Serena Williams

Serena Williams is out of the 2021 French Open and a first-time Grand Slam finalist will come out of the bottom half of the women's singles draw. 

Williams was ousted in straight sets by No. 21 seed Elena Rybakina in Sunday's round of 16 play. Rybakina is now the highest-seeded woman left in that part of the draw. 

Victoria Azarenka and Marketa Vondrousova were also eliminated by Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Paula Badosa. 

With Williams and Azarenka out of the draw, two of the top 16 seeds in the women's bracket are still alive at Roland Garros. 

Some of the stars in the men's singles draw will be around to play in the quarterfinals. Stefanos Tsitsipas, Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev all advanced with ease on Sunday.

           

Sunday French Open Results

Men's Singles

No. 2 Danill Medvedev def. No. 22 Cristian Garin, 6-2, 6-1, 7-5

No. 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas def. No. 12 Pablo Carreno Busta, 6-3, 6-2, 7-5

No. 6 Alexander Zverev def. Kei Nishikori, 6-4, 6-1, 6-1

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina def. Federico Delbonis, 6-4, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4

Medvedev, Tsitsipas and Zverev lost a combined five sets over four rounds. 

On Sunday, the trio of top-six seeds blew past their competition to reach the final eight, where Tsitsipas and Medvedev will do battle. 

On paper. Tsitsipas had the toughest fourth-round opponent in Pablo Carreno Busta, but he faced little to no threats in the opening two sets. 

Carreno Busta played tougher in the third set, but Tsitstipas earned a vital break at 5-5 to earn the chance to close on his own serve. 

The 12th-seeded Spaniard finished with a better first-serve percentage than the fifth-seeded Greek, but he also had 15 more unforced errors. 

Tsitsipas went 5-for-12 on break-point opportunities. He finished with one less break-point win than Carreno Busta had break points. 

Medvedev, who prior to the tournament did not have a win in Paris, cruised yet again by defeating Cristian Garin in just over two hours. 

The No. 2 seed dominated the first two sets by outscoring Garin 12-3. Similar to Carreno Busta, Garin played much better in the third set, but he could not force a third-set tiebreak. 

Zverev did not face much of a challenge from Nishikori, as he got better as the match went on. The sixth-seeded German held Nishikori to two game victories in the final two sets. 

Zverev won eight of his 11 break points and won 28 more percent of his first-serve points than his unseeded foe. 

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina will face Zverev in his first Grand Slam quarterfinal appearance. 

        

Women's Singles

No. 21 Elena Rybakina def. No. 7 Serena Williams, 6-3, 7-5

No. 31 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova def. No. 15 Victoria Azarenka, 5-7, 6-3, 6-2

No. 33 Paula Badosa def. No. 20 Marketa Vondrousova, 6-4, 3-6, 6-2

Tamara Zidansek def. Sorana Cirstea, 7-6 (7-4), 6-1

One of the four winners on Sunday will be playing for their first Grand Slam title on Saturday. 

Azarenka and Williams were the last two Grand Slam winners left in the bottom half of the draw, and they were both upset by seeded opponents. 

Williams was outmatched by Rybakina over the course of two sets, starting with a 6-3 first-set win from the No. 21 seed. 

Rybakina won both of her break-point opportunities and took nine of the 21 receiving points off Williams' serve in the opening stanza.

Williams put up more of a fight in the second set, but she was broken on her final service game. That allowed Rybakina to close out the match on her serve. 

Rybakina, who never got past the third round at any major before Paris, is now the highest seed left of the four confirmed quarterfinalists. 

Pavlyuchenkova faced a more difficult path to take down Azarenka, as the No. 15 seed took the first set.

The 31st-seeded Russian broke Azarenka's serve on eight occasions, and she started her run to the finish with a break at 4-3 in the second set. 

In the third set, Pavlyuchenkova won five consecutive games to close the match. Two breaks of serve were included during that run.

Paula Badosa had to battle through three sets as well to take down Marketa Vondrousova. The 33rd-seeded Spaniard used two early breaks in the third set to gain separation. 

Tamara Zidanesk took down Sorana Cirstea in the lone unseeded match to land her first quarterfinal berth a major. Zidansek had not gotten out of the second round in any of her previous major appearances. 

     

Statistics obtained from RolandGarros.com.

Serena Williams was knocked out of the 2021 French Open after Elena Rybakina earned a 6-3, 7-5 upset in the fourth round Sunday.

Rybakina needed just one hour, 17 minutes to secure the win, which featured five breaks over the two sets and 49 percent of return points won.

Williams has not reached the quarterfinals at Roland Garros since finishing as the runner-up in 2016, and she has been stuck on 23 career Grand Slam titles since her 2017 Australian Open victory.

This was already Rybakina's deepest run at a Grand Slam, and the 21-year-old will now make her first quarterfinal appearance against No. 31 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, who upset Victoria Azarenka earlier in the day.

Williams entered the match as the much bigger name with a more impressive resume, but it was Rybakina who won her first three matches of this event in straight sets. The No. 21 seed kept the momentum going against the seventh-seeded Williams.

Rybakina won two breaks in the first set on the way to a 6-3 win to put the American in an early hole:

First set Rybakina over Serena 6-3

Rybakina 2 for 2 on break points. Her big serve and flat baseline power giving her the early edge#getty pic.twitter.com/FV93Coe1hv

— Christopher Clarey 🇺🇸 🇫🇷 🇪🇸 (@christophclarey) June 6, 2021

Elena Rybakina was such a revelation at the start of the 2020 season, and her clean, easy hitting is working well against Serena early so far.

#21 Rybakina takes the first set 6-3 over #7 Serena.#RG21

— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) June 6, 2021

https://twitter.com/TennisPodcast/status/1401577235602083845

The Kazakhstan native gained even more control with an early break in the second set and more quality winners.

Rybakina on the move 👀#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/Fz9YZBCaM7

— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 6, 2021

Rybakina right on 🎯#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/1VUcw5soFv

— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 6, 2021

Williams fought back and eventually led 3-2 and 5-4 after breaks, looking like she would even up the match with a second-set victory.

Pure power ⚡️#RolandGarros | @serenawilliams pic.twitter.com/ULu5Lhoz8D

— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 6, 2021

It wasn't meant to be as sloppy play held back the superstar, who finished the day with 19 unforced errors and just 15 winners. She also got only 57 percent of her first serves in play.

After a break in the 11th game of the set, Rybakina closed out the match with her serve for arguably the biggest win in her young career.

Biggest win of her career: clinched. 👊

Elena Rybakina upsets Serena Williams in straight sets 6-3, 7-5 to reach the quarterfinals in Paris.
How it happened: https://t.co/ERTqPDKTXH#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/U9lpXwXYhJ

— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) June 6, 2021

Williams has had an up-and-down 2021 season during which she has been limited by a shoulder injury and inconsistency. She reached the Australian Open semifinals but went 1-2 over her next two tournaments in May, both on clay in Italy.

A fourth-round exit in Paris represents more disappointment for a player who has won this event three times. The 39-year-old will now look to bounce back by Wimbledon, scheduled to begin on June 28.

Serena Williams is one win away from advancing to her first French Open quarterfinal since 2016.

The three-time champion at Roland Garros will play in one of two seeded matchups on Court Philippe-Chatrier on Sunday.

The seventh-seeded Williams takes on No. 21 Elena Rybakina in the third match on Chatrier. The two players have never met head-to-head.

Victoria Azarenka, the No. 15 seed, opens the slate of four matches on Chatrier against No. 31 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, who knocked out the third seed Aryna Sabalenka in the third round.

If Williams and Azarenka win, they will face off in what should be the most notable quarterfinal clash in the women's draw.

Stefanos Tsitsipas and Daniil Medvedev are in line for a quarterfinal showdown as well. The pair of top-five seeds both need to win Sunday against seeded foes, and they are both expected to advance.

The full schedule for Sunday's matches at Roland Garros can be found here on the tournament's official website.

        

Predictions

Serena Williams, Victoria Azarenka Set Up Quarterfinal Showdown

Williams and Azarenka are the two most experienced players left in the women's draw.

If they square off in the final eight, it would be a rematch of the three-set epic won by Azarenka in the 2020 U.S. Open semifinals.

The fourth round is a rare destination for both of their opponents at Roland Garros. Pavlyuchenkova has a quarterfinal appearance from 2011, and Rybakina will be playing in her first fourth-round match at a major.

Azarenka is the only one of the two higher seeds with previous experience versus her Sunday foe. The No. 15 seed is 5-1 versus Pavlyuchenkova.

The only win that Pavlyuchenkova owns over Azarenka was through a second-set retirement in the round of 16 of the 2015 tournament in Cincinnati.

Azarenka won the most recent clash between the players in convincing fashion in 2019, and she is coming off her strongest performance of the tournament, a 6-2, 6-2 win over Madison Keys.

Pavlyuchenkova took advantage of Sabalenka's inexperience deep into majors by blanking her in the third set. She will not face a similar situation against Azarenka, who should put her away on one of the first chances to do so.

Williams has not faced Rybakina, but she will be the No. 21 seed's toughest opponent by far at Roland Garros. Rybakina defeated three unseeded opponents after Petra Kvitova withdrew from the tournament following the first round.

Williams fended off a handful of challenges in the opening three rounds, including a comeback from 1-4 down to Danielle Collins to win in straight sets Thursday.

If she continues to battle through the tough moments, Williams should surge past Rybakina and set up the star-studded showdown in the final eight.

     

Stefanos Tsitsipas Cruises into Final 8

Tsitsipas won nine of the 10 sets he played in over three rounds.

The only loss in that group was in the first set to John Isner, who is notoriously tough to break on serve.

The fifth-seeded man rebounded well from that dropped set by winning three in a row to close out the American.

Tsitsipas has not lost a set in two matches against Pablo Carreno Busta. One of those matches produced a straight-set win on clay.

Carreno Busta experienced a fairly easy run into the fourth round with victories over a trio of unseeded players. He will take a significant step up for his clash with the Greek.

The 12th-seeded Spaniard did not fare well against the toughest competition in the buildup to Paris. He lost to Casper Ruud and Rafael Nadal. He beat Diego Schwartzman in Barcelona, but that was his only victory over a top 20 player in four events.

Carreno Busta has the potential to take a set off Tsitsipas, but it seems unlikely that he will capture three against the No. 5 seed.

    

Statistics obtained from ATPTour.com and WTATennis.com.

The women's singles draw is open for Serena Williams to advance to the 2021 French Open final. 

Williams took down fellow American Danielle Collins in straight sets on Friday to become the highest-seeded woman in her side of the draw to qualify for the fourth round. 

No. 3 seed Aryna Sabalenka crashed out in a three-set loss in which she failed to capture a single game in the third set. 

Five seeded women are still alive in the bottom half of the draw, including Williams' fourth-round opponent Elena Rybakina, but the path to the final is much easier than it looked at the start of the tournament on Sunday. 

Sabalenka, Bianca Andreescu and Belinda Bencic were all upset, while Naomi Osaka and Petra Kvitova both withdrew from the competition to open up that portion of the draw. 

On the men's side, Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas are one win away from a quarterfinal showdown.

Medvedev, Tsitsipas and Alexander Zverev all won Friday to keep five of the sixth highest-seeded men in the tournament. 

       

Friday French Open Results

Men's Singles

No. 2 Daniil Medvedev def. No. 32 Reilly Opelka, 6-4, 6-2, 6-4

No. 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas def. No. 31 John Isner, 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 (3), 6-1

No. 6 Alexander Zverev def. Laslo Dere, 6-2, 7-5, 6-2

No. 12 Pablo Carreno Busta def. Steve Johnson, 6-4, 6-4, 6-2

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina def. No. 15 Casper Ruud, 7-6 (3), 2-6, 7-6 (6), 0-6, 7-5

No. 22 Cristian Garin def. Marcos Giron, 6-1, 5-7, 6-2, 6-2

Federico Delbonis def. No. 27 Fabio Fognini, 6-4, 6-1, 6-3

Kei Nishikori def. Henri Laaksonen 7-5 (retired)

Tsitispas faced the most difficulty of the three single-digit seeds left in the bottom half. 

The fifth-seeded Greek was broken once in the first set by John Isner, who is known for keeping steady on his own serve. It took Tsitsipas until the fourth set to break down every aspect of Isner's serve, as he closed out the victory with a 6-1 set. Tsitsipas won 92 percent of his first-serve points in the fourth set and won nine of the 16 receiving points off Isner's serve to eliminate the American. 

Isner was one of four American men knocked out of the tournament on Friday. All of them lost to seeded opposition. 

Steve Johnson and Reilly Opelka fell in straight sets, while Marcos Giron won a single set before losing to Cristian Garin. 

While the Americans could not pull off an upset, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina did. The Spaniard won a five-set battle with No. 15 Casper Ruud. 

Davidovich Fokina's victory was impressive to say the least, as he rallied from a fourth-set shutout to take the final set 7-5. He has a chance to square off with Zverev in the final eight but needs to beat Federico Delbonis in the only unseeded round-of-16 showdown. 

Delbonis dispensed of Fabio Fognini with ease in straight sets. Fognini was one of five Italians to advance to the third round. The other four take the court on Saturday. 

       

Women's Singles

No. 31 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova def. No. 3 Aryna Sabalenka, 6-4, 2-6, 6-0

No. 7 Serena Williams def. Danielle Collins, 6-4, 6-4

No. 15 Victoria Azarenka def. No. 23 Madison Keys, 6-2, 6-2

No. 20 Marketa Vondrousova def. Polona Hercog, 6-3, 6-3

No. 21 Elena Rybakina def. Elena Vesnina, 6-1, 6-4

No. 33 Paula Badosa def. Ana Bogdan, 2-6, 7-6 (4), 6-4

Tamara Zidansek def. Katerina Siniakova, 0-6, 7-6 (5), 6-2

Sorana Cirstea def. Daria Kasatkina, 6-3, 6-2

Williams avoided a third set against Collins by storming back from a 1-4 deficit in the second set. 

The No. 7 seed broke Collins on two occasions and finished out the contest with four consecutive points won on her serve. Williams held an advantage in every stat category, including winners, break points won and first-serve percentage. 

Williams' path to the final looks clearer because of Sabalenka's shocking crash out of the third round. The No. 3 seed won the second set with ease against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova but then she fell apart in the final set. 

Sabalenka committed 17 unforced errors and four double-faults in the disastrous final set that put Pavlyucheknova into a fourth-round match with Victoria Azarenka. 

Azarenka is likely the toughest foe left for Williams to face in the bottom half of the draw. The No. 15 seed cruised to a straight-set win over Madison Keys. 

After Williams and Azarenka, no other top-15 seeds made it to the fourth round in their half of the draw. 

The run-up to the final is much more difficult in the top half with 11 seeded players scheduled for third-round matches Saturday. 

      

Statistics obtained from RolandGarros.com.

Serena Williams headlined Day 6 of the 2021 French Open with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Danielle Collins to advance to the fourth round.

A three-time winner of the French Open, Williams has seen her path to a fourth title open up thanks to a series of upsets and injuries.

Five of the top 10 seeds in the women's bracket didn't advance past the second round, and No. 3 seed Aryna Sabalenka's run came to an end Friday when she was upset by Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.

Daniil Medvedev, the No. 2 seed in the men's bracket, sent Reilly Opelka home in straight sets.

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2021 French Open Results: Friday

Men's Singles

No. 2 Daniil Medvedev def. No. 32 Reilly Opelka 6-4, 6-2, 6-4

No. 6 Alexander Zverev def. Laslo Djere 6-2, 7-5, 6-2

No. 12 Pablo Carreno Busta def. Steve Johnson 6-4, 6-4, 6-2

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina def. No. 15 Casper Ruud 7-6 (3), 2-6, 7-6 (6), 0-6, 7-5

No. 22 Cristian Garin def. Marcos Giron 6-1, 5-7, 6-2, 6-2

Federico Delbonis def. No. 27 Fabio Fognini 6-4, 6-1, 6-3

Kei Nishikori def. Henri Laaksonen 7-5 (Retired)

---

Women's Singles

No. 31 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova def. No. 3 Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 2-6, 6-0

No. 7 Serena Williams def. Danielle Collins 6-4, 6-4

No. 15 Victoria Azarenka def. No. 23 Madison Keys 6-2, 6-2

No. 20 Marketa Vondrousova def. Polona Hercog 6-3, 6-3

No. 21 Elena Rybakina def. Elena Vesnina 6-1, 6-4

No. 33 Paula Badosa def. Ana Bogdan 2-6, 7-6 (4), 6-4

Tamara Zidansek def. Katerina Siniakova 0-6, 7-6 (5), 6-2

Sorana Cirstea def. Daria Kasatkina 6-3, 6-2

---

It's the first time since 2018 that Williams has advanced to the fourth round at Roland Garros. 

Collins didn't make things easy, especially in the second set. She took a 4-1 lead before Williams rallied to win five consecutive games to take the set and the match. 

Serena Williams, the highest ranked player left in the bottom half, back into the last 16 of #RolandGarros for the 1st time since 2018, beating Danielle Collins 6-4, 6-4 from 1-4 down in the 2nd.

She is getting better match by match.

Gets Rybakina next. pic.twitter.com/BQCN2w0vyt

— José Morgado (@josemorgado) June 4, 2021

Williams came out of the gate strong. All five of her aces came in the opening set, and she hit 62 percent of her first serves in play. The 39-year-old won 17 of 18 first-serve points.

"Today in particular, this whole week thus far, I just needed a win," Williams said after the match. "I needed to win tough matches. I needed to win sets. I needed to win being down. I needed to find me, know who I am. Nobody else is Serena out here. It's me. It's pretty cool."

Williams will take on Elena Rybakina in the fourth round, the first head-to-head meeting between the two. Rybakina defeated Elena Vesnina in straight sets Friday.  

Despite being seeded third in this tournament and fourth in the WTA rankings, Sabalenka is still waiting for her breakthrough moment in a Grand Slam tournament. The 23-year-old has yet to advance past the fourth round in any of the four major events. 

Sabalenka still has not been past R4 in a major
41 winners, 39 unforced errors
6 aces, 8 double faults

Too many own goals#getty pic.twitter.com/ZAgcCR8L2E

— Christopher Clarey 🇺🇸 🇫🇷 🇪🇸 (@christophclarey) June 4, 2021

Medvedev is in the midst of his best run at the French Open. After losing in the first round in each of the previous four years, the Russian star has only dropped one set through three matches in 2021. 

Friday was a dominant performance for Medvedev against Opelka. He needed just 98 minutes in the straight-sets win, hit 10 aces and won 34 of 38 first-serve points. 

Q. You've joked in the past you hate clay. Now you're playing well. Are there any things...you also hate but you're really good at?
MEDVEDEV: How you call it in English? The beliefs, they can change. When I was young I never ate fish, I hated it. Now I love tuna, but raw tuna.

— Jon Wertheim (@jon_wertheim) June 4, 2021

Next up for Medvedev will be No. 22 Cristian Garin. They met in May at the ATP Masters 1000 in Madrid, which is also a clay-court event. Garin won in three sets. 

No. 6 Alexander Zverev and No. 12 Pablo Carreno Busta were also notable winners in the men's bracket.

Zverev got his second straight-sets victory of the tournament with a 6-2, 7-5, 6-2 win over Laslo Djere. On Sunday, he plays Kei Nishikori, whose third-round match ended after one set when Henri Laaksonen retired with an injury.

Laaksonen's bad luck could be beneficial for Nishikori. The Japanese star needed five sets to win each of his first two matches and was on the court for more than eight hours in those victories combined.

Serena Williams punched her ticket to the fourth round of the 2021 French Open with a win over fellow American Danielle Collins in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4, at Stade Roland-Garros in Paris.

Williams' victory didn't come without a little tension as she dropped four consecutive games early in the second set before storming back to advance. She recorded 22 winners and five aces in Friday's third-round match.

The three-time French Open champion, who's the Grand Slam tournament's No. 7 seed, moves on to face 21st-seeded Elena Rybakina in the round of 16.

Running. it. down!

A little extra in those 👟@serenawilliams #RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/3zeGIRrchG

— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 4, 2021

Williams didn't put together her most efficient match, tallying 20 unforced errors and five double faults while getting just 59 percent of her first serves in, but she made up for it with a strong performance on the return. She won 45 percent of receiving points and converted four of her eight break-point chances.

It's consistent with the 39-year-old tennis legend's play so far in the season's second major. She was pushed to a first-set tiebreaker by Irina-Camelia Begu in the first round and dropped the second set to Mihaela Buzarnescu in Round 2 before taking the third set in convincing 6-1 fashion.

She hasn't found peak form quite yet, but ultimately it's hard to complain about reaching the fourth round while dropping only a single set, especially in a Grand Slam.

Williams is now just four wins away from winning her 24th major singles title, which would tie her with Margaret Court for the most in history. It would also mark her first Grand Slam title since the 2017 Australian Open and her first French Open championship since 2015.

She was asked in her post-match interview about being an inspiration for people around the world.

"I really don't think about it too much because I'm still playing, but I feel good to hopefully be an inspiration and continue to be an inspiration," Williams said. "It's fun, I just really enjoy my time here and I enjoy playing in front of this crowd and in general I always try to have fun."

“It’s tough because they play like it’s the Super Bowl. And I’m like man where were you playing like that before? That’s the joy of being Serena, I have to always be on my A game.”@serenawilliams | @jon_wertheim | #RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/Tss70ajhGa

— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) June 4, 2021

Collins was gamely throughout the match, breaking Williams' serve twice in the second set and winning 79 percent of points on her first serve, but it wasn't quite enough. She compiled more unforced errors (21) than winners (18) and more double faults (three) than aces (one).

Looking ahead, Williams and Rybakina will face off in their first WTA Tour meeting during Sunday's fourth-round action.

A potential showdown with Victoria Azarenka awaits if Serena reaches the quarterfinals.

Daniil Medvedev and Serena Williams both lost a set in their 2021 French Open second-round matches on Wednesday, but neither player's championship hopes came under a significant threat.

Medvedev shrugged off a first-set loss to American Tommy Paul to rattle off three straight-set victories to continue his longest run at Roland Garros. 

The No. 2 seed in the men's singles draw won his first-ever main-draw match on the Paris clay earlier this week and is one of three top-six seeds still alive in the bottom half of the draw. 

Williams faced a tough test from Mihaela Buzarnescu, who took the second set off the No. 7 seed thanks to some terrific shot-making. 

Williams grabbed control of the match in the final set to secure an all-American matchup with Danielle Collins.

Williams and Collins are two of seven American men and women that advanced to the third round on Wednesday. 

         

Wednesday French Open Results

Men's Singles

No. 2 Daniil Medvedev def. Tommy Paul, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4, 6-3

No. 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas def. Pedro Martinesz, 6-3, 6-4, 6-3

No. 6 Alexander Zverev def. Roman Safiullin, 7-6 (4), 6-3, 7-6 (1)

Henri Laaksonen def. No. 11 Roberto Batista Agut, 6-3, 2-6, 6-3, 6-2

No. 12 Pablo Carreno Busta def. Enzo Couacaud, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4

No. 15 Casper Ruud def. Kamil Majchrzak, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4

No. 22 Cristian Garin def. Mackenzie McDonald, 4-6, 4-6, 7-6 (7), 6-3, 8-6

Kei Nishikori def. No. 23 Karen Khachanov, 4-6, 6-2, 2-6, 6-4, 6-4

No. 27 Fabio Fognini def. Marton Fucsovics, 7-6 (6), 6-1, 6-2

No. 31 John Isner def. Filip Krajinovic, 7-6 (6), 6-1, 7-6 (5)

No. 32 Reilly Opelka def. Jaume Munar, 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 7-5

Medvedev's game on clay is getting better by the match.

Of course, any type of victory could be viewed as an upgrade from the Russian's previous trips to Roland Garros. 

The No. 2 seed appeared to be headed for an upset loss after the first set that was controlled by Paul, the 52nd-ranked man in the world. 

Medvedev flipped the match in his favor through a dominant second set in which he won both of his break-point opportunities and took 10 of the 15 receiving points on Paul's serve. 

The second-set performance set the tone for the rest of the match, as Medvedev earned 10 more winners, converted four more break points and had 14 fewer unforced errors. 

Medvedev will face another American in the third round. No. 32 seed Reilly Opelka defeated Jaume Munar in four sets. 

Opelka, No. 31 seed John Isner, Marcos Giron and Steve Johnson are the four American men in the third round. 

Isner also faces a difficult test on Friday, as he faces No. 5 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas, who could be viewed as the favorite to reach the final out of the bottom half of the draw. 

Tsitsipas won his second consecutive straight-set victory and he has not been tested much in the first two rounds. 

Johnson will take on No. 12 Pablo Carreno Busta, and Giron faces No. 22 Cristian Garin, who outlasted Mackenzie McDonald in a five-set thriller. 

Garin's comeback from two sets down started with a 9-7 third-set tiebreak win. He completed the match by winning the final set 8-6. The French Open does not have a final-set tiebreak like other majors have. 

No. 11 seed Roberto Batista Agut had the most surprising exit on Wednesday, as he was ousted by Swiss qualifier Henri Laaksonen in four sets. 

Laaksonen had never gotten past the second round at Roland Garros before this year. He will play Kei Nishikori in the third round for the chance to take on Alexander Zverev in the fourth round. 

         

Women's Singles

No. 3 Aryna Sabalenka def. Aliaksandra Sasnovich, 7-5, 6-3

No. 7 Serena Williams def. Mihaela Buzarnescu, 6-3, 5-7, 6-1

Daria Kasatkina def. No. 10 Belinda Bencic, 6-2, 6-2 

No. 15 Victoria Azarenka def. Clara Tauson, 7-5, 6-4

No. 20 Marketa Vondrousova def. Harmony Tan, 6-1, 6-3

No. 21 Elena Rybakina def. Nao Hibino, 6-3, 6-1

No. 23 Madison Keys def. Leylah Fernandez, 6-1, 7-5

Katerina Siniakova def. No. 29 Veronika Kudermetova, 7-6 (7), 5-7, 7-5

No. 31 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova def. Alja Tomljanovic, 6-2, 6-3

No. 33 Paula Badosa def. Danka Kovinic, 6-2, 6-0

Even though Williams dropped a set on Wednesday, she is still viewed as one of the favorites to come out of the bottom half of the women's singles draw. 

The No. 7 seed had a tough time putting away Buzarnescu because the 33-year-old Romanian made a handful of terrific shots in clutch situations. 

In fact, Buzarnescu finished with one fewer winner than Williams for the entire match. She produced 12 winners and a pair of breaks in the second set. 

Williams eventually took over in the third set, as she went 3-of-4 on break-point opportunities and won 13 more points than Buzarnescu. 

Williams is still on a collision course with No. 3 Aryna Sabalenka for a quarterfinal showdown. The two women are the only top 10 seeds left in their half of the draw. 

Belinda Bencic was the latest top-10 player to exit that section, as she fell in straight sets to Daria Kasatkina. 

Bencic's loss guaranteed the appearance of one unseeded player in the quarterfinal. Bianca Andreescu and Johanna Konta were upset in the first round, while Bencic and Veronika Kudermetova lost on Wednesday. 

Marketa Vondrousova and Paula Badosa are the only seeds left in the bottom two sections. They both won in straight sets to qualify for the third round. 

If both of those players lose in the third round, the women's draw will have two unseeded quarterfinalists and one will make the semifinals to potentially play Williams or Sabalenka.

         

Statistics obtained from RolandGarros.com.

The second round of the 2021 French Open got underway Wednesday in Paris.

While she had already announced her withdrawal, Naomi Osaka's exit was made official as Ana Bogdan was awarded with a victory. Without Osaka in the draw, things have opened up a bit for Aryna Sabalenka and Serena Williams, and both took the court at Roland Garros on Wednesday.

On the men's side, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alexander Zverev were the top seeds in action.

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2021 French Open Results

Women's Singles

Ana Bogdan def. No. 2 Naomi Osaka (walkover)

No. 3 Aryna Sabalenka def. Aliaksandra Sasnovich 7-5, 6-3

No. 7 Serena Williams def. Mihaela Buzarnescu 6-3, 5-7, 6-1

Daria Kasatkina def. No. 10 Belinda Bencic 6-2, 6-2

Elena Vesnina def. No. 11 Petra Kvitova (walkover) 

No. 15 Victoria Azarenka def. Clara Tauson 7-5, 6-4

No. 20 Marketa Vondrousova def. Harmony Tan 6-1, 6-3 

No. 21 Elena Rybakina def. Nao Hibino 6-3, 6-1 

No. 23 Madison Keys def. Leylah Fernandez 6-1, 7-5

Katerina Siniakova def. No. 29 Veronika Kudermetova 7-6(7), 5-7, 7-5

No. 31 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova def. Ajla Tomljanovic 6-2, 6-3

No. 33 Paula Badosa def. Danka Kovinic 6-2, 6-2

Tamara Zidansek def. Madison Brengle 6-4, 6-1

Sorana Cirstea def. Martina Trevisan 6-4, 3-6, 6-4

Polona Hercog def. Caroline Garcia 7-5, 6-4

Danielle Collins def. Anhelina Kalinina 6-0, 6-2

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Men's Singles

No. 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas def. Pedro Martinez 6-3, 6-4, 6-3

No. 6 Alexander Zverev def. Roman Safiullin 7-6(4), 6-3, 7-6(1)

Henri Laaksonen def. No. 11 Roberto Bautista Agut 6-3, 2-6, 6-3, 6-2

No. 12 Pablo Carreno Busta def. Enzo Couacaud 2-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 

No. 15 Casper Ruud def. Kamil Majchrzak 6-3, 6-2, 6-4

No. 22 Cristian Garin def. Mackenzie McDonald 4-6, 4-6, 7-6(7), 6-3, 8-6 

Kei Nishikori def. No. 23 Karen Khachanov 4-6, 6-2, 2-6, 6-4, 6-4

No. 27 Fabio Fognini def. Marton Fucsovics 7-6(6), 6-1, 6-2 

No. 31 John Isner def. Filip Krajinovic 7-6(6), 6-1, 7-6(5)

No. 32 Reilly Opelka def. Jaume Munar 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 7-5

 Alejandro Davidovich Fokina def. Botic Van de Zandschulp 6-4, 6-4, 5-7, 2-6, 6-4 

Federico Delbonis def. Pablo Andujar 4-6, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2

Laslo Djere def. Miomir Kecmanovic 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-3

Marcos Giron def. Guido Pella 7-6(2), 6-1, 6-7(3), 6-4

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Recap

Williams had her hands full with Mihaela Buzarnescu.

She struggled to open any breathing room on Buzarnescu in the opening set before breaking her serve to take a 5-3 lead and eventually claim the set.

Buzarnescu responded in the second with a break of her own to build a 4-2 lead, though Williams fought back to make it 4-3. Williams was serving for the tiebreak down 5-6 but committed two unforced errors and saw Buzarnescu hit a forehand winner on set point.

What a set point 😱@MikiBuzarnescu takes the second against Serena 7-5 and forces a decider!#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/kMqTZ6DSDw

— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 2, 2021

Williams was dialed in in the third set. She broke Buzarnescu in back-to-back service games and didn't look back.

The 23-time Grand Slam champion finished with five aces and won 75 percent of her points on first serve.

"I felt it was pretty good today," she said after the win. "But I've been practicing my serve a lot. I've been playing in practice unbelievable on my serve. The other night was, wow. I'm glad it came better today."

Elsewhere in the women's draw, Sabalenka took down Aliaksandra Sasnovich in straight sets despite a sloppy showing.

The Australian Open champion had 27 winners but committed 34 unforced errors. She also committed five double-faults and won just seven of her 30 second-service points.

Sasnovich was unable to capitalize. Allowing 12 break-point opportunities in two sets is a recipe for disaster when attempting to upset the No. 4 player in the world.

Tenth-seeded Belinda Bencic was the highest seed to lose—excluding Osaka. The Swiss had no answer for the serve of Daria Kasatkina. Kasatkina had eight aces and went 32-of-40 on first serve.

The Russian explained how playing an early match may have benefited her.

Kasatkina: "For me it obviously is better to play in the morning when the ball is bouncing better. I think today it was a very important point, because I like when the ball bounces higher, Belinda doesn't."

After defeating 10th seed Bencic, faces Cirstea in 3R. #RG21 pic.twitter.com/ZbuvTWvNk4

— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) June 2, 2021

The men's draw featured little in the way of surprises as Tsitsipas and Zverev both advanced in straight sets.

Zverev encountered from stiff resistance from Roman Safiullin, trailing 4-5 in each of the first and third sets before pulling through in a tiebreaker.

https://twitter.com/kurtstreeter/status/1400146981511565314

Tsitsipas had a more straightforward time with Pedro Martinez. The 22-year-old Greek looked to get to the net early and often, and the strategy paid off in spades. He went 26-of-27 on net points.

Serena Williams survived an upset bid from Mihaela Buzarnescu to reach the third round of the 2021 French Open at Stade Roland Garros in Paris.

Williams, a three-time French Open singles champion, advanced in three sets (6-3, 5-7, 6-1). The 39-year-old won 75 percent of points on her first serve (39 of 52) with five aces, and she held a slight edge in winners (26-25) in Wednesday's second-round match.

The tournament's No. 7 seed moves on to face fellow American Danielle Collins in Round 3.

This made everyone smile 😄

@serenawilliams x @MikiBuzarnescu#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/b7Qp24wv7g

— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 2, 2021

Williams' outlook for the season's second major was a bit unsettled when she arrived in Paris. She'd only appeared in two WTA Tour events since reaching the Australian Open semifinals in February, and she lost two of her three matches in those clay-court tuneups.

The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion knocked off Irina-Camelia Begu in the first round, but it wasn't a total breeze as she required a first-set tiebreaker before easing to the finish line in the second set.

It was more of the same Wednesday. Williams appeared in control early on, but a break by the Romanian midway through the second set created some unexpected tension. She got the break back, only to drop her final service game of the set.

What a set point 😱@MikiBuzarnescu takes the second against Serena 7-5 and forces a decider!#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/kMqTZ6DSDw

— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 2, 2021

Although Williams, who last captured the French Open title in 2015, recovered to win the third set, she hasn't looked anywhere close to top form in the major's initial stages.

"I've had enough rest in the past 16 months, so I should be totally ready to go for it," she told reporters after the first round about the busy schedule that starts with the stop at Roland Garros.

Serena skill 💯#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/YQde1YSTbv

— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 2, 2021

Williams still has flashes of her previous brilliance—her serve was downright dominant at times throughout the win over Buzarnescu—but being able to maintain that level over the course of an entire match has been more difficult since her return to action in mid-May.

She'll look to find a little more consistency starting Friday against Collins. Williams won their only previous WTA Tour meeting in the quarterfinals of the Yarra Valley Classic in February, but the 27-year-old Florida native is coming off a win over Anhelina Kalinina in which she dropped just two games.

Williams' half of the draw is wide-open for her to make a deep run if she can find peak form.

Daniil Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alexander Zverev all have an easier path to the 2021 French Open final than they have had at previous majors. 

Each of the single-digit seeds in the men's singles draw will not have to go through Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer or Novak Djokovic to reach the final.

Additionally, none of them will face Dominic Thiem in the bottom half of the bracket after the fourth-seeded Austrian was knocked out in the first round at Roland Garros. 

On Wednesday, Medvedev, Tsitsipas and Zverev have a chance to assert their dominance in their respective sections of the draw. Medvedev will have all the focus on him in the lone night match on Court Philippe Chatrier. 

Aryna Sabalenka and Serena Williams are the top-seeded women playing on Wednesday. They are the only top 10 seeds left in the bottom half of the women's singles draw. 

Sabalenka and Williams could be on a collision course for a quarterfinal clash as long as they avoid the upsets that took out Bianca Andresscu, Kiki Bertens and Johanna Konta in their half of the draw.

Wednesday's full schedule at Roland Garros can be found here on the tournament's official website. 

          

Predictions

Zverev, Medvedev, Tsitsipas Breeze into 3rd Round

The top seeds left in the bottom part of the men's bracket should go through a fairly easy Wednesday in Paris. 

Zverev was the only member of the trio to be tested in the first round, as he went to five sets with fellow German Oscar Otte. The sixth-seeded German looked much better after the third set began. He won 18 of the 22 games played in that stretch and shut out Otte in the fifth set. 

If the same Zverev from the third, fourth and fifth sets shows up Wednesday, he should breeze past qualifier Roman Safiullin.

Tsitsipas faces an opponent of similar quality in the form of Pedro Martinez, who spent most of the clay-court buildup to Roland Garros on the challenger circuit. Martinez is 4-8 in 2021 and only has one win over a player that was inside the top 50 of the world rankings. 

Medvedev faces the toughest matchup of the trio against American Tommy Paul, who is 52nd in the world rankings. 

Before his first-round win, Medvedev did not own a main-draw win on the Paris clay, so his status as a potential winner could come into question the most. 

Medvedev and Paul have never met head-to-head and the 24-year-old American could be at a disadvantage on the Roland Garros surface. Paul suffered defeats to Roberto Batista Agut and Andrey Rublev in Madrid and Rome, respectively, and only won five games against Tsitsipas in a straight-set loss in Lyon, France. 

If Medvedev and Tsitsipas keep winning, they would face off in the quarterfinal, with the winner could potentially face Zverev in the semifinals. 

       

Sabalenka, Serena Get Closer to Quarterfinal Showdown

Sabalenka and Williams have to be viewed as the two favorites to emerge from the bottom half of the bracket. 

No. 2 seed Naomi Osaka withdrew from the event Monday, and 11th-ranked Petra Kvitova also announced her departure from Roland Garros. 

Andreescu, Bertens and Konta were upset in the opening round, which leaves Sabalenka, Williams and Belinda Bencic as the only top-10 seeds in that half of the draw. 

Sabalenka faces a tough test against fellow Belarussian Aliaksandra Sasnovich to close out the play on Court Suzanne Lenglen, but she should move into the third round. 

Sabalenka has been one of the best players on the clay court circuit this season. She won in Madrid, lost in the Stuttgart final to Ashleigh Barty and was eliminated in the round of 16 in Rome against Coco Gauff. Even in her clay-court losses, Sabalenka played decent tennis. She pushed Barty to three sets in Germany and lost the first set to Gauff 7-5. 

Williams has an easier task on paper against 33-year-old Romanian Mihaela Buzarnescu, who made it out of the first round twice at majors since 2019 and has a 6-10 career mark at Grand Slams. Although Williams has not advanced past the third round at Roland Garros in her last two appearances, she should be in good shape against a player with little Grand Slam success. 

If Williams continues to win, Sabalenka may be the first seeded player she faces in Paris. Elena Rybakina is the only other seeded woman left in her section.

       

Statistics obtained from ATPTour.com and WTATennis.com.