Third-round action commences on Friday at Roland Garros, where Top 5 stars Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic and Stefanos Tsitsipas continue their title quests at the clay-court major.

ATPTour.com previews some of the best third-round matchups to watch in the top half of the singles draw on Day 6 in Paris.

[1] Carlos Alcaraz (ESP) vs. [26] Denis Shapovalov (CAN)

Top seed Alcaraz found his range during his opening two matches, defeating Flavio Cobolli in straight sets before he moved past Taro Daniel in four. Chasing his second major title this fortnight, the 20-year-old will face his toughest test yet when he takes on the 26th Denis Shapovalov for the first time.

Possessing an explosive game, the Canadian has the ability to hit through Alcaraz, who will look to use his variety to disrupt the 24-year-old. Shapovalov struck a combined 88 winners in his victories against Brandon Nakashima and Matteo Arnaldi earlier this week to reach the third round in Paris for the first time. He was full of praise for Alcaraz when asked about the Spaniard ahead of their meeting.

“I’m a huge, huge fan of his,” Shapovalov said. “He’s super humble for achieving what he has at such a young age. You can see how much he enjoys being on the court and the situations that are coming to him. He is not in an easy spot being No. 1 and so young and with so much noise around him. I really look up to him.”

Alcaraz, who advanced to the quarter-finals last year, takes a 32-3 season record into the Court Philippe-Chatrier night session match.

[3] Novak Djokovic (SRB) vs. [29] Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (ESP)

Djokovic has not put a foot wrong in his chase for a record 23rd major title in Paris so far, defeating Aleksandar Kovacevic and Marton Fucsovics in straight sets. Next up is Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, who stunned the World No. 3 on clay in Monte-Carlo last year.

Djokovic will be required to absorb Davidovich Fokina’s firepower on Court Philippe-Chatrier if he is to continue his title pursuit in Paris, where he has triumphed in 2016 and 2021. The 36-year-old Serbian is chasing a double prize at Roland Garros, where a title run would lift him back to No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

The focus will be fully on Davidovich Fokina for now, though, with Djokovic taking a 2-1 ATP Head2Head series lead into the clash.

[5] Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) vs. Diego Schwartzman (ARG)

Former finalist Tsitsipas will renew his rivalry with Diego Schwartzman when they meet in the third round. The Greek, who lost in the title match against Djokovic in 2021, leads Schwartzman 4-2 in their ATP Head2Head series, but the Argentine heads into the match with confidence.

The 30-year-old Schwartzman arrived in Paris holding a 5-14 record on the season, but the 2020 semi-finalist has re-found his level this week, defeating Bernabe Zapata Miralles and Nuno Borges. Tsitsipas, who is seeking his maiden major title and first crown of the season, will aim to end Schwartzman’s resurgence on Court Suzanne-Lenglen.

Also In Action…

Karen Khachanov and Andrey Rublev also take to court on Friday, facing Thanasi Kokkinakis and Lorenzo Sonego, respectively. Australian Kokkinakis earned his first five-set victory since 2015 when he clawed past Stan Wawrinka in a Roland Garros second-round epic.

The 14th seed Cameron Norrie plays 17th seed Lorenzo Musetti on Court Simonne-Mathieu, while 13th seed Hubert Hurkacz takes on Juan Pablo Varillas.

After five hours and 26 minutes of brutal hitting, Jannik Sinner’s European clay swing came to an end on Thursday when he fell in five sets against Daniel Altmaier at Roland Garros.

Sinner was disappointed with his second-round defeat but was keen to focus on the bigger picture.

“I had my opportunities. I couldn’t find a right way how to win the points,” said Sinner, who squandered two match points in the fourth set. “I was a little bit unfortunate at some points. But this is the sport. I will come back stronger.

“I knew it was a tough last two tournaments. I put a little bit too much expectations or pressure [on myself], it’s part of the game. I feel like the season is going good. I played a lot of matches… It is a tough one to swallow, but I [will] keep going.”

Sinner leaves Roland Garros holding an 8-3 record on clay in 2023. The eighth seed advanced to the semi-finals in Monte-Carlo but struggled to find his best level in Paris and Rome, where he lost in the fourth round.

The Italian withdrew from Barcelona last month due to injury, but insisted physical issues did not play an impact on his early exit in Paris.

“I felt very prepared for here. Mentally I felt good. Physically we were working hard,” Sinner said. “Long, long practice sessions. It’s tough when you work so hard and you don’t take the reward. But this is not a sprint. This sport is a marathon. I will keep going with the hard work, and I will also get my rewards. This was, it’s a tough one, yes, but it doesn’t end here.”

Sinner heads to the grass fifth in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin, holding a 29-8 record on the season. The Italian, who reached the Miami final, admitted qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals is a key goal of his.

“This year we set a goal to go to Turin,” Sinner said. “Also, a little bit you have to watch out for the results, but I also feel like I have lots of things where I can improve still.”

Editor’s note: This story was translated from ATPTour.com/es.

Novak Djokovic will take to court at Roland Garros on Friday knowing that his opponent won their last match.

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina beat the Serbian in Monte-Carlo in April last year in an intense three-set clash. The two players meet again on Friday in Paris as they both chase a place in the third round of the season’s second Grand Slam.

“It’s completely different to Monte-Carlo,” said the World No. 34 Davidovich Fokina. “Here it’s five sets, and there he’d hardly played any matches… We all know what Djokovic is like. He’s a legend. Playing against him will be an honour, as will returning to [Court] Philippe-Chatrier.

“I’m going to be ready. I’m playing at a good level, I’ve been very relaxed for two matches, competing at a high level. I can’t wait to keep doing that for another match.”

“It was a strange match at the start of the clay season, when I tend to be a long way from my best,” concurred the two-time Roland Garros champion Djokovic when asked about his memories of his defeat in Monaco. “[Davidovich Fokina] is a specialist on the surface, a player who has progressed a lot in recent years, and he’s defeated several good players this season, including [Holger] Rune in Madrid.

“He’s a complete player and he’s capable of playing at a very high level, definitely one of the toughest opponents you could meet in the third round. I know that he will prepare well with the intention of winning, but I believe in myself.”

The 23-year-old Davidovich Fokina is about to face one of the biggest challenges in the game: beating Djokovic in a Grand Slam. However, it seems to be one he is relishing. His words ooze confidence and he has a clear plan that he thinks can carry him to victory.

“I know Djokovic pretty well, I’ve also watched him a lot on TV,” said Davidovich Fokina. “We’ve practised a couple of times in Marbella, and I get on well with his team. Of course, he’s quite intimidating, but when you play against him several times you see that he is another player who can be beaten. You can’t be afraid, you have to take it to him.”

Davidovich Fokina reached the quarter-finals at Roland Garros in 2021, when he bowed out to Alexander Zverev. Djokovic is bidding for his third title in Paris, and if he is successful he will set a new record for Grand Slam titles (23), surpassing Rafael Nadal (22). Despite his Monte-Carlo defeat to Davidovich Fokina, Djokovic leads 2-1 in the pair’s ATP Head2Head series.

Casper Ruud continues to build early momentum at Roland Garros.

The fourth seed overcame a spirited second-round challenge from Giulio Zeppieri on Thursday at the clay-court major, where he downed the Italian qualifier 6-3, 6-2, 4-6, 7-5 on Court Philippe-Chatrier.

Ruud delivered a high-class all-around display for much of the three-hour, four-minute encounter, although Zeppieri deployed his gritty lefty game to good effect to gain a foothold in the match and clinch the third set. The Norwegian’s consistently deep groundstrokes proved decisive to his victory as he converted five of 13 break points overall to reach the Roland Garros third round for the fifth year in a row.

“It was a tough match,” said Ruud in his on-court interview. “I started well, got a break early and served well myself. That’s the beauty of best-of-five sets. In a normal match I would have won 6-3, 6-2, but here you have the chance to fight like he did. He played much better in the third set and the fourth set, and it became very tough.

“In the end there also, I served for the match, and he played well, and it gets pretty physical out here. So, I’m very happy to come through and not having to play a fifth set was nice today. I have extra time to recover for my next match.”

After a stellar 2022 in which he lifted three ATP Tour trophies, reached the championship match at Roland Garros and the US Open, and reached a career-high No. 2 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, Ruud has struggled for consistency this season. The Norwegian claimed his 10th tour-level crown in Estoril in April but has also suffered some surprise early exits.

A semi-final run last month at the ATP Masters 1000 in Rome suggested Ruud was regaining his confidence on the biggest stage, however, and his impressive start to Roland Garros will increase belief that he can forge another deep run in Paris. Although the conditions have been warmer than during his standout run last year, the 24-year-old showcased his ability to adjust with a largely rock-solid showing against Zeppieri in which he made just 28 unforced errors to his opponent’s 51.

“So far quite good, but still many matches to play in the tournament,” said Ruud. “I’m just happy to be here, happy to win my first two matches… These are perfect playing conditions if you ask me. Twenty-four or 25 degrees, sunny, beautiful Paris. There’s a lot of things to enjoy on this court and in this tournament.”

The No. 4 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, Ruud now holds a 14-5 record at Roland Garros, where he reached the championship match in 2022. The 24-year-old continues his latest campaign in the French capital with a third-round clash against China’s Zhang Zhizhen or Argentine qualifier Thiago Agustin Tirante.

“Who were you thinking of?”

That question was asked of Genaro Alberto Olivieri, the No. 231 player in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, after he earned his first tour-level win on Tuesday at Roland Garros. It was also his first victory in a major, which he earned by beating Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard 7-6 (3), 4-6, 4-6, 7-5, 6-1.

The answer to the question was both clear and touching, but also painful.

“My father, who died during the pandemic,” answered the Argentine. “He was my sidekick, the person who helped me in every way — psychologically, emotionally… Then he started to learn a little more about tennis and he would even help me with that. I always remember him. I hope he is now watching everything that is happening to me this week and that he has an even bigger smile than I do.”

In February 2021, while the COVID-19 pandemic was still in full force around the world, Olivieri travelled to Turkey, where he shared a room with current World No. 64 Pedro Cachín. Before returning to Barcelona, Cachín tested positive and both players and their teams had to isolate until they tested negative.

The tragic news came when he went home, two days before his return, everyone in his house got sick. Olivieri’s parents ended up in hospital. His mother recovered without any issues, but his father’s condition worsened and he was transferred to Buenos Aires. He passed away on 7 April, just when Olivieri arrived to say goodbye.

“After that, I stopped playing tennis,” remembered the Argentine. “I didn’t pick a racquet up for three months. I helped at home, and at an accounting firm. I wasn’t motivated to play.

“After the third month, I started to miss it. I wanted to try again for a while. When I stepped onto court I had a fire that gave me strength in tough matches.”

Olivieri explained how his family helped him through that time emotionally.

“They believed in me,” Olivieri said. “They have been my sponsors my whole life. And when my father passed away, my mother said she would support me, that I should keep going and continue to play tennis.”

At 24 years of age, Olivieri arrived in Paris without having played in a tour-level main draw. He came through qualifying and managed to win his first match. The next challenge for the Argentine will be Italian player Andrea Vavassori, who came back from two sets down to beat Miomir Kecmanovic 5-7, 2-6, 7-6(8), 7-6(3), 7-6(9).

“This is amazing to me,” Olivieri said. “There’s no explanation. I’m so happy, and the important thing is to keep concentrating and focusing because this is still not over. I have dreamt of this so many times, of being here and winning a match. I don’t want to wake up.”

Editor’s note: This story was translated from ATPTour.com/es

The Roland Garros second-round action draws to a close on Thursday as top names seek to continue their progress in Paris. Top 10 stars Jannik Sinner and Casper Ruud and two-time semi-finalist Alexander Zverev, who all enjoyed straight-sets opening wins, are among those in action in the bottom half of the singles draw.

ATPTour.com previews some of the second-round matchups to watch on the Day 5 schedule in Paris.

[8] Jannik Sinner (ITA) vs. Daniel Altmaier (GER)

Sinner and Altmaier’s only previous ATP Head2Head meeting was a five-set thriller at the 2022 US Open. It was Sinner who prevailed on the hard courts of New York, and the eighth-seeded Italian with the big-hitting baseline game will feel confident of backing up that victory after he cruised past Alexandre Muller for the loss of just six games in the first round in Paris on Tuesday.

The World No. 79 Altmaier has his own reason to be confident, however. He reached his maiden ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final in Madrid in April and has pedigree at Roland Garros, where he reached the fourth round as a qualifier in 2020. Can the German rouse his best level to spring a big upset on Court Suzanne-Lenglen?

[4] Casper Ruud [NOR] vs. [Q] Giulio Zeppieri (ITA)

After an up-and-down season, Ruud appeared back to his best in his first-round rout of Elias Ymer in Paris. The 2022 finalist broke Ymer’s serve eight times in that clash, and he will look to use his booming forehand in particular to pile similar pressure on to the 21-year-old Giulio Zeppieri’s delivery on Thursday.

After coming through qualifying, Zeppieri beat Alexander Bublik for his maiden main draw win at a major to set his clash with Ruud. In tune with the conditions and chasing a fifth win in a row at Roland Garros, the Italian lefty will be full of confidence as he prepares for just his second meeting against a Top 10 opponent.

[22] Alexander Zverev (GER) vs. Alex Molcan (SVK)

Zverev chases a third-round spot for the seventh time in eight years when he meets Alex Molcan on Court Simonne-Mathieu. The German came through a big-serving battle against Lloyd Harris in his opening round, his first match at Roland Garros since he was forced to retire after rolling his ankle in his 2022 semi-final against Rafael Nadal.

It will be a maiden ATP Head2Head meeting between the 25-year-old Zverev and Molcan, who is bidding to reach the third round for the first time. The Slovakian is a particularly difficult challenge on clay, having reached three tour-level finals on the surface, and his high-class movement will ensure Zverev has to stay focused throughout if he wants to improve his 24-7 record at the clay-court major.

Also In Action…

Before Zverev and Molcan take to Court Simonne-Mathieu, the 12th seed Frances Tiafoe will be in action against the in-form Aslan Karatsev. Tiafoe’s countryman, the 16th seed Tommy Paul, takes on Chilean Nicolas Jarry, who has lifted ATP 250 titles on clay already this year in Santiago and Geneva.

After Gael Monfils’ withdrawal from his second-round match against Holger Rune due to a left wrist injury, Arthur Rinderknech is the only home favourite left in the singles draw in Paris, where he takes on ninth seed Taylor Fritz. Grigor Dimitrov meets Emil Ruusuvuori while Australian Open quarter-finalist Jiri Lehecka faces Marcos Giron.