French Open 2026: Swiatek and Svitolina through, Djokovic in action on day four – live

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Oh! Carabelli breaks Rublev back and at 4-4 in the fourth, this match is still in the balance. And so, just about, is Jones v Bouzkova, the Brit breaking back in set two to trail 0-6 4-4.

I wouldn’t, though, count Kostyuk out. She’s got the bigger game, which means a higher top level but also greater margin for error; if she hits a seam, she can blow Volynets away.

Kostyuk overhits a forehand, meaning Volynets, who saved a load of set-points prior to the breaker, now has two of her own … and she only needs one, easing a forehand to the corner to go in front 7-6(4).

On Lenglen, meanwhile, Rybakina is up 3-0 on Starodubtsevawithmyheadman, and on Mathieu, Rublev has broken Carabelli to lead 2-1 4-3.

We’ve got two matches in the women’s competition that I wish I had scope to watch, and actually, I’m going to stick on Kostyuk v Volynets while we await Djokovic, as they’re playing a first-set breaker. Otherwise, Linette leads Ostapenko 2-1 in the third, on serve, while out on Court 13, Bouzkova leads Fran Jones, of GB, 6-0 4-2.

Next on Chatrier: Valentin Royer v Novak Djokovic.

Svitolina is happy, saying she played really well in the first set, but knew Quevedo would improve, and she was happy that she stayed strong then served it out nicely.

In round one, she had to win a match tiebreak against Bondar, which gave her confidence, as she did from her run in Rome. A really big battle at the start of a tournament puts you “directly into fighting mode and tournament mindset” and now she’s happy to have moved on,

In 2010, she won the junior edition of this event and it’s crazy to think it was that long ago, but now she’s married “to the French guy”, has a little daughter at home, and tries a bit of French that I don’t fully understand – but I fully grasp her infectious happiness. She is delighted to be in her own skin, and it’s beautiful to behold.

It’s getting seriously physical on Mathieu, Rublev leading 2-1 but trailing 2-3 on serve. Both he and Carabelli are hitting it seriously hard – and chasing even harder.

Elina Svitolina (7) beats Kaitlin Quevedo 6-0 6-4

A decent work out for Svitolina, though the double she serves on her first match point is instructive, her second delivery so tame it barely reached the net. But she’s through to meet Korpatsch in round three, the question about whether she’s big enough weapons to win a slam will remain unanswered until she either does or retires.

Quevedo, just 20, has done a really good job in this second set, but with a tiebreaker in sight, Svitlina breaks her and will shortly serve for the match at 6-0 5-4.

Ostapenko does indeed take Linette to a third set, seeking that round three meeting with her bunny, Iga Swiatek. Long-time readers will know she’s a favourite of this blog, or was until her US Open gozzing-off; hopefully she’s learnt from that experience.

OK, let’s nip around the courts. Svitolina leads Quevado 6-0 3-4, on serve; Rublev leads Carabelli 6-1 1-6 6-3 2-1 on serve; Kostyuk and Volynets are level at 4-4 in the first; Ostapenko is serving at 5-2 in the second to force a decider against Linette; and Navone is level with Mensik at 1-1 2-2.

Next on Lenglen: Yuliia Starodubtseva v Elena Rybakina (2).

“Please, don’t remind me,” says Khachanov when Alex Corretja mentions the missed overhead – in the process of gassing up both players following a terrifically entertaining match. “This is what it’s about, grand slam,” he says. “You live through these moments, one ball at a time, step by step.” He then explains that he could see he was getting closer, dominating as Trungelliti tired, but then all of a sudden the comeback happened – “he made me suffer, unbelievable.”

Finally, he says he tries to stay calm when it gets tight, but he has feelings. He played Trungelliti when he was much younger but at 36 it looks like he’s in his prime, forcing his younger opponent to complete plenty of sprints – and that’s our lot.

Back on Chatrier, Quevedo is up 3-2 in the second set having lost the first 6-0, and she’s giving Svitolina plenty, raising break point … confiscated via ace. From there, she secures her hod, but this is a proper contest now.

Khachanov looks seriously relieved. Had he lost, that missed overhead – and when I say missed I mean actually missed – would’ve haunted him beyond the grave. But he’s safely into round three, while Trungelliti, at 36, has us all wondering why it’s taken him until now to break into the top 100. I very much hope to see more of him, and I’m sure i’m not alone.

Karen Khachanov (13) beats Marco Trungelliti 7-6(5) 5-7 6-1 7-6(4)

The players enjoy an affirming embrace at the end of a wild contest. Next for Khachanov: De Jong.

At 4-4 in the breaker, Khachanov retrieves a drop then, somehow, drags a forehand from behind him and over his shoulder, down the line, that Trungelliti can’t get back, the clenched fist he raises to the crowd well earned. And an unretrurned serve then raises another match point; can Khachanov stay focused this time?

Immediately, Trungelleti nets to cede a mini-break, but a drop that lands just over the net is followed by fast feet which allow a backhand winner down the line; Khachanov leads 2-1, soon made 2-2. On Mathieu, though, we’ve reached the end of our first competitive set, Rublev securing it to lead Carabelli 6-1 1-6 6-3. He’s playing pretty well – and he’s being made to.

On Chatrier, Quevedo is on the board, holding at the start of set two to trail Svitolina 0-6 1-1; on 17, Linette leads Ostapenko 6-2; Carabelli forces Rublev to serve for set three and 2-1, just; and Khachanov lands an ace meaning he and Trungelleti will now play a fourth-set tiebreaker.

And Trungelliti quickly secures a hold to leave Khachanov needing one of his own to stay in the set at 5-6. Can he get his head right? Or are we, somehow, going to a decider? either way, the underdog is enjoying his day, celebrating his points in grand style and milking the increasing enjoyment of the crowd.

Svitolina closes out a bagel set against Quevedo, while Rublev leads Carabelli 1-1 5-2. Back on Mathieu, meanwhile, though Khachanov saves break point with a big serve, a monstrous forehand from Trungelliti raises another … then an inside-out forehand lands just wide of the sideline and, from 0-4 down, the Argentine levels at 5-5! I can’t imagine an easier ball to win a match than the one Khachanov missed – genuinely, I think I’d have stuck it away, likewise the one before it that wasn’t dismissed.

Oh my goodness me! Khachanov takes control of what is surely the final rally, Trungelliti just about staying in the match, retrieving pending the inevitable winner. But when he lands a ball just over the net, which bounces up in friendly style to allow the winning putaway … Khachanov totally misses his shot! In comms, they think it’s stress but actually, I’d put it down to carelessness – mentally, he was celebrating – and as I type, he finds himself down advantage! This isn’t over yet.

And he gets himself to 15-30 but, when he misses a shot on the baseline, allowing Khachanov a forehand winner, he hugs a security guard in disappointment. Further flat forehands then come at him, he can’t respond, and is now match-point down at 5-4 40-30 in the fourth…

Lovely stuff! Trungelliti slices an outswinging backhand winner, securing a hold which forces Khachanov to serve for his spot in round three, noising up the crowd in celebration. He’s given loads to this game, his ballsy, imaginative style great fun to watch but impossible to sustain.

Before it’s played, let me let you know that Svitolina has raced to a 4-0 lead against Quevedo; now it’s been played, I can advise that Trungelliti is now up advantage, and Rublev has saved four break-back points to lead Carabelli 1-1 4-1.

And a terrific leaping backhand overhead makes 0-30, Khachanov saluting the crowd, but a storming forehand winner halves Trungelliti’s deficit. And another big forehand seizes control of the next rally – it takes two overheads to finish it when really one should’ve been enough – for all the good it does him, Khachanov unleashing a forehand barrage of his own to raise match point.

Trungelleti forces Khachanov to 30-all, but from there, the no 13 seed closes out, and is now a game away from round three.

Rublev has also righted himself, earning break point and sending back a high-kicking return that incites Carabelli to net a forehand; he leads 1-1 3-1. The bounce on these courts is quite something, almost like on hards, as if Jannik Sinner needed another advantage, but if the weather holds, I wonder if we might see some of the clay specialists sent home sooner than expected.

Down 2-4 in the fourth, having taken a break back, Trungelliti secures a hold with a big ace out wide, and he might just be enjoying a second wind; Khachanov leads 2-1 4-3, but will now serve under a little bit of pressure.

Thiago Tirante beats Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 4-6 7-6(4) 6-1 6-3

It’s a funny thing, really: I once spoke to an agent on behalf of a young tenniser, and the first question he asked me was how tall is he? Yet Tirante, “just” 6’1, is the fastest server on tour and in the tournament, and he’s through to face either Kokkinakis or Carreño Busta. I’m excited to see how he progresses, because Fritz, Lehecka and Davidovich Fokina, the highest seeds in his eighth, have gone.

Not quite yet, Rublev coming back to hold for 1-0, while Khachanov now leads 2-1 4-1, Trungelleti’s legs quitting on him. Meanwhile, we’re away again on Chatrier, the question – not one that’ll be answered today – whether Svitolina is finally ready to take a major. In Madrid, she lost in the first round to Bondár, but then in Rome, she beat Baptise, Rybakina, Swiatek and Gauff en route to the title. That is qiote some work.

As we feared, Trungelleti has gone. He takes a break between sets, still loses his serve twice at the start of the fourth, and Khachanov leads 2-1 3-0. On Mathieu, though, it might just be a different story, Carabelli levelling with Rublev at 1-6 6-1 and making 0-30 at the start of the third. We shall see.

De Jong is through, beating Cina 3, 1 and 3; replacing them on Court 6 are Navone and Mensik, who are level at 3-3 in the first.

Next on Chatrier: Elina Svitolina (7) v Kaitlin Quevado.

She says that Bejlek has a tricky game, breaking rhythm. so she needed to adjust to that, likewise the lefty serve out wide.

Otherwise, on her new coach, Francisco Roig she says it was good to start the clay-court season in Majorca and they speak the same language – he wants for her game what she wants for her game. With every coach, there’s a different approach, but she’s adjusting.

Finally, asked by Henri Leconte about how she’ll spend her time off, given generally speaking, she likes to see the places she visits, she confides that this year is more about cuisine. She has a chef from Roland-Garros in the evening, so is exploring healthy French food; there are loads of things she’d like to do, but they’ll probably have to wait until she’s finished playing.

Khachanov breaks Trungelleti to secure a 6-1 third set and with it a 2-1 lead, which means, finally, we can go to Swiatek’s interview…

On the other hand – or maybe the same hand – Carabelli is bang into it against Rublev, up 4-0 in the second set having lost the first 6-1. We’ve got to assume it’s a purple patch that will soon expire, but against an opponent given to imploding, he might not need to play that well for that long.

Khachanov is racing away with it against Trungeletti who, as we’ve seen so often, has a decent top level but can’t sustain it through a five-set match – can anyone? So, now he’s cooled, he’s finding his modal level isn’t high enough when faced with an opponent this good.

Iga Swiatek (3) beats Sára Bejlek 6-3 6-3

It wasn’t as easy as the scoreline suggests – Bejlek offered a challenge on return, just couldn’t hold serve – but Swiatek is through. Next up: Ostapenko, against whom she’s 0-6, or Linette.

Er, or not. Again, Bejlek is broken, meaning Swiatek is now serving for the match.

Oh have a look! Bejlek breaks yet again, doing brilliantly to stay in the decisive point before directing a forehand to the tootsies; the pick up goes into the net. That’s 38 unforced errors Swiatek’s made today, and this match might just be getting close.

When less heralded players take on seeds, it’s often not the top level that gets them but the consistency, and that’s what happens on Lenglen, Trungelliti – who played beautifully in set two – handing Khachanov a break to love that he didn’t have to earn. The Russian leads 7-6 5-7 2-0.

Rublev is playing nicely, rushing to a 6-1 first set against Carabelli, but will this be the major he finally beats a player seeded higher than him? In his eighth is Alex de Minaur, who he definitely has the game to bin, but does he have the head?

Again, Bejlek just can’t consolidate, broken by Swiatek for 6-2 3-1, but the four-time champ looks a lot less than impregnable here. Of course, she’ll improve through the rounds as she does, a relatively friendly draw facilitating that, but she’s seeded to meet Rybakina in the semis, and that’s a match that’d need the best version of her or close to it.

Tirante, who serves faster than anyone on tour, has taken the first set against Davidovich Fokina to lead 4-6 7-6 6-1. I daresay the hard courts and quick ball-speed are helping him in that regard.

…Trungelliti has a set! An ace down the T levels the match at 1-1, and this is brewing into something extremely intriguing.