Arnaldi stuns Rublev as Sinner, Gauff enter last 16

PARIS: Coco Gauff eased into the second week for a fourth straight year and Jannik Sinner also powered through in the early matches of the French Open on Friday. Sinner brushed aside Russian Pavel Kotov 6-4, 6-4, 6-4.

Sixth seed Andrey Rublev suffered a shock exit at the hands of unheralded Italian Matteo Arnaldi, losing his cool repeatedly as anger at his performance boiled over. Gauff held off a late fightback from Australian Open semifinalist Dayana Yastremska to win 6-2, 6-4 in the first match of the day on Court Philippe Chatrier.

The reigning US Open champion has an excellent record at Roland Garros, having previously reached two quarterfinals and the 2022 final which she lost to Swiatek. The 20-year-old failed to serve out the match when leading 5-2 in the second set, but saved three break points in the 10th game before getting over the line.

Tennis - French Open - Roland Garros, Paris, France - May 31, 2024 Coco Gauff of the US in action during her third round match against Ukraine's Dayana Yastremska.

"When it was time to close out and the games were getting close and tight, I was trying to just remind myself I'm in the better position," Gauff said. "I'm the one up a set and double break, so I was just reminding myself of that."

Gauff will play Elisabetta Cocciaretto for a last-eight berth, after the unseeded Italian beat Russian 17th seed Liudmila Samsonova in straight sets.

Italy's Jannik Sinner plays a forehand return to Russia's Pavel Kotov during their men's singles match on Court Philippe-Chatrier on day six of the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros Complex in Paris on May 31, 2024.

ANGRY RUBLEV CRASHES OUT

Rublev became the biggest casualty in the men's draw so far, as he fell to a surprise straight-sets defeat by Italian Matteo Arnaldi. Rublev, who lifted the Madrid Open title last month, repeatedly smashed his racquet in frustration as he made 37 unforced errors in an erratic display.

"Completely disappointed with myself the way I behaved, the way I performed," admitted the Russian. "The problem is the head, that today basically I killed myself, and that's it."

Arnaldi will face either former runner-up Stefanos Tsitsipas or China's Zhang Zhizhen in the last 16. Sinner barely had to break sweat, though, saving the only break point he faced in a dominant display against Kotov.

The Australian Open champion, who will overtake Novak Djokovic as world number one if he reaches the final, will next take on either home hope Corentin Moutet or Austrian Sebastian Ofner for a place in the quarterfinals. Sinner, who has only lost two matches so far this year, is yet to drop a set in the tournament.

Italy's Jannik Sinner plays a forehand return to Russia's Pavel Kotov during their men's singles match on Court Philippe-Chatrier on day six of the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros Complex in Paris on May 31, 2024.