Coco Gauff’s serve is not at its best but she gets the breaks for a win
What else happened at the French Open on Thursday?
Other winners in the women’s bracket included No. 3 Jessica Pegula, who was the runner-up at last year’s U.S. Open, Australian Open champion Madison Keys, 18-year-old Mirra Andreeva, and 2023 Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova, who reached the 2019 final at Roland-Garros. Vondrousova, who is unseeded this year, eliminated No. 25 Magdalena Frech 6-0, 4-6, 6-3 on Court 6 and then went out to sit in the stands at Lenglen to watch Gauff vs. Valentova. In men’s play, No. 1 Jannik Sinner ended the career of 38-year-old Richard Gasquet by beating the Frenchman 6-3, 6-0, 6-4. No. 3 Alexander Zverev and No. 14 Arthur Fils won, while 24-time major champion Novak Djokovic took a medical timeout to deal with a bothersome toe but eliminated Corentin Moutet in three sets.
Jack Draper gets past Gael Monfils with Odell Beckham Jr. on hand
In the day’s last match, No. 5 seed Jack Draper of Britain erased a couple of set points that would have forced a fifth and held on to defeat French showman Gael Monfils 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 across more than three hours under the lights in Court Philippe-Chatrier. In the stands? NFL wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., who won a Super Bowl with the Los Angeles Rams. Now the left-handed Draper goes from beating the 38-year-old Monfils to a high-profile matchup against 18-year-old João Fonseca on Saturday.
Who is on the schedule at Roland-Garros on Friday?
No. 1-ranked Aryna Sabalenka will begin third-round play at Court Philippe-Chatrier on Day 6 by facing Olga Danilovic, while the night match in the main stadium features defending champion Carlos Alcaraz against Damir Džumhur, who hurt his left knee during a fall in his second-round win. Elsewhere, Iga Swiatek continues her bid for a fourth consecutive championship by playing Jaqueline Cristian, 18-year-old qualifier Victoria Mboko of Canada takes on Olympic gold medalist Zheng Qinwen, and No. 15 Frances Tiafoe faces No. 23 Sebastian Korda in an all-American matchup.