Top Girls Seed Jimenez Kasintseva Falls in French Open Second Round; Three American Juniors Advance in Doubles; Collins and Kenin Meet Wednesday for Spot in Semifinals

On Monday, the French Open Junior Championships lost Harold Mayot, the boys's No. 1 seed and Australian Open champion in the second round and on Tuesday, the girls No. 1 seed and Australian Open champion Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva suffered the same fate, with 18-year-old Alina Charaeva of Russia defeating the 15-year-old from Andorra 7-5, 2-6, 6-3.

Jimenez Kasintseva was one of nine girls seeds who did not make the round of sixteen, but the only one who lost in second round action today. No. 9 seed Alexandra Vecic of Germany was on the ropes against Ellie Coleman, the only American to advance to the second round in singles, but the 18-year-old Vecic came back from 6-2, 3-1 down to claim a 2-6, 7-6(4), 6-2 victory. Coleman played well in the first set, Vecic did not, but once she saved two break points serving at 1-3 in the second set, Vecic raised her level, and was able to dictate most of the points for the remainder of the match. 

Only six of the 16 boys seeds advanced to the third round, with No. 4 seed Natan Rodrigues of Brazil falling to Alex Barrena of Argentina 6-2, 6-1 and No. 5 seed Hanwen Li of China going out to Lilian Marmousez of France 6-2, 6-0. No. 12 seed Jeffrey Von Der Schulenburg of Switzerland lost to Luca Nardi of Italy 6-3, 6-2 and No. 11 seed Khololwam Montsi of South Africa lost to Felix Gill of Great Britain 6-3, 6-7(4), 6-3.

I had meant to link to this feature article from the BBC yesterday about Stanford freshman Arthur Fery of Great Britain, the No. 9 seed at this week's French Junior Championships, who has advanced to the third round. Fery discusses his French connections, his stellar results on this summer's British Tour, and why he decided to play college tennis in the United States.

Another future collegian is into the boys third round with unseeded Guy Den Ouden of Netherlands set to compete for Pepperdine. Den Ouden will face No. 2 seed Arthur Cazaux of France in the third round Wednesday.

The first round of junior doubles was completed today, with both top seeds failing to advance and three Americans moving into the second round. In girls doubles, Coleman and partner Madison Sieg defeated Ziva Falkner of Slovenia and Matilda Mutavdzic of Great Britain 7-5, 6-2. Bruno Kuzuhara, partnering with Max Wiskandt of Germany, defeated Sebastian Gima of Romania and Lukas Neumayer of Austria 7-6(4), 1-6, 10-5.

Boys doubles top seeds Cazaux and Mayot gave a walkover to their opponents Fery and Gill and girls top seeds Weronika Baszak of Poland and Elsa Jacquemot of France lost to Jessica Bouzas Maneiro of Spain and Guillermina Grant of Uruguay 6-3, 6-3.

In a men's doubles quarterfinal, Tommy Paul and Nicholas Monroe(North Carolina) lost to No. 9 seeds Nikola Mektic of Croatia and Wesley Koolhof of the Netherlands 6-4, 6-4. In a women's doubles quarterfinal, No. 9 seed Sofia Kenin and Bethanie Mattek-Sands lost to No. 4 seeds Katerina Siniakova and Barbora Krejcikova of the Czech Republic 1-6, 6-4, 6-2.

In a fourth round women's singles match today, unseeded Danielle Collins advanced to the quarterfinals with a 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 win over No. 30 seed Ons Jabeur of Tunisia. Collins, the two-time NCAA champion while at Virginia, was on fire in the first set, and took a 3-0 lead in the second set, but Jabeur adjusted, getting her drop shot working and serving well on the critical points. Collins, who began to look frustrated late in the second set, lost her first two service games in the third set, but broke back each time, and eventually took a 4-2 lead. That didn't last either, but Collins held easily to make it 5-4 and Jabeur double faulted at 30-all to give Collins a match point. Jabeur struck a good first serve that Collins awkwardly and defensively returned, but Jabeur's forehand found the net to put Collins in a Wednesday quarterfinal match against fellow Floridian Sofia Kenin.

Collins and Kenin have played three times, with Collins winning all three matches in straight sets, including early this year in a WTA Australian Open warmup in Adelaide, right before Kenin went on to claim the Australian Open women's title. 

Collins' press conference is here, and highlights of the Collins-Jabeur match are here.

Collins and Kenin are second on Chatrier on Wednesday, with Petra Kvitova and Laura Siegemund opening the women's singles action. In today's women's quarterfinals, 19-year-old Iga Swiatek of Poland continued to roll, beating qualifier Martina Trevisan of Italy 6-3, 6-1. Swiatek will play qualifier Nadia Podoroska of Argentina, who upset No. 3 seed Elina Svitolina of Ukraine 6-2, 6-4.

Kenin Comes Back to Reach French Open Quarterfinals; Top Boys Seed Mayot Ousted in Second Round, Coleman Advances; ITA National Fall Championships Set for USTA National Campus

For the second time in her four French Open singles matches, Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin was required to come back from a set down, and as in her second round match against Ana Bogdan, she won today's encounter with unseeded Fiona Ferro of Franch going away, claiming a 2-6, 6-2, 6-1 vicotry and a place in Wednesday's quarterfinals. The fourth-seeded Kenin had to overcome Ferro, who was on an eight-match winning streak after winning August's WTA event in Palermo, and the French crowd. Although only 1000 spectators were allowed to be on site, they made plenty of noise in Chatrier, which had the roof closed due to rain, but Kenin just used that as fuel as she raised her level in the final two sets.

Kenin will not know her opponent until tomorrow, because Danielle Collins and No. 30 seed Ons Jabeur of Tunisia were rained out of their fourth round match on Lenglen and will play on Chatrier, the only court with a roof, at 11 a.m. on Tuesday.

The second day of the French Junior Championships ended with a bang, when Hamad Medjedovic of Serbia took out top seed and Australian Open boys champion Harold Mayot of France 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 in a second round match that finished at 10:30 p.m. local time in Paris. The 17-year-old Medjedovic, whose size and serve are notable, did not have to deal with a partisan French crowd which would normally be a factor in such a match, with the late hour and the miserable weather contributing to the lonely feel of the match. Mayot was up a break early in the final set, but Medjedovic got it right back and when Mayot served at 3-4, Medjedovic got a second break and closed it out with no difficulty.

Monday's matches were a combination of first round and second round matches, and despite the weather, all junior singles matches on the schedule were completed, although all doubles matches were canceled. 

Ellie Coleman gave the US its sole win in singles, defeating Giulia Morlet of France 6-1, 7-5 in a first round match, to set up a second round meeting Tuesday with No. 9 seed Alexandra Vecic of Germany. Max McKennon and Dali Blanch lost their first round singles matches.

Several more seeds were eliminated from the girls draw today, with No. 5 Weronika Baszak of Poland, who reached the Australian Open final, falling to Daria Vidmanova of the Czech Republic 5-7, 6-2, 6-3 in the first round and No. 6 seed Kamilla Bartone of Latvia losing to Oceane Babel of France 2-6, 6-3, 7-5 in a second round match. After one and a half rounds, just eight girls seeds remain, but the top four are all still alive.

In the boys draw, No. 3 seed Karlis Ozolins of Latvia joined Mayot on the sidelines, losing to Juan Bautista Torres of Argentina 6-4, 6-0 in a first round match. No. 6 seed Luciano Darderi of Italy lost to Arthur Fils, a French wild card 1-6, 6-2, 6-3 in the second round. Fils will play another French wild card, Sean Cuenin, guaranteeing at least one French wild card in the quarterfinals. 

Monday’s first round junior singles results of Americans:

Ellie Coleman d. Giulia Morlet(FRA) 61, 75

Martin Breysach[15](FRA) d. Maxwell McKennon 64, 62

Lilian Marmousez(FRA)d. Dali Blanch 64, 63 

Tuesday's second round junior singles featuring Americans:

Ellie Coleman v Alexandra Vecic(GER)[9]

In women's doubles, Nicole Melichar and Poland's Iga Swiatek advanced to the quarterfinals, beating No. 6 seeds Kveta Peschke of the Czech Republic and Demi Schuurs of the Netherlands 6-3, 6-4. Melichar and Swiatek had never played together before, but a few days before the start of the French Open they joined forces and have not dropped a set yet. They will face Asia Muhammad and Jessica Pegula in Wednesday's quarterfinals.

In men's doubles quarterfinals played today, Australian Open champions Rajeev Ram(Illinois) and Joe Salisbury(Memphis), seeded third, lost to US Open champions Bruno Soares of Brazil and Mate Pavic of Croatia, seeded seventh, 4-6, 6-4, 7-5. Soares and Pavic will play 2019 US Open champions and top seeds Robert Farah(USC) and Juan Sebastian Cabal of Colombia, who saved two match points in their 6-7(10) 6-4 7-6(7) win over unseeded Frederik Nielsen of Denmark and Tim Puetz(Auburn) of Germany.

Tommy Paul and Nick Monroe(North Carolina) play their quarterfinal match against No. 9 seeds and 2020 US Open finalists Wesley Koolhof of the Netherlands and Nikola Mektic of Croatia Tuesday. 

Tuesday's schedule is here.

The ITA National Fall Championships are on, not as in its usual format, but according to the ITA's website, with a  "different look as an open event for collegiate, junior, and professional players, though most entries will be prioritized for collegiate players." The tournament, which will be held from November 5-8 at the USTA National Campus in Lake Nona Florida, is accepting entries (with no fee) from Wednesday, October 7, through Tuesday October 27th. There will be $20,000 in prize money, split equally between men and women, with the champions receiving $2000. The finals will air on ESPNU.

The selection criteria is a bit complicated, but ITA rankings and UTR will both be used. For more details, see this release, which also mentions a second "similar event" the following week. 

Americans Struggle, but Top Seeds Advance at French Open Junior Championships; Women's No. 1 Seed Halep Upset by Swiatek; Collegians Win Big in Doubles; Banerjee Sweeps ITF Grade 4 Titles in Macedonia

The opening day of play at the French Open Junior Championships didn't feature any big surprises, with only one Top 8 seed losing. But it was surprising that none of the five Americans in action could manage a win, with Alex Bernard, Bruno Kuzuhara, Madison Sieg, Alexandra Yepifanova and Elvina Kalieva all suffering losses, with Yepifanova the only one of the five to win a set. Kalieva, seeded No. 13, and Yepifanova, No. 12, were among five seeds defeated on the girls side, all of them 9-16 except No. 7 seed Maria Bondarenko of Russia, who lost to Tara Wurth of Croatia 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-5.

Top seeds Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva of Andorra and Alexandra Eala of the Philippines earned straight-sets victories, although Eala had to come from 4-0 down in the first set to defeat fellow left-hander Natalia Szabanin of Hungary 6-4, 6-1.  It has been reported that two junior girls tested positive for Covid-19 and were removed from the tournament prior to the draw, but names of those players were not released.

France's dynamic duo of Harold Mayot, the No. 1 seed, and Arthur Cazaux, the No. 2 seed, who met in the last boys junior slam final in Australia, also advanced in straight sets, with AO finalist Cazaux getting a serious challenge from Jerome Kym of Switzerland before claiming a 7-6(12), 6-3 victory. Mayot, the AO champion, had no trouble with Bruno Olivera of Brazil, earning a 6-1, 6-1 win.  The ITF Junior website's article has quotes from Mayot and Cazaux on how young French wild cards Clara Burel and Hugo Gaston, who lost in the third and fourth rounds of the women's and men's singles this weekend, have inspired them.

The girls singles draw is here; the boys singles draw is here.

The junior doubles draws were released today, with Weronika Baszak of Poland and Elsa Jacquemot of France the top girls seeds. The only Americans playing together are Ellie Coleman and Madison Sieg, who have been traveling together in Europe for the past several weeks, playing other ITF clay events. Kalieva is playing with Eala, and they are the No. 3 seeds. Yepifanova's partner is Daria Frayman of Russia; Kuzuhara is playing with Max Wiskandt of Germany; Bernard's partner is Lorenzo Claverie of Venezuela; Dali Blanch is playing with Pedro Boscardin Dias of Brazil. Max McKennon is not in the boys doubles draw.

Sunday’s first round junior singles results of Americans:

Mario Mansilla Diez(ESP) d. Bruno Kuzuhara 62, 64 

Alexander Hoogmartens(BEL) d. Alexander Bernard 60, 62

Linda Noskova(CZE) d. Alexandra Yepifanova[12] 63, 46, 64 

Julie Belgraver(FRA) d. Elvina Kalieva[13] 63, 63 

Eva Lys(GER) d. Madison Sieg 64, 61

Monday’s first round junior singles matches featuring Americans:

Ellie Coleman v Giulia Morlet(FRA)

Maxwell McKennon v Martin Breysach[15](FRA)

Dali Blanch v Lilian Marmousez(FRA)

In the women's draw, 2018 Wimbledon girls champion Iga Swiatek of Poland shocked top seed and odds-on favorite in the women's draw Simona Halep 6-1, 6-2, hitting 30 winners and never facing a break point. Last year as an 18-year-old Swiatek had gotten only one game from Halep in their fourth round meeting.

The breakout run by qualifier Sebastian Korda came to an end today, with No. 2 seed Rafael Nadal administering a 6-1, 6-1, 6-2 drubbing to the 20-year-old from Florida. But after three qualifying wins and three main draw wins, Korda, who was outside the Top 200 coming in, should be inside the Top 140 in the ATP rankings.

Six of the eight quarterfinalists are set in women's doubles, with two all-US team advancing: No. 9 seeds Sofia Kenin and Bethanie Mattek-Sands and unseeded Asia Muhammad and Jessica Pegula, who beat No. 16 seeds Caty McNally and Coco Gauff 7-6(5), 6-3 in today's third round match. No. 14 seeds Desirae Kawczyk(Arizona State) and Alexa Guarachi(Alabama) of Chile, defeated No. 1 seeds Su-wei Hsieh of Taiwan and Barbora Strycova of the Czech Republic 6-4, 7-5.  Nicole Melichar can make it six US women in the doubles quarterfinals if she wins her match on Monday.

Tommy Paul and Nicholas Monroe(North Carolina) continued their unexpected run, advancing to the men's doubles quarterfinals with a 6-4, 5-7, 7-6(7) win over Feliciano Lopez of Spain and Pablo Cuevas of Uruguay. A third American has advanced to the men's doubles quarterfinals, with Rajeev Ram(Illinois) and his partner from Great Britain, Joe Salisbury, aiming for a second slam title of this year, after capturing the Australian Open. Two former Auburn players, Tim Puetz and defending French Open doubles champion Andreas Mies, both of Germany, have reached the quarterfinals. Seven of the 16 men still competing in the doubles quarterfinals are former collegiate players.

Sunday’s fourth round match results for Americans:

Rafael Nadal(ESP[2] d. Sebastian Korda[Q] 61, 61, 62

Monday’s fourth round matches featuring Americans:

Sofia Kenin[4] v Fiona Ferro(FRA)

Danielle Collins v Ons Jabeur(TUN)[30]

Seventeen-year-old Samir Banerjee won two Grade 4 singles titles in Nairobi Kenya early this year, and he added singles and doubles titles at a Grade 4 in Macedonia this week. Banerjee, the top seed, defeated unseeded Nikola Zekic of Serbia 6-1, 6-1 in the singles final, and lost only 14 games in his five wins. Partnering with Ekansh Kumar in doubles, the top seeds beat No. 2 seeds Ioannis Kountourakis and Theodoros Mitsakos of Greece 6-2, 6-3 in the doubles final.

At the Grade 3 in Portugal, top seed Jenna De Falco, who recently committed to LSU, lost to No. 2 seed Amelia Bissett of Great Britain 6-4, 6-2 in today's singles final. 

And at the ITF Women's World Tennis Tour $25,000 tournament in Portugal, Jamie Loeb(North Carolina) won the doubles title. Loeb and Ana Sofia Sanchez of Mexico, the No. 4 seeds, defeated unseeded Jana Fett of Croatia and Erin Routliffe(Alabama) of New Zealand 2-6, 6-3, 10-8 in the final for their second ITF Pro Circuit title as a team.

Collins, Kenin Move into French Open Second Week; Five Americans Begin Play in Junior Championships Sunday; ITA Oracle Masters Entries Close Sunday

Two more Americans joined Sebastian Korda in the second week of the French Open, with Danielle Collins coming from behind to eliminate No. 11 seed and 2016 champion Garbine Muguruza and No. 4 seed Kenin ending the run of qualifier Irina Bara.

Kenin, who had been taken to three sets in her first two matches, didn't have the same trouble against the Romanian, winning 6-2, 6-0, but the match took an hour and 14 minutes, with seven games going to deuce, all of them won by Kenin. The last game was similar to the final game in her second round win over Ana Bogdan, with Kenin saving five break points and needing three match points to close it out. Kenin's opponent in the round of 16 Monday is unseeded Fiona Ferro of France.

Collins, who had won only one match at the French before this week, was down 3-0 in the third with Muguruza serving. Muguruza had two game points to take a 4-0 lead, but Collins dug in and converted her third break point to get one of the breaks back. Muguruza held for 4-2, and Collins again faced down a serious threat when the 26-year-old from Spain had two break points to serve for the match, but again Collins fought her way out of trouble and then broke Muguruza in the next game to pull even. Muguruza began to have serious issues with her serve, double faulting six times in the final set, and Collins took advantage, swinging freely, as Muguruza began to look increasing unsure about where her balls would end up. Collins held at love for a 5-4 lead, then closed it out with another break, her forehand too much for Murgurza on match point.  Collins, who is the only former collegian remaining in the men's and women's singles draws, has been working recently with former Top 10 ATP player Nicolas Almagro of Spain, who is with her in Paris.  

Collins faces No. 30 seed Ons Jabeur of Tunisia in the fourth round Sunday, after Jabeur defeated No. 8 seed Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus 7-6(7), 2-6, 6-3. 

Highlights of the Muguruza - Collins match are here. 

Saturday’s results of Americans:

Sofia Kenin[4] d. Irina Bara(ROU) 62, 60

Danielle Collins d. Garbine Muguruza(ESP)[11] 75, 26, 64

Sunday’s fourth round match featuring Americans:

Sebastian Korda[Q] v Rafael Nadal(ESP[2]

The Roland Garros Junior Championships, the first junior slam since the Australian Open, begin on Sunday, with 24 boys singles matches and 22 girls singles matches. Australian Open champions Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva of Andorra and Harold Mayot of France are the top seeds.  Jimenez Kasintseva, just 15 years old, spoke with the ITF about her hopes for a second consecutive junior slam title in this article.

Eight Americans have made the trip: Ellie Coleman, Elvina Kalieva, Madison Sieg, Alexandra Yepifanova, Bruno Kuzuhara, Dali Blanch, Max McKennon and Alexander Bernard. Kuzuhara, Bernard, Kalieva, Sieg and Yepifanova play their opening round matches on Sunday. 

The two OPPO Wild Cards for international players were awarded to Ana Candiotto of Brazil and Dev Javia of India. 

The boys draw is here; the girls draw is here.

Sunday's order of play is here.

French Open junior seeds:

BOYS:

1. Harold Mayot(FRA)

2. Arthur Cazaux(FRA)

3. Karlis Ozlins(LAT)

4. Natan Rodrigues(BRA)

5. Hanwen Li(CHN)

6. Luciano Darderi(ITA)

7. Dominic Stricker(SUI)

8. Leandro Riedi(SUI)

9. Arthur Fery(GBR)

10. Nicolas David Ionel(ROU)

11. Kholowam Montsi(RSA)

12. Jeffrey Von Der Schulenburg(SUI)

13. Flavio Cobolli(ITA)

14. Gustavo Heide(BRA)

15. Martin Breysach(FRA)

16. Dalibor Svrcina(CZE)

GIRLS:

1. Victoria Jiminez Kasintseva(AND)

2. Alexandra Eala(PHI)

3. Elisa Jacquemot(FRA)

4. Polina Kudermetova(RUS)

5. Weronica Baszak(POL)

6. Kamila Bartone(LAT)

7. Maria Bondarenko(RUS)

8. Oksana Selekhmeteva(RUS)

9. Alesandra Vecic(GER)

10. Kristina Dmitruk(BLR)

11. Linda Fruhvirtova(CZE)

12. Alexandra Yepifanov(USA)

13. Elvina Kalieva(USA)

14. Aliona Falei(BLR)

15. Matilda Mutavdzic(GBR)

16. Jana Kolodynska(BLR)

Sunday’s first round junior singles matches featuring Americans:

Bruno Kuzuhara v Mario Mansilla Diez(ESP)

Alexander Bernard v Alexander Hoogmartens(BEL)

Alexandra Yepifanova[12] v Linda Noskova(CZE) 

Elvina Kalieva[13] v Julie Belgraver(FRA) or (NED)? ITF & RG draws differ

Madison Sieg v Eva Lys(GER)

Entries for the ITA Oracle Masters, which begins on Friday October 9, close Sunday October 4 at 11:30 pm Pacific time. The tournament, held this year at the Barnes Tennis Center in San Diego, will distribute $20,000 in prize money, split equally between men and women. Some of the top UTRs entered for the men are Raymond Sarmiento, Brandon Holt, Govind Nanda, Keegan Smith, Cannon Kingsley and Andrew Fenty. The top UTRs entered on the women's side so far are Sophie Whittle, Ashley Lahey, Jessica Failla, Angela Kulikov and Vivian Ovrootsky.

September Aces; Korda, Gaston Make History at French Open; Fritz Loses Longest Men's Singles Tiebreaker Ever at Roland Garros

September is US Open time, with many of those who are featured in my Tennis Recruiting Network column for that month usually making their marks in New York. This year, without any junior championships in New York, most of the teens highlighted were earning titles in Europe, as were all the collegians who claimed doubles titles this year. It's rare that I include someone who lost in the first round of a slam, but when Pepperdine alum Mayar Sherif made history for her country, there's no doubt that deserved a mention. 

Speaking of history, it was quite a day at the French Open for American qualifier Sebastian Korda and wild card Hugo Gaston of France. It had been 18 years since a man ranked outside the Top 200 had reached the fourth round (French wild card Arnaud Di Pasquale), and today, both 20-year-olds matched that accomplishment on the same day. 

Korda rolled past qualifier Pedro Martinez of Spain 6-4, 6-3, 6-1, looking completely comfortable and in control throughout the match. With 49 winners and 29 unforced errors, the 2018 Australian Open boys champion was not challenged after the first set, and even a lengthy rain delay, with Korda leading 4-1 in the third set, couldn't do anything to slow his momentum. He came out and quickly won the last two games to pick up his sixth victory of the tournament, three in qualifying and three in the main draw. Korda's round gets a lot tougher on Sunday, when he faces 12-time French Open champion and No. 2 seed Rafael Nadal. For more on Korda's win, the first round of 16 appearance for an American in his first appearance at Roland Garros since Michael Russell in 2001, see this article on today's match from Joel Drucker for tennis.com.

While No. 213 Korda no doubt had a good draw today, facing another player outside the ATP Top 100, the same can't be seed for No. 239 Gaston, who faced 2015 French Open champion and No. 16 seed Stan Wawrinka. Despite Gaston's huge deficit in experience, and without a packed Chatrier stadium urging him on, the 2017 Orange Bowl champion outplayed the three-time slam champion in the final set to post an improbable 2-6, 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 6-0 victory. I was impressed with Gaston's drop shots when he won that Orange Bowl title, and they continue to be an important part of his game, as is clear from these highlights from today's match.  Gaston's fourth round opponent is US Open champion and No. 3 seed Dominic Thiem.

More history was made today at the French Open in the third set tiebreaker of Italy's Lorenzo Sonego's 7-6(5), 6-3, 7-6(17) win over Taylor Fritz, with the pair playing the longest tiebreaker in Roland Garros men's singles history. Fritz, who had three set points with Sonego serving at 4-5 in the third, and six more in the tiebreaker, saved six match points in the tiebreaker, but Sonego refused to let the set go, converting on his seventh. The 31-minute tiebreaker was gripping throughout, with no double faults, many winners, few unforced errors(although Fritz will probably not forget netting one of his short forehands on one of his set points) and a refreshing lack of whining, even as the frustration built. Sonego finally let loose with a huge shout at the conclusion, but had been the picture of composure up until that release. The 25-year-old Sonego, who had never gotten past the second round of a major before, faces No. 12 seed Diego Schwartzman of Argentina on Sunday. 

Friday’s French Open singles results of Americans:

Simona Halep(ROU)[1] d. Amanda Anisimova[25] 60, 61 

Lorenzo Sonego(ITA) d. Taylor Fritz[27] 76(5), 63, 76(17)

Sebastian Korda[Q] d. Pedro Martinez(ESP)[Q] 64, 63, 61

Saturday’s French Open singles matches featuring Americans:

Sofia Kenin[4] v Irina Bara(ROU)

Danielle Collins v Garbine Muguruza(ESP)[11]

Saturday's schedule is here.

Collins and Kenin Advance to French Open Third Round; Burel Among Many Outside Top 100 to Reach Round of 32; Fan Voting for Hall of Fame Begins with Former Gator Great Raymond on Ballot

Floridians Danielle Collins and Sofia Kenin reached the third round of the French Open today, with Collins defeating 17-year-old qualifier Clara Tauson of Denmark 6-2, 6-3 and No. 4 seed Kenin coming from behind to beat Ana Bogdan of Romania 3-6, 6-3, 6-2.

Collins was in top form against the 2019 Australian Open girls champion, striking 25 winners and making only 10 unforced errors despite her aggressive play. Tauson wasn't as sharp as she was against Jennifer Brady in the first round, but some of that was due to the pressure that Collins applied. Collins did trail 2-0 in the second set, but once she got that break back, she really raised her level, breaking Tauson two more times and saving the only break point she face in the eighth game. Collins is known for her big hitting, but she was so comfortable late in the match that she tried two drop shot returns, both of which were successful, including on match points. Collins, who is into the third round in Paris for the first time, plays No. 11 seed and 2016 Roland Garros champion Garbine Muguruza of Spain next.

Kenin has struggled a bit in this abbreviated clay season, losing in the first round of the Italian Open to Victoria Azarenka, and needing three sets to get past WTA No. 125 Liudmila Samsonova of Russia in the first round. She started slowly again today against Bogdan, and at 6-3, 3-all the result was still in doubt, but the 2020 Australian Open champion reeled off six straight games to take a 3-0 lead in the third set. Kenin's drop shot was lethal in the second half of the match--I believe Tennis Channel said she had 12 outright winners with it--and Bogdan never appeared to see it coming. The last two games were classic, with Bogdan saving three match points in a four-deuce game to force Kenin to serve it out. Kenin then saved three break points in that game to finally get to her fourth match point, which she converted. Kenin's third round opponent is unseeded Irina Bara of Romania, who beat No. 26 seed Donna Vekic of Croatia in the first round.

One of the stories of this year's French Open is the number of players, outside the Top 100, both men and women, who have made it to the Round of 32.

The nine men in that category are: Roberto Carballes Baena(ESP) [101]; Pedro Martinez(ESP)[105]; Norbert Gombos(SVK)[106]; Marco Cecchinato(ITA)[110]; Kevin Anderson(RSA)[118]; Daniel Elahi Galan(COL)[153]; Daniel Altmaier(GER)[186]; Sebastian Korda[213] and Hugo Gaston[239].

The eight women in that category are: Barbora Krejcikova(CZE)[114]; Nadia Podoroska(ARG)[131]; Irina Bara(ROU)[142]; Tsvetana Pironkova(BUL)[157]; Martina Trevisan(ITA)[159]; Anna Karolina Schmiedlova(SVK)[161]; Eugenie Bouchard(CAN)[168] and Clara Burel(FRA)[357].  Eighteen-year-old Canadian Leylah Fernandez, who also reached the third round, a year after winning the girls title in Paris, is now 100 in the rankings.

Burel, the 2018 ITF World Junior Champion, used the vocal support of the small French crowd to propel her past junior rival Kaja Juvan of Slovenia 7-6(6), 6-2. Wild card Burel, who lost to Juvan in the Youth Olympic Games gold medal match in 2018, faces Shuai Zhang of China in the third round. 

Several men's second round doubles matches were played today, with Tommy Paul and Nick Monroe(UNC) advancing to the round of 16 with 7-5, 2-6, 6-3 win over No. 4 seeds Lukasz Kubot(POL) and Marcelo Melo(BRA). 

The first round of women's doubles was completed today, with no fewer than four alternate teams receiving entry. No alternates were needed to fill the men's doubles draw. The top 10 women's doubles seeds all made it through the first round. 

Thursday’s French Open second round results of Americans:

Sofia Kenin[4] d. Ana Bogdan(ROU) 36, 63, 62

Danielle Collins d. Clara Tauson(DEN)[Q] 62, 63

Patricia Tig(ROU) d. Christina McHale 64, 63 

Paula Badosa(ESP) d. Sloane Stephens[29] 64, 46, 62 

Thiago Monteiro(BRA) d. Marcos Giron 76(5), 64, 61 

Daniel Elahi Galan(COL)[LL] Tennys Sandgren 62, 62, 63

Friday’s French Open third round matches featuring Americans:

Amanda Anisimova[25] v Simona Halep(ROU)[1]

Taylor Fritz[27] v Lorenzo Sonego(ITA)

Sebastian Korda[Q] v Pedro Martinez(ESP)[Q]

Friday's order of play is here.

The International Tennis Hall of Fame has developed a system for fans to vote for nominees, and that voting begins today. Australia's Lleyton Hewitt is probably the only sure thing among those nominated, but Lisa Raymond, who was a star at the University of Florida, is included. Raymond, who won the 1992 and 1993 NCAA singles titles, and led the Gators to a team title in 1992, reached No. 15 in the WTA rankings, but is probably best known for her doubles results, which include six women's grand slam doubles titles and five grand slam mixed titles. She reached No. 1 in the women's doubles rankings in 2000.