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Paris – It’s quarterfinal time in Paris. Day 10 marks the beginning of the “business end” of Roland-Garros, with two men’s and two women’s quarterfinals on tap.
Here’s how they shape up:
See the Day 10 OOP Here
History for USA
American men will take center stage once again on Tuesday in Paris as Frances Tiafoe and Tommy Paul contest their first quarterfinals on the terre battue. Already the pair have created a slice of history for the American men, marking the first time that two American men have played the quarterfinals in Paris since 1996.
Paul has done it the hard way, winning back-to-back five-setters and dealing with an ab strain, before dancing past Alexei Popryin in straights in round four. Tiafoe, not known for his clay prowess, has been doing it with surprising ease. He has yet to drop a set through four rounds, and is now the first American to reach a Roland-Garros quarterfinal without losing a set since Agassi in 1995.
Paul drew the shorter straw draw-wise. He’ll face defending champion Carlos Alcaraz on Tuesday in the night session, while Tiafoe gets Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti.
Tiafoe is 3-2 lifetime vs Musetti, and lost their only clay meeting in Rome in 2023 in three sets.
Paul owns two wins over Alcaraz, but has lost three straight to the Spaniard, including their only match on clay at the Paris Olympics last year.
25 and counting
After a dramatic comeback on Sunday against Elena Rybakina, four-time champion Iga Swiatek will take on Elina Svitolina for a spot in the semis.
The Pole struggled on the road to Roland-Garros, and entered Paris without a single title to her name for the first time since 2020, but she is starting to show her vintage form on the terre battue.
Now 39-2 lifetime at Roland-Garros, Swiatek owns a 3-1 lifetime edge over Svitolina, but the Ukrainian does lead the WTA Tour in clay-court wins this season, and is fresh off an upset of Italy’s Jasmine Paolini in the round of 16.
She saved three match points in the process, joining Madison Keys as one of the two women to reach the quarterfinals after saving match points previously in the tournament.
“I tried to really stick to my game plan, tried to stay in the match, keep fighting and keep doing aggressive things on the court, and tried to find my opportunities to get back in the match,” she said. “I tried to fight. Very happy I did that and got rewarded.”
Sabalenka Targets Iga
We are a few days from a potential titanic clash between Aryna Sabalenka and Swiatek in Paris. But first the three-time major champion must take care of business against Zheng Qinwen in Paris.
It will not be a walk in the park against last year’s Olympic gold medal winner. Sabalenka won her first six meetings against Zheng, but lost to her recently in Rome.
“She's a great player. Of course, I expect a great battle, and I'm super excited to face her in the quarterfinals, and I want to get my revenge,” Sabalenka said. “I want to get this win after Rome, so I'm happy to face her in the quarters.”