Defending champion Coco Gauff was dethroned at the French Open as Austria's Anastasia Potapova claimed a 4-6 7-6(1) 6-4 victory to reach the fourth round on Saturday and stay on track to win her maiden Grand Slam title.
Order of Play | Win with SPAR | Watch Live on DStv
In a brutal couple of days for the fancied players at Roland Garros with Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic crashing out of the men's draw, Gauff was unable to find her best level when it mattered most and joined the scrap heap of stars.
Her premature exit leaves four-times champion Iga Swiatek and world number one Aryna Sabalenka as the leading contenders to claim the trophy, while Potapova will fancy her chances as the dark horse having dished out a massive upset.
"I'm cramping a little bit, but it's OK, it's all good. I don't have any words now, I'm extremely happy," Potapova said in her on-court chat as she clutched her right arm after two hours and 37 minutes of big hitting.
"The fight we could show, both of us... Coco's such a champion and I respect her so much. I'm unbelievably proud of myself that I stayed there, that I was fighting until the very last point."
Head high, Anastasia, this is your moment 💫#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/LFRMPDTxYi
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) May 30, 2026
Potapova rattled Gauff with powerful baseline hitting and broke to love in the opening game, before taking a 4-2 lead when the American slipped and dropped to the floor of Court Philippe Chatrier while trying to reach for the ball.
Gauff dusted herself off and won the next two games in front of a sparse centre court crowd, with the attention split between Paris St Germain's Champions League soccer final with Arsenal in Budapest and Frenchman Moise Kouame in action at Roland Garros.
The 22-year-old raised her game again to take the first set, but Russian-born Potapova immediately ramped up the pressure and targeted the American's wobbly serve to grab a double break at the start of the second set.
Potapova was on the verge of levelling the match while ahead 5-2 but Gauff moved through the gears to surge ahead by claiming four games in a row, only to lose the next game and then the set in a tiebreak where her serve let her down.
The pair traded breaks in a breathless decider, but world number four Gauff lost her way as Potapova took control and went through in style for a meeting with 22nd seed Anna Kalinskaya, who beat Camila Osorio 6-3 0-6 6-2, in the fourth round.
Potapova, ranked 30th in the world, said it was one of the biggest wins of her career.
"It's up there in the top three for sure," she added.
SABALENKA SOARS
World No 1 Sabalenka continued her pursuit of a first French Open title by easing past Daria Kasatkina 6-0, 7-5.
The Belarusian top seed ripped through the first set in 29 minutes.
Sabalenka let her momentum drift at the start of the second set as two unforced errors and a double fault allowed Kasatkina to break in the opening game. The Australian then held to love as Sabalenka continued to miss.
The Belarusian took the next three games but faced greater resistance from Kasatkina.
At 6-5, with Kasatkina serving, Sabalenka reasserted her control. She raced to three match points and converted the second to win in one hour and 17 minutes, and become the ninth woman to win 100 matches while ranked No.1.
100 wins as World No.1 ✅#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/ZLykgf06U3
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) May 30, 2026
"I was happy in the tough moments I never gave up," she said.
She said that while she would have been happy to cruise through the first week of a major with easy wins, Kasatkina's resistence could be beneficial.
"Good to be tested, like to feel the fight like activate this fight mode, to feel the pressure a little bit. I feel like it's a good preparation for the second week," she explained.
In the round of 16, Sabalenka will face fellow four-time major winner Naomi Osaka.
A second Grand Slam meeting awaits ⚡️#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/afmNO2PWAO
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) May 30, 2026
Osaka won their only meeting at a major, at the same stage in the 2018 US Open, a tournament the Japanese star went on to win for the first of her four majors.
Since then they had not met again until two encounters this season -- both won by Sabalenka at Indian Wells and Madrid.
"It's great, great to see her back on her level. Maybe not at her best level, but she's back, she's fighting, she's building her level," said Sabalenka.
"I'm just ready for the fight. I'm ready to go out there to fight for that match, for that win. Ready to do anything it takes to get the win."
The world No.1 is staying cool ahead of her fourth round clash with Naomi Osaka 🍦#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/xDPLWMJC19
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) May 30, 2026
OSAKA SURVIVES SCARE
Former world number one Osaka dazzled with an all-gold outfit but had to dig deep for a hard-fought 7-6(5) 6-7(3) 6-4 victory over American teenager Iva Jovic on Saturday to reach the fourth round for the first time.
Playing in a gold sequined top and skirt - her latest fashion statement in Paris - the four-time Grand Slam champion found it hard going from the start, with the American teenager's brutal shot-making dulling her opponent's sparkle.
The Japanese 16th seed, however, kept her composure to avoid a third-set tiebreak as she sealed victory.
"I think I'm just a lot calmer now," Osaka told a press conference after setting up a last-16 showdown with top seed Sabalenka.
"I feel like in the previous years I just wanted it so much and now, obviously I do want it, but I accept that it's a process, and maybe it will eventually come and maybe it won't. I just have to enjoy it while it lasts."
Osaka, who has turned heads once more with a variety of haute couture-inspired outfits for her matches in Paris, initially looked surprised by the teenager's precision and power.
The 18-year-old Jovic looked completely at ease on Court Suzanne Lenglen despite her lack of big-stage experience as she pushed Osaka to a first-set tiebreak.
Osaka had wasted two set points at 6-5 and needed three more before subduing the American 7-5 in the tiebreak.
It was a similar story in the second set, with a break apiece and Jovic winning the second tiebreak to level.
The third set was again on a razor's edge, with Jovic refusing to buckle and matching Osaka's power blow for blow. But the Japanese carved out a match point at 5-4 on the American's serve and converted it to move into the next round.
Naomi Osaka is through to the round of 16 for the first time in Paris 👋
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) May 30, 2026
Catch up on the highlights from the No.16 seed's win over Iva Jovic right here. #RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/kHvIa17QjZ
"She was pretty aggressive. You just have to account for it. You can't necessarily let it stress you out. You just have to keep going," Osaka said.
"I think younger players are some of the scariest players to play because they have no fear.
"I just hoped that my veteran status could shine a little bit in some moments, and I think it did."
PARRY STUNS ANISIMOVA
Diane Parry, the last Frenchwoman standing in the women's draw, pulled off a stunning 6-3 4-6 7-6(3) victory over American Amanda Anisimova, advancing to the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time in her career.
The 23-year-old, ranked 92nd in the world, delighted the home crowd on Court Philippe Chatrier as she eliminated Anisimova, the sixth seed and a two-time major finalist at Wimbledon and the US Open in 2025, as well as a Roland Garros semifinalist in 2019.
Upset alert, at home for Parry 🇫🇷 #RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/Iq66rKh0Xn
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) May 30, 2026
The Frenchwoman endured a shaky start, falling 3-1 behind in the opening set, but stormed back with five successive games to claim it on her third set point.
Anisimova, however, found her footing in the second set, breaking Parry at a critical stage to force a deciding set.
The third set unfolded in dramatic fashion as Parry broke to lead 4-3, only for the American to immediately break back, amplifying the tension.
It was in the decisive tiebreak where Parry showed her mettle, taking control early and clinching victory on her first match point after two hours and 44 minutes.
Parry, who is a fan of soccer side Paris St Germain, was relieved to finish her third round before the team's Champions League final against Arsenal.
"So happy I have experienced this match in this atmosphere, you were exceptional. It was a big day with my match and PSG's final awaiting us," Parry said on court.
With her second career victory over a top-10 player, Parry ensured a local representation in the second week of the French Open women's draw for the third straight tournament.
She will face Poland's Maja Chwalinska, ranked 114th in the world, in the fourth round.
Chwalinska, on her maiden appearance at the French Open, has been the surprise package of the tournament with a remarkable run to the last 16.
KEYS KNOCKS OUT MBOKO
In the late match American 19th seed Madison Keys defeated ninth seed Victoria Mboko 6-3 5-7 7-5 to reach the fourth round, where she will face Russia's Diana Shnaider.
Shnaider earlier went through with a 7-5 6-1 win over Ukraine's Oleksandra Oliynykova, who criticised Russian players over their stance on Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.