Roland Garros men’s singles third-round play continues on Saturday in Paris, with the bottom half of the draw in action to fill the eight remaining Round of 16 spots. Four of the tournament’s Top 12 seeds are in action, including Daniil Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Andrey Rublev and Casper Ruud.

All of the Top 12 seeds have reached the last 32 in Paris, the first time that’s happened at a Grand Slam since 2011 Wimbledon.

In doubles action, second seeds Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic highlight third-round doubles play along with sixth seeds Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski

View Singles Draw | View Doubles Draw | View Schedule

[2] Daniil Medvedev vs. [28] Miomir Kecmanovic (SRB)

For a man who isn’t shy to admit that clay isn’t his favourite surface, Medvedev has excelled on it so far this fortnight.

The second seed cruised through his first two rounds without dropping a set. After opening his clay-court season last week in Geneva with a disappointing opening-round exit to Richard Gasquet, Medvedev considerably sharpened his baseline game in Paris. He found the lines on a regular basis in his first two matches and showed a willingness to finish points at the net.

”Not gonna lie, I prefer hard courts. I think I can play better there. But when I’m on clay courts, I want to win,” said Medvedev. “I’m not going to say I love it, but I’m trying to figure out how to do good results on clay.”

Medvedev is still in contention to regain the top spot in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings from Novak Djokovic. He can return to No. 1 on 13 June with a runner-up finish in Paris, even if Djokovic lifts the trophy.

But Kecmanovic will likely pose his toughest test of the tournament so far. The 22-year-old Serbian is one of the most improved players this season. After picking up just 14 tour-level wins last year, he’s jumped from No. 78 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings in January to a career-high standing of No. 31. 

Kecmanovic has reached six tour-level quarter-finals in 2022, doubling his total from last year, including back-to-back ATP Masters 1000 quarter-finals in Indian Wells and Miami. He’s also scored Top 10 wins this year over Felix Auger-Aliassime and Matteo Berrettini.

“I have been playing a lot better in general. Everything that I was struggling with before is all coming together and all paying off,” said Kecmanovic. “I am playing with a lot more confidence because I am winning a lot more, so that makes a huge difference.”

[4] Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) vs. Mikael Ymer (SWE)

Tsitsipas hasn’t lacked for on-court time in Paris. He started his campaign by rallying from two sets down to defeat Lorenzo Musetti, then required more than four hours to oust qualifier Zdenek Kolar. The Greek has spent nearly eight hours on court across his first two rounds.

“I have to really work to get things in life. Things don’t come easy. I refuse to give up. That’s simply how it works with me,” said Tsitsipas. “You just play it point after point. You just wish that your efforts will pay off on a longer scale, longer run.”

Last year’s runner-up in Paris seeks to go one step further this fortnight for his maiden Grand Slam title. Tsitsipas produced outstanding results in all three clay-court ATP Masters 1000 events this year by successfully defending his title in Monte-Carlo (d. Davidovich Fokina), finishing runner-up in Rome (l. to Djokovic) and reaching the semi-finals in Madrid. He also remains the match wins leader on Tour this season (33).

Tsitsipas will be encouraged by his 3-0 ATP Head2Head series record with Ymer, including a convincing straight-sets win this year at the Australian Open. The 23-year-old Ymer, No. 95 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, arrived to this event without a win in nearly four months, but produced impressive wins over James Duckworth and No. 29 seed Daniel Evans for a career-best result in Paris.

[12] Hubert Hurkacz (POL) vs. David Goffin (BEL)

Hurkacz and Goffin are close friends who regularly train together in Monaco, but they’ll put aside their friendship when they face off on Saturday. Their maiden ATP Head2Head clash earlier this month in Rome was a highly entertaining affair that saw Goffin prevail in a pair of tie-breaks.

”Hurkacz is one of the nicest players on Tour,” said Goffin. “We had a wonderful match in Rome. He’s really talented. He’s moving well for a big guy. He can slide on the clay, serving bombs, has a really huge kick [serve] and forehand after that.”

The 31-year-old Goffin is continuing a career resurgence with his best result at this event since 2019. After shutting down an injury-filled 2021 season after the US Open, the Belgian has come alive on clay. Goffin is 12-4 on clay courts this season, including a title in Marrakech (d. Molcan) and third-round showings in Monte-Carlo and Madrid.

Meanwhile, Hurkacz is enjoying his own breakthrough on clay. The Pole lost in the opening round of his previous three appearances in Paris, but has yet to drop a set or face a break point this fortnight.

The Pole has won more Tour-level matches on clay in the past month (eight) than all of his other seasons on Tour combined (six). He reached back-to-back ATP Masters 1000 quarter-finals on clay this year in Monte-Carlo and Madrid.

Best Of The Rest

Seventh seed Andrey Rublev looks to maintain his unblemished (2-0) ATP Head2Head record against the always dangerous Cristian Garin. Rublev has won three tour-level titles this year in Marseille, Dubai and Belgrade, putting him level with Rafael Nadal and one behind Carlos Alcaraz for the season’s high mark.

Eighth seed Casper Ruud looks to reach the second week in Paris for the first time as he faces No. 32 seed Lorenzo Sonego. Ruud leads their ATP Head2Head series 3-0, but fell at the third round in Paris in his past three appearances.

Most Clay Wins (2020-22)

Jannik Sinner, the No. 11 seed, meets Mackenzie McDonald in a rematch of their final last year in Washington. Frenchman Gilles Simon, who picked up his 500th career win on Thursday, looks for more magic in his final Roland Garros when he faces No. 20 seed Marin Cilic. Play on Court Philippe Chatrier will conclude with a battle of #NextGenATP stars as Munich champion Holger Rune takes on home favourite Hugo Gaston.

In doubles action, Mektic/Pavic take on Rohan Bopanna and Matwe Middelkoop for a quarter-final spot. Mektic/Pavic are on an 11-match winning streak after winning titles in Rome (d. Isner/Schwartzman) and Geneva (d. Andujar/Middelkoop). Koolhof/Skupski, who captured their maiden Masters 1000 title this month in Madrid (d, Cabal/Farah), take on McDonald and Tommy Paul.

Source Tennis – ATP World Tour