Day six at the French Open featured five completed matches from the two roofed courts, but more rain delayed three matches until Saturday.
First to progress was Matteo Arnaldi, who upset Andrey Rublev with a straight-sets win.
Jannik Sinner then kept his clean sheet at Roland Garros with another straight-set win over Pavel Kotov with his customary clean ball striking proving too much for the Russian.
Stefanos Tsitsipas also moved through in three sets with a stylish win over Zhizhen Zhang, where he moved brilliantly to execute his killer forehand.
In the night session, Carlos Alcaraz KO’d Seb Korda in three sets, while Corentin Moutet delighted the home fans with a four-set win over Sebastian Ofner.
Grigor Dimitrov, Hubert Hurkacz, and Ben Shelton must return on Saturday to complete their matches against Zizou Bergs, Denis Shapovalov, and Felix Auger-Aliassime, respectively.
Day Six French Open 2024 Round of 32 Results
| Winner | Loser | Scoreline |
|---|---|---|
| Carlos Alcaraz (3) | Sebastian Korda (27) | 6-4, 7-6(5), 603 |
| Jannik Sinner (2) | Pavel Kotov | 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 |
| Stefanos Tsitsipas (9) | Zhizhen Zhang | 6-3, 6-3, 6-1 |
| Matteo Arnaldi | Andrey Rublev (6) | 7-6(2), 6-2, 6-4 |
| Corentin Moutet | Sebastian Ofner | 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-1 |
Arnaldi Routs Rublev
Matteo Arnaldi put another scalp on his resume on Friday, upsetting sixth seed Andrey Rublev 7-6(8), 6-2, 6-4 in the third round.
The 23-year-old, part of a crop of highly promising young Italians, made Rublev’s ball look insipid and countered it with his own heavy-hitting to bag his third top-10 victory.
Arnaldi saved a set point at 5-6 in the first-set tie-break before winning three consecutive points, including a delightful angled forehand to clinch the opener.
It was plain sailing from there, with the Italian firing 47 winners. Perhaps the hardest thing he had to endure was Rublev self-destructing with multiple racket throws and nonstop screaming at himself.
It was a complete meltdown, and unlike McEnroe, he doesn’t play better when angry. He needs one of those eureka moments like Federer had after his loss to Squillari, but at 26, it needs to happen fast.
I was really nervous at the end because I was going to serve for the match for one of the biggest wins of my life. But I managed it really well… I was focused on myself and doing the right thing. Arnaldi on his win.
Sinner Stays On Song
Jannik Sinner continues his unbeaten run at Grand Slams in 2024, advancing to the fourth round with a 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 victory over Pavel Kotov,
Despite injury concerns heading into the tournament, Sinner has won all his matches in straight sets. And his performances so far have looked solid with his trademark clean ball striking.
Kotov was coming in off the back of a four-set win over Wawrinka, and while he was competitive, a single break in each set was sufficient for Sinner to secure victory.
Sinner also has a much-improved serve this season. He only faced one break point, which he saved, and he won 79 per cent of his first-serve points.
I think it was very different. Every situation on the court was much different to Madrid. I just tried to stay very focused on my game. Thanks [to the crowd] for all the support, it’s amazing to play here on this court. I really enjoy it. Sinner on his wins over Kotov in Madrid and Paris.
Alcaraz KO’s Korda
Carlos Alcaraz entered Roland Garros with some doubts about the durability of his forearm, and after labouring to a win against Jesper De Jong, it was still somewhat of a question mark.
However, he dispelled most of those doubts with a 6-4, 7-6(5), 6-3 win over Sebastian Korda under the closed roof on Friday night.
Alcaraz’s tweaked service motion looks technically sound. His forehand shows no signs of being underpowered, firing a 109 mph cross-court winner in the second set.
After a close second-set tiebreak, he maintained his level to close the match in two hours and 39 minutes, marking his eighth consecutive appearance in the second week of a Grand Slam.
With the win, Alcaraz improved to 35-0 at majors against players ranked outside the Top 20, repeating his straight-sets victory over Korda from the 2022 Roland Garros third round.
As for Korda, his game is super clean, but in the close moments, his forehand leaks some untimely errors that cost him in the breaker, where he was otherwise matching up well to Alcaraz’s game.
I feel amazing. I feel great playing on this court. Obviously I have great memories playing here. Great matches I’ve played before. I’m feeling better and better every match I play. The crowd was amazing. Every day it’s even better. It’s amazing to play in front of all of you. I’m excited to play in the 2nd week in Paris again. Hopefully I’ll keep going Alcaraz on his win.
Other Matches of Note
Tstisipas Takes Down Zhang: Ninth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas dominated Zhang Zhizhen 6-3, 6-3, 6-1. The Greek showcased excellent movement and aggressive shot-making, hitting with precision to advance, and I like his trajectory so far in this tournament.
Moutet Offloads Ofner: Corentin Moutet defeated Sebastian Ofner 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-1 on Court Suzanne-Lenglen to advance to the fourth round at Roland Garros for the first time. The lefty is the only man left flying the flag for France in the men’s singles, and he’s into the second week at a Grand Slam for the second time, having achieved the same feat in New York two years ago.
French Open 2024 Day Seven Round of 32 Matches
- Hubert Hurkacz (8) vs Denis Shapovalov (PR) 6-3, 7-6(1), 2-1
- Grigor Dimitrov (10) vs Zizou Bergs 6-3, 2-1
- Ben Shelton (15) vs Felix Auger-Aliassime (21) 4-5
- Alex de Minaur (11) vs Jan-Lennard Struff
- Tomas Machac vs Daniil Medvedev (5)
- Jozef Kovalik vs Holger Rune (13)
- Francisco Cerundolo (27) vs Tommy Paul (14)
- Alexander Zverev (4) vs Tallon Griekspoor (25)
- Tomas Martin Etcheverry (28) vs Casper Ruud (7)
- Taylor Fritz (12) vs Thanasi Kokkinakis
- Novak Djokovic (1) vs Lorenzo Musetti (30)
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