TOPS
The German Daniel Altmaier, did not hide his immense happiness after having had the last word on the Suzanne-Lenglen against Jannick Sinner, seeded 8 (6-7 (0), 7-6 (7), 1- 6, 7-6 (4), 7-5) after a 5h30 fight, the longest match of this 2023 edition.… 79th in the world and eighth runner-up in 2020, the German literally melted in tears a few seconds after the match point. He relied in particular on the support of part of the public at the Suzanne-Lenglen court. The latter gave him a very long ovation and chanted his name after his marathon victory. In miracle. In the fourth set, Altmaier had saved two match points on his opponent’s serve, including one, with the help of the net, after a smash from his opponent.
The young Russian nugget Mirra Andreeva (143rd in the world), who is playing her first Grand Slam tournament at the age of 16, marks the spirits of Porte d’Auteuil. The Russian teenager has not lost a single Porte d’Auteuil set, his three qualifying rounds included. In the first round, she crushed American Alison Riske-Amritraj 6-2, 6-1. On the Simonne-Mathieu court on Thursday, she did not go into detail against Diane Parry (6-1, 6-2). And to think that fourteen months ago, Andreeva was still unranked! At 16 years and 1 month, she is the 7th youngest player to qualify for the 3rd round of RG since 1990. Her qualification for the third round already guarantees her a place in the top 100 at the outcome of Roland-Garros. But the prodigy sees much further. “I know that Djokovic has won 22 Grand Slams so I would say 25 Grand Slams,” she says with the carelessness of her 16 years.
By dominating the Italian Jasmine Paolini (6-2, 7-5), the Serb signed a tenth consecutive victory, without losing a set. Winner of a secondary tournament in Spain, just before the French Open, the 22-year-old Serb continues her momentum. But against Ons Jabeur, seeded 7, the 105th player in the world will have to sign a feat to continue her crazy series.
FLOPS
Opposed in the evening to Taylor Fritz, Arthur Rinderknech tries to save (a little) the fatherland. Because in the female tableau, it’s already over. As in 2019 and 2021. Last year, only Diane Parry, Léolia Jeanjean and Alizé Cornet had joined the 3rd round. But Océane Dodin, 122nd in the world, did not exist against the Tunisian Ons Jabeur (7th) 6-2, 6-3. Just like Parry in the face of tornado Andreeva. Only Caroline Garcia, 5th player in the world, could maintain the blue flame, but the Lyonnaise tripped over the Parisian red carpet. Highlighting a little more the weaknesses and the fragility of French women’s tennis. The runner-up from Garcia pointing to 62nd place.
Announced as a future Grand Slam winner, world number 8 Jannick Sinner had a great opportunity to shine at Porte d’Auteuil, in a bare bottom of the table. It failed and failed. The Italian who remained on 19 consecutive victories in the first week of Grand Slam fell from above against Altmaier.
It’s open, very open. The draw had decided. The favorites would be at the top, the underdogs at the bottom. And the Sinners and Medvedevs are already gone. Good news, a priori for the other surviving big arms. Holger Rune didn’t even have to play his match against Monfils, forfeited. And Casper Ruud, finalist of the last edition enforced the logic of the classification against the Italian Giulio Zeppieri, losing all the same a set in the process 6-3, 6-2, 4-6, 6-4. The Norwegian has a clear path to the round of 16, since he will face the Chinese Zhizhen Zhang (71st) in the third round. But the qualifiers Ofner, Genaro Alberto Olivieri and Thiago Seyboth Wild, qualifiers still in contention at the bottom of the table, can still “depopulate” a bottom of the table which is now more reminiscent of an ATP 250 than a Grand Slam tournament. …
