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Four hours and 43 minutes that Tiafoe v Hurkacz lasted. I can only imagine the toll that’s taken on the body for the American.
Madison Keys v Antonia Ruzic is the next match due on Court 6.
ShareDiane Parry beats Ann Li (30) 6-3 6-4
Big cheers from the Parisian crowd as Parry gets the job done against Ann Li, who was the seeded player … instead the world no 94 has looked the dominant force throughout and deservedly secures her spot in the French Open third round for the first time since 2022.
Li did dig deep in that final game, but far too many errors cost the American this afternoon.
“I really wanted to finish it, I’m relieved, it’s tough to finish out a match like that,” says Parry in her on-court interview. “I kept on going and I’m delighted to keep on playing at this tournament.”
Parry will face Amanda Anisimova in the next round. “I’ll have to play my best tennis to get the win,” she says of that match. “I’ll give it my all and I hope you [the crowd] will be behind me.”
Updated at 11.49 EDT
Frances Tiafoe (19) beats Hubert Hurkacz 6-7 7-6 6-4 6-7 6-4
An absolute epic comes to a close with the American victorious. He just had that little bit more in the tank and has overcome the stubborn Polish player, and the heat, to reach the third round.
Having been a quarter-finalist at Roland Garros last year, Tiafoe will hope this is a mere springboard to further success in the coming days.
Gauff has now begun her match against Sherif on Suzanne-Lenglen, hoping for as straightforward an afternoon as possible, in the searing Parisian heat.
Back over on Simonne Mathieu, Auger-Aliassime has broken early in the second after that first set loss and is looking strong at 3-0 up.
Tiafoe definitely looks the stronger, possibly also the fresher of the two men if such a thing is possible at this stage of a match. A nice slide ‘n’ stretch to reach a defensive forehand forces an error from Hurkacz, who must now hold serve to stay in the tournament.
Hurkacz hits a big ace out wide and follows it up with another down the T. That’s how it’s done, lads. It’s 4-4 in the final set.
Just to remind you Hurkacz won the first set 7-6, then Tiafoe won the second and third 7-6 6-4 before Hurkacz triumphed in a fourth set breaker.
I’m going to focus on Hurkacz v Tiafoe for a bit. The man from Poland is working hard to hold serve at 3-4 down in the fifth, with Tiafoe making an unsuccessful line challenge which would have brought him close to a break. Instead Hurkacz gets to Advantage … before Hurkacz hits a backhand long after failing to find a first serve.
Burruchaga has won the first set against Auger-Aliassime 6-4. Eesh, not the start the would have wanted. He’s the fourth seed at this year’s Roland Garros and Burruchaga, the Argentine, is the current world no. 56.
Back in our featured match (for now), Parry has broken Li in the second set and looks in pole position to progress.
Home favourite Parry continues to impress against Li, especially on serve, holding to love to make it 3-3 in the second set. Time is running out for the American, as he fellow countrywoman Gauff prepares to walk out onto court.
Hubert Hurkacz and Frances Tiafoe are thrashing out a thrilling deciding set as we speak… predictably on serve at 3-3 in the fifth, after three of the four completed sets so far have gone to tie breaks. To paraphrase cricket’s Fred Trueman, whoever wins it will be bloody tired.
Updated at 11.23 EDT
Anna Kalinskaya (22) beats Alina Korneeva 7-6 6-4
Kalinskaya, the 22nd seed, is safely through to the third round after a straight sets victory over fellow Russian Alina Korneeva – neither competing under the Russian flag, of course, on Court 6. The 27-year-old has been a quarter-finalist at the Australian Open but this is uncharted territory for her at Roland Garros.
Women’s fourth seed Coco Gauff will be on Court Suzanne-Lenglen soon after the early retirement in Anisimova’s match – she’s taking on the Egyptian Mayar Sherif. Fellow big-hitter Aryna Sabalenka is going through her preparations; she’s due next on Philippe-Chatrier after Li v Parry, against Elsa Jacquemot of France.
Ann Li has started the second set confidently enough against Diane Parry, despite losing the first. Two strong holds of serve from the American have it at 2-1.
How many truly ‘surprise’ grand slam winners have we had in men’s tennis in recent years? Daniil Medvedev and Dominic Thiem at the US Open, I guess, but both were Covid-era wins, to different extents. My mind goes to Juan Martín del Potro at Flushing Meadows in 2009, but there have been others since.
Thanks Daniel. That defeat for Jannik Sinner is certainly reverberating around the tennis world – indeed the wider sporting world. You simply don’t get shocks like that in modern tennis and, as Daniel said, it really opens up the men’s singles draw.
Bear in mind there have only been five different winners of the French Open since 2004. One of those men is still in the draw: Novak Djokovic. But plenty, including Félix Auger-Aliassime, will be sniffing an opportunity. It’s still on serve in the Canadian’s match against Burruchaga, the latter holding to make it 3-3 in the first set.
Righto, I’m off to slowly expire for a break; Dominic Booth will chill with you through the next hour.
ShareAmanda Anisimova (6) beats Julia Grabher 6-0 retired
Next for her: Li or Parry.
Amanda Anisimova of the United States celebrates. Photograph: Mohammed Badra/EPAShare
Updated at 11.18 EDT
Anisimova polishes off a bagel set to lead Grabher 6-0; Parry leads Li 6-3; Hurkacz takes the fourth set against Tiafoe in a third breaker of the match to force a decider; Liu lerads Sakkari 7-6 3-1; Kalinskata leads Korneeva 7-6 4-4; Chwalinska beat Mertens 6-4 6-0; and Kasatkina leads Bandecchi 7-5 1-1.
That being the case, I’ve stuck on Auger-Aliassime v Burruchaga, and not just to tell you, again, that the latter is the son of Jorge, a legendary figure in the childhood of anyone aged 45 and above. It’s 2-2 in the first.
Every men’s match now seems loaded with meaning, pressure ratcheting up on all those still in the draw; they’ll be pleased to see Sinner out alongside Alcaraz, but this is now a chance, especially for those in the top half of the draw – one they might never get again in their career.
On Lenglen, Anismova, last year’s sensation – she made the finals of Wimbledon and Flushing Meadow, establishing herself among the elite – has started quickly, leading Grabher 5-0. I’m not sure she’s ready to win on clay yet, but she can absolutely beat the best on grass and hards.
“Was Jannik Sinner’s loss to Juan Manuel Cerundolo the biggest upset in tennis history?” wonders Kurt Perleberg.
Not in mine, partly because of how it happened, though from 6-3 6-2 5-1, I’m not sure there’s been a more surprising comeback. But I’m still going for Doohan against Becker.
A few words on Serena from Joy of Six: champions.
I enjoyed this from Maddy Keys:
double quotation markSerena Williams playing tennis is only good for tennis. Let’s be real, we all want to watch Serena play tennis. I am excited. I’m going to check some entry lists occasionally, see what pops up. But she’s the GOAT, so it would be amazing if she came back. You literally get to watch history every single time she takes the court, so why not watch more?”
Grateful for this newsline on a quiet day:
“A few years back I was hired to run/sort out a hotel restaurant over a summer,” says Julian Menz. “The first thing I noticed was that the serving staff were walking into the dining room dripping with sweat. I measured the ambient temperature on the pass, and it was over 40C.
The kitchen staff had it even worse, regardless of their proximity to ovens or workstations. Even with the windows open as wide as possible, the (fluctuating) ambient kitchen temperature was well over 50C on average during a service. Staff were experiencing serious medical symptoms as a a result of the extreme heat.
I immediately took this up with the owners, and their reply was along the lines of ‘it’s not financially viable to install AC for a couple of weeks of heat’. The Union were ‘understanding’, but said they couldn’t really do anything without shutting down every kitchen in the country.
My point is this….
It’s only going to get worse, and we should have been implementing solutions yesterday. Not putting people through hellish and potentially fatal conditions today and tomorrow. As a well-known player said last summer … someone is going to die out there.”
I’m not qualified to comment, which is why I didn’t raise this during the match – on the one hand, part of the test is executing under pressure, including heat and including exhaustion but as you say, on the other, there’s a level at which things become too much. I’m in no position to judge, but I guess there are protocols because in Melbourne, they sometimes abandon play – Sinner benefitted from that against Rune last year.
If anyone has expertise in this area, please hit us up, because temperatures are only going one way, and though our players are better conditioned than ever before, there is of course a limit to what even the most bionic human body can suffer.
Mates, I am spent. Luckily, there’s hours more of reviving tennis to come, so let’s go around the courts!
On Chatrier, Li and parry are level at 2-2, and on Mathieu, Francisco Cerundolo has completed an amazing day for his family, beating Gaston 2-6 6-4 6-2 6-1 to set up a meeting with Svajda.
Elsewhere, Tiafoe leads Hurkacz 6-7 7-6 6-4 5-5; Snaider beat Kessler 7-6 6-1; Sakkari leads Liu 5-3 in a first-set tiebreak; Kalinskaya leads Korneeva 7-6 0-1 with a break; Kopriva leads Landaluce 6-1 6-2 4-6; and Osorio leads Putintseva 7-5 6-6 (6-6).
Updated at 10.37 EDT
Cerundolo says he was a bit lucky as he couldn’t win more than three games in a set and feels sorry for Sinner, who deserved to win the match. He doesn’t know what happened, maybe he cramped, maybe pressure, but he hopes he recovers.
He’s super-happy to move on and tried to play his best, clay is his best surface, and he hopes to be ready for the next match, Finally, told about his brother, he says sorry to the French people, but all his family are here and he hopes his brother wins.
Er, do you mean to tell me that not even an hour ago, Jannik Sinner lost to Juan Manuel Cerundolo? No expletive way! Let’s go to the interview – I’m anticipating another banger.
The Moise of the Moment begins by thanking the crowd, saying the victory is theirs – which of course isn’t true, he’s the one who put in goodness knows how many hours, overcoming who even knows what obstacles, but oh my days he got some support out there. “Without you, I would never have own this match,” he continues. “Never, ever, ever.”
“You don’t realise how you supported me,” he continues, “chanting my name and giving me life. It worked perfectly.”
Then, told it’s not just the crowd, it’s also him, he explains that last year, he watched Alcaraz beat Sinner in the final, match points were saved, and at 5-3 down, he never stopped believing; “no one should stop believing, ever,” a lesson from him to all of us.
Finally, asked how he’ll prepare for the next round, he pauses for what seems like ages, then says “Thanks, see you, ha ha!”, his charisma enveloping Lenglen and anyone else lucky enough to be watching in a delightful buzz of freshness. I love him.
Kouame can barely stand up straight, calling for water before trying to talk. Take your time, young boss, you’ve earned it, and the crowd fill the gap with song and he huffs down; I can’t lie, I think my eyeballs are sweating. What a battle! what a moment! what a feeling!
I don’t even know what to tell you anymore; this is up there with the most absurd, inspirational days of sport I’ve ever seen, but enough from me: here’s Moise!
What a day, mates, what a day. Moise Kouame is an absolute superstar, a ludicrous confection of talent and intelligence, power and composure, humility and charisma. In the fourth set, he looked beaten, but by the fifth he was all over it, his bravery in crucial moments beautiful to behold.
ShareMoïse Kouamé beats Adolfo Daniel Vallejo 6-3 7-5 3-6 2-6 7-6(8)
Kouamé! Kouamé! Kouamé! The crowd lose it entirely as Kouame flops to his back, the youngest player to reach round three of a major since Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon in 2003. But this isn’t even about records, it’s about the explosive flowering of youth and identity, an expression of love, joy and grit. In four hours and 56 minutes, Moise Kouame has made himself a hero.
Moise Kouame celebrates on match point. Photograph: Yoan Valat/EPAShare
Updated at 10.27 EDT
Vallejo smites a forehand to the corner, somehow Kouame forces it back over the net, on the stretch, the ball dips … and the riposte hits the net! At 9-8 in the match breaker, the 17-year-old from Sarcelles has match point!
Kouame hits a banging length with his groundstrokes, on top in the rally, but he then goes cross on the backhand, overhits, and at 8-8 his mini-break advantage has gone.
I’m starting to feel loss that this wondrous match is about to end, the human spirit exposed and naked on the clay for us to marvel at. Vallejo reads a drop and seizes 7-6, but sent out wide to return, he nets and that’s Kouame’s first point in seven. Incredibly, an ace follows, Kouame’s fastest delivery of the match, and at 8-7 he’s two points from paradise.
Whatever happens from here, both men have burnished their reputations, and two points for Vallejo make it 6-3, then he wins another at the net for 6-4; the tension is immense, and I’ve just caught myself struggling to swallow. I’ve not a clue how these lads do what they’re doing, and a cunning flip down the line, to the corner, closes the gap to won – this is incredible stuff from Vallejo, who has the resting pulse-rate of a pencil, and when Kouame nets, from 6-1 we’re level at 6-6.
Vallejo nabs the final point before change of ends, but when Kouame ushers a forehand to the corner, his riposte hits the net; 6-1, and four points from victory.
They’re singing in the stands now, Kouame vaporising a backhand winner down the line for 4-0; Vallejo must be feeling exceedingly poorly … all the more so when another backhand winner screams past him, this tie on return! Kouame leads 5-0, and the way he’s played the biggest points – not just today, but in round one – is mind-boggling. He’s 17!
We will, of course, continue talking about the match – for many decades, noch – but on Lenglen, in the match tiebreak, Kouame has established an immediate mini-break in his equally astounding ruck with Vallejo – having been down a break in the fifth. He leads 3-0.
Oh my complete and utter days, mates. What on earth just happened? I guess sport happened – Sinner didn’t hurt himself like Griggzy Dimitrov did when leading him by two sets to love at Wimbledon, his body just couldn’t cope with the demands put upon it by the heat and pressure – and Cerúndolo could.
Updated at 10.24 EDT
Juan Manuel Cerúndolo beats Jannik Sinner (1) 3-6 2-6 7-5 6-1 6-1
I can’t remember the last time I was this staggered by something I saw on a sports field, and given how much staggering stuff we see, that is quite something to say. For the first time in 30 matches, the world no 1 is beaten, the heaviest favourite in a decade has gone, and well done Juan Manuel Cerúndolo, who processed the confusion in mature, composed manner, seeing out the biggest win of his life with composure that it’s almost impossible to believe.
Juan Manuel Cerúndolo celebrates his victory. Photograph: Stéphanie Lecocq/ReutersAn exhausted looking Jannik Sinner leaves the court. Photograph: Stéphane Mahé/ReutersShare
Updated at 10.23 EDT
Serving to stay in the match, Sinner stretches to try and volley a pass, hitting the net; 0-15, soon parlayed into 0-30. The world no 1, limping about at the back, knows the jig is up, and when Cerúndolo stays calm to return a barrage of forehands, eventually nets to raise three match points! That is not a misprint! What on earth are we seeing?!
Updated at 10.23 EDT
Kouame plays another outrageous shot under a pressure, a drop that has him waving fingers in appreciation of how hot it was, to regain deuce at 5-5. Oh, but back on Chatrier, Sinner backs away from a serve, opening the angle for a cross-court winner and at 15-40, he has two points to retrieve a break. Again, though, Cerundolo stays composed, closing to deuce with the help of a gloriously sadistic drop, and from there, he closes out! Cerundolo leads 5-1 in the fifth, he’s a game away, and on Lenglen we’re still playing the same game, locked at 5-5 deuce.
Chalé! Terrifying hitting from Kouame earns him break point … saved with a big serve … while Sinner begins his comeback, holding to win his second game since his body forsook him. Cerundolo leads 4-1 in the fifth…
Cerundolo consolidates once more and leads 4-0 in the fifth; reminder, earlier, he trailed 3-6 2-6 1-5.
I wonder what Alexander Zverev is thinking. If Sinner goes, with Alcaraz not involved, he becomes the favourite … but imagine if he still can’t land that elusive major … and imagine what Novak Djokovic is plotting! It’s amazing, it really is – just when we think we’ve seen it all, we’re reminded we know nothing.
Unbelievable! Kouame, who turned 17 in March, must’ve aged about a decade in this match, but he’s still in it, holding for 5-5 in the fifth while, on Chatrier, Cerudolo has a point for double break … AND SINNER SWATS A FOREHAND INTO THE NET! JUAN MARTIN CERUNDOLO LEADS 3-0 IN THE FIFTH SET, AND THE OVERWHELMING FAVOURITE IS SURELY GOING OUT! THIS IS THE BIGGEST SHOCK OF THE SPORTING YEAR – AND THEN SOME!
At 15-40, Cerundolo returns into the net then, after hitting a decent return, he tries a drop that Sinner retrieves. So, perhaps remembering his recent success with the lob, tries one, but doesn’t give it enough and a slam-dunk overhead takes us to deuce. Meantime, Kouame blazes a backhand down the line for advantage … only to go long on the forehand. At 4-5 in the fifth, he’s two points from defeat once more.
This next game is gigantic. If Sinner goes down a double break, he’s surely done for, and when a tame forehand falls long, at 15-30 it’s only two points away. and so too is Vallejo, Kouame down 4-5 in the fifth and serving at deuce.
Updated at 09.26 EDT
Sinner’s moving a bit better now, but Cerundolo breaks him through deuce to lead 1-0 in the fifth, and this is really brilliant from him, not so much in how he’s playing but the way he’s keeping composed against a man who’s not been beaten for 30matches. This is the opportunity of a lifetime, he knows it, and rather than snatch at it, he’s methodically moving towards it.
Updated at 09.22 EDT
In half a day, not even, it feels like we’ve had enough drama for about a decade. Kouame makes 15-30, then stretches out wide to attack a second serve … and somehow, conjures a wondrous winner, cross-court. Two break-back points, a febrile crowd … and another brilliant return! I cant believe what i’m seeing here, the crowd chanting Kouame’s name and we’re back on serve in the fifth! This is amazing.
Moise Kouame fires off a forehand. Photograph: Guglielmo Mangiapane/ReutersThe home crowd cheer on Kouame. Photograph: Guglielmo Mangiapane/ReutersShare
Updated at 10.24 EDT
On Lenglen, Kouame holds for 3-5, forcing Vallejo to serve for a wonderful match. The crowd are absolutely loving it.
ShareLearner Tien (18) beats Facundo Díaz Acosta 7-5 4-6 3-6 7-6(4) 6-3
Next for him: Cobolli. That should be a belter.
Learner Tien shows appreciation to the crowd as he celebrates victory over Facundo Diaz Acosta. Photograph: Dan Istitene/Getty ImagesShare
Updated at 09.31 EDT
Back on Lenglen, Vallejo breaks Kouame for 4-2 in the fifth – this epic feels like it’s already lasted several days – and Cerundolo is now serving for set four at 5-1. Sinner can hit it, but he can’t run for it, so not unlike me in part, and a love hold means he’s a set away from enduring the biggest shock of the year. He needed his body to give him just one more game, but it said not, and if he doesn’t recover at least a little bit more, he’s done for.
Sinner’s walking about really, but he still makes 15-40 on the Cerundolo serve … except that takes it out of him, he’s got nothing left for the rest of the game, loses it, and when he sits down at 1-4, someone gives him a can of brown fizz and of course when he opens it, it shpritzes everywhere. It’s hard to watch really, a consummate athlete reduced to loping about, and a timely reminder to the rest of us of what it takes to do what these guys do.
On Mathieu, Cerundolo Major has levelled with Gaston at a set apiece, as Tiafoe has against Hurkacz. Shnaider now leads Kessler 7-6 3-1, while Taien and Diaz Acosta are level at 3-3 in the fifth – which, with Heliovaara & Patten now through to round two, I’m watching.