If a tournament’s final four has the top two seeds, its greatest active champion and a local hero, it’s like drawing a royal flush in poker. With the best cards in hand, the event is always going to be a winner.

Wimbledon 2026 will have a chance to experience this on Friday. Jannik Sinner, the top seed and defending champion, will take on Novak Djokovic, a 24-time Major winner and seven-time titlist at SW19. In the other encounter, second seed and reigning Roland-Garros trophy-holder Alexander Zverev will meet British wildcard Arthur Fery.

There is both familiarity and novelty. Sinner and Djokovic have sparred 11 times overall, with the Italian ahead 6-5. Zverev and Fery are first-time Wimbledon semifinalists and have no history of facing each other.

The Sinner-Djokovic fixture will be more intriguing, primarily because the gap between them appears to have shrunk a little. Sinner, who thrashed Djokovic 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 here in 2025, is not the player who went on an awe-inspiring 29-match winning run earlier this year. At the French Open, he was troubled by the heat and lost early; over the past 10 days here, he has not been at his clinical best.

Djokovic beat Sinner over five pulsating sets in the Australian Open semifinal in January, snapping a run of five defeats to the Italian. But much will depend on the 39-year-old’s recovery after the five-hour, 15-minute marathon versus Felix Auger-Aliassime. Two days’ rest would have helped, and so will the additional time on Friday, for Djokovic’s will be the second match.

Back in Australia, the Serb was aided by Jakub Mensik’s withdrawal (fourth round) and Lorenzo Musetti’s mid-match retirement (quarters). Sinner, however, remains wary. “Even when I had the [winning] streak, every match with Novak had its own story,” Sinner said.

“Especially on grass, if you have a bad serving day or if you are not feeling the ball well, it’s going to be tough. He has won this tournament so many times and he knows exactly how to approach it.”

Zverev and Fery will be short on that foreknowledge, but the German, by virtue of being more pedigreed, should fancy himself. This will be his 12th Slam semifinal, and after succeeding in Paris, his confidence will be sky-high.

On the other hand, 23-year-old Fery was ranked No. 114 coming into Wimbledon and had only won two Major contests all career. He will be pumped up nonetheless, more so after the straight-sets demolition of Flavio Cobolli and the five-set victory over Grigor Dimitrov. Will there be another chapter in the fairytale?

The triumphs of Alexander Zverev and Mirra Andreeva at the French Open for their maiden Grand Slam singles titles appear to have evoked contrasting feelings in both. For 29-year-old Zverev, the rousing five-set victory over Italian Flavio Cobolli brought more relief than unbridled joy, for he had lost thrice before in a Major final and was long considered among the best players to have never won a Slam. But for Andreeva, the straight-forward win over the unheralded qualifier Maja Chwalinska — albeit under testing windy conditions — was a journey to seventh heaven and a realisation of her prodigious teenaged promise. Both players benefitted from notable absences and a plethora of upsets, so much so that neither faced a top-10 opponent all tournament. Among men, Carlos Alcaraz withdrew while red-hot favourite Jannik Sinner and 24-time Major winner Novak Djokovic fell by the third round. In the ladies section, none among Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff and Elena Rybakina reached the semifinals. But in fairness, both Zverev and Andreeva were pedigreed. Zverev was — and still is — World No. 3, has been in the top-4 for the last two years, and in the top-10 for a good part of the last decade. Andreeva reached the Roland-Garros semifinal as a 17-year-old in 2024, entered the top-10 in early 2025 after back-to-back successes in Dubai and Indian Wells, and has maintained that status.

Zverev is just the third German man in the Open Era to win a Slam and the first to do so in Paris. The victory will also go a long way in erasing a few painful memories he has experienced on Court Philippe-Chatrier. In 2022, he limped out of his semifinal against Rafael Nadal on crutches after damaging his right ankle in the second set. In 2024, he was up two sets to one against Alcaraz in the final before falling apart. The 2026 edition, which snapped Alcaraz and Sinner’s combined winning streak of nine Majors, is his redemption song. Andreeva’s career, in contrast, is yet to experience the vagaries of the tennis tour. After first making waves as a 16-year-old qualifier in 2023, reaching the round of 32 at the French Open and the round of 16 at Wimbledon, the Russian shot up to No. 5 by July 2025. Andreeva has competed in 13 Slams so far, and has reached the fourth round or better in eight. It is a remarkable record for someone who is yet to turn 20, and her dash to the title over the previous fortnight for the loss of just one set is confirmation of her elite status.

Jakub Mensik battled past Brazilian breakout star Joao Fonseca with a 6-4 6-3 7-6(3) win ​to make the semifinals of the French Open on Tuesday and become the ‌youngest Czech man to reach that stage at a Grand ​Slam.

Days after collapsing on the red dirt of Paris ⁠following his second-round victory in sweltering conditions, the 20-year-old shone on a cool evening following a spell of rain to book a last-four clash with title ‌favourite Alexander Zverev.

“I’m still in the match a little bit,” Mensik said in his on-court interview after surpassing compatriot Ivan ‌Lendl who made the 1981 Paris semifinals at the age ‌of ⁠21.

“Joao is a great guy and a great competitor. Before ⁠the match, I knew it would be a tough one. We started a bit nervous and at the end of the match, there were some incredible shots.

“I’m super ​happy I was the one ‌who came back. I managed to stay focused and keep fighting until the end.”

After four straight holds of serve to kick off the contest under the Court Philippe Chatrier roof, the momentum swung ‌when Mensik edged ahead with a break, and the Czech stayed ​firm from there to win the opening set.

The ice-cool Mensik tightened his grip on the contest when the second ⁠set unfolded in similar fashion, as the 19-year-old Fonseca’s serve let him down at a crucial moment and he then struggled to find a ‌way past the wall in front of him.

The youngest Roland Garros men’s quarterfinal since a 20-year-old Rafa Nadal defeated a teenage Novak Djokovic in 2006 looked in danger of becoming a rout as Mensik bagged the set when his opponent pushed a shot wide.

With his adoring Brazilian fans stunned and the frustration rising, Fonseca came out firing ‌in the third set, but was broken when serving for it at 5-4. Mensik ​drew level before wasting six match points and eventually prevailing via a tiebreak.

“The last game and tiebreak was one ⁠of my best performances so far,” added Mensik, who was mentored during his ⁠junior days by Djokovic.

“A couple of matchpoints I didn’t know if the ball was out or in … It was really ‌tough to stay focused until the end and I’m really happy that I managed to come back in the tiebreak and move ​my game a little bit forward.”

Romanian veteran ​Sorana Cirstea proved that dreams have no expiry as she beat China’s Wang Xinyu 6-3 ‌7-6(4) at the French Open on Sunday to reach her first ​Roland Garros quarter-final in 17 years.

The 36-year-old, who is retiring at ⁠the end of the season, advanced to the quarter-final of a Grand Slam for just the third time in her career.

It will be her first quarterfinal in the French capital since ‌2009 – the longest gap between the first two quarter-finals at a women’s singles major in the Open Era.

“I always thought there is no ‌expiry date for ambition and for dreams. I have so much passion ‌for ⁠this sport,” Cirstea said after her victory.

“I absolutely love tennis and ⁠to be able to still play at this level – have my family, my team, the closest people watching me – it’s an absolute joy.

“I think sometimes society puts us in certain groups because of ​the age. But I think in ‌life, you are free to do whatever you want and I want to play. And here I am, thank you everyone for all the support.” She could sense an opening for a shot at glory, with the bottom half ‌of the women’s draw devoid of a Grand Slam finalist after a ​string of upsets including the exit of four-time champion Iga Swiatek earlier in the day.

Form of life

Cirstea is in the form ⁠of her life after becoming the oldest player to break into the top 20 earlier this month. She reached two semifinals during the clay court swing and shocked world ‌number one Aryna Sabalenka in Rome.

The Romanian also became the oldest player in the Open Era to claim a 6-0 6-0 win in a Grand Slam main draw with her third-round victory over Solana Sierra.

Against Wang, Cirstea dominated the opening set, breaking twice to surge into a 5-1 lead.

With the finish line in sight in the second set for Cirstea at 5-2, Wang fought back to force a ‌tiebreak where the Romanian found a second wind to win in 84 minutes before the pair ​embraced at the net.

“I think the older I got, the less pressure I put on myself. I’m trying to just play the points, ⁠not play the score and this is what’s helping me,” Cirstea added.

“I think I’m ⁠a very complete player. I can attack, I can defend, I’m way calmer on the court and I’m also enjoying (myself).

“At the end of the ‌day, we all have a passion and my passion is tennis. I’m just so grateful for everything that’s happening.”

Cirstea will next play the winner of the ​match between eighth seed Mirra Andreeva and Jil Teichmann. (Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Bernadette Baum and Andrew Cawthorne)

Naomi Osaka continued to shine in the City of Light as she beat American teenager Iva Jovic 7-6 (7/5), 6-7 (3/7), 6-4, in the French Open third round on Saturday (May 30, 2026).

On Court Suzanne Lenglen, the Japanese star once again made an eye-catching entry, wearing a gold jacket and a voluminous gold train, an outfit, bracketed by pink tennis sneakers and a black sponsor’s visor.

She shed the outer layers to play in another variation of her gold tennis dress, which shone in the blazing sun of the fading Paris heatwave.

After the match, Osaka refused to reveal if she had more outfits lined up in her hotel room.

“I think it’s a surprise every time,” she said.

The No. 16 seed continued what is already her longest Roland Garros run.

“I was a lot calmer than in my first matches,” said Osaka, who has won the Australian and US Opens twice each.

“In a slam the further I get the calmer I am. It such an honour to be here. It’s the furthest I have ever been here.”

She will next face either women’s No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka or unseeded Australian Daria Kasatkina.

In a match dominated by the serve, Osaka gained the decisive break in the 10th game of the third set. Jovic, seeded 17, opened the game with a 162kph ace, but after that, faltered when Osaka returned, finding the net twice and then hitting long on the first match point.

The players exchanged breaks early in the first set and midway through the second before both went to tiebreaks.

Osaka edged the first. Jovic, 18, raced away to win in the second.

The 28-year-old Osaka said her serve had been crucial against her young opponent.

“I am really glad it was working,” said Osaka. “Against some players you need to put your serve in and she was very aggressive on my second serve,”

Aryna Sabalenka cut through the French ​Open chaos as the world number ‌one beat Australia’s Daria Kasatkina 6-0 ​7-5 on Saturday (May 30, 2026) to ⁠seal her place in the fourth round after seismic upsets in the previous two ‌days at Roland Garros.

With top seed Jannik Sinner and ‌24-times Grand Slam winner Novak ‌Djokovic ⁠exiting in the last 48 ⁠hours, Sabalenka restored order with a commanding display to book a tantalising meeting with ​Japan’s Naomi Osaka.

Sabalenka ‌wasted little time to get going on a sun-drenched Court Suzanne Lenglen, winning the opening five games ‌with a mix of power ​from the baseline and precision at the net, before she ⁠fought from 15-40 down in the next to secure a bagel.

Russian-born Kasatkina, ‌who began representing her adopted country last year, broke and held against the run of play in the second set to draw chants of “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie” and those ‌voices soon became a lot quieter.

An unforced ​error from Kasatkina allowed Sabalenka to draw level at 2-2, ⁠and the four-times Grand Slam champion ⁠stayed in touch before dialling up the intensity late on ‌to complete her eighth victory in 10 meetings between the pair.

Top seed Aryna Sabalenka overcame a first-set scare to ​beat France’s Elsa Jacquemot 7-5 6-2 on ‌Thursday (May 28, 2026) and move into the ​French Open third round.

The Belarusian, ⁠last year’s losing finalist, was made to work hard for about an hour, with ‌the local hero delighting home fans with several spectacular winners.

A ‌four-time Grand Slam champion, Sabalenka is ‌still ⁠looking to land her first ⁠French Open title.

The world number one earned an early break with a powerful forehand to ​go 3-1 up ‌but Jacquemot broke straight back. On a day when the men’s world number one Jannik Sinner crashed out ‌in five sets to Juan Manuel ​Cerundolo, Sabalenka had to dig deep in the first set ⁠against the world number 67.

Sabalenka had set point at 5-4 on Jacquemot’s serve ‌but the French player, who had the crowd on their feet at times, managed to match Sabalenka’s power with superb precision and level.

The top seed kept her composure and ‌won the first set on her third set ​point, and she never looked back.

She grabbed a break at ⁠the start of the second set and ⁠raced to a 3-0 lead, giving Jacquemot, who was quickly running ‌out of steam, no chance of a comeback.

Sabalenka will next face ​Australia’s Daria Kasatkina.

Indian-origin tennis player Nishesh Basavareddy caused the first major upset of the French Open as he stunned seventh-seeded American Taylor Fritz in the opening round in Paris.

Wild card entrant Basavareddy, an American citizen now, beat world number nine Fritz 7-6(5), 7-6(5), 6-7(9), 6-1 in a gruelling match that lasted two hours and 45 minutes on Sunday to reach the second round.

The 21-year-old, whose parents moved to the USA from Nellore in Andhra Pradesh in 1999, became the first American man to beat a top-10 opponent at Roland Garros since Jan-Michael Gambill eliminated then-World No. 8 Nicolas Kiefer in 2000.

He was aggressive early, using plenty of drop shots and his backhand down the line. He also withstood 71 winners from Fritz, hitting 51 of his own to claim the first Top-10 victory of his career.

Basavareddy had played just five tour-level matches this season when he walked on court against Fritz.

He will face another young American Alex Michelsen in the second round.