Reigning champions Alcaraz, Swiatek eyeing French Open second week
Carlos Alcaraz is aiming to become the first back-to-back men's champion since Rafael Nadal won four in a row from 2017-2020 (Franck FIFE)
Carlos Alcaraz bids to book his place in the French Open last 16 on Friday, with defending women's champion Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka also in third-round action at Roland Garros.
Second seed Alcaraz eased through his opening two matches in Paris, despite dropping a set against Hungary's Fabian Marozsan.
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Next up is a third-round meeting in the night session with 69th-ranked Bosnian Damir Dzumhur, who has made the last 32 for the first time since 2018 but struggled with a knee injury during his win over Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard.
Four-time Grand Slam champion Alcaraz is the title favourite at Roland Garros after securing the Monte Carlo Masters and Italian Open trophies in the build-up to the clay-court major.
He has reached the second week in 10 of his last 11 Slam appearances.
"If I lose the focus in Grand Slams, in matches (that are) the best-of-five, it's much better to refocus your attention," he said.
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"You have more time, you have more sets just to be back if you lose your focus a bit."
The 22-year-old Spaniard would secure a match against either American 13th seed Ben Shelton or Italian surprise package Matteo Gigante with a victory.
World number 167 Gigante, playing in the main draw of a major for the second time, downed former finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas in the second round.
Eighth seed Lorenzo Musetti arrived in Paris as one of the form players in the world after following a runner-up finish in Monte Carlo with semi-final runs in Madrid and Rome.
The Italian has not dropped a set yet and has Argentina's world number 97 Mariano Navone next in his sights.
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"After the final in Monte Carlo there was I think a boost of confidence, of something inside that I needed to have," said Musetti.
Danish 10th seed Holger Rune, who has never failed to reach the last 16, plays Frenchman Quentin Halys in his third-round match.
- Swiatek 'feeling good' -
Four-time winner Swiatek has dispelled some of the doubts surrounding her form with two comprehensive wins and takes on unseeded Romanian Jaqueline Cristian on Court Suzanne Lenglen.
The Polish star brushed aside former US Open champion Emma Raducanu for the loss of just three games in round two, as she looks to reach a first final since lifting the French Open trophy last year.
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"I have been feeling good, and that's it," said Swiatek, hoping to become the first woman to win four successive Roland Garros titles since Suzanne Lenglen 102 years ago.
"We'll see what's going to happen in the future. But for sure these two matches were pretty solid, so I'm happy with the performance."
Swiatek could set up a tie against either former Wimbledon winner Elena Rybakina or 2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko.
World number one Sabalenka continues her tilt at a maiden Roland Garros title against Serbian left-hander Olga Danilovic in the opening match on Court Philippe Chatrier.
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The Belarusian has not played Danilovic since a win in Madrid Open qualifying seven years ago.
"She's playing great tennis. So am I," said Sabalenka. "It's going to be a fight. I love challenges, and I'm excited to face her."
Chinese eighth seed Zheng Qinwen plays Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko in an intriguing clash on Court Simonne Mathieu.
The Olympic champion is hoping to extend her eight-match winning streak at Roland Garros after taking gold at the Paris Games last summer, but 18-year-old Mboko has already won five times on her run after coming through qualifying.
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"I'm expecting a big fight. I'm going to bring out a big fight against her," said Mboko.
"I think it's going to be a very hard battle for me."
Fourth seed Jasmine Paolini, the 2024 losing finalist, continues her campaign against Ukraine's Yuliia Starodubtseva, while Elina Svitolina targets a third straight last-16 appearance against American Bernarda Pera.
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Eccleshare: Sabalenka delivered a withering news conference after losing to Gauff, criticizing her own play, saying that Gauff had hit balls 'off the frame,' and going as far to say that Świątek would have won the final had she beaten Sabalenka in the semifinals. The American slapped down this notion in her own news conference with an extremely dignified dismissal. Advertisement 'I mean, I don't agree with that. I'm here sitting here,' she said. Futterman: I asked Jasmine Paolini during a one-one-one interview what she thinks her superpower is. 'My smile,' she said. And then she showed me from about 18 inches away. Hansen: Świątek's, 'Am I a good liar?' Best shot? Eccleshare: This one has to come from the men's final. So many to choose from, but the one that stands out to me is the crosscourt backhand passing shot Alcaraz hit at 5-6 in the fifth set, from so deep that he was almost with us in the press box. 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Their first major final delivered beyond its dreams Coco Gauff's journey into a tennis unknown How Loïs Boisson became the star of the French Open When a tennis court comes alive: The living clay of Roland Garros 🏆 The winners of the week 🎾 ATP: 🏆 Carlos Alcaraz (2) def. Jannik Sinner (1) 4-6, 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(3), 7-6(10-2) to win the French Open in Paris. It is the Spaniard's fifth Grand Slam title. 🎾 WTA: 🏆 Coco Gauff (2) def. Aryna Sabalenka (1) 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-4 to win the French Open in Paris. It is the American's second Grand Slam title. 📈📉 On the rise / Down the line 📈 Loïs Boisson moves up 296 places from No. 361 to No. 65 after her incredible run to the French Open semifinals. Boisson, who started the tournament as the French No. 24, is now the No. 1 women's player in the country. 📈 Alexander Bublik ascends 19 spots from No. 62 to No. 43 after reaching the French Open quarterfinals. 📈 Victoria Mboko enters the top 100 for the first time, after rising 21 spots from No. 120 to No. 91. Advertisement 📉 Casper Ruud drops eight places from No. 8 to No. 16 after failing to defend his semifinal points from last year's French Open. 📉 Iga Świątek falls two places from No. 5 to No. 7 after Aryna Sabalenka ended her French Open title defense. 📉 Stefanos Tsitsipas moves down six spots from No. 20 to No. 26. 📅 Coming up 🎾 ATP 📍Stuttgart, Germany: Stuttgart Open (250) featuring Alexander Zverev, Ben Shelton, Taylor Fritz, Gaël Monfils. 📍's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands: Rosmalen Grass Court Championships (250) featuring Daniil Medvedev, Gabriel Diallo, Ugo Humbert, Alexei Popyrin. 📺 UK: Sky Sports; U.S.: Tennis Channel 💻 Tennis TV Advertisement 🎾 WTA 📍London: Queen's (500) featuring Zheng Qinwen, Emma Raducanu, Elena Rybakina, Madison Keys. 📍's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands: Rosmalen Grass Court Championships (250) featuring Liudmila Samsonova, Bianca Andreescu, Maria Sakkari, Danielle Collins. 📺 UK: Sky Sports; U.S.: Tennis Channel Tell us what you noticed this week in the comments below as the men's and women's tours continue. This article originally appeared in The Athletic. Sports Business, Tennis, Women's Tennis 2025 The Athletic Media Company
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