Key events
Sabalenka did a short interview. “I’m super happy with the win, Olga is a fighter and I knew it was going to be a fight. I really enjoyed playing against her, she played like a top 10 player and I’m sure soon she will be in the top 10. I enjoyed our battle and supper happy to be through this difficult match.”
“I played with the same tension but my team had half kilo up and half kilo down for which reason but I felt pretty good with the same tension and the ball flew much better. When it is colder, I have to lower my tension so the ball flies a little bit better so maybe I will have to adjust my racquet to another condition.”
It was hot out there and it meant the ball was flying truer and harder. Woe betide anyone facing her.
Amanda Anisimova is up next for Sabalenka, who is is headed for Qinwen Zheng in a the last 8.
Sabalenka beats Danilovic 6-2 6-3
That turned out harder than it looked in the first set but the world No 1’s power-hitting prevailed.
Musetti has full control of his match with Navone, leading 4-1 in third, 2-1 up in sets.
At last, Sabalenka takes a break point from Danilovic and can now serve out for the match.
Ed Graham gets in touch: “Regarding the issue of scheduling men’s matches during the prime-time slots in the evening: could it have anything to do with the fact that the men play best of five sets and hence their matches are likely to be significantly longer? Assuming that the evening tickets are more expensive, might value for money (in terms of playing time rather than quality) be a factor?”
I’m sure that’s in the thinking but there’s good reason to complain.
Ansimova, the 16th seed, beats Tauson, the 22nd seed, 7-6 6-4>
Danilovic is a fighter; this second set is going with serve and she’s playing some lovelly stuff, including a backhand winner to confound Sabalenka.
Musetti has levelled the set with Navone. This will take a long time. Sabalenka meanwhile isn’t finding life easy from her opponent, Danilovic is playing some really nice stuff.
Xheng goes through, having beaten Mboko 6-3 6-4. Amanda Anisimova, the American is involved in a ding dong with Denmark’s Clara Tauson. The first set went to Anismova 7-6, and it’s 3-3 in the second set.
Sabalenka claims the first set, having swiftly pulled her game back together after losing those two games.
Danilovic, to her huge credit, stops the whitewash, and suddenly she’s won two games, including a break. They were rattling along at record pace there.
Sabalenka in awesome form, 4-0 up, and Danilovic is in imminent danger of being bagelled.
Zheng hasn’t found it as easy in the second set, she serving to go 5-3 up but the Canadian is dragging her heels. Navone eventually took that first set off Musetti and he celebrated by grabbing a break in the opening game of the second set.
Sabalenka is soon into her stride, and leading 3-0 over Danilovic.
Where Quinwen claimed the set, Navone and Musetti are slugging it out at 3-3, now 4-3 to the Argentine.
The Chinese 8th seed, Zheng Qinwen, is in full command of the first set over Canada’s Victoria Mboko, 5-3 up and serving for the set.
In early news, Navone has a break of serve on Musetti and leads 3-2 in the first set. It looks very warm in Paris, sun drenching the court.
Preamble
Back to Paris, and after a day of plucky Brits, it’s some big favourites who will take to the courts. Carlos Alcaraz plays this evening so the focus goes on the big-hitting women, Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek. Sabalenka gets us underway by playing Olga Danilović, while Swiatek will follow her by playing Jacqueline Cristian. That game follows Lorenzo Musetti on Suzanne-Lenglen, the Italian playing Mariano Navone of Argentina.
Plenty more to follow, including Frances Tiafoe against Seb Korda while Jasmine Paolini plays later this evening.
All the news and scores as they come in. Join us.
