Key events
But he’s started badly, that round three match presumably still in his legs; Berrettini leads 2-0,
Cerudolo might’ve felt some impostor’s syndrome after beating Jannik Sinner, whose body let him down when up 6-3 6-2 5-1. But in round three, he saw off Martin Landaluce 10-8 in the fourth tiebreak of a five-set match that lasted five hours and 58 minutes, the tournament’s third-longest ever; he’s earned his place, alright.
Back on Chatrier, Zaire-Emery leads the crowd in another song, then off they go, the World Cup awaiting them. We’d take it.
It’s official! Serena is back!
She’ll be playing doubles at Queen’s – and from there, who knows? I can’t wait.
We’re under way on Lenglen, then Flavio Cobolli, a massive football fan and excellent player, emerges – I’ve no idea why – saying he’s more nervous now than he was earlier. He takes photos with the players and trophies, the crowd sing, and we should soon be ready for more tennis.
Next on Chatrier: Felix Auger-Aliassime (4) v Alejandro Tabilo.
Of course, they thank the state wealth that made it possible – not even joking, they actually shout out Nasser Al-Khelaifi, football is the winner, I’m choking up here – then out come Ousmane Dembele and Bradley Barcola with another rendition of the trophy, I think the won they just won rather than the replica in honour of last year’s. Lovely football team, impossible to ignore how and why.
Next on Chatrier: Desire Doue and Warren Zaire-Emery with ol’ Big Ears.
Next on Lenglen: Juan Manuel Cerundolo v Matteo Berrettini.
And it’s also really important to note that, so far today, se’ve seen experienced plauyers like Potapova, Kalinskaya, Keys and Parry all undermined by nerves, so for Chwalinska to appear totally unaffected by them is extremely impressive.
You’d have got some serious odds on Chwalinska outlasting Swiatek as the longest lasting Pole, but here we are; it’s amazing, and though I think her game is well suited to clay – drops, spins and speed – I think she can do well on grass too.
It’s amazing, it really is – a qualifier into the last eight having not lost a set. It’s fair to note that she’s avoided big seeds, but Mertens, Sakkari and Parry are no mugs.
She’s very very very grateful to be here she says – she didn’t expect to do so well – and doesn’t blame the home crowd for wanting Parry to win. The atmosphere was great, she says, thanking everyone who came to support them.
Asked if the drop-shots and high-spinning forehands were part of the game plan, she says that’s her game – it wasn’t a tactic, but it’s natural for her to play those shots. Finally, asked about her next match, she laughs that Kalinskaya is a great player but no one knows her, so it’s a very challenging one again and she just needs to play her best tennis.
Maja Chwalinska beats Diane Parr 6-3 6-2
The qualifier and debutante makes the last eight! An amazing performance from Chwalinska, her touch and temperament in perfect harmony; next for her comes Kalinskaya, and if both play that match as they did today’s matches, there’s only one winner.
Like Keys, Parry has gone; Chwalinska makes 40-0 and three match points in extremely short order…
Goodness, Chwalinska breaks Parry again and this is turning into an undressing; she’ll now serve for the match at 6-3 5-2, and nothing we’ve seen this afternoon suggests she won’t handle it.
Shnaider says this is a huge moment for her. She’d lost all three times she played Keys prior to today, but it’s good to win the most important match, staying composed, focused and doing her job from the beginning until the end.
She knew what to expect from Keys, an amazing player, but she needed to grind and run for every ball, putting them all between the lines. Her style, says Alex Corretja is a bit different to most others, lefty, serving out wide, using drop-shots and net-play; Shnaider says she’s working on those things and today she played smart, using less power and more spin, then off she goes.
Chwalinska holds for 6-2 4-2, and is two games way from also making her first major quarter. She’s playing beautifully, I must say, her composure as arresting as her dropping.
Diana Shnaider (25) beats Madison Keys (19) 6-3 3-6 6-0
Yup, Keys had indeed gone. Shnaider reaches her first grand slam quarter-final, pogoing her elation, and meets Sabalenka or Osaka next.
A booming forehand on to the sideline gives Keys 15-30 as Chwalinska makes 15-40 on the Parry serve, then she leaves a a mid-court ball, somehow it’s not put away or even close, and the Pole leathers a pass to lead 6-3 3-2. Meantime, further errors from Oor Maddy give Shnaider match point…
Chwalinska has a delicious touch, yet another drop earning advantage when under pressure for her serve. But she then misses with a lob – Parry slips as she turns in pursuit, but she’s fine and the ball drops out. From there, though, she holds – and so does Snaider, Maddy maddying to intense effect and, at 0-5, she must now serve to stay in the match; I fear she’s gone.
Shnaider consolidates for 3-0, then a dreadful forehand from Keys hands over deuce … after which she dumps an overhead into the foot of the net. And down a break point that’s really a match point, she hits an excellent ball to the corner … then goes long when it’s returned. Shnaider leads 4-0 in the third, is on the cusp of her first grand slam quarter-final … and yet it’s the grand slam winner feeling the pressure.
A really poor game from Keys, unable to land a first serve while disbursing errors that leave her down 15-40. But she saves the first break thanks to a fine forehand … then donates the second with a double. At 2-0 in the third, Shnaider is close to her first grand slam quarter-final while, on Chatrier, Parry holds to trail Chwalinska 3-6 2-1.
And she does, making 15-40 then taking control of the next rally, before Shnaider fights her way into it, forcing her to defend – very well – only for a lovely drop to leave her standing. An overhit forehand then takes us to deuce, and from there, Shnaider closes out a crucial hold for 1-1 in the third. Meantime, Chwalinska is still feeling herself, a drop-lob combo securing a hold for 6-3 1-1; she looks a likelier winner than Parry at the moment.
And Keys serves out the set to love. At 3-6 6-3, she and Shnaider will play a decider, the match looking to be on the American’s racket. If she maintains her level, she wins.
Keys, meantime, makes it to 15-40 on the Shnaider serve, the forehand error comes, and she’ll now serve for the second set at 3-6 5-3.
Preparing for an overhead, Parry wipes her eyes then dispatches the winner, but can’t control her next return, and Chwalinska leads 6-3.
Shnaider holds for 6-3 3-3, while Chwalinska, who’d only won two tour matches on clay before arriving in Paris, breaks Parry and quickly raises three set points…
We’re also on serve on Lenglen, Chwalinska leading Parry 4-3 in an absorbingly tight contest. But then Parry drags a forehand wide at 30-all, looking to invent an angle against an opponent way behind the baseline … then she does, breaking the sideline at the service box to make deuce.
So far, Shnaider has shown no signs of nerves. She’s never been beyond round four of a slam before, but at 22, has been learning her game – one not that dissimilar to Keys’ in a way, full of big flourishes and mental vulnerabilities. But she lacks Keys’ stature, meaning balls can get big on her, and her second serve is not as solid as necessary. Still, though, she leads 6-3 2-2.
On which point, those two meet in tonight’s match, reminding us that, if there’s a will, the women’s game can be showcased in that way. I’m now trying to work out the domestic engineering that allows me to watch without antagonising members of my household less obsessed with this thing of ours. Keys holds to trail 3-6 2-1.
Again, Keys takes Shnaider to deuce, and again, she holds nevertheless for 6-3 1-1. I do, though, think Oor Maddy is improving, a forehand winner down the line underlining the point. Real talk, but: I can’t see either of these beating Sabalenka or Osaka in the next round.
I’ve seen much less of Chwalinska, ranked 114 in the world – both players will consider a fourth-round contest against the other as an incredible opportunity – but she’s got that nasty lefty angle, decent speed and a good tennis brain. If Parry plays really well, I don’t think she can win, but most likely, the match is settled by whichever of them handles the pressure better.
We’re on serve on Chatrier, Chwalinska up 3-2 on Parry – who is transitioning from a single to a double-handed backhand. The local favourite has lots of talent, an old skool tenniser looking to hit winners – and, at 23, she’s got enough time to improve way beyond her ranking of 92.
Keys holds, then forces Shnaider to deuce as she tries to serve out the set, but from there she sends a return long, then offers a mid-court moon-ball, easily dispatched, and that’s a 6-3 set complete. Work to do for the American.
Righto, time to cease reflecting and predicting – we’ve matches in progress, and Shnaider now leads Keys 4-2. It’s classic Maddy really, frustration growing as her best tennis eludes her in a match she should win, but her opponent has yet to drop a set in this competition and another holds takes to a game away from securing the first set at 5-2.
