Key events
Paolini is relentless in her commitment to attack, heavy forehands punctuated with well-disguised drops. Svitolina can win this, but she won’t create as many opportunities because she doesn’t have the same variety and creativity. The Italian leads 6-4 2-1.
On Chatrier, we’re on serve at 1-1 in set two, Paolini having taken the first; on Lenglen, a double from Paul means he now faces two break points. So he attacks the backhand, again, makes deuce, and from there, serves it out. Popyrin just can’t hide his major weakness well enough for long enough. Paul leads 6-3 3-1.
Paul might need a quick match here and he’s doing all he can to bring it about, breaking Popyrin then racing through a consolidation, sealed with a nails forehand down the line. He’s relentlessly attacking the backhand and so far, the Australian has no reply.
Svitolina saves it but then tamely nets; this time, Paolini thwacks her return long. But two booming forehands, taken on the rise, makes a further advantage, and the sense remains that it’s the Italian with the heavier artillery and more bristling creativity. And shonuff, this time when she attacks, as she always does, an inside-out forehand into the corner is enough to seal a 6-4 set. Svitolina is playing well and trying everything, but she’s not quite as good.
Well, Paul raises set point with an excellent backhand down the line but then comes in to greet a soaring forehand, decides it’s going long … and it dips in. What an oversight that is! No matter. From there, he serves out for a 6-3 set and that’s a fair reflection of the play we’ve seen so far: Paul is handling the big points better while, on Chatrier, Paolini has a set-point of her own on the Svitolina serve…
Popyrin makes 0-40 but unforced errors burn all three break-back opportunities; will he get another?
Meantime, Paul – showing no signs of fatigue, what a ludicrous athlete he is – breaks Popyrin and at 5-3 will now serve for the set.
Paul saves two break points and leads 4-3 in the first; Svitolina, down 4-3, offers the first double of the match and with it yet another break point, but opens a lane for a pass then drives right through it. To deuce we go…
Svitolina must surely now know that her best route to victory is to push Paolini back, and upping the gas earns her break point, but an error returns it. A booming forehand then allows the Italian to come in, whereupon she conjures a lush half-volley off her tootsies, Federer-style, flicking her wrist while hopping. She can’t, though, convert, and when Svitolina is given a second serve to climb into, she doesn’t hold back; advantage her and another chance to seize back the break. This time, she does the necessary, and this is a really fun contest, the standard proper.
Ach, Paolini breaks again – that’s loose from Svitolina, and she’ll be raging at her behaviour. At 4-2, it’ll take some work to get back into the set and, as I type, another gorgeous drop underlines the point. Paolini has the greater variety of shots, but Svitolina is canny, meeting aggression with aggression. We’re now at 30-all while, in the other match, it’s 2-2 and already a slog. Lovely stuff!
Yes she can! She’s worked her way into this match, stepping into court and looking to attack, no “rally balls”, to borrow Chrissie’s expression. A fantastic return, inside-out on the forehand, makes 15-40, and a long forehand means we’re back on serve at 3-2 Paolini.
Paul forces to Popyrin to deuce and after a bit of back and forth zooms into the net to retrieve a drop, the winner he creates earning break-back point. Popyrin then nets a backhand and at 1-1 we’re back on serve in the first, er … exactly as I predicted.
On Chatrier, Svito is on the board at 1-3, but can she make an impression on Paolini’s serve?
Paolini is on absolute flames here, standing as far in as she can, running around the backhand whenever possible, and clouting the granny out of her fore. I’d love to know why it took her so long to find this version of herself, but in the meantime she’s almost toying with Svitolina, holding easily for 3-0. I absolutely love her creativity on court – and you can see from her interviews that it’s an expression of who she is off it. In a way, she reminds me of Carlos Alcaraz.
Svitolina makes 30-0 but Paolini wins a terrific point at the net out-thinking as much as out-hitting her opponent, and at 30-40, a fine disguised drop-shot secures the break and a 2-0 lead.
On Lenglen, Paul – looking to shake yesterday’s marathon against Khachanov out of his legs – opts to serve, and even at this early stage, when Popyrin breaks him, the first set looks a reach.
Paolini holds comfortably for 1-0. She’s such a great addition to the top of the game – I wondered if her sudden improvement, pretty unusual really, might’ve been a streak, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. She’s now a fixture and a serious threat on any surface.
And off we go…
Out come our players – on both courts. I fancy Popyrin to upset Paul, who’s put a lot into his legs these last few days and isn’t a natural clay-courter.
“They’re both lovely human beings,” says Chrissie Evert, a lovely human being, of Paolini and Svitolina. Imagine being spoken of like that by someone like that.
They are both of course, also fantastic tennisers, and their match should be seriously intense. Paolini’s extra pop and speed makes her favourite, but Svitolina is a very live dog.
Preamble
Salut et bienvenue à Ronald-Garros 2025 – huitième jour!
In the early rounds of slams, the joy is in the sheer multitude, great matches and surprise bangers all over the shot – the only shame is we’re not gifted extra sets of eyes to keep up with it all.
But today, mes amis, is the day it all changes: round four, two courts, chauette alors.
We begin with Alexei Popyrin, on a surge, against Tommy Paul, winner of two five-setters in the last four days then, an hour into that, Jasmine Paolni bounces on to court to face Elina Svitolina, in a most-likeable derby that screams joy.
Following them, we’ve Elena Rybakina taking on three-time defending champ, Iga Swiatek – I know! – and Liudmila Samsonova against spin-queen and Olympic champion, Qinwen Zheng, before we round off our day with Aryna Sabalenka, who meets the improving Amanda Anisimova, and an elite-level charisma-off between Ben Shelton and Carlos Alcaraz.
On y va!
Play: 11am local, 10am BST.
