Can French Open's Sabalenka and Zheng Advance to the Fourth Round?

Paris, May 30 (NationPress) World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka maintained her impressive form at the 2025 French Open, advancing to the women's singles fourth round following a straight-sets victory against Serbia’s Olga Danilovic. Sabalenka triumphed with a score of 6-2, 6-3, demonstrating remarkable control throughout the match. With this victory, she has only lost 10 games across four matches at Roland Garros this year.

Sabalenka started the match on fire, racing to a 5-0 lead in the first set. Although Danilovic briefly rallied, managing to hold serve and break Sabalenka once, the top seed quickly refocused and wrapped up the set.

In the second set, Danilovic offered more resistance, yet Sabalenka’s powerful serve and reliable groundstrokes allowed her to break serve twice, securing the match.

This encounter marked Danilovic’s first experience against a World No. 1, and while she showcased some strong moments, her 26 unforced errors were detrimental. Sabalenka struck 17 winners and broke Danilovic’s serve five times. She is set to face No. 16 seed Amanda Anisimova in the next round.

Anisimova, a previous French Open semifinalist, overcame Clara Tauson with a score of 7-6(4), 6-4 to progress into the second week. Notably, Sabalenka is the only player who has reached the fourth round at both the Australian Open and French Open over the past three years, and she will retain her World No. 1 ranking after this tournament, no matter the outcome.

Having claimed three titles in 2025 — Brisbane, Miami, and Madrid — Sabalenka has appeared in six finals this year, the highest number by any player since Serena Williams in 2013. She has achieved 50 Grand Slam match wins since the start of 2023, significantly ahead of her nearest rival, Iga Swiatek.

In another third-round showdown, China’s Zheng Qinwen also secured her spot in the fourth round with a solid 6-3, 6-4 victory over Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko. Zheng, the No. 8 seed and Olympic gold medalist, faced a formidable challenge from the 18-year-old qualifier, who had not lost a set in five matches leading to this round.

Mboko played confidently, matching Zheng from the baseline, yet Zheng capitalized on crucial moments. She converted all four of her break points while Mboko could only manage two breaks from eight opportunities.

Early breaks in both sets gave Zheng the upper hand. Despite Mboko's attempts to mount a comeback, Zheng was quick to respond with further breaks. The Chinese player remained composed during tense moments, especially when Mboko held a 0-40 lead in the eighth game of the second set, but couldn't convert.

The match was momentarily disrupted by a medical emergency in the stands during the concluding games, yet play continued without pause. After the match, Zheng expressed her concern for the fans and commended Mboko for challenging her.

Zheng, who reached the fourth round in Paris for the first time since her debut in 2022, is set to face either Liudmila Samsonova or Dayana Yastremska. A win in the next round would grant her a first-ever quarterfinal appearance at the French Open.