Naomi Osaka secured a close victory in one of the most competitive matches of the women’s draw on Thursday, beating Croatia’s Donna Vekic.
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PARIS — Naomi Osaka secured a close victory in one of the most competitive matches of the women’s draw on Thursday, beating Croatia’s Donna Vekic 7-6(1), 6-4 after nearly two hours of intense baseline exchanges at Court Simonne-Mathieu in the French Open.
The four-time Grand Slam champion persisted with her promising comeback on clay by advancing to the third round of Roland-Garros. There, she will encounter the emerging American teenager Iva Jovic in a first-ever match between two players at very different career stages.
Although the scoreline indicated a straight-sets victory, the match was scarcely comfortable. Vekić, who won Olympic silver at last year's Paris Games, consistently pressured Osaka and even held serve to start the match, but momentum shifted markedly in the Japanese player's favour. Osaka raised her game during the tie-break, winning it 7-1, and maintained a close lead in the second set to advance to the last 32.
Osaka's victory signifies her best performance in Paris since 2019 and only her fourth time reaching the third round at Roland-Garros. Although clay was once seen as her least suitable surface, her improved movement and patience during the first week indicate her increasing comfort on the red dirt.
Also read: French Open: Sinner brushes past Tabur in opener en route to Career Grand Slam
As has become customary on her return to the tour, Osaka also drew attention before stepping on court with another striking fashion choice, a layered white skirt worn over a sparkling dress as she entered. Waiting for her in the next round is one of the tournament’s youngest remaining players. Eighteen-year-old Jovic delivered one of the day’s most emphatic performances, dismantling fellow American Emma Navarro 6-0, 6-3.
The opening set lasted just 20 minutes as Jovic dominated the 25th seed with aggressive returns and continuous baseline play. Navarro never regained his rhythm, and the teenager secured a commanding win in only 78 minutes.
The result was particularly meaningful for Jovic, who had been defeated by Navarro just eight days earlier in Strasbourg while preparing for Roland-Garros. That loss occurred in three sets during Navarro’s successful run to the title at the WTA 500 tournament, making Thursday’s performance a strong comeback from the young American.
Jovic has advanced to the third round in Paris for the first time, marking a significant milestone in her breakthrough season. Earlier this year, she made her Grand Slam debut with a quarter-final appearance at the Australian Open.
The upcoming match between Osaka and Jovic is now one of the most captivating third-round encounters in the women’s draw, featuring a former world No. 1 still finding her rhythm against an emerging teenage player who is gaining confidence.
The winner is expected to face the current world No. 1, Aryna Sabalenka, in the fourth round if the top seed moves past her side of the bracket.
French Open: Cerundolo scripts a huge upset, sends Sinner packing from Paris
PARIS — Argentina's Juan Manuel Cerundolo cause a huge sensation in the French Open on Thursday, by stunning World No.1 Jannik Sinner in the second round, ending ’the Italian star's attempt to complete the Career Grand Slam in a physically-draining 3-6, 2-6, 7-5, 6-1, 6-1 defeat at Stade Roland Garros in Paris.
Sinner appeared on course for victory when he led 5-1 in the third set of his second-round match, but he soon began to appear to struggle with cramp in a dramatic turn of events. The 24-year-old Italian twice failed to serve out the match and also required an off-court medical timeout at 5-4, 0/40.
From that moment, Sinner was unable to recover his physical condition, and Cerundolo took full advantage, claiming 18 of the final 20 games to seal the biggest upset of the 2026 season so far. The Argentine, who is competing as the World No. 56, is the first man to oust the top seed at the clay-court major before the third round since Karol Kucera in 2000.
“It’s tough for him," Cerundolo said of Sinner. "I couldn’t win more than three games in a set, so I was a little bit lucky. He deserved to win this match, and then I don’t know what happened. But I feel sorry for him and hope he recovers.”
With Roland Garros the only Grand Slam title missing from his collection, Sinner was aiming to become just the seventh man to complete the Career Grand Slam in the Open Era. The Italian was also riding a career-best 30-match winning streak, having swept all five ATP Masters 1000 titles in 2026.
Despite struggling physically, Sinner was able to show his shotmaking and hit a series of stunning forehands with his feet planted on the court. Yet due to his hindered movement, Cerundolo could pull the Italian from side to side and throw in drop shots to take advantage of his opponent's physical limitations.
The defeat adds another painful chapter to the Court Philippe-Chatrier for Sinner, who last year let slip three championship points against Carlos Alcaraz in the final. The World No. 1 departs Paris with a 37-3 record in 2026, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index.
Sinner and Alcaraz have won the past nine major titles between them. With Sinner now out of Roland Garros and Alcaraz sidelined through a wrist injury, the tournament is open for a new champion to emerge for the first time since the Australian Open in 2024.
Cerundolo, who is in the third round of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time in his career, will next face #NextGenATP Spaniard Martin Landaluce or Czech player Vit Kopriva.
Sinner’s coaching team, including Darren Cahill and Simone Vagnozzi, tried to lift their player through the setback, but the conditions and physical strain in the Paris heat ultimately proved too much to overcome.