Published: 2025-05-29 10:36:41 | Views: 29
Key events
Kartal misses a chance to break back and trails 0-2; Munar misses a point for a double break but leads Fils 2-1; and Andreeva is on the board at 1-2, but so far, Krueger is not for breaking.
Elsewhere, De Minaur leads Bublik 3-2 with a break, Mensik leads Rocha 2-0, Vondrousova leads Frech – who, remember belted Oor Ons in round one – 5-0, and Lehecka leads Davidovich Fokina 4-3 on serve.
I can’t lie, I’d like further detail on the Roland-Garros tattoo parlour. How busy is it? Who’s been? What kind of thing are people getting? Any spider webs on faces or tears beneath eyes?
Krueger is playing nicely. Andreeva forces her through deuce in order to endorse, but she get there in the end; they’re both smacking it, but it’s the American whose radar is working better so far and she leads 2-0.
Email! “Isn’t it nice, at Roland-Garros, to have the umpire giving the score only in French,” writes Michael Bulley. “Sadly, in all other tournaments where the local language is not English, the umpire gives the score bilingually, with an English translation. It’s really irritating. Nobody needs it. If the tournament’s in Germany, German will do fine.”
I agree. We want the local flavour, and the translation of “égalité” is not “deuce”.
Similarly, Krueger breaks Andreeva and Bouzkova breaks Kartal, but neither has yet consolidated.
Fils is unusual for a French player, in that he’s not got much in the way of feel. Rather, he knocks the cover off it, so is betters suited top hard courts than to clay and, as I type, Munar – a specialist on the red stuff – breaks then consolidates for 2-0.
Oh! Another oversight! Ethan Quinn, the 21-year-old American who benefitted from Griggzy Dimitrov getting injured, also features; he meets Alexander Shevchenko.
Decision time: which matches to watch? I’m going to start with Kartal v Bouzkova, Andreeva M v Krueger, and … one of De Minaur v Bublik, Rocha v Mensik , Fils v Munar and Lehecka v Davidovich Fokina. Let’s go Fils v Munar to begin with…
Kartal had, we’ve just learnt via TNT, planned to get a tatt yesterday – there’s a parlour in the players’ lounge, because why wouldn’t there be? In the event, doubles got in the road, but I’m sure she’ll find a slot in the fullness of time.
Oh! An oversight! Sonay Kartal, so impressive in round one, is first on Court 11, playing Marie Bouzkova. Anyone got any spare sets of eyes?
Salut et bienvenue à Roland-Garros 2025 – cinquième jour!
And – of course – it’s another ridiculous bangeur. Premières portes, we’ve got Mirra Andreeva – Ashlyn Kruger might give her a decent game – Arthur Fils, Jakub Mensik, Alex de Minaur and Jessica Pegula.
Then, as the day unfolds, local legend Richard Gasquet takes on Jannik Sinner and Alexander Zverev meets Jesper de Jong, with Coco Gauff, Andrey Rublev and Barbora Krejcikova also in action.
Mais ce n’est pas ça! Later in the day comes potentially the match of the day, MC Corentin Moutet against Novak Djokovic, impressive in round one but now facing a much sterner, more mercurial test.
Meantime, Paulo Badosa, so impressive in beating Naomi Osaka, also returns; the US Open Madison Keys – and what a thrill it remains to type those words – plays Katie Boulter; it’s Jacob Fearnley v Ugo Humbert; an Italian derby as Flavio Cobolli and Matteo Arnaldi convene; Cameron Norrie, now with the no 11 seed’s path through the draw, has a winnable contest against Federico Gomez; and we’ve another chance to enjoy the future legend, Joao Fonseca; before, in the evening session, Jack Draper encounters Gaël Monfils.
Franchement, c’est absolument ridicule! Chauette et on y va!
Play: 11am local, 10am BST.
