Day 4 sees the completion of second round men’s singles matches, as well as all third round women’s singles matches. And there will also be plenty of doubles action around the grounds of Roland Garros.
The third round in the women’s singles draw provides a few quite intriguing matchups. Playing in the last tournament of her career, three-time Major winner Angelique Kerber faces 2021 US Open runner-up Leylah Fernandez. Reigning Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova plays defending bronze medalist Elina Svitolina. Plus Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff will also play their third round matches, with Gauff taking on recent Wimbledon semifinalist Donna Vekic.
Second round action in men’s singles in headlined by defending gold medalist Alexander Zverev and 2021 US Open champ Daniil Medvedev. But the men’s matches with the most interest will be in doubles, as the Spanish team of Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz will be in action, as will Great Britain’s Dan Evans and Andy Murray, in what could again be the last match of Murray’s career.
Throughout the tournament, this preview will analyze the day’s most prominent matches, while highlighting the other notable matches on the schedule. Tuesday’s play begins at 12:00pm local time.
Leylah Fernandez on Monday in Paris (twitter.com/itftennis)
Angelique Kerber [GER] vs. Leylah Fernandez [CAN] (16) – 12:00pm on Court Simonne-Mathieu
Clay is easily Kerber’s worst surface, and Roland Garros the only Major title missing from her CV. And despite coming into these Olympic Games with a record of just 7-14 after returning this season from child birth, Angie’s performance in her first two matches was extremely impressive. She beat Naomi Osaka in straight sets, then outlasted Jaqueline Cristian in a grueling three-setter on Monday. Kerber is looking to create one more big result in the last tournament of her career, and she’s previously done so at the Olympics, winning a silver medal in 2016.
Fernandez also earned a solid three-set win on Monday, taking out fellow Major finalist Karolina Muchova. The 21-year-old Canadian is just 20-15 on the year, yet has played some good tennis these last few months, losing tight, highly-quality matches at the last two Majors, to Ons Jabeur and Caroline Wozniacki.
Their only previous meeting was during Leylah’s thrilling and shocking run to the final of the 2021 US Open, where she came from a set down to upset Angie in the round of 16. As per Tennis Abstract, Kerber has actually lost her last five matches against fellow lefties, a losing streak that started with that loss to Fernandez. By contrast, Leylah has claimed eight of her last nine matches against lefties at all levels. So on a surface where Fernandez has achieved more recent success than Kerber, I favor the Canadian to advance, and to end Angie’s singles career. Regardless of this result, Kerber will play women’s doubles later in the day.
Barbora Krejcikova is on a nine-match winning streak in singles (twitter.com/itftennis)
Elina Svitolina [UKR] vs. Barbora Krejcikova [CZE] (9) – Third on Court Simonne-Mathieu
Since winning Roland Garros in 2021, injuries continually interrupted the singles career of Krejcikova, and she arrived at Wimbledon this year with just seven wins in 2024. Yet a healthy Barbora won seven singles matches within that fortnight, taking out four top 15 players to claim her second Major in singles. In the opening round a few days ago, she survived a prolonged battle against Sara Sorribes Tormo, prevailing in a third-set tiebreak, then won her second round on Monday in straights.
Svitolina already owns a strong Olympic CV. In Rio, she eliminated Serena Williams from the event. Then in Tokyo, she won a bronze medal, coming from behind to defeat Elena Rybakina in the bronze medal match. And with unprovoked attacks by Russia on Ukraine continuing, representing her country at the Olympics means more to Elina than ever. That was fully evident on Monday evening, when she again came from a set down to win for Ukraine, upsetting fifth-seeded Jessica Pegula.
These players have only met once, during Krejcikova’s 2021 Roland Garros title run, where obviously Barbora was victorious, in straight sets. But Svitolina has been a different, more aggressive player since returning from child birth last season. And with the Olympics meaning so much to her, I’m backing Elina on this day, even against a confident, in-form Barbora.
Other Notable Matches on Tuesday:
Donna Vekic [CRO] (13) vs. Coco Gauff [USA] (2) – Gauff has dropped just five games through four sets thus far, and is still alive in women’s singles, women’s doubles, and mixed doubles, so she’s going to have an extremely busy week if she keeps winning. Vekis is also yet to drop a set, after taking out Bianca Andreescu on Monday. This is their first career meeting.
Alexander Zverev [GER] (3) vs. Tomas Machac [CZE] – This is another first career meeting, at least in singles, as on Monday evening, Machac teamed with Katerina Siniakova to defeat Zverev and Laura Siegemund in mixed doubles.
Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal [ESP] vs. Tallon Griekspoor and Wesley Koolhof [NED] – This is another rematch from Monday in a different discipline, as Alcaraz beat Griekspoor on Monday in singles. This will also be a fourth consecutive day of play for a depleted Nadal, coming off a loss on Monday to Novak Djokovic.
Dan Evans and Andy Murray after a comeback win on Sunday (twitter.com/itftennis)
Daniel Evans and Andy Murray [GBR] vs. Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen [BEL] – Evans and Murray were down 9-4 in the deciding set tiebreak on Sunday against Taro Daniel and Kei Nishikori, yet won the last seven points of the match to prevail, five of which were match point saves. Gille and Vliegen are a usual doubles pairing who have won eight ATP titles as a team, and were finalists a year ago at Roland Garros.
Iga Swiatek (1) vs. Xiyu Wang [CHN] – Swiatek was her usual dominant self on Monday, ousting Diane Parry of France by a score of 6-1, 6-1. Xiyu has also advanced easily to this stage, though earlier this season in Madrid on clay, she lost to Iga 6-1, 6-4.
Sebastian Ofner [AUT] vs. Daniil Medvedev [AIN] (4) – Their only previous encounter was also at an event where these men were playing for their countries, as Medvedev beat Ofner six years ago in a Davis Cup match.
Tuesday’s full Order of Play is here.
