The French Open continued on Wednesday, May 29 at Roland-Garros with some of the sport’s biggest stars in second-round action on the clay courts of Paris. Second seed Jannik Sinner faced French favorite Richard Gasquet in a night session showdown as the Italian star hunted for a second straight Grand Slam title. The new generation’s young talent, Carlos Alcaraz, was also in action against Jesper de Jong, while the women’s draw featured some blockbuster battles. World No. 1 and defending champion Iga Swiatek faced off against Naomi Osaka in an unmissable tussle between two four-time major champions. Third seed Coco Gauff and fan favorite Ons Jabeur also returned to the court in another packed day of tennis in the French capital.
In the top men’s match, a generational battle awaited in the night session on Philippe Chatrier as veteran home favorite Gasquet faced rising star Sinner. Gasquet, at 37 years old, was competing at Roland-Garros for the 21st time and was a former quarter-finalist at the event but was a huge underdog in this second-round clash. On the other hand, Sinner was the form player on the tour this season and could even rise to world No. 1 by the end of the tournament, looking to kick on from claiming his maiden Slam in Australia. The only doubt surrounding the 22-year-old Italian was his recovery from a hip injury that forced him to retire in Madrid and ruled him out of Rome, disrupting his preparation.
The top women’s match featured a mouth-watering contest as two multiple Grand Slam champions, Swiatek and Osaka, went head-to-head. Top seed Swiatek was the runaway favorite to defend her crown in Paris this year but faced a tough early task against fellow four-time major champion Osaka. Osaka was returning to her top level after missing all of last year on maternity leave, showing her threat on clay by taking out top-20 seeds in Rome. However, Swiatek excelled on the clay courts of Paris, winning three of the last four years and came to France in top form after claiming back-to-back titles in Madrid and Rome.
In terms of Brit watch, there were no Brits left standing in the singles draws after Dan Evans and Katie Boulter suffered defeats to Holger Rune and Paula Badosa. Boulter was set to compete in the first round of the women’s doubles alongside fellow Brit Heather Watson against 12th seeds, while Luke Johnson and Henry Patten began their men’s doubles campaigns. The show courts order of play for Wednesday featured exciting matches on Court Philippe Chatrier, Court Suzanne Lenglen, Court Simonne Mathieu, and Court 14, with top players such as Sofia Kenin, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Camila Osorio, Andrey Rublev, and many more taking the stage.
For fans looking to watch the French Open live, they could stream the matches on discovery+, the Eurosport app, and at eurosport.com. With top players battling it out on the clay courts of Roland-Garros, the competition was heating up as some of the sports’ biggest stars faced off in thrilling matchups. The second round matches provided plenty of excitement and drama as players fought for a chance to advance further in the tournament and make their mark at one of the most prestigious events in tennis.
