Ottawa’s Gabriela Dabrowski and her Brazilian partner, Luisa Stefani, secured a victory in their first women’s doubles match at the French Open in Paris. The duo, seeded fourth, triumphed over the Dutch-British pair of Ingrid Haverlag and Maia Lumsden with a decisive score of 6-2, 6-0 in the round of 64. Dabrowski and Stefani capitalized on six out of nine break-point opportunities and delivered two aces during the match. Their upcoming opponents will be Elena Pridankina from Russia and Qianhui Tang from China.
Meanwhile, Leylah Fernandez from Laval, Que., and her Russian partner, Diana Shnaider, suffered a defeat with a score of 6-3, 6-1 against the Russian duo of Oksana Selekhmeteva and Anastasia Zakharova. Originally slated to face Victoria Mboko from Burlington, Ont., and Alexandra Eala from the Philippines, Fernandez and Shnaider had a change in opponents due to Mboko and Eala withdrawing from the doubles draw. Mboko is set to compete against Katerina Siniakova in the second round of women’s singles on Thursday.
In another match, Iga Swiatek extended her stellar record at the French Open to 42 wins and 3 losses. The four-time champion defeated the 35th-ranked Sara Bejlek 6-2, 6-3 to advance to the third round, showcasing her dominance at Roland Garros in 2020, 2022, 2023, and 2024.
Novak Djokovic employed strategic measures to combat the scorching heat in Paris during his match against French player Valentin Royer. The 39-year-old Djokovic displayed resilience and experience, overcoming Royer in a tough battle lasting over 3 1/2 hours with a score of 6-3, 6-2, 6-7 (7), 6-3. Despite facing challenging weather conditions, Djokovic credited his experience for aiding him through the demanding match.
Djokovic’s victory was marked by a remarkable shot early in the fourth set, where he executed a forehand around the net post, eliciting cheers from the audience at Court Philippe-Chatrier. The match witnessed several intense moments, including Djokovic missing opportunities to close out the game earlier and requiring multiple match points before securing the win.
Looking ahead, Djokovic is poised to face a formidable opponent in 19-year-old Brazilian Joao Fonseca in the next round. Fonseca’s impressive comeback victory over the 20-year-old Prizmic positions him as a rising star in the tennis world, hinting at his potential as a future Grand Slam contender.
In a separate match, second-seeded Alexander Zverev demonstrated his prowess by defeating Tomas Machac 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 in the night session.
Elena Rybakina, the second-seeded player, faced a setback in her French Open journey as she was defeated by the 55th-ranked Ukrainian player Yuliia Starodubtseva with a score of 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 (4). Rybakina, who began the year triumphantly with a win at the Australian Open, encountered a challenging match against Starodubtseva at Roland Garros.
Ukraine experienced success on the courts as Elina Svitolina and Marta Kostyuk advanced in the tournament. Svitolina, seeded seventh, secured a victory against Kaitlin Quevedo with a score of 6-0, 6-4, extending her winning streak to eight matches. Kostyuk, seeded 15th, also emerged victorious by defeating Katie Volynets 6-7 (4), 6-3, 6-3, extending her winning streak to 13 matches.
Amid the lingering heat wave in Paris, 11th-seeded Belinda Bencic progressed in the tournament by defeating her American opponent Caty McNally with a score of 6-4, 6-0.
The French Open continues with exciting matches, with Djokovic and Zverev showcasing their skills on the court in their respective games.