Roland Garros - 28/05

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Today is Thursday, May 28, in Paris it's 08:30 and it's 21 degrees. Okay, let's go.

On today's menu

• 🇷🇸 Djokovic gets past Royer in four sets and reaches 120 matches played at a single Slam
• 🇰🇿 Rybakina goes out in the second round, stopped by Starodubtseva in a third-set tie-break
• 🇮🇹 A rough day for Italy: both Cinà and Paolini are out
• 🇧🇷 Fonseca rallies from two sets down and earns a meeting with Djokovic in the third round
• 🇮🇹 Today it's Sinner's turn, while Berrettini plays the night session

WHAT HAPPENED:

🇷🇸 Djokovic Stays Standing Against Royer

Novak Djokovic beat Frenchman Valentin Royer 6-3 6-2 6-7(9) 6-3 in just over three and a half hours on Chatrier, letting the match drag on longer than expected. With this win he reaches 120 matches played at a single Slam, a new Open Era record: he thus surpasses the mark that belonged to Federer at Wimbledon. More than the number, though, what lingers is the image of a Djokovic who concedes something along the way and then stitches it back together, as if managing his energy were now as much a part of the game as the scoreline. The crowd cheering for Royer played its part, and for one set it even had the sense it could believe.

🇰🇿 Rybakina Falls in the Second Round

Elena Rybakina, the No. 2 seed, was eliminated by Ukraine's Yuliia Starodubtseva 3-6 6-1 7-6(4) (tie-break 10-4) in two and a half hours, after winning a comfortable first set and then losing her way. The telling number is the Kazakh's 71 unforced errors, because on this clay it's the count of mistakes that almost always tells the real story. For Starodubtseva it's the biggest win of her career and the loudest upset of the tournament so far. More than Rybakina's collapse, what stands out is the composure with which the Ukrainian handled the decisive tie-break after rebuilding a match that had seemed to be slipping away.

🇮🇹 A Double Italian Exit

A day to forget for the Italian colors: Federico Cinà was beaten by Jesper de Jong 6-3 6-1 6-3, while Jasmine Paolini fell to Argentina's Solana Sierra 3-6 6-4 6-3 after winning the first set. For Cinà, very young, it's the kind of lesson that, in the second round of a Slam, weighs on you but doesn't condemn you, because the Dutchman was an opponent built precisely to test stamina more than talent. For Paolini the story is different, because as a 2024 finalist this clay season keeps raising more questions than answers. Sierra, fresh off her surprise over Raducanu, confirms she's the kind of opponent you can't half-manage.

🇧🇷 Fonseca Rallies and Earns Djokovic

Joao Fonseca, nineteen years old, beat Dino Prizmic 3-6 4-6 6-3 6-1 6-2 climbing back from two sets down, becoming the third teenager this century to do so in Paris after Federer in 2001 and Kokkinakis in 2015. The match turned when the Brazilian stopped chasing and started dictating the rally, as if the weight of the first two sets had freed him rather than crushed him. The reward is a third round against Djokovic, which is exactly the kind of stage where you usually find out where a young player of this talent really stands. It won't be a verdict, but it's the test that marks the difference between a promise and something more solid.

WHAT'S HAPPENING TODAY:

• 🇮🇹 Sinner - Cerundolo (ATP, second round) - Jannik Sinner opens the day session on Chatrier against Argentina's Juan Manuel Cerundolo, a clay specialist who knows how to stretch out the rallies. He's the kind of opponent useful for gauging how much rhythm the world No. 1 is finding on a surface that remains his least favorite.
• 🇧🇾 Sabalenka - Jacquemot (WTA, second round) - Aryna Sabalenka is third on court on Chatrier against France's Elsa Jacquemot, with the home crowd as a wild card. After an opener handled without spending too much, it's a chance to gradually raise her level.
• 🇺🇸 Gauff - Sherif (WTA, second round) - Defending champion Coco Gauff leads the Lenglen schedule against Egypt's Mayar Sherif. Defending the title in Paris means above all getting through these rounds without leaving any openings.
• 🇯🇵 Osaka - Vekic (WTA, second round) - Naomi Osaka meets Donna Vekic, the Paris 2024 Olympic silver medalist, again in a matchup that on clay remains less of a foregone conclusion than the names suggest.
• 🇫🇷 Rinderknech - Berrettini (ATP, second round, night session) - Matteo Berrettini closes out the day on Chatrier against France's Arthur Rinderknech, on an evening the crowd will make anything but neutral.

Read more

• Djokovic bends Royer, Jodar advances
• Roland Garros 2026, today's results: Djokovic and Zverev into the 3rd round
• Starodubtseva delivers latest upset, edges Rybakina at Roland Garros
• Fonseca roars home to deny Prizmic in five
• Roland-Garros 2026: Full order of play, Thursday 28 May

Enjoy your breakfast and have a great day.

See you tomorrow at 08:30 with TIE-Breakfast