Djokovic v Fonseca start time: When is French Open third-round blockbuster?
Novak Djokovic battles rising star Joao Fonseca for the first time in a blockbuster third-round match at the French Open.
The shock exit of world No 1 and pre-tournament favourite Jannik Sinner has left Djokovic as the only grand slam champion left in the Roland Garros draw, with defending champion Carlos Alcaraz sidelined with a wrist injury.
Djokovic, at 39, now has a big opportunity to win a record 25th grand slam title, but he still faces a tricky road to the title and will play the talented teenager Fonseca for a place in the fourth round.
The Brazilian, 19, had to recover from two sets down to beat Dino Prizmic in the second round on Tuesday and will be looking for the biggest win of his young career.
Many would have expected Djokovic v Fonseca to be the night session match, but instead Alexander Zverev will play against Frenchman Quentin Halys in the final match of the day on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
Jannik Sinner: ‘Nothing against the heat – it was just me today’
Jannik Sinner says he started feeling as if he didn’t have any energy during the third set, but denies that had anything to do with the heat in Paris. He explains he didn’t sleep well last night and didn’t feel well when he woke up.
“It was warm but not crazy warm. I feel like it was quite okay to play and really it was was nothing against the heat, nothing against the weather. It was just me today, but it happens.
“I felt this morning that I didn’t sleep very well. This morning when I woke up was struggling a bit, but you know this can happen.
“Usually in grand slams you always have a couple of days where you don’t feel perfect. This was today. And yeah, this happened.”
French Open: Kostyuk extends winning streak to reach fourth round
How about Marta Kostyuk? The Rouen and Madrid champion is the only player in the draw to be unbeaten on clay this season and the Ukrainian has extended her winning streak to 14 matches in a row with an impressive 6-4 6-3 win over Viktorija Golubic.
Kostyuk is through to the fourth round of Roland Garros for the first time since 2021. She will play the winner of Iga Swiatek v Magda Linette, with the four-time champion recoverying from an early break to take the first set 6-4. The player to beat Kostyuk in 2021? Swiatek.
But if they meet this year Kostyuk will feel as if she is a different player.
French Open player claims defeat should not have been umpired by a woman
A French Open player has sparked controversy by saying his match should not have been umpired by a woman.
Paraguay’s Adolfo Daniel Vallejo was facing French teenager Moise Kouame in the second round on Thursday in what turned out to be one of the matches of the tournament so far.
Kouame, 17, was roared on by his home fans on Court Suzanne Lenglen, eventually winning 6-3 7-5 3-6 2-6 7-6 (10/8) after four hours and 56 minutes.
Vallejo was unhappy with the time Kouame was allowed to take between points and argued Brazilian Ana Carvalho, an experienced official, was not strong enough to control the crowd.
Jannik Sinner denies heat was to blame for shock French Open exit
Jannik Sinner denied that heat was behind his stunning French Open loss and instead blamed feeling unwell.
The world number one arrived in Paris as the most overwhelming title favourite since a prime Rafael Nadal but is leaving before the first weekend after a 3-6 2-6 7-5 6-1 6-1 loss to Argentinian Juan Manuel Cerundolo.
Even more shocking than the result was the manner of the loss, with Sinner apparently cruising to victory at 5-1 up in the third set only to lose 18 points in a row.
Sinner’s difficulties in hot weather are well documented, including a narrow escape at the Australian Open this year when he was saved by that tournament’s heat policy, but the 24-year-old insisted this was a different situation.
French Open: Play underway on Court Philippe-Chatrier
Novak Djokovic’s match against Joao Fonseca will take place following the women’s singles matches involving four-time champion Iga Swiatek and former semi-finalist Mirra Andreeva.
Swiatek avoided playing her nemesis but will instead need to face compatriot Magda Linette, who defeated her earlier this season. It was a loss that sent Swiatek into a bit of a crisis, and was the last straw before firing coach Wim Fissette.
Andreeva, the eighth seed, plays Marie Bouzkova, who was looked very assured so far at Roland Garros. The Czech has enjoyed a bit of a breakthrough year this season and knocked out Britain’s Fran Jones in the second round.
Why Jannik Sinner’s unthinkable French Open defeat is a huge wake-up call
Jannik Sinner was the biggest pre-tournament favourite at Roland Garros since Rafael Nadal in 2009 and his shock second-round defeat should alert every player in the draw while Carlos Alcaraz is absent.
French Open order of play: Friday 29 May
Court Philippe-CHATRIER
From 11:00am
- Magda Linette (POL) vs Iga Swiatek (POL) [3]
- Mirra Andreeva [8] vs Marie Bouzkova (CZE) [27]
Not before 2:30pm
- Joao Fonseca (BRA) [28] vs Novak Djokovic (SRB) [3]
Night Session – Not before 7:15pm
- Quentin Halys (FRA) vs Alexander Zverev (GER) [2]
Court Suzanne-LENGLEN
From 10:00am
- Nuno Borges (POR) vs Andrey Rublev [11]
- Jil Teichmann (SUI) vs Karolina Muchova (CZE) [10]
- Elina Svitolina (UKR) [7] vs Tamara Korpatsch (GER)
- Casper Ruud (NOR) [15] vs Tommy Paul (USA) [24]
Court Simonne-MATHIEU
From 10:00am
- Marta Kostyuk (UKR) [15] vs Viktorija Golubic (SUI)
- Alex Michelsen (USA) vs Rafael Jodar (ESP) [27]
- Alex de Minaur (AUS) [8] vs Jakub Mensik (CZE) [26]
- Peyton Stearns (USA) vs Belinda Bencic (SUI) [11]
From 10:00am
- Thiago Agustin Tirante (ARG) vs Pablo Carreno Busta (ESP)
- Solana Sierra (ARG) vs Sorana Cirstea (ROU) [18]
- Karen Khachanov [13] vs Jesper de Jong (NED)
- Maya Joint (AUS) & Hanne Vandewinkel (BEL) vs Anna Danilina (KAZ) & Aleksandra Krunic (SRB) [2]
Good morning and welcome
The French Open is still in shock after the defeat of overwhelming tournament favourite Jannik Sinner, a result that blows the men’s draw wide open and leaves Novak Djokovic as the only grand slam champion remaining.
Today, Djokovic will begin his bid to make the most of that opportunity. He has a tough match against Joao Fonseca, the exciting teenager from Brazil and 28th seed. Djokovic will also be playing in the heat, which could make life difficult.
