Wednesday at Roland Garros yielded a wide range of results —from dominance by some players to shocking upsets by others, and a few breakout performances that caught many off guard.
Former world number one Iga Świątek was at the top of her game on Wednesday. Her match against Emma Raducanu was one-way traffic—6–1, 6–2. Świątek displays another gear on clay. Her movement, the control she has over every shot, and her ability to dictate points without rushing—she made a quality opponent look overmatched. That’s 23 straight wins for her in Paris.
Meanwhile, world number one Aryna Sabalenka also looked sharp. After a bit of a slow start against Jil Teichmann, she found her rhythm and powered through 6–3, 6–1. When she’s clicking, there’s not much anyone can do. She moves into the third round after looking dominant.
Carlos Alcaraz had a brief wobble, dropping the second set to Fábián Marozsán, but then came roaring back. The result—6–1, 4–6, 6–1, 6–2—shows how quickly he can shift momentum. He was explosive yet composed. Watching him handle a setback mid-match confirms his mental acuity on the fly.
Then came the upsets.
Casper Ruud, who’s had some deep runs here, looked off from the start. Nuno Borges took full advantage, and once Ruud’s movement started to suffer, it got ugly fast. Borges took it 2–6, 6–4, 6–1, 6–0. Ruud was dealing with a knee issue, but still—Borges played clean, smart tennis and earned the win.
Even bigger shocker: Matteo Gigante took out Stefanos Tsitsipas in four sets. Tsitsipas didn’t look himself, but Gigante stepped up when it mattered. It was one of those matches he won’t forget anytime soon—it could be a defining moment for the Italian.
Frances Tiafoe gave U. S. fans something to cheer about with a commanding win over Pablo Carreño Busta—6–4, 6–3, 6–1. When he plays with that kind of focus and swagger he displayed on Wednesday, he’s dangerous on any surface.
There were a couple of other solid performances—Jasmine Paolini advanced again with a clean win over Ajla Tomljanović, and Quentin Halys gave the French crowd something to celebrate by reaching the third round for the first time.
All in all, Day 4 was the kind of day that makes a Slam great. The favorites showed why they’re the ones to beat, but the surprises kept things interesting.