Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime secured a spot in the fourth round of the men’s singles at the French Open, while Victoria Mboko was eliminated in a third-round women’s match on Saturday in Paris. Auger-Aliassime, seeded fourth and hailing from Montreal, triumphed over No. 31 Brandon Nakashima in a match that concluded well past midnight at Roland-Garros after lasting three hours and 48 minutes. He aims to progress beyond the fourth round at the clay-court Grand Slam for the first time in his career and is now the highest-seeded player in the top half of the draw following Jannik Sinner’s recent defeat.
Next, Auger-Aliassime is set to face unseeded Chilean player Alejandro Tabilo, who ended the run of 17-year-old Frenchman Moise Kouame with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (9) victory. Tabilo, originally born in Toronto, represents his parents’ country of birth.
On the other hand, the 19-year-old Mboko from Burlington, Ontario, exited the tournament in three sets after falling to American Madison Keys. Keys prevailed over the ninth-seeded Canadian with a scoreline of 6-3, 5-7, 7-5. Despite trailing 4-2 in the third set, Mboko fought back to level the score at 5-5. However, Keys managed to break Mboko’s serve to clinch the victory in a match that lasted two-and-a-half hours. Keys is now set to face 25th seed Diana Shnaider of Russia in the fourth round.
In a surprising turn of events, defending champion Coco Gauff faced an unexpected defeat by Anastasia Potapova in the third round of the French Open. Despite a minor car accident before the tournament, Gauff managed to persevere until she was outplayed by Potapova, who secured a 4-6, 7-6 (1), 6-4 victory over the American player.
The match unfolded in front of mostly empty stands at Court Philippe-Chatrier as French fans opted to watch the Champions League soccer final instead. Potapova’s win marked her third victory out of five encounters against Gauff. Moving forward, Potapova is scheduled to face off against Aryna Sabalenka.
In a separate match, Naomi Osaka triumphed over 18-year-old American opponent Iva Jovic in a thrilling encounter lasting nearly three hours. Osaka, competing in her 100th Grand Slam match, is now set to meet top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka in the round of 16.
As the tournament progresses, the intense heatwave that has persisted for seven consecutive days is expected to subside, offering some relief for players. Notable performances include Juan Manuel Cerundolo’s back-to-back five-set victories and Frances Tiafoe’s remarkable comeback to advance to the next round.