Key events
Keys serves out for a 6-1 set; Norrie, the third match I’ve got on, leads Gomes 7-6 5-1; Fonseca, a player I’d love to be watching if only I had more screens, leads Herbert 7-6 5-4; Boisson, so pungent in beating Mertenz, leads Kalinina 5-0; and Arnaldi has just halved his arrears against Cobolli, who leads 6-3 6-3 6-7.
Hi again. I won’t lie, I’m not watching that match. I love Maddy, but she’s way too good for Boulter, so I’ve recently put them away to get Badosa on – she’s just levelled against Ruse at a set apiece.
On Lenglen, Djokovic is break-point down, spending time sending Moutet out wide to the backhand. But when he comes in to volley, he catches the net-cord, allowing a beautifully disguised putaway down the line. The Frenchman leads 1-0.
Boulter v Keys could be going the way of Raducanu v Swiatek, alas, as Keys is threatening to make it rather one-sided. Here are more break points for the American at 4-1. Six to be exact. Make that seven, as the game clock ticks over nine minutes. And Boulter surrenders with a double – just as she did in the fourth game. Keys will serve for the set at 5-1 – and Daniel is back to take you through that game …
Lois Boisson, who’s making her grand slam debut at her home event and unwittingly made headlines last month when Britain’s Harriet Dart told the umpire mid-match that her opponent “smells really bad”, is under way against Ukraine’s Anhelina Kalinina as both reach for a place in the third round for the first time. Boisson leads 1-0 and has a break point for 2-0.
Gauff’s victory means Djokovic is soon to take to Suzanne Lenglen. But let’s check in on Chatrier, where Boulter is break point down against Keys. And she hands it over with a double fault. Hugely frustrating, especially as Keys had missed a few returns in the game. Keys has the early break and leads Boulter 3-1.
Gauff says she’s happy with her return game, but thinks she could have done better with her serve, and that Valentova’s a great young player. She’s then asked what it was like waiting to take to court during Fils’s absorbing five-set win. She says she took a nap – and was then rooting for Fils. I think she’s just gained herself some more French fans – though the 2022 finalist has plenty of those already.
Gauff beats Valentova 6-2, 6-4
After an hour and 15 minutes, Gauff has two match points, leading Valentova, last year’s girls’ champion, 6-2, 5-4 and 15-40 on the Czech’s serve. A long rally plays out, with half the court in sun and the other in shade, and the second seed eventually puts Valentova in the shade to complete the win.
Norrie finally shakes off Gomez, the lucky loser ranked down at 144 in the world, on set point No 7, when Gomez nets. Norrie takes the first-set tie-break 9-7.
Norrie nudges ahead for 7-6, so here’s a sixth set point. He’s still jumping up and down enthusiastically on the baseline, even though he must feel like kicking himself right now. Or hitting himself with his racket Rublev-style. Speaking of the Russian … he’s just finished the job, 7-6, 6-1, 7-6, against Walton. Up next: a potential cracker against Fils.
It’s tie-break time on Court 13, where Norrie has put that missed set point to the back of his mind, and is 4-2 up on Gomez. And soon 5-2. Norrie then drags Gomez around the court and his opponent nets. 6-2, four set points. Norrie goes long on his first serve … and then doubles! At least he has the luxury of three more set points, though the next two are on Gomez’s serve. Gomez takes both points for 6-5 … and then turns defence into brutal attack and it’s 6-6!
TNT Sports shows footage of Boulter finding her fiance De Minaur in the gym before her match to commiserate with him about his shock loss. Hopefully it won’t distract her from the task in hand this afternoon. Boulter is definitely the underdog against Keys, who can play with freedom now she finally has her name on a grand slam trophy, but Boulter is a fighter and is feeling confident after claiming her first clay-court title nearly two weeks ago, having dropped down to play the Paris WTA 125 Challenger event. She even called herself Klatie after that victory.
Norrie has taken Gomez to deuce on the Argentine’s serve. And from there he gets himself a set point. Gomez looks in control, striking hard to Norrie’s forehand, again and again, before switching things up and hitting a winner past the Brit’s backhand. Deuce. Advantage Gomez. Game Gomez. It’s 5-5.
You wait a few hours for a Brit on court, and then two come along at once. Katie Boulter is getting going on Chatrier against Madison Keys, the Australian Open champion.
Norrie is strutting around the court as he serves for the first set at 5-3. That five-set win over Daniil Medvedev in the first round, and his run to the Geneva Open semi-finals last week, has given him some confidence after a difficult run. But from 30-all, he is broken. Call that the commentator’s curse. They’re back on serve, with Norrie leading Gomez 5-4.
Lovely video this. Though Gasquet must wish those first two hadn’t been playing when he did:
And a word for the young American qualifier Ethan Quinn:
Read up on Ethan Quinn, the former NCAA champ who wasn’t an overnight success but pulled himself onto the tour level after nearly getting stuck in obscurity.
Quinn is up a set now on Shevchenko in a part of the #RolandGarros draw with possibilities.https://t.co/56MQyJQ9j4
— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) May 29, 2025
Gauff takes the first set against Tereza Valentova, the 18-year-old Czech qualifier who won the French Open girls’ title last year, 6-2, when Valentova nets.
Paula Badosa, who took out Naomi Osaka in the first round, is under way against Romania’s Elena-Gabriela Ruse, the 18-year-old sensation Joao Fonseca is 5-5 opening set against France’s Pierre-Hugues Herbert, Andrey Rublev is still two sets to the good in his match … and over on Court 13, Cameron Norrie, the second of five Brits in singles action today, has started well against Argentina’s Federico Gomez, leading 5-2.
Interesting news. Tsitsipas definitely needs to do something to reboot his career.
And that, the era he played in, was Gasquet’s problem. He could have been a contender with the talent he had. He should have been a contender. But he played at a time when Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Murray were ruling. There’ll be a ceremony now to celebrate his career, and there is much to celebrate, but three grand slam semi-finals and two quarter-finals seems a low return for a player of his immense ability.
An emotional Gasquet stays on court – he’ll talk after Sinner does his interview. “Thank you so much for being so fair to me,” Sinner tells the crowd. The Italian’s then told he was only one when Gasquet won his first match on the tour. Sinner smiles. “We are a different generation. Congrats to your amazing career. You played in an incredible era of tennis.”
Sinner ends Gasquet’s career with a 6-3, 6-0, 6-4 win
Sinner steps up to serve, and Gasquet prepares to receive in what could be the final game of his 23-year career. “Reeechard, Reeeechard, Reeeeeeeechard,” the crowd chant after he takes the opening point for 0-15. Sinner, as Sinner does, comes back for 15-all and 30-15. At least we get a couple of final looks at that famed backhand, but it misfires to give Sinner two match points. And this time Gasquet’s forehand goes long, and the pair share a lovely embrace at the net. Gasquet, a few weeks short of his 39th birthday, has been sent into retirement by the world No 1.
Rublev is seemingly on his way, now 7-6, 6-1 ahead against the Australian Adam Walton. But for Gasquet the end appears nigh, as he drops 15-40 down on serve. If Sinner takes either of these break points he’ll be serving for the match. And that Sinner does, when Gasquet, after some admirable resistance, fires a forehand wide on the second break point. Sinner leads 6-3, 6-0, 5-4 with the break.
Sinner doesn’t have time for sentimentality though. He wants to get the job done. From 15-all, he peels off two winners for game point. Gasquet puts away a forehand for 40-30 – the Frenchman’s actually hit more winners than Sinner in this set, 11 to 8 – but Sinner, after one, two, three smashes, secures the game for 6-3, 6-0, 4-4.
On Chatrier, Gasquet is playing this third set as if it is his last (which it may well turn out to be), and he leads Sinner 4-3 on serve.
Fils’s fantastic win means that Gauff has just wandered out on to Suzanne Lenglen. She’s got her rackets this time. That’s a good start.
Zverev defeats De Jong 3-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-3
And here are three match points for Zverev, at 3-6, 6-1, 6-2, 5-3 and 0-40 on De Jong’s serve. That first set must feel like a week ago now for poor Jesper. And Zverev zips through to complete the four-set comeback win. “Once I found my rhythm I felt very comfortable,” says last year’s runner-up. “I’m happy with my level. Credit to him, he played a fantastic match also. Let’s see how far I can go.”
Krejcikova won the title at Roland Garros in 2021 and is the reigning Wimbledon champion, but it won’t register too high on the scale of shocks, given that she’s still seeking her first victory of 2025 because of a back injury that kept her out until last week.
