Four-time champion Iga Swiatek and Novak Djokovic reach French Open third round as Elena Rybakina and Jasmine Paolini suffer surprise exits.
Iga Swiatek and Novak Djokovic advanced comfortably to the third round of the French Open on Wednesday, while women’s second seed Elena Rybakina and 13th seed Jasmine Paolini suffered shock defeats in Paris.
Four-time champion Swiatek defeated Czech teenager Sara Bejlek 6-2, 6-3 to continue her dominant run at Roland Garros. The victory also marked another milestone for the world No. 1, who has now reached the third round at all 24 Grand Slam tournaments played this decade.
“It was a tricky match in terms of the rhythm, because Sara plays differently than most of the players,” Swiatek said after the match. “But I’m happy with the way I adjusted and how I was making decisions.”
Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva and Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic also progressed safely into the third round.
The biggest upset of the day came when Rybakina, this year’s Australian Open champion, was knocked out by Ukraine’s Yuliia Starodubtseva in a dramatic three-set contest. Starodubtseva recovered from losing the opening set to secure a 3-6, 6-1, 7-6(4) victory and claim her first win over a top-10 player.
“I feel like if you are trying to beat one of the best, you have to believe that you can beat the best,” Starodubtseva said. “I tried to go into this match with that mindset.”
Paolini also exited the tournament after losing in three sets to Argentina’s Solana Sierra.
China’s Wang Xiyu advanced after American Hailey Baptiste retired injured during the opening set. However, Wang Xinyu was eliminated by Germany’s Tamara Korpatsch in three sets, leaving Wang Xiyu as the only Chinese player remaining in the women’s singles draw.
In the men’s competition, Djokovic continued his pursuit of a record-extending 25th Grand Slam singles title with a four-set victory over France’s Valentin Royer. The Serbian star won 6-3, 6-2, 6-7(7), 6-3 in difficult conditions.
“Clearly, the feelings on the court are different when you win a match, so it was a very important victory in conditions that weren’t easy for both players,” Djokovic said.
Second seed Alexander Zverev also moved into the third round with a straight-sets victory over Czech player Tomas Machac, while two-time finalist Casper Ruud advanced after defeating Hamad Medjedovic.
Djokovic admitted the contest became more complicated after losing the third set despite holding a strong advantage earlier in the match.
“It was a very difficult match, a very big challenge from the start,” he said. “Credit to him for winning the third set, but I feel it was my fault because I was twice a break up.”
