Key events
I enjoyed this from yesterday. Moïse Kouamé is a superstar with a temperament to match.
Today I lost. Maybe tomorrow I’ll be winning, and I’m happy because I played well. I made interesting things during the week, so it’s not a loss that poses me a problem. It’s a loss which I’m certain is going to help me grow in the future.”
“I have learned an awful lot about myself, and this loss, perhaps, has given me more than the two wins. To answer your question, I’m not a bad loser. I’m a loser who learns from his mistakes and always tries to bounce back.”
Also going on:
I can’t lie, I leant my local turf accountant a small sum in lieu of Kostyuk winning this competition, and she holds easily for 3-2; if she keeps serving well, this match will come down to a few points here and there. Swiatek, 25 today, has focus and craft on her and, as I type, she marches in to attack a second serve and spanks it long; 40-15. From there, Swiatek holds to 30, and we’re level at 3-3 in the first.
On Lenglen, meanwhile, Cirstea leads 4-1, and she’ll be sensing a moment – her opponent is a qualifier and has a heavily taped shoulder, making this a chance to match her best major performance, the quarters of this competition in 2009 and the US Open in 2023.
On Chatrier, Swiatek is serving at 1-2 deuce, Kostyuk having started fairly well – the message is that this is going to be a contest, and thoug, from there, the hold is secured, Kostyuk underlines the point: she’s taking this on.
Preamble
Salut à tous et bienvenue à Roland-Garros 2026 – huitième jour!
Well this has escalated quickly. A jazzer of a première semaine exploded at its back end, and we begin the journey home without a clue what’s going to happen when we get there.
We begin today with what could easily develop into one of the matches of the tournament – and the bar is already stratospherically high. Iga Swiatek, the four-time champ, faces the surging Marta Kostyuk, whose blend of power and touch can, on a good day, be too much for anyone.
They’re under way now, so too Wang Xiyu, a qualifier, and Sorana Citstea, neither of whom were expected to still be with us. Following them, we’ve Elina Svitolina and Belinda Bencic, two attacking demons seeking to move from contender to potential winner, while Mirra Andreeva, bursting with talent and desire but perhaps lacking a definitive weapon, meets Jil Teichmann, in the form of her life.
Then, rounding out the day sesh, Jakub Mensik, so impressive against Alex de Minaur, meets the lovable and maturing Andrey Rublev, while Jesper de Jong seeks to break Alexander Zverev’s heart, the German served the opportunity of a lifetime with Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner all gone. He and pressure are not friends; can he cope?