May 31 (Reuters) – The race to the French Open quarter-finals continues on Monday, with world number one Aryna Sabalenka facing a resurgent Naomi Osaka in a fourth-round clash.
Men’s fourth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime and Frances Tiafoe will also be in action in a chaotic tournament where several top contenders have bowed out already, meaning Roland Garros will crown two new singles champions in the same year for the first time in a decade.
TOP WOMEN’S MATCH: ARYNA SABALENKA V NAOMI OSAKA
After frequent criticism, the French Open organisers have deviated from their norm of reserving the night session for men’s matches. Sabalenka and Osaka are the first women to play at Roland Garros at night since 2023.
Osaka and Sabalenka are both appearing in the French Open’s main draw for the ninth time. Both of them have won the Australian Open and the U.S. Open twice each, but have not been able to capture the crown in Paris.
With defending champion Coco Gauff and four-time winner Iga Swiatek already knocked out, last year’s finalist Sabalenka has a golden opportunity to finish the job this year. However, hardcourt specialist Osaka’s rise on clay may derail the Belarusian’s plans.
Osaka, who last won a Grand Slam in 2021, has never reached a WTA-level final on clay or grass. However, the 28-year-old has looked better than ever this year on a surface where she has struggled for years, reaching the French Open’s fourth round for the first time.
And when Osaka and Sabalenka met on clay for the first time in Madrid last month, Osaka won a set in a tiebreak before Sabalenka fought back and won the match.
“I feel like I played a pretty good match in Madrid … so hopefully, just keep the consistency and keep trying to be aggressive,” said Osaka about facing Sabalenka.
TOP MEN’S MATCH: FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME V ALEJANDRO TABILO
World number six Auger-Aliassime has never gone beyond the fourth round in the French Open, and his shaky form in Roland Garros has continued this year with the Canadian dropping the first set in each round so far.
However, the 25-year-old has proved his ability to deliver under pressure with comeback wins, particularly in his third-round clash with Brandon Nakashima where he held his nerve to win two tiebreaks, after the match was briefly paused due to the crowd celebrating Paris St Germain winning the Champions League.
The Paris crowd, however, did not have much to celebrate when Chile’s Tabilo beat local favourite Moise Kouame to reach the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time.
Ranked 36th in the world, Tabilo turned heads when he reached the Italian Open’s semi-finals in 2024, beating Novak Djokovic earlier in the tournament. But the 28-year-old has not been able to perform consistently.
“I think the doubts come out more in the key moments. It’s been harder to start matches, I come in doubting myself,” Tabilo told the Clay website last year.
But playing in Paris, he said, has often brought out the best in him.
“In Paris, I finished without pain and with good sensations … this tournament made me feel very comfortable physically and with my tennis,” Tabilo added.
TIAFOE, ARNALDI GEAR UP FOR FIERCE CLASH
Four-hour battles tested both Tiafoe and Arnaldi in their third-round matches.
Tiafoe got into a verbal tiff with opponent Jaime Faria as the American 19th seed fought back from two sets down to clinch victory in a nervous clash.
“Why don’t you quit trying to act like you’re tough? You’re not hard bro, just play,” Tiafoe told Faria before the chair umpire intervened.
Tiafoe had pulled off a similar comeback when he faced Arnaldi at Wimbledon in 2024, as the two players tested each other in a closely fought clash.
But world number 104 Arnaldi has also thrived in the deep waters, as his third-round match with Raphael Collignon lasted nearly five hours before the Italian prevailed in a tiebreak.
“It was a battle, a fierce fight… when you get to the fifth-set tiebreak, it’s hard to talk about tennis; at that point, it’s about emotions and who can manage them better,” Arnaldi said.
“I hope to recover and be 100% against Frances Tiafoe.”
FRENCH OPEN ORDER OF PLAY ON MONDAY (prefix number denotes seeding):
COURT PHILIPPE CHATRIER
10-Flavio Cobolli (Italy) v Zachary Svajda (U.S.)
Maja Chwalinska (Poland) v Diane Parry (France)
4-Felix Auger-Aliassime (Canada) v Alejandro Tabilo (Chile)
1-Aryna Sabalenka (Belarus) v 16-Naomi Osaka (Japan)
COURT SUZANNE-LENGLEN
28-Anastasia Potapova (Austria) v 22-Anna Kalinskaya (Russia)
19-Madison Keys (U.S.) v 25-Diana Shnaider (Russia)
Juan Manuel Cerundolo (Argentina) v Matteo Berrettini (Italy)
19-Frances Tiafoe (U.S.) v Matteo Arnaldi (Italy)
(Reporting by Chiranjit Ojha in Bengaluru)
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