French Open 2024: Alcaraz and Jabeur in action, Tsitsipas and Kenin through – live | French Open 2024

Jabeur hammers away and eventually finds a shot that’s too good, a backhand down the line to earn her deuce. For all the good it does her, a long forehand consolidating Osorio’s break and at 4-1 she’s close to forcing a decider. Meantime, De Jong fights back from 0-40 to eventually secure a hold for 3-6 3-3, and even if we know how this’ll end, he’s giving Alcaraz loads.

An error from Jabeur, overhitting a high-bouncer, means she’s down break point, but a big forehand elicits the error that brings deuce. Another monstrous forehand then saves another opportunity, but a gorgeous drop from Osorio means another advantage and this time, the Colombian finds a huge forehand and follows it up with a putaway volley! Jabeur leads 6-3 1-3, but her opponent is in the ascendancy now!

Lovely work from De Jong, opening body and shoulders to massacre a forehand winner cross-court that breaks the sideline. It gives him a hold for 2-2, after a serious ruckus, and I hope he can hit this level when he’s back playing Challengers.

I’d not seen De Jong play until he despatched Draper in round one, but he looks decent: power, hands, creativity and moxie. But he’s struggling to hold at 3-6 1-2, Alcaraz just netting a leaping backhand tickle-overhead when up advantage.

This time, Jabeur consolidates, which means she takes the first set 6-3. This is actually a good match for her: one she should come through but one that’s testing enough to fortify her with confidence.

Mac reckons Shelton is a potential major-winner, saying he’s got a big game and a great personality – he was evaluating Sinner and Alcaraz at the time. And the Spaniard leads De Jong 6-1 1-1, while Jabeur breaks Osorio yet again – this time to love – for 5-3. She’ll now serve for the first set.

Osorio, though, isn’t going away, a tentative forehand followed by a wilder one returning the break a second time. This is developing into a really fun match.

Lovely stuff from Ons, forcing another break point before unleashing a succession of punishing groundstrokes before one allows her into the net, whereupon she seizes her break back with an overhead. She leads 4-2 in set one.

Alcaraz is grooved now and he breaks De Jong again for a 6-3 set. I’m afraid, though, that it’s still raining and our earliest restart time has been put back again, to 2.30pm BST.

Osorio is on the board, holding – just – to trail Jabeur 1-3. But our Ons is playing well, so stopping her will take something. And has Osorio found it? A lovely backhand pass down the line raises break point, a double follows, and that can happen when you’ve been out of form: it doesn’t take much for doubt to set in. We’re back on serve at 2-3.

Again, Alcaraz is lost in the supermarket, flicking through his options before netting a weak slice. That hands De Jong 0-40, but it’s soon 30-40, and when he misses a Hollywood forehand cross-court, you know where this is headed. Or not, De Jong ending a terrific point with a sliced drop … but the kid is inevitable and eventually secures the hold for 5-3.

It was coming. Alcaraz earns two more break points and this time he doesn’t hand De Jong a pressie, a netted backhand taking him to 4-3.

Jabeur was only alright in round one but already looks dialled-in here, perhaps on account of the step-up in competition. She breaks to love, Osorio helping her out with a double at 0-40, and the number eight seed leads 2-0 in the first.

On Lenglen, Osorio and Jabeur are under way.

Oh man, up break point at 2-2, Alcaraz loses the ball – perhaps in the lights – as it drops short, forced to let it bounce rather than hammer down an overhead. It may also be he had too many options to decide what to do but either way, De Jong holds on.

Yeah, play on outside courts has now been bumped a further half-hour to 2pm BST earliest. I hate to say it, but i’d be surprised if we get a restart even close to then.

Yeah, Alcaraz breaks De Jong back to love. They’re 1-1 in set one.

On Chatrier, De Jong – conqueror of Jack Draper – holds … then breaks Alcaraz, hitting it as hard as he can and going for his shots, securing 2-0 with a big forehand followed by a drop … Alcaraz style.

Next on Lenglen: Camila Osorio v Ons Jabeur (8).

“La cerise sur la gateaux” says Tsitsipas of the atmosphere on Lenglen. “Did you get it?” It felt amazing, he said, “getting to play such marvellous tennis at the end – I really enjoyed it.”

He thinks it’s more fun playing another one-handed backhand, so it’s like “getting a taste of my own tennis … a type of ID.” He thinks it can be very effective on clay, “opening up the court, creating much more topspin – especially if you get good timing on it, I feel like it can do miracles.”

Finally,he says he was down on the score, he didn’t give up, and the times he’s come back before inspired him here.

Hold tight Daniel Altmaier, though, who found himself when 2-0 down and gave Tsitsipas loads. It’s still hard to see him winning her – or at any other major – because that backhand is a nonsense – but he’s playing well and looks confident.

Stefanos Tsitsipas (9) beats Daniel Altmaier 6-3 6-2 (2)6-7 6-4

Wow! Up 15-30, Tsitsipas annihilates a forehand winner cross-court to raise two match points; did he need jeopardy to get himself going? Well he’s going, and another serve just the wrong side of the line, again checked by the umpire, gives him a look at a second delivery…

Vex on Lenglen as Altmaier is called for a fault when down break-back point; perhaps distracted, he then botches a forehand before remonstrating with the umpire at change of ends. So Tsitsipas breaks back for 4-4 in the fourth and might momentum have switched his way?

Ah this is nice, the first bit of Mac on my screen this tournament. He loves Alcaraz – he said last year that Boris is the best teenager he’s ever seen but this is the best 20-year-old he’s ever seen, and that he’d have loved to have similar joie de vivre when he played.

Next on Chatrier: Jesper De Jong v Carlos Alcaraz (3).

Kenin is “super-happy” and says she sorry she had to win, thanking the crowd for the atmosphere. She loves Chatrier, feeling like she has “some kind of connection” to it, she’s playing good tennis, the hard work is paying off, and she’s very happy. It’s special to be back after her injuries but if you put in the work the work pays off.

Now then! Altmaier hooks a forehand return on to the line for 0-30 … but two banging forehands from Tsitsipas halve the deficit. An ace out wide follows – I really enjoy the way he attacks pressure – but when his backhand is attacked next point, he yields, and Altmaier has an opportunity to break at 3-3 30-40! And have a look! Tsitsipas drops, Altmaier retrieves … and the backhand overhead drops into the net! The German dances a jig and after watching his opponent play beautifully for two sets, he’s now two holds away from forcing a decider! What a match this now is!

Sofia Kenin beats Caroline Garcia (21) 6-3 6-2

A love hold for Garcia, forcing Kenin to serve for the match…

Meantime, deep this from David Goffin courtesy of Reuters!

David Goffin accused partisan fans at the French Open of “total disrespect” and said he was spat at by a spectator during his marathon first-round victory over local favourite Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard.

On a raucous Court 14, Goffin kept his cool to defeat wild card Perricard 4-6 6-4 6-3 6-7(4) 6-3, before the former world number seven held his hand to his ears as he left the venue to loud jeers.

“When you are insulted for 3-1/2 hours, you have to tease the public a little,” Goffin told Belgian media. “Clearly, it goes too far, it’s total disrespect.

“It’s really too much. It’s becoming football, soon there will be smoke bombs, hooligans and fights in the stands. It’s starting to become ridiculous. Some people are there more to cause trouble than to create an atmosphere.

“Someone spat out their chewing gum at me. It (the match) was getting complicated. That’s why I wanted to stay calm. If I started to get angry about it, it could have destabilised me.” Goffin then urged the organisers of the year’s second Grand Slam to take action.

“A lot of people are complaining, a lot of umpires feel that there is a lot of disrespect,” Goffin added. “This is repeated a lot in the locker room and among the ATP authorities. We’re going to have to do something about that.

“I think it only happens in France. At Wimbledon, obviously, there’s not that. Or in Australia either. At the U.S. Open, it’s still rather quiet. Here, it’s a really unhealthy atmosphere.”

Kenin is now at 8o% first serves and Garcia, the second-best server on tour this year according to the numbers, just can’t match her. She’ll now serve to stay in the match at 3-6 2-5.

Email! “What can you say about the weather?” wonders Olga. “Maybe it is still mourning for Nadal. Lovely job by you and others on Rafa’s last match. I am a diehard fan and wish he could play forever, but Father Time is undefeated. I wish Roger could have had his retirement wishes fulfilled. Speaking of Roger, there’s been a surprise choice for the next Laver Cup Captain: Yannick Noah will replace Borg next year and will be in Berlin.”

Who could fail to be inspired by that legend?

Monstrous hitting from both men when Tsitsipas earns a break point, Altmaier outlasting him and accepting the forehand error. The Greek consoles himself by bellowing “Shut up!”, presumably at his box; I wonder if his brother is re-evaluating his opinion. Anyroad, Altmaier quickly tidies up the game while, on Chatrier, a forehand winner gives Kenin anothrr break and at 6-3 4-2, she can smell the finish line.

And she does, breaking back to 30! This match is hitting a rolling boil now! Meantime, Tsitsipas leads Altmaier 2-1 2-1.

A double then an unforced forehand error mean Kenin has a third break point … and this time she takes it, a similar return to the one that went close last time, hooked line on the forehand, this time is good. She leads 6-3 3-1 and Garcia needs to find a solution and fast.

Garcia finds herself break-point down at 3-6 1-2 and she just can’t get any momentum; Kenin won’t let her get any momentum. She saves it, but a lovely flick down the line from the American, running in, means she’s to defend another … and a nice forehand return lands fractionally wide.

What a set (of tennis) from Daniel Altmaier! He went for a break after the second, changing his clothes, and returned like Superman! Tsitsipas had to fully extend to make the breaker, but what difference did that make? None! The German takes it 7-2 and if he keeps this up we’re in for something very special.

Of course, as soon as I hit send, Tsitsipas goes wide on the forehand to cede the mini-break at 0-2; Altmaier sustains it with a tremendous drop-riposte, then annihilates a backhand down the line for 4-1. And have a look! A glorious return on to the tootsies it too good, and this breaker is due reward for the excellence of Altmaier’s play this set. he’s opened shoulders and everything he hits is going where he wants it to.

Tsitsipas does indeed hold, and though Altmaier is hitting it well enough to take the odd point you need to win a breaker, it’s hard to look past the excellence of the Greek’s serve-forehand combo.