Fascinating statistical nuggets from the opening four rounds
Roland-Garros has already delivered enough drama to fill an entire fortnight — and we’re only halfway home. From stunning upsets and five-set epics to emotional breakthroughs and the collapse of title favourites, the first week in Paris has shaken the draw to its core and left the tennis world scrambling to make sense of all the surprises.
As the red dust settles ahead of the quarterfinals, here’s a look back at the moments that defined week one — and the storylines that could shape an unforgettable finish at Roland-Garros.
Chaos has reigned supreme in Paris through four rounds. For the first time since 1968 in a men’s singles draw at a Grand Slam, no former champions reached the fourth round.
The absence of top seed Jannik Sinner, who entered the tournament as the prohibitive favourite, with a 29-match winning streak in tow, and Novak Djokovic, the 24-time major champion who was poised – for two brief days – to benefit from Sinner’s second-round loss, has cracked the draw wide open and created the opportunity of a lifetime for the eight quarterfinalists.
There will be a first-time Roland-Garros champion on the women’s side as well – Aryna Sabalenka is the only player remaining with a Grand Slam title to her name.
The wide-open draw has been a fertile breeding ground for unproven but stratospheric talents like 19-year-old Joao Fonseca, 19-year-old Rafael Jodar and 20-year-old Jakub Mensik.
Their collective rise creates a special milestone: for the first time this century, three men aged 20 or younger have reached the quarterfinals of the same men’s singles Grand Slam event. Will we see a first teenage champion on the men’s side in Paris since Nadal in 2005?
Nineteen-year-old Mirra Andreeva rounds out the youth movement on the women’s side – the talented teen takes a 15-3 lifetime record on the Parisian clay into her quarterfinal on Tuesday against 36-year-old Sorana Cirstea.
And don't sleep on Cirstea. The Romanian is playing the tennis of her life in her last Roland-Garros and could become the oldest woman in history to make her Grand Slam semifinal debut.
Matteo Berrettini. Matteo Arnaldi. Flavio Cobolli. Without Jannik Sinner and Lorenzo Musetti in the second week, the Italians have produced an homage to their depth in Paris in 2026. For the first time in history, three Italian men have reached the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam draw, and on Wednesday we will see the first-ever Grand Slam quarterfinal contested by two men from Italy when Berrettini and Arnaldi meet for a spot in the semis.
Aryna Sabalenka is the only former Grand Slam champion remaining in either draw. The world No.1, a runner-up on the Parisian clay last year, is bidding for her fifth career major title at Roland-Garros.
Remarkably, Sabalenka has become the first player to reach the quarterfinals in 14 or more consecutive Grand Slam appearances since Serena Williams logged 16 between Wimbledon 2000 and Australian Open 2005.
If you’re looking forward to Sabalenka’s quarterfinal against Diana Shnaider, she’s won 13 of her 14 previous quarterfinals at the majors.
Five-set matches are a rite of passage for young players on the ATP Tour. The ultimate test of physical and mental toughness that the sport has to offer can take a long time for some to master. Not Jodar, Fonseca and Mensik. Each has won a pair of five setters in their first four rounds in Paris.
Mensik crumbled to the court after defeating Argentina’s Mariano Navone in the second round, and rose from the ashes to win another five-setter in the third round. The Czech has made big strides with his physicality – he was 2-6 in deciding fifth sets when he arrived in Paris.
All that legwork should make things challenging for the rest of the week. Five of the eight quarterfinalists have logged at least 13 hours on court already.
Time on court, per player
Arnaldi: 17:42
Fonseca: 14:29
Auger-Aliassime: 13:14
Berrettini: 13:11
Mensik: 13:00
Jodar: 12:53
Cobolli: 9:37
Zverev: 9:17
In total, there have been 30 five-set matches played through four rounds.
Now that Sinner’s winning streak has been snapped at 30 consecutive wins, Marta Kostyuk holds the longest winning streak of all singles players remaining in the main draw. The Ukrainian has gone undefeated for the clay season, reeling off 16 consecutive victories, including titles in Rouen and Madrid, and three top-10 wins - over Jessica Pegula (Madrid), Andreeva (Madrid final) and Iga Swiatek (round of 16 here).
She'll face Elina Svitolina in an all-Ukrainian quarterfinal on Tuesday.
How about this for a Roland-Garros debut for Poland's Maja Chwalinska? Breeze through qualifying, winning all six sets played. Drop a bagel on Olympic gold-medal winner Zheng Qinwen on your Roland-Garros debut (6-4, 6-0). Drop yet another bagel on No.23 seed Elise Mertens (6-4, 6-0) in round two. Defeat former semifinalist Maria Sakkari in three sets (1-6, 6-3, 6-2) in round three, and take down home favourite Diane Parry to become the sixth qualifier to reach a women’s singles Grand Slam quarterfinal this century (6-3, 6-2).
A qualifier has never won a Roland-Garros title before. Could it be Chwalinska?
ROLAND-GARROS
18 May - 7 June 2026
