Roland-Garros Day 6 women’s recap: Serena, Azarenka power on, Sabalenka knocked out

Your guide to the biggest stories from the women’s side at 2021 Roland-Garros as the third round begins in Paris on Friday 4th June. A warning, though – the weather forecast suggests the action will be much interrupted due to rain and thunderstorms

4 June 2021

Carrie Dunn

Notable names winning on Friday at Roland-Garros (3rd round): Serena Williams (7), Victoria Azarenka (15), Marketa Vondrousova (20), Elena Rybakina (21), Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (31), Paula Badosa (33)
Notable names losing on Friday (3rd round): Aryna Sabalenka (3), Madison Keys (23)
To read about Thursday’s women’s coverage including wins by Iga Swiatek and Elina Svitolina plus Ash Barty’s departure, you can click here
To follow our full coverage of the 2021 French Open, please visit this page.
To follow live results and to see the men’s draw and women’s draw, we recommend you follow the official Roland Garros website
You can also check out the Tennis Majors team’s breakdown of the men’s and women’s draw
Tomorrow’s programme at Roland-Garros will be updated here (and by the way, today’s schedule is here).
All the practical information – how to watch the tournament, how to buy tickets and everything else you could possibly need to know – are hopefully in this page.

WILLIAMS WINS ALL-AMERICAN AFFAIR

No 7 seed Serena Williams progressed powered into the fourth round at the expense of fellow American Danielle Collins. Williams won 6-4, 6-4 in one hour and 25 minutes, coming back from a 4-1 down in the second set.

“That felt really good for me,” the 39-year-old said of her comeback. “Things were not going my way. It’s not like she gave me those games. I had to earn it and turn it around. That was really positive for me going into the next match.”

Next up for the 23-time Grand Slam champion is No 21 Elena Rybakina.

Tennis Majors

AZARENKA DISMISSES KEYS

Victoria Azarenka put in an impressive display to get past Madison Keys in quick time, triumphing in an enthralling contest 6-2, 6-2. The Belarusian, seeded 15th, has not reached the fourth round of the French Open since 2013 – when she reached the semi-finals.

“Right from the beginning, I knew it would be a lot of intensity,” she said in her on-court interview before adding that the changeable Parisian weather conditions had altered her preparation. “This morning was quite disastrous. I tried to stay focused on my game, there were way too many things happening…. I wasn’t sure whether it would be raining or we would play with a roof!”

She was joined in the fourth round by long-time rival Serena Williams, who beat fellow American Danielle Collins 6-4, 6-4.

SABALENKA SHOCKED

Fourth seed Aryna Sabalenka — one of the favourites for the tournament — fell in three sets to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, seeded 31st. The Russian came through 6-4, 2-6, 6-0.

The pair had played a month ago in the semi-final of the Mutua Madrid Open, when the Belarusian won in straight sets 6-2, 6-3.

BADOSA BEATS BOGDAN IN THRILLER

Paula Badosa saved a match point in the second set and ended up defeating Ana Bogdan 2-6, 7-6(4), 6-4 on Court Simonne-Mathieu. In what was arguably the best match of the tournament to date, Badosa triumphed after two hours and 51 minutes.

OTHER RESULTS

Elena Rybakina, the 21st seed, won in straight sets against Elena Vesnina, 6-1, 6-4.
Tamara Zidansek will play her first ever Grand Slam fourth round after beating Katerina Siniakova 0-6, 7-6(5), 6-2.
Romania’s Sorana Cirstea defeated Daria Kasatkina 6-3, 6-2.
No 20 Marketa Vondrousova, the 2019 French Open runner-up, dismissed Polona Hercog 6-3, 6-3