Another day of rain in Paris meant more delays at Roland Garros, and only the lucky few who played on Chatrier or Lenglen were unaffected.
Of the matches delayed yesterday, Felix Auger-Aliassime was the first to progress, taking out Shelton in one of his best matches of the year. Hubert Hurkacz then dropped a set to Shapovalov, but he won the next to move through in four.
Grigor Dimitrov was most hard done, who didn’t get onto court until around 8 pm local time, and after being moved to Chatrier, Djokovic also didn’t get onto court until after 10.30 pm local time as the Bulgarian dropped a set before winning in four.
In the top half of the draw, there were wins for Medvedev, Zverev, Ruud, de Minaur, Rune, Fritz and Cerundolo before Novak Djokovic took on Lorenzo Musetti in the night session, prevailing in a five-setter that didn’t finish until after 3 am.
You can see the full sets of results from day seven below.
Day Seven French Open 2024 Round of 32 Results
| Winner | Loser | Scoreline |
|---|---|---|
| Novak Djokovic (1) | Lorenzo Musetti (30) | 7-5, 6-7(6), 2-6, 6-3, 6-0 |
| Alexander Zverev (4) | Tallon Griekspoor (25) | 3-6, 6-4, 6-2, 4-6, 7-6(10-3) |
| Daniil Medvedev (5) | Tomas Machac | 7-6(4), 7-5, 1-6, 6-4 |
| Casper Ruud (7) | Tomas Martin Etcheverry (28) | 4-6, 6-1, 2-6, 2-6 |
| Hubert Hurkacz (8) | Denis Shapovalov (PR) | 6-3, 7-6(0), 4-6, 6-1 |
| Grigor Dimitrov (10) | Zizou Bergs | 6-3, 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-4 |
| Alex de Minaur (11) | Jan-Lennard Struff | 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 |
| Taylor Fritz (12) | Thanasi Kokkinakis | 6-3, 6-2, 6-7(4), 5-7, 6-3 |
| Holger Rune (13) | Jozef Kovalik | 7-5, 6-1, 7-6(2) |
| Francisco Cerundolo (27) | Tommy Paul (14) | 3-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-2 |
| Felix Auger Aliassime (21) | Ben Shelton (15) | 6-4, 6-2, 6-1 |
Medvedev Mitigates Machac Threat
Daniil Medvedev faced his toughest test yet, coming through a challenging third-round match against Czech Tomas Machac on Saturday at Roland Garros. After three hours and 24 minutes of intense play, he advanced with a 7-6(4), 7-5, 1-6, 6-4 victory.
Under the Court Suzanne-Lenglen roof, Medvedev initially led by two sets and a break. However, Machac is a dangerous competitor, especially on his backhand side, and he rallied, capturing the third set and pushing Medvedev in extended baseline rallies during the fourth set.
WItn Machac looking increasingly dangerous, a fifth set seemed imminent, but Medvedev is one of the best at tactical timing and broke Machac’s serve in the 10th game to secure the win after the Czech made some untimely errors.
The Russian will face Alex de Minaur in the fourth round after the Australian defeated Jan-Lennard Struff 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3.
An in-form Medvedev could get the job done there as he leads the H2H 6-2, but I don’t think he is serving well, and de Minaur will pose problems. It is also their first meeting on clay.
Zverev Grits Out Win Over Griekspoor
Alexander Zverev’s Roland Garros title ambitions were on the brink Saturday, but the German battled back to secure his place in the fourth round for the seventh consecutive year.
Facing elimination and a double break down in the fifth set, Zverev staged a late comeback to defeat Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor in a thrilling five-set match on Court Philippe-Chatrier, winning through 3-6, 6-4, 6-2, 3-6, 7-6(10-3) after 4 hours and 13 minutes of play.
After dropping the first set, Zverev picked up the pace to capture the next two sets, but then his forehand faltered, and Griekspoor capitalised on his passiveness (he said in the press conference the cold conditions are not ideal for his type of ball), pushing into a 4-1 lead in the final set.
However, Griekspoor’s nerves showed as he double-faulted three times, allowing Zverev, who upped his aggression to level at 4-4. Gaining momentum, Zverev found his rhythm and dominated the tie-break to secure the win.
Wow, incredible match. Incredible player. He is unbelievably dangerous. I always struggle against him. I don’t like to play against him but all the credit to him, taking it all the way. It was one or two points here and there. Incredible player and fighter until the end. The atmosphere today was unbelievable. I loved every second of it. Zverev on facing Griekspoor.
Djokovic Outlasts Musetti
Novak Djokovic has been accused of taking it too easy this season with a limited schedule and a lack of motivation, but he put in the effort on Saturday night, mounting a typical Djokovic-style comeback to defeat Lorenzo Musetti in five sets.
After a solid start that saw him capture the opening set with a timely break for 7-5, he held a set point in the second set tiebreak only to see Musetti avert it and move into a two sets to 1 lead of his own.
With Musetti looking the stronger of the players from the baseline and also physically, Djokovic dug into the reserves, triumphing 7-5, 6-7(6), 2-6, 6-3, 6-0 in a thrilling four-hour and 29-minute match that concluded at 3:08 a.m., setting a new record for the tournament’s latest finish.
The match was highly intense, and despite dropping the first set, Musetti was playing very nicely. His ball striking caused Novak a lot of problems, as he couldn’t really find a way through him. He was the better player until set four.
However, once he’d peaked and his physical level dropped slightly, Djokovic took charge, forcing a fifth and then his determination was evident in the deciding set, where he allowed Musetti just nine points.
The only bad part of the whole show? The match began after 10:30 p.m. due to the rescheduling of Grigor Dimitrov’s match with Zizou Bergs to Court Philippe-Chatrier.
I want to express my respect for Lorenzo; it was a great battle. One of us had to lose. I was a little lucky at the beginning of the fourth set because he was stronger until then. I couldn’t find solutions… he was impenetrable. He did everything very well and made very few mistakes. You guys gave me energy from 2-2 in the fourth set and from then on I was a different player… thank you so much. Incredibly, you are still here, including some kids, at 3 in the morning. Maybe it was the best match I’ve played here in forever. Djokovic on his late night win.
Other Matches of Note
De Minaur Shuts Down Struff: The 11th seed is the first Australian man since Lleyton Hewitt in 2007 to reach the fourth round at Roland-Garros. He overcame a break deficit in the second and third sets to defeat German Jan-Lennard Struff 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3. The German looked in control for large periods, but De Minaur dealt with the multiple rain delays (totalling 4 hours) much better.
Auger Aliassime Sinks Shelton: Felix Auger-Aliassime delivered one of his best performances in the last 18 months, defeating Ben Shelton 6-4, 6-2, 6-1 to set up a fourth-round clash with Carlos Alcaraz. The American looked to be suffering from a shoulder issue, which didn’t help his cause, given his service being a primary weapon.
Hurkacz Too Good for Shapo: Hubert Hurkacz resumed his delayed match on Suzanne Lenglen and secured a 6-3, 7-6(0), 4-6, 6-1 victory. Despite leading by two sets overnight, Hurkacz faced a fourth set after Shapovalov rallied from 1-3 down to take the third. The eighth seed responded strongly, converting both break points in the final set to race to victory.
Rune Cruises Past Kovalik: After a gruelling previous round against Italian Flavio Cobolli, Holger Rune had a smoother, albeit rain-delayed, path on Saturday night. The Dane defeated Jozef Kovalik in straight sets. The Dane secured his spot in the knockout stages with a 7-5, 6-1, 7-6(2) victory.
Dimitrov Overcomes Bergs: In a rain-interrupted two-day match, Grigor Dimitrov faced a tough challenge from the impressive Belgian, Zizou Bergs, finally triumphing 6-3, 7-6 (4), 4-6, 6-4. Despite the disruptions and Bergs’ spirited play, Dimitrov’s experience and resilience saw him avoid a five-setter.
Cerundolo Produces vs Paul: Francisco Cerúndolo secured a spot in the second week of Roland Garros 2024, ensuring representation for Argentina and South America, with a hard-fought victory over 14th seed Tommy Paul, winning 3-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-2 in just under three hours. Cerundolo now leads the H2H 4-2, and he overcame a wobbly first set in which he held serve just one to find his best tennis.
French Open Day Eight Roun of 16 Matches
- Matteo Arnaldi vs Stefanos Tsitsipas (9)
- Félix Auger-Aliassime (21) vs Carlos Alcaraz (3)
- Hubert Hurkacz (8) vs Grigor Dimitrov (10)
- Corentin Moutet vs Jannik Sinner (2)
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