Day 4 at Roland Garros delivered more drama under the persistent Parisian heat, as the second round concluded and the draw began to open up, with some big upsets around the grounds.
Third seed Novak Djokovic advanced to the third round after a four-set battle against home favourite Valentin Royer. The 39-year-old Serb started strongly, taking the first two sets comfortably, but Royer fought back impressively in the third, forcing a tiebreak that he edged to stay alive. Djokovic regrouped in the fourth to close out a 6-3, 6-2, 6-7(7), 6-3 victory in nearly four hours. “That was really, really hard, it was a big challenge,” a weary Djokovic said on court. “I’ve played two matches and I feel like I’ve played for two weeks.” He added with a laugh, “Hopefully I won’t face another Frenchman until the end of the tournament.” Again, Djokovic would have to be disappointed to drop the third set, resulting in more time playing in the heat, as the matches don’t get easier. He will now face a very interesting opponent in the next round.
That opponent is 19-year-old Brazilian Joao Fonseca, who produced one of the comebacks of the tournament. Seeded 28th, Fonseca trailed by two sets against Dino Prizmic but turned the match around dramatically, winning the final three sets for a 3-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1, 6-2 triumph. The young talent unleashed his trademark powerful forehands and showed remarkable mental strength to rally in front of an energetic pro-Brazilian crowd. This sets up a fascinating third-round clash: the 24-time Grand Slam champion against one of the sport’s brightest rising prospects.
Second seed Alexander Zverev looked in ominous form during the night session, dispatching the dangerous Tomas Machac 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 with dominant serving and baseline control. The German faced no break points and displayed the kind of efficiency that makes him a perennial contender on this surface.
In the women’s draw, the biggest shock came as second seed Elena Rybakina was eliminated by Ukraine’s Yuliia Starodubtseva in a thrilling three-setter. Rybakina took the first set but struggled with consistency thereafter, committing a high number of unforced errors. Starodubtseva stayed aggressive and composed, prevailing 3-6, 6-1, 7-6(4). “I’m super happy,” Starodubtseva said afterward. “Elena is one of the top players. She’s had an incredible year and I’m super proud of myself that I was able to do this today.”
Third seed Iga Swiatek had a more routine afternoon, defeating young gun Sara Bejlek 6-2, 6-3. The four-time champion admitted she committed too many unforced errors and had moments of struggle on serve, but her superior experience and clay-court pedigree saw her through safely. “She was pretty good in defence, and I had many opportunities to attack,” Swiatek explained. “Sometimes even too many. So when you attack, you’re going to make more mistakes.” She will need to sharpen her game as the competition intensifies.
Other notable results included strong performances from several men’s seeds. Casper Ruud (15) continued his solid run with a straight-sets win over Hamad Medjedovic. Andrey Rublev and Karen Khachanov both advanced in four sets after tough battles. However, there were upsets as well: Quentin Halys defeated home seed Ugo Humbert in three tight sets, and Thiago Agustin Tirante knocked out 21st seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.
Rafael Jodar, the 19-year-old Spaniard, kept his breakout run going with a hard-fought four-set victory. Jakub Mensik survived a marathon five-setter against Mariano Navone, winning a 13-11 final-set tiebreak but requiring significant recovery time afterward after collapsing on court with cramps. Tommy Paul and Alex Michelsen also progressed.
On the women’s side, Mirra Andreeva, Karolina Muchova, and Elina Svitolina all moved into the third round with relatively comfortable wins. Marta Kostyuk and Sorana Cirstea advanced as well, while upsets claimed former finalist Jasmine Paolini and former champion Jelena Ostapenko. The depth in the women’s field was once again evident, with several dangerous floaters now in the mix.
The heat remained a significant factor across the grounds, and with the forecast predicting a couple more days of hot weather, before a cooler second week, we could see more upsets across round two and three.
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