ROLAND-GARROS
17 May - 6 June 2027
Day seven of Roland-Garros sees 2016 champion Garbine Muguruza square off against fiery American Danielle Collins, while a host of former junior Grand Slam champions are out in force.
Here’s what to look out for on Saturday in Paris.
Day 7: Things to look out for
Former women's champion Muguruza prepares to fight fire with fire as former junior rivals eye second week
Firepower and fireworks in store
When it comes to top-level tennis, acceptance is an under-appreciated word. In this unique autumnal Roland-Garros, it’s a word that players are adding to their vocabulary as they deal with the unusual conditions.
For Garbine Muguruza and Danielle Collins on Saturday, that could mean accepting wind, rain and cool weather, all a far cry from where they usually ply their trade.
As the champion in Paris in a wet 2016, Muguruza can handle a bit of rain, and mentally she has already adjusted.
“I feel like, OK, this is the conditions,” she said. “I'm here, I want to be here, so it is my choice to be playing the tournament. If I wouldn't want to be in these circumstances, I go home.
“But I'm excited I have an opportunity to play a Grand Slam. And we have to be humble and accept that this is the way to play safely, and that's it."
Muguruza and Collins are among the biggest hitters on the tour so expect plenty of firepower on show, and perhaps a few fireworks, with both women not afraid to show their emotions on the court.
Collins, who came through the US college system, is into the third round for the first time but having taken a set off Muguruza in their only previous meeting, on clay in Rome last year, she will believe she can produce the upset.
Junior champions at every turn
This year’s Roland-Garros draws are stacked with former junior Grand Slam champions, a mix of those who have already tasted senior glory, such as Jelena Ostapenko, and those who are itching to take that next step.
In all, there were nine junior Slam winners in the third round of the women’s event and eight in the men’s, six of whom won Roland-Garros as juniors; Simona Halep, Andrey Rublev, Cristian Garin, Ons Jabeur, Paula Badosa and last year’s winner Leylah Fernandez.
Tunisian Jabeur, the No 30 seed, faces eighth seed Aryna Sabalenka in the third round on Thursday, nine years on from her junior triumph.
“It's completely different,” Jabeur said. “Playing juniors, some younger coming with no experience, just playing for fun. Now it's my job, is to play tennis. I mean, the money, the ranking, everything.
“I always wanted to be one of the players who compete in the professional [level], play with the great champions. I'm grateful for that. If I went through the juniors, it's to be a stronger player, prepare myself to play with professionals.”
Badosa, the winner in Paris in 2015, faces the 2017 women’s champion Ostapenko, a match that rekindles their junior rivalry.
“We’ve known each other for a long time, we're the same age, we have been playing juniors, like we know each other since we were 10 years old,” the Spaniard said.
“I know she's very, very aggressive. I will try to be there every point, I know it's very important to be consistent with her, so I will try to do that, try to play my game, if she let's me. But that's what I will try. And to have fun and to try to enjoy the match.”
Khachanov ready for Garin test
Garin burst onto the scene last spring when he won the titles on green clay in Houston and on the red stuff in Munich and arrived at Roland-Garros with many tipping him as a dangerous floater.
A beating from Stan Wawrinka stopped him in his tracks but the young Chilean is seeded 20th and Karen Khachanov knows he’ll need to be at his very best if he’s to reach the fourth round for the fourth year in a row.
A quarter-finalist in Paris last year, the Russian said he would be ready for whatever Garin threw at him.
“Honestly, we never played against each other, but we know each other from juniors, from a young age but never met before," he said. "For me it would be a really interesting match. Excited about it. Third round, playing against a good player, same age. So, (I’m) looking forward to it.”