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Wednesday, May 27, 2026

RG.4- Down and Out in Paris (so, see ya soon, London)










=DAY 4 NOTES=
...aside from all the "extracurricular activity," 2026 has been a very good year for the Ukrainian women. Despite being lesser in numbers than many top tennis nations, the country is at or near the top of nearly every noteworthy collective and/or individual statistical measure of success this season.

There have been more Ukrainian women in tour singles finals (9) than from any other nation, while their four titles are tied for the most (w/ the U.S.). The five different women who've reached those finals are tied with the five different U.S. women who've done it for the most on tour this year, while the fourteen Ukrainian semifinal berths in '26 are second behind only the U.S.'s twenty. Both of this spring's 1000 event clay singles champions hail from Ukraine, with Marta Kostyuk taking Madrid and Elina Svitolina winning in Rome, and earlier this season we saw the WTA's first all-UKR singles final in Rouen, when Kostyuk faced off with Veronika Podrez (after a 125 final between the nation's Anhelina Kalinina and Oleksandra Oliynykova had previously this season been the biggest such all-UKR match-up ever). Svitolina and Kostyuk have both won two tour titles, behind only Aryna Sabalenka's three crowns.

Meanwhile, Svitolina's six SF lead the tour (by two). She's also tied (w/ Elena Rybakina, with 7) for the most Top 10 wins in 2026, with Kostyuk tied (w/ 3 others) for the next most with five. The group has combined for six Top 10 wins on clay this spring, tied with the U.S. for the most by any nation.

Five Ukrainian women reached the 2nd Round at this RG, with four of them in action on Day 4.

While Daria Snigur, who'd knocked off the first seed (Clara Tauson) at this RG, was eliminated by Peyton Stearns today, the two highest-ranked women were not, remaining on course for a possible QF match-up down the road.



Kostyuk had to rally from a set down against Katie Volynets, dropping a 1st set TB before winning 6-7(4)/6-3/6-3 to notch her tour-best 14th straight victory on the dirt this spring; while Svitolina ousted Spaniard Kaitlin Quevedo love & 4 to join Kostyuk in the 3rd Round, something the veteran five-time RG quarterfinalist (w/ her first in 2015) has done in her last eleven MD appearances in Paris. For Kostyuk, it's her first RG 3rd Round since her Round of 16 finish in 2021.

But the biggest thump of the day came by the hand of yet another Ukrainian, as Yuliia Starodubtseva felled the tallest tree in the RG forest of seeds to go down so far at this major, upsetting #2 Elena Rybakina in a three-set battle in which she rallied from an early deficit and then held on late as the reigning AO champ threatened to find an escape hatch leading out of the 2nd Round and onto the next.

The 26-year old Old Dominion University (in Virginia) product has been a part of the MD at the last ten majors, reaching the 3rd Round in Paris a year ago. Earlier this spring, she reached her first tour-level final in Charleston, a loss to Jessie Pegula.

Today, after Rybakina won a 6-3 1st, Starodubtseva, took control in the 2nd set, winning it 6-1 and racing to a double-break lead at 3-0 in the decider. Then things got a bit trickier.

Starodubtseva gave one of the breaks back, but held BPs for 4-1 on Rybakina's serve to get it back. The Kazakh held for 3-2, then saw a BP of her own a game later to get back to even. Starodubtseva denied her and got the hold for 4-2, but the Rybakina surge was on. She broke to tie the score at 4-4.

But it was then that Starodubtseva held firm. After losing serve in game 8, the Ukrainian lost just one combined *point* in her last two service games in the set, forcing a match tie-break for the 3rd Round.

Things were tied up there at 2-2, but it was the errors (mostly on her forehand side) of Rybakina that ultimately closed the door on the Kazakh in the match, opening it wide for the Ukrainian, who soon led 6-2. Starodubtseva reached *sextuple* MP at 9-3, and on her second opportunity saw Rybakina throw in one final forehand error to end the 10-4 MTB. Starodubtseva won 3-6/6-1/7-6(10-4), posting her first career Top 10 win.



After getting off to a great start to the clay season with a title run in Stuttgart early in the spring, Rybakina couldn't replicate the result once things moved outdoors. Losses to Anastasia Potapova (Madrid 4r) and Svitolina (Rome QF) preceded this disappointing finish, once again pushing back Rybakina's chances to potentially contend for the #1 ranking. Aryna Sabalenka will *at least* stay around 600 points up on her closest competitor in the rankings.

Rybakina's 2nd Round exit makes this the earliest the reigning AO champ has lost in Paris since Naomi Osaka went out in the 2nd Round in 2021. She's the eighth woman's AO champ in the Open era to lose in the 1r/2r at RG.

Next stop: the grass courts of London.

The last remaining Ukrainian to play her 2nd Round match will be Oliynykova, who'll face Pegula-conqueror Kimberly Birrell tomorrow. Birrell is Australian, so Oliynykova will have to win and hope #25 Diana Shnaider does the same in order for her to return to "her element" once again where she'll be able to disparage her opponent both before and immediately after the match, then accuse her of war crimes (or complicity in them) when she's in front of cameras (or alone w/ her phone) well afterward. As is her wont.

BTW, Oliynykova was at it again yesterday after her 1st Round win, declaring that fellow competitors must either comment loudly enough to risk their and their family's lives and/or uproot their existence or else be declared to be responsible for the many deaths in a war they didn't start and can't stop because, well, because she says so. Oh, and she's also back to insufferably stating that those players shouldn't be able to have a tennis career, either. I won't link to or post everything that she said, but you can easily search and find it if you wish.

I must say, though, it's hard to imagine any similar situations -- say, be it race-based or focused on a particular religion, or centered on conflicts/incidents in which either or both of those issues are crucial -- in which a player could do this sort of thing and not face any sort of public or official condemnation from either the tour or other athletes. Yet, here we are. I guess it'll take something really bad happening to a player during a match or on a tournament's grounds (or after they leave them), orchestrated by a "fan" or political actor with similar sentiments that could be traced back to any of the inciting comments and accusations made by Oliynykova, for *someone* with some pull to decide to do anything about it. Of course, by then it'd already be too late.

Personally, I'm still amazed by the incredible restraint shown by the Russian and Belarusian players, and those of other nationalities, who've been targeted in this way for now going on multiple years for something they have no control over, and very little wiggle room when it comes to the things they *can* do. I guess that some haven't lashed out in response to this sort of thing shows how much better *they* understand the situation than those who very loudly declare that *their* way is the *only acceptable* way.

...anyway. Next up, in Iga News...



#3 seed Swiatek's early-round slam prowess continued unsurprisingly today with a 6-2/6-3 win over Sara Bejlek that improved the four-time champion's career RG mark to 42-3, tying Chris Evert for the best start in a woman's first 45 matches in Paris in the Open era.

The *bigger* news concerned her 3rd Round opponent, or more specifically who that person *won't* be.

As (someone) predicted, the potential first RG meeting between Swiatek and #29 Alona Ostapenko will *not* happen, as the '17 champion -- with a 6-0 career mark vs. Swiatek -- fell today to a different Pole, Magda Linette, by a 6-2/2-6/6-2 score.



One would think this development is a good one for Swiatek, and it just might be. But let's not forget that it was countrywoman Linette who ended Swiatek's long streak of opening round matches back in March with a three-set 2nd Round upset in Miami. The two are tied 1-1 on hard court, but have not yet played on clay.

...all right, controversy in 3-2-1... bam.

And, no, it didn't include the aforementioned Ostapenko. It involved Tamara Korpatsch, no stranger to being angered by opponets (or doubles partners) who don't meet a certain standard (hers), and #32 seed Wang Xinyu, (I don't believe) with no real history of skirting rules and/or angering anyone.

Korpatsch's ultimate three-set victory didn't include a post-match handshake -- though their hands were tantalizingly close, maybe out of habit -- because the German was still angry about her Chinese opponent crossing over onto her side of the court to look at and argue a line call (Wang received an unsportsmanlike penalty), with the monent having a *bit* of a shade of the time when Martina Hingis (also at RG) did the same thing quite a while ago.



Well, at least Korpatsch, right or wrong, had a specific, (legitimately) personal (game-related) reason for not wanting to offer Wang the simple competitive courtesy of a handshake. So there's that.

...meanwhile, after saving three MP in the 1st Round vs. Barbora Krejcikova, it was ironically #26-seeded Hailey Baptiste who left this RG today with an injury, retiring down 5-4 in the 1st to qualifier Wang Xiyu (who improves to 26-2 on the year) after falling and crumpling over in pain with a leg injury in the back of the court.

It's Wang's second career slam 3rd Round result (w/ '22 US).



Hopefully Baptiste will be ready to return soon, especially with the North American summer ard court season not that far away.

...well, #13 Jasmine Paolini got a brief reprieve from her '26 match-winning difficulties. But, well, it was *only* brief.



The '24 finalist led Solana Sierra 6-4/4-2 today, but couldn't hold back the Argentine, who came on strong to win six straight games, taking the 2nd set 6-4 and going up 2-0 in the 3rd. Paolini made a stand right then and there, forging six BP opporturtunities in game 3 before Sierra held for a 3-0 edge. Still, the Italian got things back on serve with a break two games later, pulling to within 3-2, only to give the break lead back to Sierra in the following game.

Serving up 5-3, 40/love, Sierra completed the upset on her third MP, reaching the 3rd Round for the first time in Paris with a 4-6/6-4/6-3 victory. Last summer, she reached the Round of 16 at Wimbledon as a lucky loser, but before this RG she'd been a combined 0-4 in her outings at the other three slams.

Sierra posted her first 1000 4th Round result earlier this spring in Madrid, then followed up with a 3rd Round in Rome. Today's win lifts the '22 RG junior finalist over .500 for the season (16-15) and improves her current clay court run to 9-3 since she opened her dirt season with a 1st Round exit in Charleston (which turned out to be the close of what had been an early-season 1-7 slide for the 21-year old).








...27 YEARS AGO... ON DAY 4:

...there was so much more than just Hingis crossing the net to argue a line call.




After that final, Hingis never won another slam singles crown (she'd won five coming into the '99 RG final, including three straight AO), going 0-5 in the last five major singles finals of her career before her *first* retirement in 2002 (which was followed by another in 2007, then another in 2017).

Of course, Hingis ultimately put together a doubles career that was *also* Hall of Famer worthy all on its own even if she'd never played singles. She was enshrined in Newport in 2013.


...ALL HAIL THE QUEEN BEE (coincidentally with the initials "B.B."?)... ON DAY 4:



































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*WORST RG RESULTS BY AO CHAMP IN OPEN ERA*
=1st Round=
1978 Chris O'Neil
1979 Barbara Jordan
2000 Lindsay Davenport
2014 Li Na
2016 Angelique Kerber
=2nd Round=
1987 Hana Mandlikova
2004 Justine Henin
2011 Kim Clijsters
2021 Naomi Osaka
2026 Elena Rybakina

*RECENT RG "CRASH-AND-BURN"*
2018 Alona Ostapenko, LAT (1st Rd., earliest RG DC since '05)
2019 Alona Ostapenko, LAT (1st Rd.; zero RG wins before/after '17 title)
2020 U.S. Open '20 SF (Osaka DNP, Brady 1r, Serena w/d 2r, Azarenka 2r - in 24 hrs)
2021 Ash Barty, AUS and Naomi Osaka, JPN (#1 seed ret. 2r; #2 seed w/d 2r)
2022 Barbora Krejcikova, CZE (1st/DC) and Ons Jabuer, TUN (hottest non-Iga on clay)
2023 Barbora Krejcikova, CZE (0-2 at RG since winning '21 title)
2024 Maria Sakkari, GRE (1st Rd. in 4 of 5 slams)
2025 Emma Navarro, USA (1st Rd.; #9 wins just 1 game vs. Bouzas Maneiro)
2026 #5 Jessie Pegula/USA (1st Rd.) and #2 Elena Rybakina (2nd)

*SWIATEK - RG CAREER HEAD-to-HEAD (42-3)*
3-0 - Coco Gauff, USA
2-0 - Lesia Tsurenko, UKR
2-0 - Marketa Vondrousova, CZE
1-0 - Sara Bejlek, CZE
1-0 - Genie Bouchard, CAN
1-0 - Marie Bouzkova, CZE
1-0 - Cristina Bucsa, ESP
1-0 - Jaqueline Cristian, ROU
1-0 - Beatriz Haddad Maia, BRA
1-0 - Hsieh Su-wei, TPE
1-0 - Selena Janicijevic, FRA
1-0 - Leolia Jeanjean, FRA
1-0 - Emerson Jones, AUS
1-0 - Kaja Juvan, SLO
1-0 - Dasha Kasatkina, RUS
1-0 - Sofia Kenin, USA
1-0 - Anett Kontaveit, EST
1-0 - Marta Kostyuk, UKR
1-0 - Danka Kovinic, MNE
1-0 - Claire Liu, USA
1-0 - Karolina Muchova, CZE
1-0 - Naomi Osaka, JPN
1-0 - Jasmine Paolini, ITA
1-0 - Jessie Pegula, USA
1-0 - Rebecca Peterson, SWE
1-0 - Nadia Podoroska, ARG
1-0 - Anastasia Potapova, RUS
1-0 - Monica Puig, PUR
1-0 - Emma Raducanu, GBR
1-0 - Alison Riske-Amritraj, USA
1-0 - Elena Rybakina, KAZ
1-0 - Rebecca Sramkova, SVK
1-0 - Elina Svitolina, UKR
1-0 - Martina Trevisan, ITA
1-0 - Wang Qinwen, CHN
1-0 - Wang Xinyu, CHN
1-0 - Zheng Qinwen, CHN
1-1 - Simona Halep, ROU
0-1 - Aryna Sabalenka, BLR
0-1 - Maria Sakkari, GRE
--
7-0 - USA
5-0 - CZE
4-0 - UKR
3-0 - CHN
2-0 - FRA
2-0 - ITA
2-0 - RUS
1-0 - ARG
1-0 - AUS
1-0 - BRA
1-0 - CAN
1-0 - ESP
1-0 - EST
1-0 - GBR
1-0 - JPN
1-0 - KAZ
1-0 - MNE
1-0 - PUR
1-0 - SLO
1-0 - SVK
1-0 - SWE
1-0 - TPE
2-1 - ROU
0-1 - BLR
0-1 - GRE

*LONG WTA (MD+BJK only) WINNING STREAKS - 2020s*
37 - Iga Swiatek (2022)
21 - Iga Swiatek (2024)
18 - Iga Swiatek (2023-24)
17 - Simona Halep (2020)
16 - Coco Gauff (2023)
16 - Madison Keys (2025)
15 - Danielle Collins (2024)
15 - Aryna Sabalenka (2024)
15 - Aryna Sabalenka (2026) 14 - MARTA KOSTYUK (2026, through 2nd Rd.)





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Saw someone say the world is a boring place because there are no elves or dragons, so I'm legally obliged to share this:

[image or embed]

— Boze the Library Owl (@sketchesbyboze.bsky.social) March 17, 2026 at 7:24 PM


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They stole the internet’s knowledge and all the work that went into it and they want to sell it back to us for a fee. What a business model.

[image or embed]

— Denny Carter (@dennycarter.bsky.social) May 26, 2026 at 3:45 PM











TOP QUALIFIER: Claire Liu/USA
TOP EARLY-ROUND (1r-2r): x
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): x
TOP LATE-ROUND (SF-F): x
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH: Q1: Oceane Dodin/FRA (PR) def. Kayla Day/USA 6-4/2-6/7-6(15-13) - saved 2 MP in TB, wins on MP #5
TOP EARLY-RD. MATCH (1r-2r): x
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): x
TOP LATE-RD. MATCH (SF-F/Jr.-WC): x
=============================
FIRST VICTORY: #27 Marie Bouzkova/CZE (def. Bronzetti/ITA)
FIRST SEED OUT: #21 Clara Tauson/DEN (1r - lost to Snigur/UKR)
FIRST SLAM MD WINS: Susan Bandecchi/SUI (1st MD), Marina Bassols Ribera/ESP (2nd MD), Francesca Jones/GBR (7th MD), Oleksandra Oliynykova/UKR (2nd MD), Kaitlin Quevedo/ESP (1st MD), Antonia Ruzic/CRO (3rd MD)
UPSET QUEENS: Switzerland
REVELATION LADIES: Poland (4-0 1st Rd. in consecutive '26 majors)
NATION OF POOR SOULS: FRA (none of 14 in Q-draw reach MD; wild cards go 0-6 year after WC Boisson to SF; 2-7 1st Rd.; Boisson out 1r)
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING: in 2r: Susan Bandecchi/SUI, Marina Bassols Ribera/ESP(L), Maja Chwalinska/POL, Alina Korneeva/RUS, Claire Liu/USA, Kaitlin Quevedo/ESP(L), Mayar Sherif/EGY, Wang Xiyu/CHN(W)
LUCKY LOSER WINS: --
LAST WILD CARD STANDING: 0-8 in 1st Rd. (including 0-5 FRA)
PROTECTED RANKING WINS: Jil Teichmann/SUI (in 3r)
LAST PASTRY STANDING: in 2r: Elsa Jacquemot, Diane Parry
Ms./Mademoiselle OPPORTUNITY: x
IT "??": x
COMEBACK: x
CRASH & BURN: #5 Jessie Pegula/USA (1r- lost to #83 Birrell, who'd lost 9 con. slam 1r matches and 3-13 career; Pegula led by 6-1/2-1 w/ break; second 1r loss in major since RG20) and #2 Elena Rybakina/KAZ (AO champ out 2r in 3rd set TB to #55 Starodubtseva)
ZOMBIE QUEEN OF PARIS: Nominees: Svitolina (1r- trailed Bondar 3-1 in 3rd; avoided first 1r RG loss in 13 app.); Sierra (2r- trailed Paolini 6-4/4-2)
DOUBLES STAR: x
VETERAN PLAYER (KIMIKO CUP): x
Mademoiselle/Madame OF THE EVENING: --
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: x
Legion de Lenglen: 100th anniversary of Suzanne Lenglen's last "grand slam" titles (RG WS/WD/MX sweep) in 1926 (she'd retire after controversial Wimbledon withdrawal and join professional tour that summer)
Coupe LA PETIT TAUREAU: (award given on Henin's birthday, June 1)








All for Day 4. More tomorrow.
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Tuesday, May 26, 2026

RG.3- Emma's Parisian Persuasion

“You must be the best judge of your own happiness.” - Jane Austen, from Emma




For Emma Navarro, this year's Roland Garros has already been more of a success than last year's version. In 2025, the then #9-seed exited Paris in the 1st Round, crashing out as the victim of Jessica Bouzas Maneiro by a stunning 6-1/6-0 score.

What was unknown then was that at the time Navarro was experiencing ongoing illness and emotional issues while *also* trying to traverse the world tennis tour, not always a user-friendly experience even when those involved in the swirl are 100% up to snuff. Fatigue, weight fluctuations and overall trouble persisted into 2026 as she continued to move forward with a full schedule. She started the year at 4-9 before finally stepping back to take a two-month break (missing her hometown event in Charleston) in order to head home and get things straight.

In her initial return match this spring in Rome, Navarro fell in straight sets to Elisabetta Cocciaretto, and she lost twice in her first three clay matches before the former U.S. Open semifinalist (2024) seemed to begin to find her groove again in Strasbourg, feeling more "like (her)self." By then, she'd nearly fallen outside the Top 40 after having been in the Top 10 as recently as last July.

Strasbourg showed a more in-form Navarro than we'd seen in quite a while, as her success grew over the course of the week, resulting in her first career WTA clay title, first Top 10 win on the dirt (over Vicky Mboko in the final), and an immediate pre-RG improvement of *14* spots in the rankings (from #39 to #25) .

In her RG opener on Day 3, Navarro continued the "better vibes" portion of her story, taking out Janice Tjen in straight sets, 6-4/6-3.

She's one of thirteen Bannerettes (of the 19 in the draw) to post 1st Round wins in Paris this year.



To be continued...







=DAY 3 NOTES=
...in today's match-up between #12 Linda Noskova and Maria Sakkari, it was very easy to have something of a mindbending experience when considering the two players.

On one hand, you had Noskova, a Czech who came into RG with a chance to crack the Top 10, having maintained her position and even moved up in the rankings a bit over the course of the first five months of this season. And yet... and yet.

At least from this space, it's been hard to shake the feeling this year that Noskova has also taken something of a half-step *back* in 2026, leaving enough possible upward movement on the table in the first half of the year for it to be noticeable.

It's somewhat akin to what has become Noskova's career pattern in match-ups with Iga Swiatek, against whom her big-hitting game presents an obvious challenge (if not danger), and at times in-match she looks fully capable of dusting off the former #1. But Noskova ultimately remains both just good enough *and* not *yet* good enough to complete "a BIG move." Hence, in her seven meetings with Swiatek, though the Czech won their second (at AO24) and has often significantly pushed back against the Pole (forcing opening set TBs in three of their five matches since, as well as tight 6-4 1st sets in the other two, going three in consecutive meetings in a stretch), it's Swiatek who holds a commanding 6-1 lead in their h2h, winning five straight times.

Just good enough, but not quite good enough.

Noskova came into Paris behind a season with one big result (Indian Wells SF), a few very good ones (Madrid QF/Rome 4r) and an "okay" AO run (3r), but also three 2nd Round exits in 1000 events and zero appearances in finals after reaching three during the '25 season. To extend the "not quite" narrative a little bit further, Noskova has one of the worst career records in WTA finals (1-5) of any current top ranked player, even while being one of the few top Czechs who manages to avoid having her training and match play limited by a series of injuries.

Noskova's clay season hasn't been spectacular, but has also been good enough (with multiple wins in all three of her events) to envision at least a good run into the second week of RG.

Meanwhile, on the other hand, her opponent Sakkari is clearly not at the level she was a few years ago when she reached multiple slam semis (both in '21) and enjoyed a very long stretch (some of it justified) in the Top 10, but she's also one who has flashed some comeback potential in '26 after re-teaming with former longtime coach Tom Hill *last* clay season. The Greek notched two wins at the United Cup (def. Osaka), and reached the Doha semis with a pair of Top 10 upsets over Jasmine Paolini and Swiatek before losing to eventual champion Karolina Muchova in three sets.

But while Sakkari has *seemed* to be tilting upward a bit in '26, at the start of the day she stood at just 9-10 on the year, was ranked #49 and was 1-4 on clay (though her lone win came via a love 3rd set victory over rising teen Lilli Tagger), with 1st Round eliminations in Charleston, Madrid and Strasbourg, and a 2nd Round loss in Rome. Her last six losses came via straight sets, as have nine of her ten on the season.

Coming in, Noskova seemed to have the edge, but the questions regarding both (negatively for the Czech, a bit more positively for Sakkari) lingered, and ultimately proved to be the catalyst for what would occur.

It was Sakkari who grabbed an early 3-1 lead in the 1st set, but Noskova's late competitive arrival to the proceedings saw her surge to take a 5-4 lead, only to come up short by dropping serve at 5-5 and then seeing Sakkari take advantage of the moment, holding at love to win 7-5.

Noskova led 4-1 in the 2nd, and was well on her way to forcing a 3rd set when she took a 5-2 lead, holding triple BP/SP at love/40 a game later. But a series of ill-timed unforced errors proved her undoing there, and then led to the Czech being broken at love in the following game, as well. A set that was seemingly in Noskova's back pocket went to a TB.

Knotted at 3-3, and with servers having won each of the first seven points in the breaker, Noskova dropped *both* serves to fall behind 6-3. Sakkari completed her sweep of the final five points, taking the match 7-5/7-6(5) for her first win in Paris since the 1st Round in 2022. She'd been 1-5 at RG since defeating Swiatek in the '21 QF to reach her maiden slam semi five years ago.

Though she has just ten wins on the season, this was the fourth vs. a Top 20 opponent for Sakkari in '26. The Greek continues to poke her head out of the proverbial water, now it's just about pulling herself fully to the surface. Maybe this will be the spark?



Meanwhile, Noskova falls to 15-15 in slams for her career, 9-9 since reaching her first major QF at AO24. Ranked as highly as she is, she *should* have better numbers than that, right?

Yet that also somehow feels "just about right."

...elsewhere, the Naomi Osaka fashion parade sent another outfit (two versions of it, really) down the runway.



I guess this will continue to be a thing. Which is fine.

It's been something of a tradition in majors, starting a while back with Serena Williams, usually at the U.S. Open. But for Williams it was simply a *side* show made possible due to her stature and continuing success, as she'd have her fashion fun and then go on to add big trophies to her collection, while with Osaka -- though she's managed to climb and stick (for now, anyway) in the Top 20 -- it's teetering on the edge of being *the* show.

When asked the other day about her model exploits, Osaka wondered what was wrong with being "a little extra." The answer: nothing, but for a four-time major winner, it's only "extra" if there's something *else* going on. Otherwise it's just a distraction in lieu of actual results.

Osaka hasn't won a WTA title since 2021. Today's was just her fifteenth match of this season, and her name isn't Krejcikova. Actually, as Day 3 began the perpetually-on-the-comeback Czech (w/ 14) had played the same number of matches this year as Osaka (and Barbora only had *one* less win). In her most recent match, in Rome, Osaka clocked just three games vs. Iga Swiatek.

Meanwhile, Osaka gets as much (far, more actually, by a wide margin) attention for appearing at the Met gala and hosting private parties these days than for her tennis, as the ongoing coverage of her showgirl dress (and debates over what she'll wear next) will surely attest over the next 48 hours.



Playing today against 38-year old Laura Siegemund, the second oldest woman in the women's draw (just behind fellow 38-year old German Tatjana Maria), Osaka wasn't served the sort of game style in an opponent that someone who prefers straight-up ball striking would prefer. The two hadn't played since 2018, and Osaka had lost their only match on red clay (Rome '17), though she did win on the green kind in Charleston in '18.

#16 Osaka played well in the 1st, but was lured out of her typical go-for-it approach in the 2nd. Siegemund served for the set at 5-3, only to see her work to get back into the match put out to pasture by a string of unforced errors that came from nowhere (well, other than the pressure of serving out the set). She dropped serve because of that, then it continued into the next game as Osaka held at love for 5-5. The Osaka points streak went to eight in a row with one more add to start off game 11, most of them courtesy of Siegemund's sudden charity.

Still, Siegemund managed to hold for 6-5, saving three BP in an 11-minute game, and soon things went to a TB. There, again, Osaka went on a points run that carried over from another love hold in game 12, taking six straight to hold a mini-break TB edge at 2-0. Osaka wasn't pristine the rest of the way, but Siegemund ended the match by ultimately losing five of her six service points in the breaker, falling 7-3 as Osaka's final run included sweeping the match's last four points to win 6-3/7-6(3).

Osaka has never advanced past the 3rd Round in Paris, with the last time she got that far coming in 2019.

...for the most part, the Bannerettes have been in fine form in the 1st Round of this RG. Going into the last women's match of the day, the U.S. women were a combined 13-5.

#5 Jessie Pegula seemed about to move along, as well, as she led Aussie Kimberly Birrell 6-1 and held a break edge for 2-1 in the 2nd. But from there forward the veteran's hopes simply went off the rails as the world #83 rallied to pull off the biggest upset of her career, winning 1-6/6-3/6-3.



While model-of-consistency Pegula had had just one 1st Round exit in a major since the 2020 RG (at last year's Wimbledon) until today, up until her loss in the Rome QF to Iga Swiatek she'd started 2026 with a 28-0 record this season against anyone not named Elena Rybakina (0-3) or Marta Kostyuk (0-2).

Birrell had lost her last *nine* 1st Round matches in majors, and was just 3-13 in slam opening matches in her career.

...meanwhile, the Pastries *did* finally get off the mat to post a win today, when Elsa Jacquemot became the first French woman (after an 0-6 collective start, all losses by players the FFT handed MD wild cards... so, good job there to all involved -- actually *all* the WCs went 0-8) to reach the 2nd Round, defeating Linda Fruhvirtova 6-4/6-3.



A year after reaching the semifinals as a wild card, though, Lois Boisson fell in straights today to #22 Anna Kalinskaya, 6-2/6-2. Later in the day, Diane Parry prevented Jacquemot from immediately claiming "Last Pasty Standing" honors, posting a good win over Anhelina Kalinina. Parry has won six of her last seven matches.



Unfortunately (for them), it's still not enough to keep the French women from claiming the "Nation of Poor Souls" designation for this major. 2-7 in the 1st Round, with a qualifying shutout (none of the 14 FRA in the Q-draw reached the MD), 0-6 mark from wild card entrants, and '25 star Boisson putting in just a cameo appearance this time around is more than enough to sink the group to the bottom.

(The 0-3 Hungarians give a sigh of relief.)

Meanwhile, the Polish women earn "Revelation Ladies" honors with their second straight 4-0 1st Round mark in '26 majors, while the Swiss (even while Simona Waltert's loss to Katerina Siniakova took the group out of the undefeated category) are the "Upset Queens" with wins over two of the seven seeded women ousted in the 1st Round (Bandecchi def. #31 Bucsa, Teichmann def. #20 Samsonova).






...I DON'T CARE ABOUT DRAKE, BUT THIS WAS A (though belated) GOOD COMEBACK FROM THE TOURNAMENT SOCIAL MEDIA TEAM... ON DAY 3:



Also (FYI), and a very good point made...




And, I know the irritation...





...Hmmm... ON DAY 3:


Last year, Coco Gauff's rackets "got lost in the transition" on her trip to Paris, and she went on to win the title. This year...



Haha, good one!



..."Franรงaise Forehand" HAD A LOT OF HIGHLIGHTS AT RG25... ON DAY 3:

This was pretty much her only one at RG26...





..."COCO IN ACTION PHOTOS" STRIKES AGAIN... ON DAY 3:





























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**RG 1st ROUND BY NATION - alphabetical**
1-0 - ARG
2-2 - AUT
2-4 - AUS
1-1 - BEL
1-0 - BLR
0-1 - BRA
1-1 - CAN
2-3 - CHN
1-1 - COL
2-1 - CRO
4-5 - CZE
0-1 - DEN
1-0 - EGY
2-4 - ESP
2-7 - FRA
2-1 - GBR
2-3 - GER
0-1 - GRE
0-3 - HUN
0-1 - INA
1-2 - ITA
1-1 - JPN
2-0 - KAZ
1-0 - LAT
0-1 - MEX
0-1 - MNE
0-1 - PHI
4-0 - POL
1-2 - ROU
4-5 - RUS
0-1 - SLO
4-1 - SUI
0-1 - SVK
0-1 - TUR
1-0 - UZB
5-2 - UKR
13-6 - USA
===
TOTAL MD NATIONS: 37
MOST IN 2nd RD. (26 diff. nations): 13-USA, 5-UKR, 4-CZE, 4-POL, 4-RUS, 4-SUI
UNDEFEATED 1st RD.: 4-0 (POL); 2-0 (KAZ) (1-0 = ARG,BLR,EGY,LAT,UZB)
BEST NON-UNDEFEATED 1st RD.: 4-1 (SUI); 5-2 (UKR); 2-1 (CRO), 2-1 (GBR)
WORST 1st RD.: 0-3 (HUN); 2-7 (FRA); 2-4 (AUS); 1-2 (ITA,ROU)
SEEDS OUT: 7 (2-RUS; 1-CAN,1-CZE,1-DEN,1-ESP,1-USA)
DEF.SEEDS: 2-SUI; 1-AUS,1-COL,1-GRE,1-UKR,1-USA
SLAM MD DEBUTS: 10 (2-AUT,2-FRA; 1-BEL,1-CHN,1-ESP,1-RUS,1-SUI,1-USA)
FIRST-TIME SLAM 2nd Rd.: 6 (2-ESP; 1-CRO,1-GBR,1-SUI,1-UKR)

*RECENT RG "REVELATION LADIES" WINNERS' NATION/REGION*
2016 France
2017 Muslim women
2018 Romania
2019 Russia
2020 Romania
2021 Czech Republic
2022 Czech Republic
2023 Russia
2024 China
2025 United States
2026 Poland

*RECENT RG "UPSET QUEENS" NATION/REGION*
2016 South America
2017 South America
2018 Ukraine
2019 Russia
2020 Australia
2021 Slovenia
2022 France
2023 Italy
2024 United States
2025 Czech Republic
2026 Switzerland

*RG "NATIONS OF POOR SOULS"*
[2018]
LAT (both DC Ostapenko & Sevastova out 1st Rd.)
[2019]
ITA (0-2; first none in RG 2nd Rd. since 1982)
[2020]
USA (4 seeds pre-3r, Serena w/d 2r, US QF/SF Rogers/Brady 1r, Venus 1r, Gauff 2r w/ 19 DF)
[2021]
GER (0-3 in 1st Rd.; Kerber FSO 2 con GS/2 of 3 RG; Siegemund 1r)
[2022]
HUN (0-4 in 1st Rd.; Galfi 2 MP in loss)
[2023]
CZE (3-9 in 1st Rd.; four seeds out 1r; Krej. 0-2 since '21 title; 24 con. slam WD streak ends)
[2024]
GER (1-5 in 1st Rd.)
[2025]
AUS (2-5 in 1st Rd.; wins in AUS/AUS match-up and by new Aussie Kasatkina only)
[2026]
FRA (0/14 from Q-draw reach MD; wild cards 0-6; 2-7 overall 1st Rd.; '25 SF Boisson out 1r)

*RECENT RG "LAST WILD CARD STANDING"*
2018 Pauline Parmentier/FRA (3rd Rd.)
2019 Lauren Davis/USA, Priscilla Hon/AUS & Diane Parry/FRA (2nd)
2020 G.Bouchard/CAN, C.Burel/FRA & T.Pironkova/BUL (3rd)
2021 Astra Sharma/AUS & Harmony Tan/FRA (2nd)
2022 Leolita Jeanjean/FRA & Dasha Saville/AUS (3rd)
2023 L.Jeanjean/FRA, E.Navarro/USA & D.Parry/FRA (2nd)
2024 Chloe Paquet/FRA (3rd Rd.)
2025 Lois Boisson/FRA (SF)
2026 0-8 in 1st Rd.

*RECENT RG "CRASH-AND-BURN"*
2018 Alona Ostapenko, LAT (1st Rd., earliest RG DC since '05)
2019 Alona Ostapenko, LAT (1st Rd.; zero RG wins before/after '17 title)
2020 U.S. Open '20 SF (Osaka DNP, Brady 1r, Serena w/d 2r, Azarenka 2r - in 24 hrs)
2021 Ash Barty, AUS and Naomi Osaka, JPN (#1 seed ret. 2r; #2 seed w/d 2r)
2022 Barbora Krejcikova, CZE (1st/DC) and Ons Jabuer, TUN (hottest non-Iga on clay)
2023 Barbora Krejcikova, CZE (0-2 at RG since winning '21 title)
2024 Maria Sakkari, GRE (1st Rd. in 4 of 5 slams)
2025 Emma Navarro, USA (1st Rd.; #9 wins just 1 game vs. Bouzas Maneiro)
2026 Jessie Pegula, USA (1st Rd; #5 to #83 Birrell, who'd lost 9 con. GS 1r)

*MAIDEN CAREER SLAM MD WINS - 2020-26*
-ROLAND GARROS (37)-
2020 Irina Bara, ROU
2020 Clara Burel, FRA
2020 Jasmine Paolini, ITA
2020 Nadia Podoroska, ARG
2020 Anastasia Rakhimova, RUS
2020 Clara Tauson, DEN
2020 Martina Trevisan, ITA
2020 Renata Zarazua, MEX
2021 Hailey Baptiste, USA
2021 Tereza Martincova, CZE
2021 Harmony Tan, FRA
2022 Fernanda Contreras, MEX
2022 Elsa Jacquemot, FRA
2022 Leolia Jeanjean, FRA
2022 Katie Volynets, USA
2023 Mirra Andreeva, RUS
2023 Elina Avanesyan, RUS
2023 Julia Grabher, AUT
2023 Emma Navarro, USA
2023 Linda Noskova, CZE
2023 Iryna Shymanovich, BLR
2023 Peyton Stearns, USA
2023 Simona Waltert, SUI
2024 Moyuka Uchjima, JPN
2025 Emiliana Arango, COL
2025 Sara Bejlek, CZE
2025 Lois Boisson, FRA
2025 Joanna Garland, TPE
2025 Victoria Mboko, CAN
2025 Leyre Romero Gormaz, ESP
2025 Tereza Valentova, CZE
2026 Susan Bandecchi, SUI
2026 Marina Bassols Ribera, ESP
2026 Francesca Jones, GBR
2026 Oleksandra Oliynykova, UKR
2026 Kaitlin Quevedo, ESP
2026 Antonia Ruzic, CRO






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UFC as in the Ultimate Fighting Championship league, or whatever? Why is there a *UFC* event at the *White House*? Why are they doing construction on the White House for it? Is the White House now available to be rented out for parties and weddings, too?

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— daniel22223333.bsky.social (@daniel22223333.bsky.social) May 26, 2026 at 12:01 PM

hard to find a way to make "UFC event on the White House lawn" more embarrassing but "it's a birthday party for the President" somehow does it

[image or embed]

— Rodger Sherman (@rodger.bsky.social) May 26, 2026 at 12:07 PM


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Some of you have forgotten that only three years ago you were perfectly capable of writing a text, writing an email, telling a bedtime story to a child, and it should worry you that powerful companies have convinced us we can’t do things we’ve been doing since the dawn of time.

— Boze the Library Owl (@sketchesbyboze.bsky.social) December 23, 2025 at 3:24 PM

I find Gmail’s new “write this for me” feature deeply sinister. They’re trying to convince you that you are dumb and helpless. Don’t let them steal your ability to formulate thoughts and communicate. You were capable of writing an email in 2022 and you’re capable now.

[image or embed]

— Boze the Library Owl (@sketchesbyboze.bsky.social) January 15, 2026 at 2:49 PM


On that note, maybe it was just me, but I found it a little disturbing the other day when Swiatek -- a noted book nerd -- a little sheepishly admitted that she sometimes used AI to compose emails. A small thing, but also a slippery slope.










TOP QUALIFIER: Claire Liu/USA
TOP EARLY-ROUND (1r-2r): x
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): x
TOP LATE-ROUND (SF-F): x
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH: Q1: Oceane Dodin/FRA (PR) def. Kayla Day/USA 6-4/2-6/7-6(15-13) - saved 2 MP in TB, wins on MP #5
TOP EARLY-RD. MATCH (1r-2r): x
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): x
TOP LATE-RD. MATCH (SF-F/Jr.-WC): x
=============================
FIRST VICTORY: #27 Marie Bouzkova/CZE (def. Bronzetti/ITA)
FIRST SEED OUT: #21 Clara Tauson/DEN (1r - lost to Snigur/UKR)
FIRST SLAM MD WINS: Susan Bandecchi/SUI (1st MD), Marina Bassols Ribera/ESP (2nd MD), Francesca Jones/GBR (7th MD), Oleksandra Oliynykova/UKR (2nd MD), Kaitlin Quevedo/ESP (1st MD), Antonia Ruzic/CRO (3rd MD)
UPSET QUEENS: Switzerland
REVELATION LADIES: Poland (4-0 1st Rd. in consecutive '26 majors)
NATION OF POOR SOULS: FRA (none of 14 in Q-draw reach MD; wild cards go 0-6 year after WC Boisson to SF; 2-7 1st Rd.; Boisson out 1r)
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING: in 1r: Susan Bandecchi/SUI, Marina Bassols Ribera/ESP, Maja Chwalinska/POL, Alina Korneeva/RUS, Claire Liu/USA, Kaitlin Quevedo/ESP, Mayar Sherif/EGY, Wang Xiyu/CHN
LUCKY LOSER WINS: --
LAST WILD CARD STANDING: 0-8 in 1st Rd. (including 0-5 FRA)
PROTECTED RANKING WINS: Jil Teichmann/SUI (in 2r)
LAST PASTRY STANDING: in 2r: Elsa Jacquemot, Diane Parry
Ms./Mademoiselle OPPORTUNITY: x
IT "??": x
COMEBACK: x
CRASH & BURN: #5 Jessie Pegula/USA (1r- lost to #83 Birrell, who'd lost 9 con. slam 1r matches and 3-13 career; Pegula led by 6-1/2-1 w/ break; second 1r loss in major since RG20)
ZOMBIE QUEEN OF PARIS: Nominees: Baptiste (1r- saved 2 MP at 6-4 in 2nd set TB vs. Krejcikova; McNally (1r- trailed set and double-break 3-0 vs. Tomljanovic); F.Jones (1r- trailed Haddad Maia 6-1/4-2; gets maiden slam MD win); Snigur (1r- trailed Tauson set and 5-3, Tauson served 5-4); Svitolina (1r- trailed Bondar 3-1 in 3rd; avoided first 1r RG loss in 13 app.)
DOUBLES STAR: x
VETERAN PLAYER (KIMIKO CUP): x
Mademoiselle/Madame OF THE EVENING: --
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: x
Legion de Lenglen: 100th anniversary of Suzanne Lenglen's last "grand slam" titles (RG WS/WD/MX sweep) in 1926 (she'd retire after controversial Wimbledon withdrawal and join professional tour that summer)
Coupe LA PETIT TAUREAU: (award given on Henin's birthday, June 1)








All for Day 3. More tomorrow.
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