Jannik Sinner overcame a slow start to secure a spot in the French Open quarter-finals, while defending champion Iga Swiatek breezed through her match on Sunday. The tournament’s scheduling came under scrutiny following Novak Djokovic’s overnight marathon match.
Second seed Sinner kept his hopes alive for claiming Djokovic’s top ranking with a determined 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-1 victory over local favorite Corentin Moutet on Court Philippe Chatrier, delighting the partisan crowd.
With Roland Garros still buzzing from Djokovic’s epic duel that concluded at a record-late 3 a.m. local time, Swiatek delivered a flawless performance, defeating Anastasia Potapova 6-0, 6-0 in just 40 minutes.
American Coco Gauff was also impressive, swiftly dispatching Elisabetta Cocciaretto 6-1, 6-2 in an hour. Meanwhile, Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova dominated Serbian Olga Danilovic 6-4, 6-2.
Ons Jabeur continued her quest for a maiden Grand Slam title, overcoming Danish player Clara Tauson 6-4, 6-4 and celebrating with her fans in song as matches wrapped up quickly.
On the men’s side, third seed Carlos Alcaraz cruised past Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-3, 6-3, 6-1, setting up a rematch of his 2023 quarter-final with Stefanos Tsitsipas, who defeated Matteo Arnaldi 3-6, 7-6(4), 6-2, 6-2.
“I love these kinds of matches,” Alcaraz said. “Hopefully the crowd enjoys it as much as I’m going to. Let’s see how it’s going to be.”
Alcaraz’s win meant the entire day session for singles on Court Philippe Chatrier was completed in exactly four hours, 29 minutes less than Djokovic needed to overcome Lorenzo Musetti in their five-set thriller overnight.
Scheduling Rethink
The late finish prompted criticism, with Swiatek and Gauff calling for a scheduling overhaul at Grand Slams.
Social media was abuzz with complaints as fans waited hours for the night session, where Sinner ultimately eliminated the last local hope, Moutet.
“I was always one of the players that said that we should start a little bit earlier,” Swiatek said of Djokovic’s match. “I don’t know if fans are watching these matches if they have to go to work the next day when the matches are finishing at two or three a.m.”
Organizers were compelled to add an additional match to the main showcourt before Djokovic’s match due to rain delays.
“It’s a complicated thing, but for the health and safety of the players, it would be in the sport’s best interest to try to avoid those matches finishing—or starting—after a certain time,” Gauff stated.
Later, Grigor Dimitrov showcased that it’s never too late to achieve new milestones, as the in-form Bulgarian 10th seed outlasted Hubert Hurkacz 7-6(5), 6-4, 7-6(3) to reach his first quarter-final at the French Open, completing his set of Grand Slam last-eight appearances.
