Fifth-seeded Jessica Pegula lost in the first round of the French Open on May 26, falling to Australia’s Kimberly Birrell 1-6, 6-3, 6-3. This marked Pegula’s third first-round exit at Roland Garros [1, 2].
World number one Jannik Sinner was ousted in the second round the night before after leading two sets against 56th-ranked Juan Manuel Cerundolo. Sinner cited physical exhaustion as the cause of his collapse. "I felt like I hit a wall and completely lost my strength," Sinner said, adding he could not recall the last time he felt so weak physically. Cerundolo expressed sympathy, saying Sinner deserved many wins and the victory but could not explain what happened [3, 4, 5].
Aryna Sabalenka advanced to the women’s quarterfinals after defeating Daria Kasatkina in the third round and Naomi Osaka in the fourth. Sabalenka recorded 39 winners and 12 aces against Osaka, saying she was "happy I never gave up in difficult moments" [6, 7, 8, 9, 10]. Sabalenka noted she had learned to "isolate" herself from the upsets and unpredictability at Roland Garros, calling tennis's uncertainty one of its charms. She vowed to focus on showing her best and giving her all to win the trophy [9, 10].
However, Sabalenka’s run ended on June 3 when she lost unexpectedly to Diana Shnaider in the quarterfinals. Sabalenka made 57 unforced errors in the match [11]. Shnaider, reaching her first Grand Slam quarterfinal and now semifinal, said she was "very happy to finish strong" and called the tournament very special to her [11]. Shnaider will face Maja Chwalinska in the semifinals [11].
Alexander Zverev also advanced to the men’s quarterfinals on June 1 after beating Jesper de Jong in straight sets. The 29-year-old is considered a favorite for his first Grand Slam title [12].
