Coco Gauff in the last eight. But what a match that’s going to be!
… and Tauson saves it, Jabeur tightening up, but another error hands over another opportunity…
A miserable second serve, 110kmh and in the middle of the box, allows Tauson 0-15, but a big forehand, then a backhand slice winner to the corner levels the game. The Swiss then goes long with a forehand, Jabeur now two points away, and gets lucky when a weakly nervous second serve isn’t punished … for all it matters, Tauson eventually outlasting her in the rally for 30-all. An look at that, a booming forehand winner raising a break-back opportunity … extinguished by a few big forehands after another poor second-serve goes unbattered. Seconds later, Jabeur has her first match point…
Tauson does well to make 40-15, then two errors and she’s at deuce, two points from victory. She does, though, hang in there well to rush through deuce, so Oor Ons must now serve for the match – and we know she can struggle under pressure, also that she’s not in the greatest form.
Oh have a look! With nerves jangling at 30-all, Jabeur paints a tremendous forehand winner down the line, saluting the crowd arm aloft, then hammers down an ace for 6-4 5-3. She’s a game away!
Tuson plays a better game but a scrumptious backhand down the line earns Jabeur deuce, then, when down advantage, a forehand winner returns us to there. No matter, Tauson hangs in there and she remains in the match at 3-4, with plenty of scope for her opponent to get nervous with the line in sight.
Again, Jabeur struggles to consolidate, but at 30-all she finds a huge serve and cleans up at the net via forehand. Another decent serve follows, this time out wide, and a punishing backhand down the line takes her two games away at 6-4 4-2. I’d not be surprised if she breaks again next game.
You get the feeling Tauson sort of knows, and when she sits one up for Jabeur, a colossal forehand cross-court makes 0-30. A bad bounce then means she’s to chase a simple putaway which goes wide, but after opening the court Tauson thwcks her backhand long then sends a drop into the tramlines. At 3-2, Jabeur is nearly home.
Tauson swings wildly and then makes a total mess of punishing a poor drop, shanking long; from 40-15 it’s now deuce, and coming in behind her serve she might let the ball bounce but instead sends a backhand into the tape. She doesn’t seem to have a strategy, just throwing hands whenever the opportunity presents itself … and it works well for her down advantage, a backhand cross-court regaining deuce. From there, she closes out, and Jabeur now leads 6-4 1-2.
Tauson gets herself deuce when Jabeur nets unnecessarily then, sent a moon ball, nets her overhead before a weak drop is given the treatment is deserves. We’re back on serve in set two, the break-back absolutely gifted.
Tauson is struggling to do anything with the drops she skates in to retrieve, Jabeur always there waiting to play the next shot. This gets her 0-30 and a swiped backhand means three break points at the start of set two; Tauson saves the first with a forehand winner but Jabeur has her on strings now, hauling her in to pass for 6-4 1-0.
Jabeur nets a forehand for 0-15 and I can’t shake the sense that her chance of winning a major has gone; I’m sure she’ll win here, but I can’t see her giving Gauff too much aggro in the quarters. Tauson then hits the top of the tape skidding in after a drop – that’s poor, I’m afraid – an ace follows – then another good service down the T, and though Tauson thinks it’s out, whinging at the umpire, she trails 4-6.
This is nowt to do with tennis, but nice; Tauson holds to make Jabeur serve for set one.
Tauson just doesn’t have the game to seriously trouble an operator as powerful, deft and canny as Jabeur – who holds comfortably for 5-3, the set now hers for the taking.
Half a set in and Tauson resorts to the time-honoured strategy of giving it some welly. It’s doing nothing for her, Jabeur up 4-3 and still with a break.
Tauson holds for 2-3 and at change of ends, gets a soft warning for taking too long to serve; she blames the noisy crowd, and the umpire isn’t having any of it.
Finalement! Jabeur dashes in and flicks a drop-retrieval across the face of the net, finally securing her consolidation and a 3-1 lead.
Daniel Harris will take over again as this endless Jabeur service game goes on .. and on … maybe he’ll see an end to it.
We’re on our ninth deuce, Jabeur saving break point this time with her third ace of the match, powerfully struck down the T. Tauson then meekly backhands into the net and Jabeur will hope to finally eke this thing out.
Jabeur just cannot get out of this game. How many deuces? I’ve lost count. Tauson is hitting them big, that’s all I can say.
A few groans and gripes from Tauson, but she’s really doing OK. She does well to Jabeur to deuce before a backhand is needlessly dragged into the net. Some fierce hitting brings us back to deuce – a rare occasion so far when Tauson has won an exchange around the net – before a Jabeur ace … and then a double fault. The game lingers on.
Jabeur breaks, peeling off a powerful forehand winner after a hefty baseline exchange. Didn’t feel like Tauson did much wrong in that game. Jabeur just never went away and her persistence was rewarded. It’s 1-2 and the No 8 seed will serve to back it up.
Stunning play from Jabeur. Her angles are immaculate, striking the backhand cross-court to run Tauson wide and then approaching the net to guide a deft volley to the other side. Deuce on the Dane’s serve.
Oof, a net chord goes in Jabeur’s favour, as Tauson comes short anticipating a drop-shot and it flies up into her face. No chance there. The Dane’s net approaches, in fact, are not yet paying dividends in these early stages. Jabeur holds for 1-1.
A fairly confident start from the hard-hitting 21-year-old, Tauson, with her style almost completely in contrast to that of Jabeur. Plenty of drop-shots already from the Tunisian in the opening game, which Tauson takes on serve, finishing with a big cross-court backhand.
OK, no rest for the wicked. Time for attention to turn to Tauson v Jabeur, with the crowd rather sparse on Lenglen after the changeover in matches. We’ll bring you some reaction from Alcaraz and Tsitsipas if/when we get it.
It all start to fall apart for the Canadian in the third set, but you have to put that down as a dominant Alcaraz display, storming into the quarter-finals in as good a shape as anyone in this men’s singles draw. Auger-Aliassime was hampered by injury, but he was put away by the No 3 seed in emphatic fashion.
Tsitsipas awaits Alcaraz in what promises to be a mouthwatering last eight clash.
Good hold, that man. The groans there were a sign of how deep Auger-Aliassime was digging into his reserves just to get on the board in the third set. It’ll all be in vain, but he gets a good ovation anyhow.
Another double fault, another error into the net and Alcaraz breaks again. 4-0.
This is done and dusted, people.
COURT PHILIPPE-CHATRIER
(15) Elina Svitolina v Elena Rybakina (4)
(22) Emma Navarro v Aryna Sabalenka (2)
(1) Novak Djokovic v Francisco Cerundolo (23)
(4) Alexander Zverev v Holger Rune (13) – night game
COURT SUZANNE-LENGLEN
Elina Avanesyan v Jasmine Paolini (12)
(11) Alex De Minaur v Daniil Medvedev (5)
Varvara Gracheva v Mirra Andreeva
(12) Taylor Fritz v Casper Ruud (7)
An untimely double fault from Auger-Aliassime gifts another break point to Alcaraz. This feels like that Simpson’s meme now, you know the ‘stop, he’s already dead’ one.
Having said that, Alcaraz is on the stretch and puts a backhand wide, so we’re at deuce.
Alcaraz is 3-0 up in the third and the task for his Canadian opponent is now simply to get on the board in this set. He starts off with a drop volley, finally putting away Alcaraz with a lovely deft touch at the net.
Denmark’s Clara Tauson is next up on Suzanne Lenglen, taking on the might of Ons Jabeur. Tauson has won a few admirers in the past week in Paris, but this looks a big ol’ challenge.
Alcaraz has broken and Auger-Aliassime is looking increasingly broken, not just physically with that injury niggle, but mentally too. This should only be a matter of time now, as the unforced errors by Auger-Aliassime increase by the game.
After going a set down, it’s an impressive comeback from the big Greek. He’ll take some beating at this tournament, you know.
Tsitsipas is serving for the match against Arnaldi while Auger-Aliassime is made to labour on his own serve. No escape from Alcaraz etc etc.
Thanks Daniel. It could all unravel rather quickly for Félix Auger-Aliassime unless he’s very careful here. A couple of sloppy volleys means Alcaraz has forced deuce on the Canadian’s first service game of the third set.
Arnaldi is still fighting – he’ll be so much better having experienced the intensity longevity of a five-setter against Tistsipas – and gets on the board in set four, down 2-1 and 4-1. Anyroad up, I’m off to sauna, so here’s Dominic Booth to croon you through the next hour … as Tsitsipas holds to 15, now a game away from the last eight.
Oh I say! Down 0-40, Auger-Aliassime saves one set point, but en route to the net he sees a backhand cross flying past him, and as he stretches for it in vain, you can see the thigh is bothering him. Alcaraz is just a total freak of nature, a powerhouse touched by creative genius, and he leads 6-3 6-3.
Alcaraz is enjoying himself now, stroking a backhand up the line for 6-3 5-3 and forcing Auger-Aliassime to serve to stay in set two. He can play better than he is, but this is a very good version of the world number three.
Laughter in comms as Alcaraz chases out of court, backhand side, to caress a winner down the line; even he knows that’s ridiculous. But Auger-Aliassime holds to keep the set alive, while on Lenglen, Tsitsipas breaks for a econd time in set four and at 3-0, he’s nearly into the last eighrt.
More good work from Alcaraz, down 0-40 before winning six points – one a ridiculous retrieval at the net – on the spin for a 6-3 4-2 lead. There’s not a whole lot Auger-Alassime can do about this really; he’s good, but he’s nowhere near as good.
Serving at deuce, Arnaldi punishes a backhand winner only for Tsitsipas to do likewise with his fore. And shonuff at the end of a five-minute game he elicits the errors that surrender the break and this match feels over now, the Greek up two sets to one with a break in the fourth.
Auger-Aliassime is still off and he’s found it hard enough to land on Alcaraz even without whatever knack he’s now got. But here he comes again, the Wimbledon champ looking very nice indeed.
Back on Lenglen, Tsitsipas serves out with no alarms and no surprises, securing a 6-2 set and a 2-1 lead. Long way back now for Arnaldi, who’s played a superb match, and Auger-Aliassime disappears to be treated inside.
Great work from Arnaldi to hold for 2-5, forcing Tstsipas to serve for the set, and what a pass does Alrcaraz find, a backhand down the line securing a break for a lead of 6-3 3-2. This prompts Auger-Aliassime to call for the trainer, his left quad causing him problems, and he doesn’t look especially chuffed with things, wincing as it’s massaged.
Alcaraz is flowing nicely now, leaping and appearing to change his overhead winner in mid-air. It secures him a hold through deuce to lead 6-3 2-2 and decently though Auger-Aliassime is playing, you get the sense that if ever he finds a different level, his opponent will find one too, that’s just a bit higher.
Apostolos Tsitsipas, Stefanos’ dad and coach, has been chatting away throughout the match and Arnaldi is tiring – I’m not sure if those two aspects are connected but he might just’ve had enough of the noise. But he saves another break point as Alcaraz does likewise, only for Tsitsipas to hit the baseline with an overhead, and the Greek now leads by a double break in the thir at 4-1, the first two sets having been split. He then calls the trainer out, but it’s just for a chat by the looks of things.
Tsitsipas holds for 3-1 and it feels like he’s got the better “speed endurance” – to borrow a phrase Michael Johnson likes to use when chatting athletics. Which is to say that he looks able to play better for longer, and the same looks likely to be so on Chatrier, but Auger-Aliassime is still well in the match down 3-6 2-1.
Arnaldi saves two further break points, then another with a lovely delicate chop from the corner, and an ace eventually secures the hold which keeps set three alive. Tistsipas leads 3-6 7-6 2-1.
At 30-all, Auger-Aliassime has a chance, and when he nails a decent backhand, Alcaraz, advancing, is in trouble. But he somehow hops into a pick-up that sends the ball over the net, just, from there he serves out, and that’s the first set over at 6-3! The Wimbledon champ can play must better than this, but he’s still been good enough. Meantime Arnaldi, down two points for a double break, saves the first … and the second. He’s not going away, but Tsitsipas’ forehand is the key shot in the match now.
