French Open 2024: Sabalenka and Medvedev through; Djokovic and Zverev in action – live | French Open 2024

The forecast still tells us that from 14:00 local time Paris will be in the drink. So let’s enjoy the feeling of needing seven or eight sets of eyes while we still can.

Oor Hubie – ok Hubez – just took the third set to lead Nakashima 6-7 6-1 6-3 and is looking pretty decent now as Rus leads Rybakina 3-2 in the second set, on serve, with Rybakina taking the first.

Looking around the courts, Dimitrov now has two sets and a break against Maroshan; Potapova beats Golubic 6-2 6-2 and follows Wang or Tomova, Wang wins a set and 5-3; Vekiv leads Kostyuk 7-5 2-3; Korda leads Kwon 6-4 6-4 1-6 3-2; and Shapovalov, though down a set, leads Tiafoe 3-1 in the second.

Next in Chatrier: Elina Svitolina (15) vs Diane Parry.

Sabalenka is really happy with her game – Mats notes she’s already on her touch shots – and she says her team probably doesn’t like it when she drops, so she’s glad he does. Given the record, she’ll probably be watching Netflix in her hotel room and also wants to go for a good steak – I’m not surprised she likes to devour red meat – and has a lot more confidence than last year. It will take something significant to defeat her.

While this was happening, Rybakina opened her shoulders and smashed Russ; now she serves for the first set and at 40-15 an errant forehand lands wide, giving the world number 6 a 6-3 lead. It’s a decent race, but every time Rybakina needs to find something, she does.

Aryna Sabalenka (2) beat Moyuka Uchijima 6-2 6-2

A string of wicked forehands gained advantage and Sabalenka has match point…

Russ collects another break point… and another serving pin confiscates him, additional exocats providing hold. Still, it’s a good contest, Rybakina leads 4-3. Elsewhere, Tiafoe won the first set in a breakthrough against Shapovalov; Hurkacz broke Nakashima for 3-2 in the third; Dimitrov now leads Maroshan 6-0 6-1; and Sabalenka does her best to finish off Uchijima here and now, making it two at 6-2 5-2.

Down 2-3 but up 15-0 and with Rybakina heading to the net, Russ hit a great forehand down the line and eventually secured the hold. Meanwhile, Sabalenka has to save four break points, one with a ninja forehand in the corner, and two more terrifying forehands secure a 6-2 5-2 lead.

I like the Arantxa Rus t-shirt (she’ll be relieved to learn when she checks the blog when the ending changes).

A glorious lob – we don’t see her pay off many of these – gives Sabalenka three break points, and another backhand cross return is too much for Uchijima again. The world number two leads 6-2 3-1 and the comms are wondering if she can win here. My feeling is that she can – her strength gives her a chance on every serve, especially as her touch has improved and she now knows she can handle the pressure of the finals. And of course we saw the problems Iga Svetek had last night with the weight of Naomi Osaka’s shot.

Arantxa Rus is from a place called Monster; I enjoy this. And as I write, she’s 0-30 on Rybakina’s serve, and even though it’s 30-all soon, a long forehand means a break point… and of course, a devastating serve down the T. From there, Rybakina closes and has that kind of power and height is just such an advantage.

Uchijima again starts the set well enough as we learn that she hasn’t lost a straight major match since the 2020 US Open. This could tell us that she is phenomenally consistent and very hard to beat – she is – or that she is struggling to cross the line – she has. She leads 6-2 1-1 and her serve looks impregnable.

It really stopped raining! The covers really come off! Badabing!

Yes, we could really guess. Uchijima did well enough at the start, but after a break point she again couldn’t find a first serve, the boom of a backhand return too unpleasant for her to hold the return in court. Sabalenka leads 6-2.

The weather, by the way, is absolutely bad… or at least it was! I didn’t expect that, but there are men washing water out of the covers and no broles, so maybe it’s stopped.

To Chatrier, Rus and Rybakina fuck each other.

Sabalenka directs Uchijima’s forehand now, raising a break point on advantage before smashing a second serve cross-court return on the backhand. It took her longer than expected, but she leads 5-2, and we can probably guess how this will go from here.

Uchijima does well against Sabalenka, though she struggles to handle the power; they are tied at 2-2. So one question: does the world number two hit the ball harder than any woman in history? I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like it.

Diana Jastremska (30) beat Ifan Van 6-2 6-0

I guess we should round up the suspended matches:

men

Hurkach (8) 6-7 6-1 1-1 Nakashima

Marosan 0-6 3-5 Dimitrov (10)

Muller 4-6 1-6 2-0 Arnaldi

Offner 3-2 1-2 Baez (20)

Bergs 3-6 2-2 Marterer

Squire 4-6 1-2 Auger Ailassime (21)

Cord (27) 6-4 6-4 1-3 quon

Women

Siniakova (32) 6-3 2-1 Package

Van 7-5 1-0 Tomova

Badossa 4-6 2-0 Putintseva

Vekic 7-5 Kostyuk (18)

Next in Lenglen: Aranta Rus vs. Elena Rybakina (4).

Tiafoe and Shapovalov break in the first set, level at 3-3 … and the rain is coming; they leave. Absolutely sake.

Daniil Medvedev (5) beat Miomir Kecsmanovic 6-1 5-0 retired

Auger-Aliassime is a good set, leading Squire 6-4 1-0; Yastremska leads Wang 6-2 5-0; Corda leads Kwon 6-4 6-4 1-2; Putintseva leads Badosa 6-4 0-1; and Arnaldi leads Muller 6-4 6-1 2-0.

Shapovalov and Tiafoe are locked at 5-5 in the first period, of Chatrier, Sabalenka and Uchijima are getting fucked.

Hubi evens his match with Nakashima at a set, serving for 6-7 6-1 as Kecsmanovic calls the coach; uh yeah mate i’m the one to fix this.

Shapovalov saves four break points to hold for 4-3 against Tiafoe, while Kecsmanovic eventually completed a 27-shot rally to reclaim the lead at deuce at 1-6 0-2 – though not without Medvedev returning a variety of balls first. And it’s no big surprise when a series of booming groundstrokes provide the double breakthrough; this is not a kind of competition.

Good news regarding the weather: when first thing this morning the thunder and lightning was supposed to start at 11am, it has now been pushed back to 2pm.

I’m sure it will be cut out soon, so hopefully I’ll be able to glue it up, but Hurkacz just played a tweener lob. To be fair, Nakashiya still had to get an overhead, but maybe the element of surprise confused him.

Hurkacz gives Nakashima a break in the second set, 5-0 in no time as Medvedev quickly picks up three break points; Kecsmanovic doesn’t move as well as him and can’t find angles to trouble him. However, he is close at 40-30, only for Medvedev to eventually find his length in the next rally, opening up space for forehands down the line. He leads 6-1 1-0 with a break.

Medvedev serves easily for a 6-1 set. Kecsmanovic has a lot to think about.

Griggzy Dimitrov defeated Fábián Marozsán in the first set of their match; Shapovalov and Tiafoe are 2-2; Siniakova led Paquette 3-2 with a break; Arnaldi, who is a prospect, leads Muller 6-4 3-1; Potapova leads Golubic 6-2; Badosa leads Putintseva 5-2; Fernandez leads Wang 5-3; Auger-Aliasime leads Squire 3-2; Vekic leads Kostyuk 5-1; and Korda leads Kwon 6-4 3-4.

Medvedev, once consolidated, absolutely clapping forehand on the line from leaving the court – which seemed to pick up speed as it traveled, not unlike the free kick below. We finished at deuce and after Medvedev took advantage he made a delicious drop for 5-1 and the double break!

I’ll never get tired of calling Hubie “Hubie”, and he breaks Nakashima at the first ask in the second set, only to find himself 0-40 down in no time; as has happened many times, his pitching gets him out of trouble. He deuces then races through a forehand to fall behind 6-7 3-0.

2-1, Medvedev gets 0-30 on Kecsmanovic’s serve, and though it’s soon 30-all, a big inside-out forehand into the corner raises break point. And a decent return of a big first serve lures the Serb into a shot that isn’t really there, a backhand down the line, and quite wide. Medvedev leads 3-1.

And Nakashima quickly secured the first set, so as in round one, the number eight seed must come from behind if he is to win.

Hubie Hurkacz is worried. After managing to break against Nakashima, he is now down 5-1.

Just for the record, I know I’m going three games in the men’s competition – it’s not intentional or intentional, it’s just the best we’ve got first.

We are on Lenglen and Calve Beton, our permanent coachmessages with your expectations: “There won’t be many volleys, variations or winners and the rallies will be long.” It could prove difficult for Medvedev because Kecsmanovic won’t make many mistakes and that’s really Medvedev’s only way to win points if his serve doesn’t. But Cekmanovic is really hard to read. He can often be disinterested, but when he is, he’s tough as nails.

Hmmm, our commentator was just hoping we got through all our matches today; not what the weather forecast said but maybe things have changed since early this morning. I hope.

Okay, it’s not raining; this is a start. So I guess I’ll start by looking at Kecsmanovic vs Medvedev, Shapovalov vs Tiafoe and Hurkac vs Nklashima.

Preamble