Aryna Sabalenka combined gritty tennis and a playful mood after her second-round victory at the 2026 Roland Garros. The world No. 1, wearing Material Good diamonds, survived a testing opening set to beat Else Jacquemot 7-5, 6-2 and move into the third round.

Sabalenka’s win set the stage for a lighthearted rivalry on the stadium steps. Novak Djokovic drew attention with a Michael Jackson tribute following his second-round win over Valentin Royer, and Sabalenka was coy about answering the gesture.

“I guess we’re bringing it old school, so we’ll have to see what I’m up to,” teased Sabalenka to Caroline Garcia on-court.

Known for her fluency with current Tik Tok dances, Sabalenka declined to spoil her planned clip for the tournament’s official social media ahead of a third-round meeting with Daria Kasatkina. “Wait a little bit, it’ll make everyone more excited,” promised Sabalenka. “I need to remember the dance in my head. I hope I can perform it!”

On court, Sabalenka acknowledged the local support that favored Jacquemot, a former junior Roland Garros champion, and thanked the crowd for its composure. “I know you wanted her to win, but thank you for your respect.”

Beyond the staircase theatrics, the win advances Sabalenka as she pursues a first Grand Slam title of the 2026 season. She came close at the Australian Open in January and was a finalist in Paris last spring. Against Jacquemot she steadied through a tight first set before asserting control in the second.

The match mixed competitive intensity and off-court amusement, with Sabalenka keeping the focus on her next opponent while acknowledging the growing dance-off narrative with Djokovic. The tournament now turns to the next chapter, on court and on the stairs.

On Thursday, the world No. 1 and favorite to win Roland Garros saw a commanding position evaporate and a potential title bid end in dramatic fashion. Jannik Sinner led Juan Manuel Cerundolo 6-3, 6-2, 4-1 and even reached match points, but a sudden physical issue changed the match.

Commentary during the match captured the moment’s gravity. “He knows the end is near,” Brian Anderson said. “He’s managing the pain; he’s in tennis’s version of hospice,” Anderson’s booth-mate, Jim Courier, agreed. “He’s just kinda riding this thing to the end.”

Sinner halted play and lifted his lower right leg. “I just need a moment,” he said, according to Mary Jo Fernandez on the sideline. What followed was a rapid reversal. Serving for the match at 5-2, Sinner was broken at love after a double fault. Serving for the match again at 5-4, he began with a double fault and was broken at love. He dropped 15 straight points and watched momentum swing entirely to his opponent.

“I struggled, starting to feel very dizzy,” Sinner said. “Very low of energy. Tried to serve it out, but didn’t have a lot of energy.” He added that the problem began before the match: “Woke up this morning, didn’t feel very well and tried to keep the points very short.” He also said, “I felt this morning I didn’t sleep very well,” and, “This morning when I woke up, I was struggling a bit, but you know, this can happen. Usually in Grand Slams you have a couple of days where you don’t feel perfect. This was today.” He summarized the collapse: “I was hitting very clean, very good, and then I just kind of hit the wall, and that’s it.”

Cerundolo, the 56th-ranked Argentine, grew steadier as Sinner faded and completed one of the most unlikely Grand Slam comebacks, winning 3-6, 2-6, 7-5, 6-1, 6-1. Sinner arrived at Paris after a remarkable spring: 31 straight victories and five Masters 1000 titles in 2026, including a clay sweep in Monte Carlo, Madrid, and Rome. He said he will need time to “process what went wrong here.” For now, the tournament continues without the top seed.

A wave of early upsets has rippled through Roland Garros recent days, with Jessica Pegula, Elena Rybakina and Jannik Sinner among those sent packing in the early rounds. Coco Gauff, however, avoided that fate and moved through the draw with another composed performance.

The 22-year-old American recorded a second-round, straight-sets victory over Egypt’s Mayar Sherif, prevailing 6-3, 6-2. Gauff controlled the key moments of the match and converted chances when they mattered, closing out the win without extending the contest to a third set.

Beyond advancement in the tournament, the match carried a milestone. The victory was Gauff’s 80th career win at Grand Slam events. At 22 years old she is the youngest woman to reach 80 Grand Slam wins since Maria Sharapova achieved that mark as a 20-year-old at the Australian Open in 2008. The comparison underlines both Gauff’s consistency at major events and the rapid accumulation of significant results at a relatively young age.

Gauff’s progression contrasts with the surprising exits around the grounds, highlighting her steadiness under pressure while several higher-ranked players fell earlier than expected. The 80th Grand Slam victory is a marker of sustained performance across multiple years at the sport’s biggest stages and will add another layer of expectation as Gauff continues through the Roland Garros draw.

© 2026 Robert Prange