Ons Jabeur keeps alive French Open as title hopes Andrey Rublev implodes in angry exit

Tunisian sets up fourth-round clash with Tauson, while Russian eighth seed suffers meltdown on way to defeat against Arnaldi

Ons Jabeur celebrates after beating Leylah Fernandez in straight-sets at the French Open on May 31, 2024. Reuters

Ons Jabeur kept alive her hopes of a maiden Grand Slam title with a straight-sets victory over Canada's Leylah Fernandez in Round 3 of the French Open on Friday.

The Tunisian had survived a scare in the previous round during her rollercoaster win over Camila Osorio but secured victory against the 31st seed in more straightforward fashion coming out on top 6-4, 7-6.

Jabeur has come within touching distance of major glory in the past, reaching the last two Wimbledon finals and the 2022 US Open title clash, but the 29-year-old has not been able to cross the finish line and make history by becoming the first Arab and African woman to win a Slam.

Fernandez, who lost to Emma Raducanu in the 2021 final at Flushing Meadows, provided a stern test for as the pair exchanged breaks midway through the opening set before Jabeur took control of the contest on serve.

Jabeur found herself trailing 3-1 in the second set but took the next two games to go level, before saving a set point in a five-deuce game and eventually sealed victory with an ice-cool show in the tie break.

“Everybody knows Leylah, she plays very well. She's a very aggressive player,” said Jabeur, who will now face unseeded Dane Clara Tauson. “I knew that I had to finish the match before the third set and I won some points at the right moments. It was a bit tough on serve but I'm very happy to win.”

Defending champion Iga Swiatek celebrated her 23rd birthday by brushing aside unseeded Czech Marie Bouzkova 6-4, 6-2 on Court Philippe-Chatrier to set up a fourth-round match against Russia's Anastasia Potapova.

Like Jabeur, Switatek had been involved in a testing battle in the previous round after having to come back from 5-2 down in the third set and save a match point on way to beating Naomi Osaka.

World No 3 Coco Gauff reached the fourth round for a fourth successive year following a 6-2, 6-4 win over Ukraine's Dayana Yastremska earlier on the showpiece court and stayed on course for a last-four clash with world No 1 Swiatek.

The US Open champion – who reached the Paris final in 2022 – pressured her opponent into committing 38 unforced errors on Court Philippe Chatrier, and converted five of her 11 break points. The American will next face Italy's world No 51 Elisabetta Cocciaretto.

In the men's draw, Italy's Matteo Arnaldi produced a sensational performance to knock out an increasingly frustrated Andrey Rublev in straight-sets on Court Suzanne Lenglen.

Eighth seed Rublev, who won the Madrid Open title last month, missed a set point in the opening tie-break before becoming increasingly agitated. He repeatedly threw his racquet to the ground, ranted and raged at himself as the match began to slip away, thumping his racket into his legs and kicking his courtside bench.

The Russian never regained his composure as Arnaldi sealed a 7-6, 6-2, 6-4 win and a fourth-round clash against either Greek ninth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas or Zhang Zhizhen of China.

“Completely disappointed with myself the way I behaved, the way I performed,” admitted Rublev, who made 37 unforced errors in an erratic display. “The problem is the head, that today basically I killed myself, and that's it.”

Arnaldi, who also reached the fourth round of last year's US Open, was rock-solid throughout and barely put a foot wrong as he posted one the biggest wins of his career. Rublev became he highest seed to fall so far in Paris.

“The first set was very important for me, because you know I'm not the favourite so going after a set like this down one set to love it's never easy,” Arnaldi said on court. “It's incredible … I played the best tennis in my life I would say.”

There were no such problems for Australian Open champion and Italian second seed Jannik Sinner beat Russia's Pavel Kotov 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 on Court Philippe-Chatrier and will now will take on Sebastian Ofner or home favourite Corentin Moutet.

It maintained Sinner's perfect start at Roland Garros as he secured a third consecutive straight-sets victory meaning he is an impressive 31-2 for the season and stays on course to take over as World No 1.

The 22-year-old can guarantee taking over at the top of the rankings for the first time by reaching the final in Paris and even if he falls short, Sinner will still move into No 1 if Novak Djokovic does not reach the championship match. Reigning champion Djokovic takes on Italian 30th seed Lorenzo Musetti on Saturday.