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    French Open Champion Krejcikova Thanks Her Mentor, Novotna

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    Barbora Krejcikova developed her multifaceted game with the help of the former Wimbledon champion Jana Novotna, who died in 2017.PARIS — Hand pointing to the sky, the new French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova gave credit where she knew it was due on Saturday.“I hope she’s happy,” Krejcikova said of Jana Novotna, the former Wimbledon champion who died of cancer in November 2017.In Krejcikova’s view, all of “this” — the surprise run to a Roland Garros title — would not have happened without Novotna’s influence on her career at a critical phase: the transition from juniors to the much more selective professional game.It was good fortune that Novotna was from Brno: the same Czech city as Krejcikova. But Krejcikova and her family made their own luck, too. She showed up with her parents at Novotna’s home in 2014 with a letter of introduction and a desire to find a tennis mentor who understood both the micro and macro of what it took to become great.The visit was her mother’s idea, but Krejcikova, then 18 and recovering from a recent illness, made her own case, and Novotna, to her surprise, was receptive.“She was just very nice, very warm,” Krejcikova said on Saturday. “She told me: ‘I have a court on Thursday in this club at this time. If you want to come, you can come. We can look at you, have a hit. We’re just going to see what’s going to come.’”Krejcikova told her that she had been ill.“Jana was like, ‘It doesn’t matter,’” Krejcikova said. “‘If you cannot hit, we can talk.’”Novotna training with Krejcikova in Prague in 2016.Pavel Lebeda/CTK, via Associated PressNovotna agreed to not only counsel her but also coach her and follow her on the circuit. Novotna’s contacts as a longtime leading player meant that Krejcikova had access to some quality hitting partners.“We were playing the legends tournament here at Roland Garros a few years ago, and Jana said, ‘Come hit with this girl I’m coaching,’” Martina Navratilova said on Saturday. “And I thought Barbora had good talent, but you still never think that it’s going to lead to something like this. She didn’t have any obvious weapons, but her brain is her big weapon. She has got the good hands. She has got the variety and then the brain to know when to use it.”Novotna, who died at 49, had variety and a sharp mind, too. She was a graceful mover with a one-handed backhand, committed to attacking the net behind chipped approach shots and then hitting angled volleys and overheads. It was a high-risk, eye-catching game and, like Krejcikova, she excelled in doubles, but her nerves betrayed her in her biggest singles matches through much of her career.In the moment that long defined her, she cracked and lost a big third-set lead in the 1993 Wimbledon to Steffi Graf. There should have been no shame in losing to Graf on any surface, but Novotna knew she had not done her own talent justice, and ended up crying on the Duchess of Kent’s shoulder during the trophy ceremony on Centre Court.Novotna had a happier ending at Wimbledon when she won the singles title in 1998 and accepted the champion’s trophy from the Duchess of Kent. It was Novotna’s only Grand Slam singles title, and it came at age 30 in her 45th Grand Slam singles appearance.Krejcikova took a different path. Though she is 25, she has had most of her success in doubles and may have more when she plays for the French Open women’s doubles title on Sunday with her partner Katerina Siniakova.But this was only her fifth Grand Slam singles tournament, and she handled the inevitable pressure with aplomb, saving five set points in the opening set of her straight-set victory over the 17-year-old American Coco Gauff in the quarterfinals and then saving a match point against Maria Sakkari in the semifinals before fighting through the momentum shifts of a three-set final against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova on Saturday.“I think Jana, who is well known for the emotional breakdown against Steffi and then winning Wimbledon, would have just been so impressed by Barbora’s composure,” said Rennae Stubbs, the former No. 1 doubles player who knew Novotna well and was another of Krejcikova’s early practice partners on tour. “Throughout the entire tournament, she just never looked stressed, and to be able to do that under these circumstances for somebody who had never gone through something this monumental is pretty extraordinary to be honest.”“I was a little bit panicking; I really wanted to win,” Krejcikova said. “On the other hand, I knew that if I really want to win, I’m just going to put so much pressure on myself that it’s not going to happen.”Benoit Tessier/ReutersThere were rare moments of agitation, including one shout to her player box during Saturday’s final, but Stubbs is correct that Krejcikova’s calm, focused demeanor was the rule at Roland Garros. Her pacing and breathing between points were measured; her gaze quickly went back to her strings or the clay after a point was completed. But she also showed touching flashes of humanity: applauding Gauff’s and Sakkari’s winners at critical phases of both matches.Her march to the final was nowhere near as smooth as it often looked. She felt overwhelmed before playing the American Sloane Stephens in the fourth round, crying before taking the court and speaking with her sports psychologist. She consulted her again before her victory over Sakkari and victory over Pavlyuchenkova. It was all new territory for Krejcikova, who had not been past the fourth round of a major tournament in singles before.“I was a little bit panicking; I really wanted to win,” she said. “On the other hand, I knew that if I really want to win, I’m just going to put so much pressure on myself that it’s not going to happen. We had the conversation about this. She just told me just to go and enjoy. We spoke about how to talk to myself, what to do when I’m going to feel nervous on court, just be happy that I’m actually there, all of this. That I’m already in the finals, it’s a big achievement that nobody really expected, not even me. I didn’t expect it as well.”What also helped was her experience in doubles. She and Siniakova also won their first Grand Slam final together, taking the title at the French Open in 2018 on the same center court where she won on Saturday.Krejcikova thanked Novotna after that victory, too, and on Saturday she reached a much bigger audience with the same message and the same hand pointed to the sky. This time, she received the champion’s trophy from Navratilova, who grew up in the Czech Republic before emigrating to the United States and was close with Novotna.Navratilova has shaped champions’ careers, too. It was at her suggestion that the future No. 1 Maria Sharapova, whom she had spotted at a Moscow clinic, moved to Florida with her father, Yuri, to pursue a tennis career. “It’s a small world, and you will touch many people along the way,” Navratilova said. But she also knows how long the odds are and how many prodigies, even with the right advice, do not make the transition to the highest level.She had agreed two months ago to present the trophy. She said she began watching the singles draw more and more closely as Krejcikova progressed.“I started thinking, Oh, my God, she could get to the final — and then it was, She could win the thing,” Navratilova said with a laugh. “I didn’t tell Barbora. She didn’t know I was doing the ceremony.”Predestined? Navratilova is not so certain, but she, like so many on Saturday, experienced a full-circle feeling as well as mixed emotions.“It was a beautiful victory,” Navratilova said. “But I really so wish that Jana could have been here to see it.” More

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      Barbora Krejcikova Wins the French Open

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      Unseeded but the sentimental favorite, Krejcikova defeated Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in three sets to win the women’s singles title in Paris.PARIS — Barbora Krejcikova won the French Open Saturday, beating Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in three sets.For Krejcikova, 25, of the Czech Republic, the win marked the highlight of a late-blooming but suddenly exploding career, and capped a surprising tournament in which so many of the strongest players withdrew, retired, or were defeated early in the competition. Krejcikova was not seeded at this tournament but was a sentimental favorite, capturing the crowd’s heart with her emotional post-match speeches filled with words of inspiration and tributes to her mentor and role model, the former Czech champion Jana Novotna, who died at 49 in 2017.She has been best known in past years for her prowess in doubles and she will attempt to win that championship Sunday with her partner, Katerina Siniakova. Krejcikova, 25, who was ranked outside the top 100 as recently as recently as last September, has one of the most multifaceted playing styles on the women’s tour. She plays with any number of tricks and spins and possesses a dangerous moonball backhand that bounces high and can pin her opponents deep in the court. Power is not her thing, which makes her unusual in a sport obsessed with hitting hard. But what she lacks in power she makes up for in creativity. In Pavlyuchenkova, 29, she faced a former teenage prodigy who had never made it past the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam. Despite that frustration, Pavlyuchenkova has displayed remarkable durability, playing in every Grand Slam between the 2008 French Open until the 2020 United States Open. Other than a semifinal appearance in Madrid last month, Pavlyuchenkova’s performances the past six months gave few hints that she would have the run of her career at this French Open. Despite Pavlyuchenkova’s advantages and bigger reputation, Krejcikova beguiled her on the biggest points, playing a form of tennis jujitsu that is rarely seen. More

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      In French Open, Women's Singles Finals Take Surprising Shape

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      The unseeded Barbora Krejcikova has advanced to face Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, the No. 31 seed, in the singles final of the French Open.PARIS — The 2021 French Open will be remembered for its endless surprises. Stars withdrew. Top players lost early.The trend continued Thursday as two long shots surged into the women’s championship match. Elite women’s tennis has been without clear and consistent winners for a while now, but a final between Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia and Barbora Krejcikova of the Czech Republic was a scenario no one would have predicted.Pavlyuchenkova, seeded 31st, defeated the unseeded Tamara Zidansek of Slovenia, 7-5, 6-3, in the semifinals. Krejcikova, also unseeded, upset the No. 17 seed, Maria Sakkari of Greece, 7-5, 4-6, 9-7, in a match with wild momentum swings and match points on both sides of the net, even one that involved an overturned line call.Pavlyuchenkova, 29, is a veteran, having turned professional in 2005. Krejcikova, 25, is more of a late bloomer, having arrived in 2014. But neither had reached a Grand Slam semifinal before, and it showed as they triumphed despite multiple lost service games in nearly every set and more errors than most players could survive. Yet the effort was enough for each of them, if only barely.“I always wanted to play a match like this,” Krejcikova said through tears when her 3-hour, 18-minute match was finished. “Even if I lost today, I would be very proud of myself, just fighting. In here and also in life, fighting is the most important thing.”There have been just two multiple Grand Slam women’s singles winners in the past four years, the opposite of what has happened in an absurdly top-heavy men’s game, which has been dominated for so long by three of the all-time greats.Women’s tennis more closely resembles golf. At the beginning of a Grand Slam event, dozens of women seemingly have a shot to play deep into the tournament.“There is so much depth,” Tom Hill, Sakkari’s coach, said ahead of the semifinal. “Now it’s first round, second round, you’re playing against top players that can play.”Of the two finalists, Krejcikova is the bigger surprise. Her game is filled with off-speed forehands and sliced backhands. Her service returns tend to be looping backhands. She usually displays limited power and an approach that seems completely out of step with the smash-mouth style that so many women bring to the court today.In Sakkari, Krejcikova faced a gym rat who has worked with a fitness trainer since she was 14 and who prepares for tennis like a world-class sprinter. Sakkari, 25, loves being in the weight room nearly as much as she enjoys being on the tennis court. Heard that old saw about her muscles having muscles? That is Sakkari.Musculature, though, does not win tennis tournaments. Deft shotmaking and surprise can often overcome power.Sakkari struggled with prosperity all afternoon, coughing up an early lead in the first set, then barely surviving the second one after leading by 4-0. But as Sakkari was drawing even and rallying the crowd behind her, Krejcikova headed for a bathroom break that lasted several minutes longer than the usual in-match pit stop. Sakkari took the court alone and complained to the umpire to get things moving or perhaps issue a warning.Sakkari’s power was no match for Krejcikova’s deft shot-making.Christophe Archambault/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesWhen play resumed, Sakkari once more took an early lead with a service break, and had match point with Krejcikova serving at 3-5. Krejcikova saved it with a swinging backhand volley, then broke Sakkari’s serve in the next game, forcing her to make a series of errors on long rallies packed with Krejcikova’s deep, lob-like backhands.After nearly three hours, Krejcikova had figured out the winning formula. It took six more games — as Sakkari saved four match points but could not stop over-hitting, making 27 errors in the final set — for the result to become official.On the court after the match, Krejcikova thanked Jana Novotna, a Czech compatriot who struggled for years to win a Grand Slam championship until she finally claimed the Wimbledon title in 1998. When Krejcikova was a teenager, she and her parents asked Novotna for help breaking into tennis. Novotna gave it. She died of cancer in 2017 at 49.“She is watching over me,” Krejcikova said.In the other semifinal, Pavlyuchenkova ended years of frustration. She had come up short in six Grand Slam quarterfinals before prevailing on Thursday in Paris.Pavlyuchenkova provided few hints in recent months that a run of this sort was in the offing. She made the semifinal in Madrid last month but had little else to brag about. She lasted barely an hour at the Australian Open, losing badly to Naomi Osaka, the eventual champion, in the first round.But in her first Grand Slam semifinal, Pavlyuchenkova had the good fortune to face a player ranked 86th in the world.Pavlyuchenkova was hardly in control: She lost her serve twice in the first set, and twice more in the second. But she was far better than Zidansek, a 23-year-old whose inexperience and nerves showed as she lost her serve six times and committed 33 unforced errors compared with 22 for Pavlyuchenkova. Zidansek double-faulted into the middle of the net on set point, and sent a shot she easily could have put away a foot wide on match point.Zidansek had come back from a set down three times during the tournament, and twice won third sets in the equivalent of tennis overtime (9-7 and 8-6) but could not muster the same resilience against Pavlyuchenkova.Pavlyuchenkova was asked Thursday what her younger self might say now that she had finally reached the ultimate match.“What took you so long?” she said.“It’s been a long road,” she continued. “I had my own long special road. Everybody has different ways.” More

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      Coco Gauff Eliminated in French Open Quarterfinals

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      The American teenager, playing her first Grand Slam quarterfinal, was frustrated and defeated by the unseeded Barbora Krejcikova.PARIS — It was the first Grand Slam singles quarterfinal for Coco Gauff and Barbora Krejcikova and, frankly, you could tell.There were tight groundstrokes into the net, errant service tosses and multiple double faults, reversals of momentum and fortune.To sum up, there was tension in the sunlight as fans — remember those? — shouted “Allez Coco!” from high in the stands in the Philippe Chatrier stadium.Gauff, the American 17-year-old, received the majority of the support, but she could not quite manage to give the Roland Garros public what it desired. After failing to convert five set points in the opening set, she went on to lose to the unseeded Krejcikova, 7-6 (6), 6-3.It has been one of the most surprising French Open women’s tournaments in history, and the trend deepened as Maria Sakkari upset defending champion Iga Swiatek 6-4, 6-4 in Wednesday’s second quarterfinal.Sakkari, a muscular Greek who is seeded 17th, has become a threat to the best: She beat Naomi Osaka in Miami earlier this season on a hardcourt. But Sakkari had not yet broken through at a Grand Slam tournament. She did not crack on Thursday, producing a powerful performance against Swiatek, the 20-year-old from Poland who had not dropped a set at Roland Garros in singles since 2019.Maria Sakkari turned in a powerful performance that upset defending French Open champion Iga Swiatek.Ian Langsdon/EPA, via ShutterstockOn Thursday, Sakkari will face Krejcikova and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova will play Tamara Zidansek. All four women are making their first appearance in a Grand Slam singles semifinal.Gauff, who was the last American left in singles, finished with 25 winners, 41 unforced errors and one mangled racket after destroying it in anger with three swift blows to the red clay after double-faulting to fall behind by 4-0 in the final set.“I’m obviously disappointed that I wasn’t able to close out the first set,” Gauff said. “To be honest, it’s in the past, it already happened. After the match, Enzo, my hitting partner, told me this match will probably make me a champion in the future. I really do believe that.”Gauff was brilliant at times and bamboozled at others. She lost 15 straight points at one stage in the second set. That was not entirely her doing. Krejcikova, a former French Open doubles champion, has begun to come into her own as a singles player and has a wide array of shots and tactical options, as well as baseline power when she chooses to summon it.But Krejcikova, too, struggled with her nerves on Wednesday. She has been open this week about her efforts to manage the mental strain of making her first deep run in singles at a Grand Slam tournament.Krejcikova consulted with her psychologist before her match against Gauff.Caroline Blumberg/EPA, via ShutterstockBefore her fourth-round match with Sloane Stephens, she said she locked herself in a room used by the physiotherapists to talk to her psychologist. “I was actually crying,” she said. “I just felt really, really bad, and I don’t know why.”She said she and her psychologist had a long discussion. “She told me, ‘If you can overcome this, what you feel right now, it’s going to be a huge win, and it doesn’t matter if you’re going to win on the court or lose on the court, because it’s going to be a personal win.’” It turned out to be a win-win as she played a brilliant match to defeat Stephens, mixing her spins and decisions expertly, just as Gauff played her best match of the tournament when she defeated Ons Jabeur in the fourth round, winning in straight sets without a double fault.But Wednesday was a different day. Gauff double-faulted on the opening point of the match and finished with seven, often catching her service tosses and working to control her breathing. After falling behind by 5-0 in the second set, she did not go through the motions. She kept fighting, holding serve, and with the crowd behind her, saving three match points to break Krejcikova’s serve in the next game and then saving two more as she held serve to close to 5-3.Gauff smashed her racket after she double-faulted to fall behind by 4-0 in the final set. Clive Brunskill/Getty ImagesAnother momentum swing still felt possible given both players’ inexperience at this level of a Grand Slam tournament. But Krejcikova held firm in the next game and when Gauff missed her final forehand, she became the second unseeded player to reach this year’s French Open semifinals after Zidansek.“This one will be on my mind for a couple days, for sure,” Gauff said. “I think just reflecting on it, you know, it’s over, so I’m not going to say, ‘Oh, if I did this, if I did that.’ I think in the moment I did what I thought was the best decision and I have to stick on that.”Gauff will start preparing for Wimbledon, which begins on June 28. It is where she burst to prominence in 2019 at age 15 by defeating Venus Williams in her first Grand Slam singles match.Her progress since then has been steady rather than meteoric. There will be more to learn from Wednesday’s setback. But this was a positive clay-court season and tournament for the usually much more poised teenager. She reached the semifinals of the Italian Open and won the singles and doubles titles in Parma. She was seeded 24th in Paris — her first time being seeded at a major tournament — and won four matches without dropping a set.“Her time will come,” said Krejcikova, who, at 25, knows a thing or two about patience. More

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      What to Watch on Tuesday at the 2021 French Open

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      Stefanos Tsitsipas and Daniil Medvedev will clash as the quarterfinal matches begin at Roland Garros.How to watch: 5 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Eastern time on the Tennis Channel, streaming on the Tennis Channel+.With eight players remaining on each side of the singles draw, two divergent narratives have taken shape. Six women will be making their first quarterfinal appearance in a major event, a record for the Open era. On the men’s side, there will be only one first-timer, and there will be seven players in the top 10. In either case, though, each side is sure to have at least one first-time French Open finalist.Here are some matches to keep an eye on.Because of the number of matches cycling through courts, the times for individual matchups are estimates and may fluctuate based on when earlier play is completed. All times are Eastern.Court PhilipPe-Chatrier | 6 a.m.Paula Badosa vs. Tamara ZidansekPaula Badosa, the 33rd seed, defeated the 20th seed, Marketa Vondrousova, in a three-set fourth-round match to reach her first Grand Slam quarterfinal. Badosa, a 23-year-old Spaniard, had plenty of winners, but more often she was forcing errors out of her opponent.Tamara Zidansek, a 23-year-old Slovenian who ranked No. 85, upset the No. 6 seed Bianca Andreescu in the first round to record her first main-draw victory at Roland Garros. Zidansek had tight matches in the third and fourth rounds, and Badosa will pose a tough test for a player who has performed near her peak at this tournament.Elena Rybakina defeated Serena Williams to earn a quarterfinal appearance.Christophe Archambault/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesCourt Phillipe-Chatrier | 8 a.m.Elena Rybakina vs. Anastasia PavlyuchenkovaElena Rybakina of Kazakhstan and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia, a doubles team that has advanced to a Wednesday quarterfinal, will oppose each other in a singles quarterfinal the day before.Rybakina, the 21st seed, powered past Serena Williams on Sunday for a straight-sets win that put her in her first Grand Slam singles quarterfinal. The 21-year-old has found success mostly on hardcourts in the past, but she has used flat baseline shots to push opponents around the clay courts of Roland Garros.Pavlyuchenkova, the 31st seed, upset two Belarusian players, Aryna Sabalenka and Victoria Azarenka, in three-set matches on her way to the quarterfinals. Pavlyuchenkova, 29, won two junior Grand Slam titles, but she has never advanced past the quarterfinals of a major event. On Tuesday, in her seventh attempt, she has to hope that her experience will let her outlast her doubles partner.Court PhilipPe-Chatrier | 10 a.m.Alexander Zverev vs. Alejandro Davidovich FokinaAlexander Zverev, the sixth seed, started the tournament by dropping the first two sets rather quickly before clawing back and losing only four more games on his way to victory. The 24-year-old German then won each of the next matches in straight sets, but he looked convincing only in his fourth-round dismantling of Kei Nishikori. With two previous French Open quarterfinals under his belt, Zverev will be hoping to draw on his experience.Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, ranked No. 46, has reached his first Grand Slam quarterfinal after a grueling gauntlet of matches. The 22-year-old Spaniard went to five sets in his second- and third-round matches, and four sets in his round-of-16 slog against Federico Delbonis. Fokina’s aggressive style has put opponents on shaky ground, and it will be interesting to see if he can unsettle a top-10 player with that approach.Stefanos Tsitsipas returned the ball during his fourth-round match.Anne-Christine Poujoulat/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesCourt PhilipPe-Chatrier | 3 p.m.Stefanos Tsitsipas vs. Daniil MedvedevStefanos Tsitsipas, the fifth seed, has lost only one set so far, in the third round against the hard-serving John Isner. The 22-year-old Greek has reached three major semifinals, including at the French Open last year.Daniil Medvedev, the second seed, was knocked out in the first round of the French Open in each of the past four years, but he has lost only one set on the way to the quarterfinals. The 25-year-old Russian appears to have made peace with his least favorite surface, leaning into the strengths that make him such a fearsome opponent on hard courts.Although Medvedev has won six of his previous seven matches on tour against Tsitsipas, only one of those matches was on clay, where Tsitsipas is generally favored. The quarterfinal between these two young stars should be full of shifting dynamics because Medvedev and Tsitsipas tend to spar with the variety of their shots rather than try to overpower each other.Here are a few more matches to keep an eye on.Karolina Pliskova/Kristyna Pliskova vs. Katerina Siniakova/Barbora Krejcikova; Court Simonne-Mathieu, 6 a.m.Wesley Koolhof/Demi Schuurs vs. Aslan Karatsev/Elena Vesnina; Court Simonne-Mathieu, 10 a.m. More

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      2021 French Open: What to Watch on Sunday

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      Daniil Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Serena Williams lead the charge as the round of 16 begins at Roland Garros.How to watch: 5 a.m. to noon Eastern time on the Tennis Channel, noon to 2 p.m. on NBC and 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Peacock; streaming on the Tennis Channel+ and Peacock apps.Both singles draws at the French Open have narrowed to just 16 competitors from 256 in the course of the past week. There are a few inspiring debutantes making their first appearance in the second week of a Grand Slam tournament, such as Tamara Zidanšek and Federico Delbonis. Although it is possible for them to push on, there are many former champions standing in their way.Here are some matches to keep an eye on.Because of the number of matches cycling through courts, the times for individual matchups are estimates and may fluctuate based on when earlier play is completed. All times are Eastern.Court Suzanne-Lenglen | 9 a.m.Daniil Medvedev vs. Cristian GarinBefore this year, Daniil Medvedev, the second seed, has never been past the first round at Roland Garros. Even this year, his clay court season had not gone well, with the 25-year-old Russian exclaiming in the middle of a match that he didn’t “want to play here on this surface.” Now, into the round of 16, Medvedev is starting to see results by leaning on his natural abilities and not becoming discouraged by the slights that the clay courts throw his way.Cristian Garin, the 22nd seed, will provide a much sterner challenge for the Russian. Garin is a clay court specialist, winning the Junior French Open in 2013. All five of his ATP titles have come at clay court events over the past couple of years. This will be his first round of 16 appearance at a major tournament, and although he has dropped sets in each of his first three rounds, they have been quintessential “dirt rat” matches, with long grueling points that played into Garin’s overall strategy. If he can push points in that direction throughout the match against Medvedev, Garin will certainly have a chance to make his first Grand Slam quarterfinal.Victoria Azarenka hitting a backhand during her third round match.Yoan Valat/EPA, via ShutterstockCourt PhiliPpe-Chatrier | 7 a.m.Victoria Azarenka vs. Anastasia PavlyuchenkovaVictoria Azarenka, the 15th seed, missed six Grand Slam events between 2016 and 2018 because of various personal issues, and she spent several years trying to find the same abilities that led her to two Grand Slam titles earlier in her career. After a finals appearance at the U.S. Open in 2020, it seemed that she was prepared to contend once again. But, with early exits at the 2020 French Open and 2021 Australian Open, it wasn’t clear whether or not Azarenka’s performance in Flushing Meadows was a fluke. Seemingly not; Azarenka has not dropped a set at Roland Garros on her way to the round of 16, and she is playing some of her best tennis of the year as she focuses on the second week of play.Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, the 31st seed, upset Aryna Sabalenka, the highest rated player left through the third round, on Friday in three sets. Pavlyuchenkova, who won two Junior Grand Slam tournament titles, has never been past the quarterfinals of a major event on the WTA Tour in a career marked by inconsistent performances. After a run to the semifinals at the Madrid Open in May, Pavlyuchenkova will feel that she is in good form, and that she is capable of finally making that big push. While her flat baseline shots are not well suited to clay, if she can power through and move Azarenka around the court, there are plenty of opportunities for an upset.Court Suzanne-Lenglen | NoonAlejandro Davidovich Fokina vs. Federico DelbonisOn Friday, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina upset the 15th seed, Casper Ruud, in a grueling five-set match that grew more intense with each passing minute. Even after four-and-a-half hours of play, Fokina was still constructing aggressive and precise points as he strove to reach his first Grand Slam round of 16. Now, after two five-set matches in consecutive rounds, Fokina’s endurance will be put to the test as he looks to better Federico Delbonis.Delbonis, ranked No. 51, upset the 27th seed, Fabio Fognini, in straight sets on Friday. The 30-year-old Argentine has never been past the second round of the French Open, but all four of his career ATP finals have been on clay. Delbonis does not fit the archetypal profile of a clay court specialist; he is 6-foot-4, with a two-handed backhand that he can hit down and flatten out with ease. Delbonis will look to use his powerful shots and experience to run Fokina ragged and push through to the quarterfinals.Serena Williams in action during her third round match on Friday.Benoit Tessier/ReutersCourt PhilipPe-Chatrier | NoonSerena Williams vs Elena RybakinaThere were concerns throughout the clay court swing that Serena Williams was not prepared for the French Open. Williams, the seventh seed, has slowly played herself into form over the past week, delivering a sensational straight-set performance against her fellow American, Danielle Collins, on Friday. Now Williams is the only top 10 player remaining in her half of the draw, with a much clearer path to the final next week. However, the WTA Tour has a deep bench of talented youngsters looking to make champions of the past fade away.Elena Rybakina, the 21st seed, has not dropped a set so far at this year’s French Open. The 21-year-old reached five WTA Tour finals in 2020, a tour best for the year, but she has not been able to recreate that success so far in 2021. With a career best run to the round of 16, she has made up for it, and now will need to summon her considerable power on both wings to try and unseat Williams and reach her first major quarterfinal.Here are a few more matches to keep an eye on.Tamara Zidanšek vs. Sorana Cîrstea; Court Suzanne-Lenglen, 5 a.m.Paula Badosa vs. Marketa Vondroušová; Court Suzanne-Lenglen, 7 a.m.Elise Mertens/Hsieh Su-wei vs. Iga Swiatek/Bethanie Mattek-Sands; Court Simonne-Mathieu, 7 a.m.Stefanos Tsitsipas vs. Pablo Correno Busta; Court Philippe-Chatrier, 9 a.m.Alexander Zverev vs. Kei Nishikori; Court Philippe-Chatrier, 3 p.m. More