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French Open Day 7: Iga Swiatek dominates and Stefanos Tsitsipas finds his footing

Chris Cwik
·Staff writer
·5 min read

A number of tennis' biggest names punched their tickets to the fourth round of the French Open on Friday. Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Coco Gauff were among the star players to advance.

Other notable names look to do the same Saturday. Top ranked Iga Swiatek will look to continue her 30+ match streak, No. 2 Daniil Medvedev will try to punch his ticket and Stefanos Tsitsipas will hope for smoother sailing after falling behind in the first two rounds.

After many favorites advanced Friday, will Saturday be a day full of upsets? Read on and find out.

Iga Swiatek pushes win streak to 31 matches

The No. 1 ranked women's player looks unbeatable during the French Open. Iga Swiatek pushed her win streak to 31 matches with a dominant victory over Danka Kovinic on Saturday.

Swiatek defeated Kovinic in straight sets (6-3, 7-5). Swiatek has lived up to her No. 1 ranking all tournament, not dropping a single match in the first three rounds. Kovinic gave Swiatek her biggest challenge yet, taking five games from Swiatek in the final set.

With the win, Swiatek will take on Qinwen Zheng in the fourth round. If she can take down Zheng, Swiatek's road to the finals could be inevitable. After Saturday's matches, Swiatek is the only woman ranked in the top-10 to remain in the French Open.

Daniil Medvedev cruises to win over Miomir Kecmanovic

Men's No. 2 Daniil Medvedev didn't have much trouble in the third round of the French Open. Medvedev cruised past Miomir Kecmanovic, winning in straight sets (6-2, 6-4, 6-2).

The clay court proved to be no issue for Medvedev, who has talked about struggling on clay in the past. To complicate matters, Medvedev missed the start of clay season while recovering from hernia surgery.

Those issues did not hold Medvedev back Saturday.

Medvedev has yet to drop a set in his first three matches at the French Open. He'll be tested in Round 4, as Medvedev will take on No. 20 Marin Cilic on Tuesday.

Injury prevents Paula Badosa from advancing

Paula Badosa struggled in her third round match against Veronika Kudermetova before pulling out with an injury. Badosa dropped the first set to Kudermetova 6-3. Kudermetova took a 2-1 lead in the second set, but a calf injury prevented Badosa from continuing the match.

The move pushed No. 29 Kudermetova into the fourth round of the event. With Badosa's exit, Swiatek is the only top-10 ranked women's player to remain in the French Open. Kudermetova will take on Madison Keys in the fourth round Tuesday.

Stefanos Tsitsipas finds his footing in Round 3

After a rocky start at the French Open, Stefanos Tsitsipas finally found his footing in Round 3. Tsitsipas cruised to a win over Mikael Ymer, defeating him in straight sets (6-2, 6-2, 6-1) Saturday.

Stefanos Tsitsipas at the French Open.
Stefanos Tsitsipas looked much more comfortable in Round 3 of the French Open. (Photo by Shi Tang/Getty Images) (Shi Tang via Getty Images)

It was a much-needed, dominant victory for Tsitsipas, who struggled in his first two matches. Tsitsipas nearly lost in Round 1, dropping his first two sets against Lorenzo Musetti. Tsitsipas eventually rallied for the win. Tsitsipas also dropped a set in the second round, but was able to pick up the win.

Those struggles didn't make an appearance during Saturday's match. With the win, Tsitsipas advances to the fourth round finally playing like he's the No. 4 ranked man at the French Open.

Jessica Pegula moves to fourth round of French Open

Jessica Pegula made quick work of Tamara Zidansek in the third round of the French Open on Saturday. Pegula defeated Zidansek in straight sets (6-1, 7-6) to advance to the fourth round.

With Badosa withdrawing due to injury, Pegula is the second-highest ranked woman still in the tournament. Women's No. 1 Iga Swiatek represents Pegula's biggest competition.

Pegula will take on Irina-Camelia Begu in the fourth round of the French Open on Tuesday.

Other notable matches

• American Madison Keys is moving to the fourth round of the French Open after upsetting Elena Rybakina in Round 3. After dropping the first set 6-3, Keys rallied to take the final two sets against Rybakina to secure the win.

• Aryna Sabalenka won the first set 6-4 against Camila Giorgi on Saturday, but couldn't put her away. Sabalenka was upset at the French Open after Giorgi won the last two sets (6-1, 6-0). Sabalenka's exit leaves Swiatek as the only top-10 ranked woman left in the tournament.

• American Shelby Rogers lost in the third round of the French Open on Saturday. Rogers lost in straight sets to No. 20 Daria Kasatkina (6-3, 6-2). Kasatkina will take on Giorgi in the fourth round Tuesday.