed through to the round of 16 and gave her Chinese opponent Wang Xinyu a memorable beating. Swiatek won 6-0, 6-0 after just 51 minutes.
French Open: Also Ruud and Rune in the round of 16
Last year’s finalist Casper Ruud can continue to dream of the first Grand Slam title of his career at the French Open. The 24-year-old Norwegian beat the Chinese Zhizhen Zhang 4: 6, 6: 4, 6: 1, 6: 4 and confidently followed the top favorites Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic into the round of 16 in Paris.
The ambitious young Dane Holger Rune (20) also survived the third round a little later without any problems. At 6: 4, 6: 1, 6: 3 he gave the Argentinian Genaro Alberto Olivieri no chance on the Philippe Chatrier court. In the round of 16, American Taylor Fritz, who was ninth, could now be waiting for Rune.
Fourth in the world rankings Ruud survived the third round in Roland Garros for the second time in his career. After his final defeat against record champion Rafael Nadal last year, he is one of the extended favorites this time – but has played a mixed clay court season so far.
Meanwhile, his opponent Zhang failed to become the first Chinese in the Open Era (since 1968) to advance to the round of 16 of the clay court Grand Slam. He managed to do this at the Masters in Madrid when he knocked out top ten player Taylor Fritz on the way to the top 16.
The latter also flew out of the tournament early on Saturday in Paris – making him the fifth top ten player to miss the round of 16. The American lost to Argentinian Francisco Cerundolo 6: 3, 3: 6, 4: 6, 5: 7. Cerundolo had already eliminated the German Yannick Hanfmann in the second round.
On Friday, the two top favorites for the title in Paris easily made it into the round of 16. Grand Slam record winner Djokovic will meet the unseeded Peruvian Juan Pablo Varillas there on Sunday – the world number one Alcaraz will face Lorenzo Musetti (Italy / No. 17). Alcaraz’s potential quarter-final opponent Stefanos Tsitsipas, the 2021 finalist, plays Austria’s Sebastian Ofner on Sunday.
French Open: Co-favorite Rybakina has to withdraw because of illness
Wimbledon champion Jelena Rybakina has to give up her title hopes at the French Open early. The 23-year-old Kazakh could not compete in her third round match in Paris on Saturday due to illness. The Spaniard Sara Sorribes Tormo reached the round of 16 without a fight.
“I’m very disappointed that I can’t play,” said Rybakina: “I didn’t feel well yesterday and the day before. I couldn’t sleep and had a fever.”
The powerful player was one of the favorites at Roland Garros. At the Australian Open in January, she reached the final and recently proved her class on sand with a triumph in Rome.