French Open 2026: Day 7 Highlights and Insights

Welcome to The Athletic’s French Open briefing, where you will find the stories behind each day’s events during the tournament. Day 7 saw the women’s draw introduce some unexpected twists, while long matches dominated the men’s side, and a breakout player celebrated a soccer victory.

Women’s Draw: A Wider Field

On Saturday, following her victory over No. 9 seed Victoria Mboko, Madison Keys addressed the open state of the men’s draw. She highlighted how the competition feels unusually open, advising players to adapt to this new dynamic.

The women’s draw also became more unpredictable at Roland Garros. Defending champion Coco Gauff lost to Austria’s Anastasia Potapova, while No. 6 seed Amanda Anisimova was defeated by France’s Diane Parry. Keys herself triumphed over Mboko. This left only four of the top ten seeds standing, with Iga Świątek as the sole past French Open champion remaining in the draw.

In the top half of the draw, World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and Naomi Osaka are the only top-20 seeds left, facing each other in the fourth round. Osaka narrowly won against No. 17 seed Iva Jović, while Sabalenka defeated Daria Kasatkina.

In the bottom half, Świątek is set to meet the in-form No. 15 seed Marta Kostyuk. Other notable matchups include Elina Svitolina vs. Belinda Bencic and Mirra Andreeva vs. Jil Teichmann.

Counting the Sets: Endurance Matches Galore

João Fonseca’s five-set victory against Novak Djokovic highlighted the endurance required in this tournament. The 19-year-old Brazilian faced a challenging five-hour-and-58-minute match against Juan Manuel Cerúndolo, marking the third-longest match at Roland Garros since 1996.

Other extended matches included Matteo Berrettini’s five-hour-plus victory over Francisco Comesaña and Matteo Arnaldi’s nearly five-hour win against Raphaël Collingnon. Frances Tiafoe also made a comeback from two sets down to defeat Jaime Faria.

Unfortunately, Cerúndolo’s brother, Francisco, was not as successful, losing a five-setter to Zachary Svajda, missing a significant opportunity in his draw.

Moïse Kouame’s Resilient Run

Seventeen-year-old Moïse Kouame impressed many in his debut Grand Slam during a match against Chile’s Alejandro Tabilo. Despite coming off a near five-hour match, Kouame held strong, eventually losing in four sets. The young player’s ability to channel crowd energy and remain composed marked his run as a tournament highlight.

Sporting a Paris Saint-Germain shirt, celebrating their Champions League victory, Kouame nonetheless savored PSG’s success and marked his own career achievements with a leap of over 100 places in the world rankings.

Other Day 7 Highlights

• Flavio Cobolli showcased his strength, defeating Learner Tien in a straightforward match.
• Anna Kalinskaya overcame physical challenges to secure a win against Camila Osorio.
• Félix Auger-Aliassime triumphed after losing the first set to Brandon Nakashima.
• Diana Shnaider defeated Oleksandra Oliynykova in a highly charged encounter.

A spectacular serve during Amanda Anisimova’s match gained notable attention and will certainly be remembered.

Looking Ahead: Day 8 Matchups

• Marta Kostyuk vs. Iga Świątek: Kostyuk’s winning streak clashes with Świątek’s clay dominance.
• Rafael Jódar vs. Pablo Carreño Busta: A test of resilience between Jódar’s rise and Carreño Busta’s experience.
• Elina Svitolina vs. Belinda Bencic: Svitolina’s clay experience meets Bencic’s raw power.
• Casper Ruud vs. João Fonseca: A heavyweight contention featuring Ruud’s experience and Fonseca’s momentum.

Stay tuned for continual updates and insights as the tournament progresses.