French Open 2024: De Minaur v Medvedev; Rybakina and Sabalenka win – live | French Open 2024

That was quite some statement of intent from Sabalenka, who, along with Rybakina and Iga Swiatek, is looking in great touch. Gone are the days of the men’s Big Three – but there’s a Big Three developing in the women’s game, with Coco Gauff not far behind them.

Varvara Gracheva and Mirra Andreeva will play for the last quarter-final spot later – here’s how the women’s draw is looking:

Swiatek (1) v Vondrousova (5)

Gauff (3) v Jabeur (8)

Paolini v Rybakina (4)

Gracheva or Andreeva v Sabalenka (2)

All smiles from Sabalenka, who says:

I was ready to fight for every point, I was ready for long rallies. I was super happy with the level I played today. Definitely with the sun you feel more positive, it’s been tough with the rain.

Sabalenka beats Navarro 6-2, 6-3!

De Minaur 1-2 Medvedev*

16 minutes, just three games played on Suzanne Lenglen. Perhaps Medvedev and De Minaur will still be playing come 3.07am tomorrow morning. The Russian does have the early break though.

Navarro 2-6, 3-4 Sabalenka*

Meanwhile a hold apiece from Navarro and Sabalenka – you have to give Navarro credit for not waving the white flag against this barrage from the world No2. But there is such a difference in power, and some brutal strikes get Sabalenka to 15-40, two break points. Again Navarro shows her grit to fend both of them off, before holding. She survives another service game but is having to work so, so hard.

The opening game of De Minaur v Medvedev may be a sign of things to come. It’s already been going for six minutes. De Minaur eventually prevails to hold.

Ah, those were the days.

*Navarro 2-6, 1-3 Sabalenka

No let-up from Sabalenka on Philippe Chatrier, where she breaks in game three of the second set and then sprints to 40-0 on serve. There’s a winner at the net … a backhand winner … and almost a forehand one, but it loops long. Navarro nabs the next two points for 30-40 and then hits an audacious drop shot on the the return and it’s deuce! Sabalenka restores order with the next two points – finishing with a flashing ace out wide.

Alex De Minaur and Daniil Medvedev are out on Suzanne Lenglen. This could be quite some battle. But given I predicted the same for Rybakina v Svitolina let’s see.

Sabalenka wins the first set 6-2

“Let’s go Emma, let’s go” rings around Philippe Chatrier as Navarro finally gets her name on the scoreboard. But it must feel like one step forward, 10 steps back for the American as Sabalenka then pulls three successive aces out of her pack to hold for 5-1. Navarro scrapes through for 5-2, but Sabalenka, showing the authority of a potential French Open champion, holds with ease to take the first set.

Mats Wilander tells Paolini in the on-court interview that her heart is so big he doesn’t know how it fits in her body. She laughs and says:

I try to give 100% and just fight. I believe more in myself. Winning matches this year has helped me a lot. Believing in myself was the key to the next step, playing at the higher level. I’m really happy. It was tough at the beginning [of the match], the conditions are so different to the last few days, but I think I did a great job.

Paolini beats Avanesyan 4-6, 6-0, 6-1!

Navarro 0-3 Sabalenka*

Sabalenka, feeling a little more generous, decides to let Navarro have a 40-0 lead in the third game. And then four deuces. But from there the Belarusian decides she’s had enough, and breaks when Navarro prods long. There’s the double break.

Navarro* 0-2 Sabalenka

Navarro shocked her fellow American Madison Keys in two tie-break sets in the third round, where she was able to absorb Keys’s power and counterpunch – but doing that against Sabalenka’s thunderous game is another matter altogether. Navarro, 23, does already have a win over the world No2 this season, at Indian Wells, but Sabalenka looks in no mood to be charitable today. Some ferocious hitting sees her take the first two games. “I’m scared just watching,” quips the commentator on Eurosport. Navarro has claimed only one point.

Sabalenka, the two-times Australian Open champion who’s been in imperious form so far at this tournament, needs little introduction, but what of Navarro?

The American is the richest tennis player you’ve perhaps never heard of. Actually, she’s probably the richest player in tennis, full stop. The daughter of an investment tycoon, her estimated worth of $3bn is more than Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer combined.

Next up on Philippe Chatrier: Aryna Sabalenka v Emma Navarro. I can only dream of this kind of flexibility…

Paolini wins the second set 6-0

A crazy turnaround on Suzanne Lenglen, where Paolini, having lost the first set 6-4 against Avanesyan, has surged through the second 6-0. The 28-year-old is only 5’4” but has a lot of heart – as she’s showing – and said recently she’s been inspired by her fellow Italian Jannik Sinner’s win at the Australian Open.

Rybakina speaks:

She’s a great fighter. It’s always difficult matches against her but I’m really happy with the way I played today and the way I served also. It’s nice to have good weather finally and play without the roof.

Svitolina will be disappointed that went by so quickly. Apart from her little fightback in the second set, Rybakina was in control, and looks as if she could find another gear too. She’s such a smooth and calm player, and seems unaffected by the health problems that disrupted her preparations for Roland Garros. With the weather warming up in this second week, providing quicker conditions, she could take some stopping, and will next play the winner of Avanesyan v Paolini.

Rybakina beats Svitolina 6-4, 6-3!

Svitolina* 4-6, 3-5 Rybakina

Svitolina, now playing her best tennis of the match, holds with ease. And she’s asking more questions on Rybakina’s serve at 15-all. But Rybakina rifles away a forehand for 30-15. And then rattles off the next two points to hold. She’s potentially a game away from the quarter-finals.

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Svitolina* 4-6, 2-4 Rybakina

Svitolina, knowing that it’s now or never, finds a bit more energy and zip on her shots to get herself to 0-40 on Rybakina’s serve. Three break points. And she then fizzes away probably her best forehand of the match so far for a cross-court winner! Maybe that’ll pump her up. But she still needs to break Rybakina again to have any chance of forcing a third set.

Svitolina 4-6, 1-4 Rybakina*

Crisis time for Svitolina. She’s a set and 3-1 down, and now 30-40 down on serve. She can’t afford to concede another break here. But she does when Rybakina rounds off a lengthy exchange with a volley winner. Rybakina is coming forward with authority and is battering the lines.

The winner of Avanesyan/Paolini will face the winner of Rybakina/Svitolina, by the way.

Avanesyan wins first set 6-4

Over on Suzanne Lenglen, Paolini holds, to force Avanesyan to serve out the set. That the Russian world No70 does, winning the game to 15. She hit only six winners in that set, but is proving more consistent than her diminutive Italian opponent.

Svitolina* 4-6, 0-2 Rybakina

Svitolina is such an easy player to root for. She’s done so much to raise awareness and money in support of Ukraine during the war, and is something of an honorary Frenchwoman here, given she’s married to Gaël Monfils, who lost in the second round of the men’s singles. But the atmosphere is fairly muted with the stands still rather empty – although the crowd do try to raise Svitolina’s spirits when she goes a break point down in the first game of the second set. It doesn’t work, however. Rybakina holds and then backs up the break. This match looked good on paper but Rybakina is now threatening to run away with it.

Rybakina wins first set 6-4

So Svitolina is serving to stay in the first set. Which she does with not too much fuss, holding to 15. Just as Rybakina steps up to serve for the set, so does Avanesyan on Suzanne Lenglen. Where to look? Gah! At 30-all on Philippe Chatrier, Svitolina goes for broke down the line and misses. Set point for Rybakina. And there are two set points for Avanesyan. Rybakina doesn’t mess about, taking hers, but Avanesyan is taken to deuce. And is then broken. It’s 5-3.

Svitolina* 3-5 Rybakina

A hold from Svitolina and then she’s straight at Rybakina in the next game, as she gets to 0-15 with some good hustling. Rybakina then double faults for 0-30. Rybakina’s pace trumps Svitolina’s running in the next two points, 30-all. But here’s another break point. A cross-court backhand battle ensues, deuce. And from there Rybakina holds.

Svitolina* 2-4 Rybakina

Sviotlina is showing here what she’s best at as she scampers around the court to get to the short ball – she’s supremely fit and her movement is so good. But Rybakina is the better ball striker – and recovers from her stutter to hold and then break. The third break of the match so far. And then she holds to put daylight between her and the Ukrainian.

Avanesyan* 3-0 Paolini

They’re also under way on Suzanne Lenglen, where Avanesyan, the 21-year-old Russian, has already bagged a double break against Paolini, the 28-year-old Italian 12th seed who’s enjoying the best season of her career. Avanesyan knocked out the Australian Open finalist Zheng Qinwen in the previous round, while Paolini accounted for the 2019 US Open champion Bianca Andreescu.

Svitolina 2-1 Rybakina*

Rybakina looks in control as she seeks to consolidate the break. She’s striking the ball so cleanly already. But then – out of nowhere – she throws in three consecutive unforced errors and is broken to 30. Didn’t see that coming. And a flurry of unforced errors from the Russian-born Kazakh in the third game mean Svitolina is now ahead.

The sun is even out today. Mon dieu!

No messing about from Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon champion, on Philippe Chatrier: she’s broken Svitolina in the opening game. At 15-40, Svitolina nets her first serve, lands her second, but then goes on to send a forehand long.

Today’s order of play for the main courts

Preamble