French Open 2024 Results: Instant Reactions to Winners and Losers from Saturday
Rain delayed some of Saturday's play, though all third-round matches scheduled were able to be completed.
In the men's draw, No. 1 seed Novak Djokovic defeated No. 30 seed Lorenzo Musetti in a five-set thriller, while No. 12 seed Taylor Fritz nearly blew a two-set lead before defeating Thanasi Kokkinakis in the fifth set.
On the women's side, No. 7 seed Qinwen Zheng was stunned by Elina Avanesyan in three sets.
Elsewhere, Aryna Sabalenka took care of business against a tricky opponent, Paula Badosa, while Elena Rybakina coasted past Elise Mertens.
Both Sabalenka and Rybakina are considered the top two favorites to emerge out of the bottom half of the women's draw.
Saturday French Open Results
Men's Singles
No. 1 Novak Djokovic def. No. 30 Lorenzo Musetti, 7-5, 6-7 (8), 2-6, 6-3, 6-0
No. 4 Alexander Zverev def. No. 26 Tallon Griekspoor, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (3)
No. 5 Daniil Medvedev def. Tomas Machac, 7-6 (4), 7-5, 1-6, 6-4
No. 7 Casper Ruud def. No. 28 Tomas Martin Etcheverry, 6-4, 1-6, 6-2, 6-2
No. 8 Hubert Hurkacz def. Denis Shapovalov, 6-3, 7-6 (0), 4-6, 6-1
No. 10 Grigor Dimitrov def. Zizou Bergs, 6-3, 7-6 (4), 4-6, 6-4
No. 11 Alex De Minaur def. Jan-Lennard Struff, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3
No. 12 Taylor Fritz def. Thanasi Kokkinakis, 6-3, 6-2, 6-7 (4), 5-7, 6-3
No. 13 Holger Rune def Jozef Kovalik, 7-5, 6-1, 7-6 (2)
No. 23 Francisco Cerundolo def. No. 14 Tommy Paul, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-2
No. 21 Felix Auger-Aliassime def. No. 15 Ben Shelton, 6-4, 6-2, 6-1
Women's Singles
No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka def. Paula Badosa, 7-5, 6-1
No. 4 Elena Rybakina def. No. 25 Elise Mertens, 6-4, 6-2
Elina Avanesyan def. No. 7 Qinwen Zheng, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (6)
No. 22 Emma Navarro def No. 14 Madison Keys, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (3)
No. 15 Jasmine Paolini def. Bianca Andreescu, 6-1, 3-6, 6-0
No. 15 Elina Svitolina def. Ana Bogdan, 7-5, 6-2
Novak Djokovic Survives Late, Proves He Is Still the Player to Beat
No lead is safe against Novak Djokovic, and Lorenzo Musetti learned that once again.
Just like their 2021 French Open fourth round match, where Lorenzo Musetti had Novak Djokovic on the ropes up two sets, victory was within striking distance for the Italian once again.
In today's battle, Djokovic was once again able to rally late and pull off a signature win in the fifth set.
After four hours and 32 minutes, Djokovic proved once again he is the player to beat, despite his age and the notion of father time looming.
The Serbian dominated the final two sets, limiting Musetti to just three games total, and will face Francisco Cerundolo in the fourth round.
Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina Look Dominant
Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina each extended their stay at Roland Garros, each winning their match in straight sets.
Neither player has dropped a set in the entire tournament, a statistic that is certainly impressive, especially for Sabalenka.
Sabalenka's third-round match was against Paula Badosa, an opponent she had previously struggled against.
Sabalenka trailed 5-3 in the first set before winning four straight games to close it out.
In the second set, Sabalenka was on cruise control, needing less than 30 minutes to end the match.
As of now, both Sabalenka and Rybakina look poised to meet each other in the semifinals.
Holger Rune Bounces Back, Alexander Zverev Tested
After nearly losing to Flavio Cobolli despite being two sets up, Holger Rune was able to bounce back and win in straight sets in his third-round match.
Despite the win, the Dane has double-faulted 15 total times in his last two matches.
On a positive note, Rune has continued to dominate from the net.
Rune's next opponent, No. 4 Alexander Zverev, was taken the distance by Tallon Griekspoor.
The German needed five sets and a super tiebreaker to defeat his opponent.
Zverev and Rune will face off in a fourth-round matchup that has the potential to be one of the best matches in the tournament, with both players in top form.