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French Open 2026: Sinner v Cerundolo, Osaka downs Vekic, and more on day five – live | French Open 2026
Key events
Sinner serves out the second set to lead JM Cerundolo 6-3 6-2, while Vallejo, who’s never played a five-setter, never mind come back from 2-0 down to win, has broken Kouame for 3-1 in the third. But can he see out the set?
On 14, Hurkacz has broken Tiafoe back and leads 4-3 in the first; Diaz Acosta now leads Tien 2-1, the winner to meet Cobolli next; and Walton has taken set three to trail Svajda 2-1.
Flavio Cobolli (10) beats Wu Yibing 6-4 6-4 6-4
A second straightforward win for Cobolli, who with Medvedev gone from his eighth and Auger-Aliassime his seeded last-eight opponent, will be eyeing a deep run.
Now on Mathieu: Francisco Cerundolo (25) v Hugo Gaston.
OK, let’s do Osaka’s interview. She’s into round four for the first time since 2018 and says it means a lot, thanking the crowd for watching. She feels so grateful, this is another milestone and she hopes she gets to play more matches.
Despite a difficult first and second-round draw, she’s won both in two sets so has tried to play her best, be focused, and go point by point; eventually, she ended up winning, so she’s really happy.
On to the dress – we weren’t going at the start, so I didn’t report it – but she feels she’s developed a community with her on-court outfits, likes to keep people guessing, and she enjoys that people enjoy it.
Finally, asked for a word in French for the crowd, she offers “Merci”.
Sinner breaks Cerudolo again to lead 6-3 4-1, and he’ll soon be back in the locker room, so too Cobolli, who leads Wu 6-4 6-4 4-3. Otherwise, Tiafoe leads Hurkacz 2-1 with a break, Diaz acosta now leads Tien 5-7 6-4 5-3, Faria leads Struff 7-5 7-6 2-0 and Svajda leads Walton 6-3 6-4 5-6 on serve.
Back on Lenglen, Kouame – another it’s hard to see losing –holds for 6-5, then reaches 30-40 and set point, varying the trajectory and pace of his forehands … before exploding into a backhand winner, sent from centre to corner, inside-in! It’s a fantastic shot but more than that, a fantastic rally, totally controlled by a 17-year-old who looks terrifyingly complete. So he strikes what has already come to be his pose, right hand cupping an ear and left arm stretched across his body, hand on heart. This is amazing, affirming and inspiring to watch, a young man announcing himself to the world like it’s his; this is so overjoying I barely know what to do with myself and Kouame leads 6-3 7-5.
Naomi Osaka (16) beats Donna Vekic 7-6(1) 6-4
It always felt like Osaka had too much and she did, never in serious danger as she settled into form. Next for her comes Iva Jovic, and I cannot wait for that.
…but this time, Osaka finds the shot she missed last, a serve out wide tidied to the opposite corner, then an unreturned serve raise match point.
At 15-all, Osaka finds a big fist serve, and Vekic is vexed to swipe it wide. A decent return, though, on to the baseline, helps her to 30-all, and a backhand wiped wide means a break-back point…
A brave swing-volley gives Osaka break point at 30-40, a decent backhand return forces her into the point, and her second shot, a forehand guided – ushered – to the inside-out corner, means that at 7-6 5-4, she’ll shortly serve for the match. Her best stuff remains too good for almost everyone.
We’re on serve in our other feature matches, Osaka leading Vekic 7-6 4-4 and Kouame leading Vallejo 6-3 5-4. It feels like we know who’s going to win both matches, but we can’t be sure how either leader will respond once the finish line hoves into view.
Sinner holds to 15 and leads Cerundolo 6-3. I think there’s a good chance he wins this one.
While all that was going on, Vekic broke Osaka back, and they’re now level at 3-3 in the second, Osaka having taken the first; on Lenglen, Kouame has just broken Vallejo back after threatening it pretty much since it happened, to lead 6-3 3-3; and I’m now watching Sinner, who leads Cerundolo Jr 5-3.
Jovic and Navarro share a hug of obvious affection, then the younger player moves along the front row, signing stuff and taking selfies like it’s nothing. She knows this is where she belongs – I know this feels a lazy comparison, but she’s almost Mirra Andreeva, with definitive weapons.
Next on Court 14: Hubert Hurkacz v Francis Tiafoe (19).
Iva Jovic (17) beats Emma Navarro 6-0 6-3
An amazing performance from Jovic, who played unstoppable tennis for a set and a bit, rode out a comeback from a serious opponent, then took over again. She is going to be a factor for a long, long time, and might just contest the title this year – and if it isn’t now, it’ll be soon. Next for her: Vekiv or Osaka, and what a blockbuster that might be. We are watching greatness, people.
Sinner now leads Cerundolo Jr 4-2; Cobolli leads Wu 6-4 5-3; Tien leads Diaz Acosta 7-5 4-4; and Svajda leads Walton 6-3 6-4 1-1. Meantime, back on 16, Jovic again asserts herself, missing a putaway at 15-40 but securing her break next point. She’s now serving for the match at 6-0 5-3.
Vallejo nets a putaway he ought to have monstered, and you can’t be handing Kouame gifts like that – a terrific backhand cross-court raises both a break-back point and the pressure. Back on 16, Jovic stops the rot, holding for 6-0 4-3, while Osaka breaks Vekic to 15 for a 7-6 2-2 lead … and Vallejo saves another break-back with a booming backhand cross, but must still pass through deuce to retain his advantage.
It takes him a while, but Vallejo eventually endorses his break for 3-6 2-0, Kouame still at it, and, on Mathieu, Vekic needs some time to secure her hold in the first game of set two; she trails Osaka 6-7 1-0. Oh, and on 14, Navarro makes it three games on the bounce, holding, just, to trail Jovic 0-6 3-3
On Chatrier, Sinner breaks Cerundolo Jr immediately for 2-0. He’s my dark horse to make the final.
Now then! Navarro gets herself on the board at 0-6 1-3, then makes 30-40 … and is that a sign of stress? Jovic flaps a forehand way wide and, after winning the first nine games, she’s lost two on the spin and we’re back on serve in the second, the match still in the balance.
Yup, Vekic nets a backhand and Osaka leads 7-6 while, on Lenglen, Vallejo breaks Kouame at the start of set two to trail 3-6 1-0. Otherwise, moving around the courts, Cobolli now leads Wu 6-4 1-2; Tien leads Diaz Acosta 7-5 1-1; Faria leads Struff 7-5; and Svajda leads Walton 6-3 4-4.
Gosh, Osaka is all over Vekic now, rushing to a 6-0 breaker lead, and though a drop retrieves a point, this is a depressing way to lose a set – even if it’s been in the post for a few games now.
We’ll soon be underway on Chatrier, where Sinner faces Cerudolo – I guess I’ll join that match when Jovic has finished with Navarro, her lead 6-0 3-0. Her shot-selection is really excellent, especially given her commitment to attack – she rarely reaches for one that isn’t there, and there aren’t many who can play better than she is this morning.
Vekic has lost the run of herself, gifting two set points after Osaka holds for 6-5. So she marches on to a forehand and unloads, a winner making 30-40, then, sending down a second serve that sits up nicely, watches the overhit return fly long. That’s a big missed opportunity then, when she arranges another, a wide serve and line backhand restore deuce; excellent work from Vekic. An ace follows, and from there, she closes out the hold; a breaker will settle things.
Back with Kouame, he’s up advantage, takes control of the next rally, and a deep backhand incites Vallejo to net on the forehand! The 17-year-old takes the first set 6-3, with two breaks, and Lenglen is jumping!
Kouame holds for 5-3, then makes 30-40 and set point; Vallejo saves it well, serving out wide then putting away a shoulder-high volley. But he’s soon down advantage, Kouame missing his backhand down the line to restore deuce, but Vallejo shanks his forehand so back round we go. Meantime, Jovic outlasts Navarro in a protracted game on 14, taking her sixth break point to leads 6-0 2-0. She’s taking an experienced top-10 talent to the absolute cleaners.
Osaka makes 0-15, then a double, the first of the match, gives her a serious sniff; this might be a turning point. So Vekic slams down an ace, her first of the match, a return goes long, and this is a decent response … but a fine return from Osaka raises break-back point then, out of nowhere, she ups the pace, an inside-out backhand to the corner the shot of the match so far. We’re level at 5-5, and this is brewing into a very acceptable contest.
Talking of Vekic and Osaka, the former is about to serve for set one at 5-4, still in charge but probably second-best in terms of play now. Otherwise, Cobolli leads Wu 6-4, Tien is about to serve for the set against Diaz Acosta at 5-4, and Svajda leads Walton 6-3 0-2.
On Mathieu, Jovic has bagelled Navarro, and might she be a threat to win this title, this year? What I enjoy about her in particular is her attitude – she looks to dominate and does, but if she’s behind in the rally, she’s certain she can work her way back into it. There’s not much she can’t do, really, and if she were to win today, then beat Vekic or Osaka, she’d probably face Sabalenka in round four. That could be quite a contest.
At 30-all, Kouame hooks a forehand wide, his first proper error … so he plays a gorgeous backhand drop to save break point …then punishes a backhand winner down the line for advantage … then seizes momentum in the next rally with a backhand … only to net the follow-up forehand. But you can see that at 17, his tennis brain is seriously precocious, and a ludicrous forehand, taken early and sent cross-court to the opposite corner, restores advantage. Again, he can’t see it out, but increasingly, I’m convinced we’re watching a superstar. As I type, he flings down an ace, then dashes in to sweep a forehand cross, and the break is thusly endorsed, Kouame up 4-2.
Given how much tennis I watch, and it’s a fair bit, I’ve not seen loads of Jovic, but I’m certain that’ll be addressed over the next decade or two. She’s started beautifully here, up 4-0 on Navarro – still feeling her way back after taking a career break to refresh:
I think it should be normalised. The circuit is very tough, long, and exhausting. Fans see us on TV for an hour and a half every few days, and that’s pretty much all they see of many things we do on and off the court. So yes, there is a lot involved in trying to be at the top level in your sport, and it requires constant care of the body and mind. It takes a toll, without a doubt.
It’s important to normalise it and take a break if necessary. I tried to step back from the circuit and didn’t follow the results or watch any tennis matches when I wasn’t playing. I just wanted to feel like a normal person, a person who wasn’t playing tennis, rather than a tennis player. I spent a lot of time with my family and friends at home and, well, yes, I managed to feel quite normal. That was really nice. Yes, it made me appreciate many things when returning to the circuit.”
These are important words. Of course there are worse things to do for a living than travel the world playing tennis, but that doesn’t mean it should be an endurance test with domestic consequences.
Elsewhere, Cobolli leads Wu 3-2 with a break; Tien leads Diaz Acosta 3-2 with a break; and Svajda leads Walton 5-2.
Righto, I’m watching Vekic 3-1 Osaka; Jovic 3-0 Navarro; and Kouame 3-2 Vallejo – and the younger of the two youngsters has just broken.
Preamble
Salut à tout le monde et bienvenue à Roland-Garros 2026 – cinquième jour! Et oh là là, quel tennis nous attend!
We begin today with a raft of compelling contests. Naomi Osaka takes on Donna Vekic and Iva Jovic meets Emma Navrro, with Flavio Cobolli, Learner Tien and Zach Svajda also in action. But the most exciting among the exciting is to be found on Lenglen, where Moise Kouame, the 17-year-old local boy whose destruction of Marin Cilic made him the hero of round one, addresses Adolfo Daniel Vallejo in what looks an exceedingly winnable matchup.
Soon after, Jannik Sinner takes to the clay against Juan Manuel Cerúndolo – whose seeded older brother faces Hugo Gaston later in the day. But while that’s going on, we might easily be distracted, given the appearances of Amanda Anisimova, Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, Madison Keys and Felix Auger-Aliassime – whose battle with Jorge Burruchaga’s son will engage football fans of a certain medieval.
Then, as the day continues, we’ve got the first appearance of Henry Patten and Harri Heliovaara, former men’s doubles champions at Wimbledon and in Melbourne; Victoria Mboko against Katarina Siniakova; with Ben Shelton, Anna Kalinskaya and Katie Boulter also in action. Or, in other words, quelqu’un aurait-il des yeux de rechange?
Chauette! On y va!
The family of Shaun Burton, say they are “devastated” by the loss.
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Key events
In the opening half an hour against Cape Verde, Mikel Oyarzabal, the centre-forward, did not get a single touch.
Kyle Green gets in touch: “Your highlighting of Lalas and his absurdity is something that has prevented me from wanting to watch the coverage on Fox. While every channel has its pros and cons I just can’t.
“I’m 45 and probably the youngest of anyone who remembers him as a player instead of an opinionated insert insult here. As for the match this could be more competitive than it looks on paper Spain need a win the pressure is on them. Saudi Arabia could hold out for a draw and see what happens in their last match. “
News from the England camp, and it seems to be good news on Declan Rice.
“I’m ready and fit, raring to go. I was feeling a little bit of neural pain in my hamstring, which I was managing from after Christmas with Arsenal for a very long time. Obviously, not a lot of people would have known that. It was all behind-the-scenes stuff but it was a smart decision.
“In the end, that last 20 minutes is probably where you pick up the most, and it’s where you play a 70-minute match. But that last 20 is where you really feel your body going for it. And I think it was a smart decision because the last few days I felt really, really good.”
Alex Reid has penned today’s weekend special Football Daily.
Portugal v Uzbekistan on Tuesday enticingly pits the incredibly nice, incredibly 41-year-old-superstar-tolerant Roberto Martínez against Fabio Cannavaro, who’s won a Ballon d’Or as a player and the Chinese Super League as a coach. While the fixture following that game really does see the dream of Thomas Tuchel – in his first international job with England – taking on Queiroz, who is in charge of his ninth national side with Ghana.
The expected formations are 4-2-3-1 for Spain, and 5-3-2 for the Saudi Arabians.
The Saudi team features two Donis changes: Ali Lajami, a defender, and Nasser Al Dawsari, a midfielder, are preferred to Mohammed Abu Al Shamat and Mohamed Kanno. You may recall Salem Al Dawsari, the Saudi captain, as the man who scored the winner against Argentina.
An entertaining read, even for those of us who have just seen the clips.
In a conversation where his co-panelist is casually reminiscing about his days playing alongside Messi or exchanging shirts with Ronaldo Nazário at the World Cup, what exactly is Lalas going to talk about – coming on as a second-half substitute for Earnie Stewart in a friendly against Scotland in 1998? Helping the Kansas City Wizards finish last in the 1999 MLS Western Conference? Did Lalas enjoy an elite playing career? No. But does he do the background reading that could compensate for his relative lack of standing in a conversation with titans like Henry and Zlatan? Also no. But is he charming or funny or charismatic or otherwise magnetic on screen? Eh, no.
For the record, I once interviewed Alexi Lalas on the challenge of playing against Romario in the 1994 World Cup. He had this to say:
“He could kill you in so many different ways. If you remember from that World Cup, he scored so many types of goals. That ranged from solo adventures to an outside-of-the-right-foot half-volley off a corner kick. Romario was both the most difficult to play against and the best that I have faced.
“Roberto Baggio was doing his thing, but in terms of consistency and living up to the hype, he [Romario] was the best. As with all stars, there was a moment when the fans sit up in their seats, and that was a feeling I got with Romario. When it got close to him and the potential for his involvement in a play was there, everybody sat up in their seat. They knew that something spectacular would be happening.”
Saturday’s match reports here.
The Saudi Arabia coach, and Blackburn legend, Georgios Donis, spoke about the challenges facing his team: “Spain is not the same team when Yamal or Williams are on the bench.
“While they still have plenty of possession, they lack the individual one-on-one penetration when these two are missing. I’m not saying it’s a problem for Spain, but when those players are missing, they play in a different way. We saw this very clearly against Cape Verde.
“We are playing against one of the best teams in the world, and it’s very important that when you play against these kinds of teams, you should enjoy the experience and respect the opponent, but not too much.
“It is very hard for any team playing against Spain to have any time in possession. So what we must do is to be more in control of our movement and compact, and when the ball goes through the lines, be able to defend dynamically.
“It’s nice to see miracles in football, and we’ve seen favourites losing against underdogs. Of course, it’s great for Saudi football to have a great memory of the result against Argentina, but we aren’t drawing anything from that.
“I think we’ll feel more pressure in that [Cape Verde] game than we will against Spain.”
The Spain coach, Luis De La Fuente had this to say in his Saturday press conference: “This generation of footballers is highly competitive and really fired up… It’s going to be a completely different story,” he said at his pre-match press conference on Saturday. There is no drama or crisis. The bottom line is simply that we need to win tomorrow.”
Four changes for Spain: Lamine Yamal, Pedro Porro, Dani Olmo and Alex Baena also come into the side with Marcos Llorente, Fabian Ruiz, Ferran Torres and Gavi dropping out.
The teams – Lamine Yamal starts
Spain: Simon, Porro, Cubarsi, Laporte, Cucurella, Gonzalez, Rodri, Yamal, Olmo, Baena, Oyarzabal. Subs: Raya, Joan Garcia, Pubill, Grimaldo, Eric Garcia, Llorente, Merino, Torres, Fabian, Gavi, Pino, Williams, Zubimendi, Munoz, Iglesias.
Saudi Arabia: Al Owais, Abdulhamid, Tambakti, Lajami, Al Amri, Al Harbi, Nasser Al Dawsari, Al Khaibari, Al Juwayr, Al Buraikan, Salem Al Dawsari. Subs: Al Aqidi, Al Kassar, Majrashi, Yahya, Al Shehri, Al Boushal, Kadesh, Al Johani, Al Ghannam, Al Hajji, Al Hamdan, Mandash, Kanno, Thakri, Abu Al Shamat.
Referee: Raphael Claus (Brazil)
Perhaps one of the Saudi -players can write themselves into this high-grade selection?
Perhaps it can be their goalkeeper.
Madrid screening of Spain v Saudi Arabia cancelled due to heat
The public screening of Spain’s World Cup match against Saudi Arabia in Madrid on Sunday has been cancelled because of extreme heat forecast for the Spanish capital, officials said.
The match, due to kick off at 6pm local time on Sunday, had been scheduled to be shown on a giant screen installed by the Spanish football federation (RFEF) at a fan zone in Plaza de Colón in central Madrid.
Madrid city council and the federation decided to cancel the screening after national weather agency AEMET issued an orange heat warning – the second-highest level – for the Madrid region, with temperatures forecast to reach 40C.
“The decision has been taken with the aim of protecting the health of attendees, event staff and support services involved in the event,” Madrid city hall said in a statement, apologising for any inconvenience.
Officials urged supporters to watch the match indoors in air-conditioned spaces and avoid prolonged exposure to the heat.
Large parts of Spain are experiencing unusually high temperatures for June as a mass of hot air from North Africa moves across the Iberian Peninsula.
A total of 13 of Spain’s 17 regions are on orange alert for heat on Sunday, while the northern Basque Country bordering France is on red alert, the highest level.
Authorities advised residents and visitors to take precautions during the heatwave, including drinking water regularly, staying in cool environments, limiting outdoor physical activity during the hottest hours of the day and taking extra care of vulnerable people. AFP
Can Saudi Arabia repeat the magic of 2022?
Argentina arrived in Qatar on a 36-game unbeaten run. When Lionel Messi opened the scoring from the penalty spot after 10 minutes, a comfortable afternoon seemed in the offing. Saleh al-Shehri and Salem al-Dawsari had other ideas, Argentina had three goals disallowed for offside in the space of 13 minutes and the greatest comeback in Saudi Arabia football history was made. Argentina went on to lift the trophy, while defeats to Poland and Mexico meant the Saudis did not reach the knock-out stage.
Unai Simon over David Raya is a controversial choice for De la Fuentes. The Arsenal keeper could lay claim to being Europe’s best this season.
“Those at the Champions League final had a few more days, so I got there on the Wednesday night,” Raya says. “I arrived a bit before Fabián [Ruiz]. I was saying hello to some of the others in reception when he arrived. I went to say congratulations; that was almost the first thing I did. I couldn’t really talk [to him] after the final; I just didn’t have it in me. The next day we talked about the game properly. Just two mates chatting … I was happy for him that he could lift the trophy for a second time.”
A high pressure game for the European champions, as Sid Lowe reports.
“If we had scored one, the game would have changed,” Martín Zubimendi said. Immediately after the game, De la Fuente had offered a simple analysis: when the ball doesn’t want to go in it doesn’t want to go in, he insisted. Spain had racked up 27 shots, after all. Ferran Torres had hit the bar and seen another clear opportunity saved. Vozinha, the 40-year-old goalkeeper who stopped that, saved six more and was named the man of the match. “There’s nothing to reproach the team for,” Rodri said. “We generated chances but couldn’t put it away; the good thing is they created almost nothing.”
We wait to see what role Lamine Yamal will play today. His coach would surely like to be able to use him.
The worst mistake we could make would be to compare him to anyone. He is the midst of a process. He has exceptional footballing maturity and lives it all with total naturalness. He has great serenity and strength. We have to let him follow his path but those players who have something different are ready for that. They’re geniuses, like Dalí [who] can paint a picture, or Michelangelo. They’re different. What is exceptional to us, isn’t to them. In those extremes, they feel comfortable. Why? Because they are different. What we think is exceptional, they consider normal.
Preamble
Spain’s campaign did not get off to a flying start, and Luis de la Fuentes may wake up in the night to visions of Cape Verde’s Vozinha. He will have Georgia on his mind ever since Monday. Saudi Arabia are no pushovers and gave Uruguay a scare in their opening match. Memories of downing Argentina four years ago still abound, and so Spain might beware. They can ill afford to go into the final game with Uruguay at a disadvantage. All eyes on Lamine Yamal, whose fitness situation remains opaque, though Spain need their other forwards to come to the party.
Kick-off 5pm UK, 1pm ET, 2am AEST. Join me.
A topless man can be seen driving erratically in Edinburgh before abandoning his car and attacking a black man and a delivery rider.
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