Paris, FRANCE— One of the rising stars of Team Yonex, Clara Tauson (DEN), has produced an upset at Roland-Garros by beating former champion Jelena Ostapenko to reach the third round of the women’s singles.
In an exhilarating and entertaining match on the Parisian clay, the 21-year-old Dane defeated the Latvian, who was seeded No. 9 in this year’s draw, 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-3 to move into the last 32 for the second year in a row. As a junior, Tauson won the Australian Open girls’ singles title and reached world number one. With her victory over Ostapenko, she has given herself the chance to reach the third round of a women’s major for the third time – she next plays another former Grand Slam champion in American Sofia Kenin, a past winner of the women’s singles title at the Australian Open.
Ruud’s five-set thriller
Head-to-toe Yonex ambassador Casper Ruud (NOR), who has reached the final of the men’s singles in Roland-Garros for the last two years, is into the third round after a 7-6(5), 1-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 victory over Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina which took more than four hours.
Vondrousova fights back
In a remarkable turnaround on the Parisian clay, Team Yonex star Marketa Vondrousova (CZE) dropped the opening set 0-6 against a qualifier before fighting back for a victory that took her into the third round of the women’s singles at Roland-Garros.
With the match spread over two days because of the rain in south-west Paris, Vondrousova found a way to win 0-6, 6-1, 6-4 against American Katie Volynets. While best known for winning last year’s Wimbledon title – when she was the first unseeded women’s singles champion in the tournament’s history – Vondrousova’s first Grand Slam breakthrough was in Paris as she reached the 2019 final as a teenager. Five years later, she is playing Roland-Garros for the first time as a Grand Slam champion and has the game and the mindset to go deep into the draw once again.
Paul and Shelton break new ground in Paris
Two American stars from Team Yonex have both reached the third round of the men’s singles at Roland-Garros for the first time. Tommy Paul (USA) dropped just three games to beat Italian Fabio Fognini 6-1, 6-0, 6-2 while Ben Shelton (USA) was leading 7-6(7), 6-4 when Japan’s Kei Nishikori retired because of injury.
Rybakina powers into the last 32
Bringing her power and class to Court Suzanne Lenglen, Elena Rybakina (KAZ) needed just over an hour to advance into the third round of the women’s singles. The head-to-toe Yonex ambassador won 6-3, 6-4 against Arantxa Rus from the Netherlands after recovering from 2-4 down in the second set. A former champion on the Wimbledon grass, and a past finalist on the hard courts of the Australian Open, the world No. 4 is looking to win her second Grand Slam title. Rybakina’s explosive game can be hugely effective on clay – she is a former quarterfinalist in Paris and three of her WTA singles titles have come on the surface, including in Stuttgart this season.
Team Yonex stars battle it out
With Yonex the most popular racquet brand in the men’s singles at Roland-Garros this year, one section of the draw is filled with Team Yonex stars. Head-to-toe Yonex ambassador Hubert Hurkacz (POL) came from a set down to beat another Team Yonex athlete, Brandon Nakashima (USA), 6-7(2), 6-1, 6-3, 7-6(5). In another match between two Team Yonex players, Denis Shapovalov (CAN) defeated Frances Tiafoe (USA) 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-2, 6-4. Hurkacz now plays Shapovalov for a place in the fourth round.
