Top seed Jannik Sinner obliterated Jiri Lehecka 6-0, 6-1, 6-2 to proceed to a fourth round rendez-vous with the 17th seed Andrey Rublev. The slaughter of the world number 34 was all over in 94 minutes. Sinner claimed the first 11 games of the match on Court Suzanne Lenglen before his fellow 23-year-old got on the board. Sinner won their previous meetings on the senior tour last year in Beijing and Indian Wells in straight sets but with nothing like the savagery of their encounter at the French Open. "I think in early stages of Grand Slam tournaments it is good that you don't spend so much time, if you have the chance, on court," said Sinner. "So I'm happy to do that." As succinct as his match against Lehecka.

Fifth seed Jack Draper marched into the last-16 at the French Open for the first time with a 6-2, 6-4, 6-2 victory over the Brazilian wunderkind Joao Fonseca. Draper, who has featured at 12 Grand Slam tournaments in Melbourne, Paris, London and New York, said his experiences at the events had made the difference during the tie against the 18-year-old who was playing for the first time at such a tournament where the men play the best of five sets. "I played good," the 23-year-old Briton told on-court interviewer Alizé Cornet. "The first set was really key. I got on top of him and used my forehand really well. I knew it was going to be a really tough match, Joao has caught the attention of everyone on tour, the players, the fans." Fonseca will be back.

On the subject of returns ... a stress facture to the L5 in his lower back terminated the tournament of the French number one Arthur Fils. The 14th seed was scheduled to play the 17th seed Andrey Rublev on Day 7 but towards the end of Day 6 he announced he wouldn't be able to participate. "I decided with the team it was better to stop now, because if I stop now, it might be only four to six weeks," the 20-year-old explained. "If I push myself too much, I would probably have to stop for a couple of months. This is not what we are trying to do, so yeah, had to make a choice." A shame. Fils went into the 2025 tournament as his country's top player for the first time and he made hay. After failing to win a match in his appearances in 2023 and 2024, he negotiated a tricky opening round clash against the experienced Chilean Nicolas Jarry. In the second round, he came through a five-set thriller against the Spaniard Jaume Munar. "I need to undergo the right treatment," Fils added. "And then I'll be back. I still have 10, 12 French Opens ahead of me to play so it's a pity, because I actually had a wonderful match against Munar."

There will be a French presence in the second week at the French Open. Local lass Lois Boisson reached the last-16 after beating her compatriot Elsa Jacquemot in three sets. Boisson, 22, was given an invitation by the French Tennis Federation to be in the main draw. And she has lapped up the chance. The world number 361 will take on the third seed Jessica Pegula on Day 9. Could get Sinnerish.

The 2022 semi-finalist Daria Kasatkina got past 10th seed Paula Badosa to set up a fourth round clash with the sixth seed Mirra Andreeva who is her accomplice for a vlog about the japes and jollities on the WTA tour. "She has to improve her interviewing skills," said Andreeva when asked about Kasatkina's budding journalism following her straight sets win over Yulia Putintseva. "Well, she is not the one to talk," snorted Kasatkina when chatting to reporters after her match. "She had an opportunity to interview players in our Rome vlog, so she took the camera, and she went to talk with someone in the restaurant. It was terrible. Also, the filming skills were not on point, so she needs to learn." Artistic differences? No, no. It's all knockabout banter. "This is the way we communicate," Kasatkina smiled. The women are actually on very cordial terms. "We were having an ice bath together a couple of hours ago after our matches." These sisters are chilled.