Stefanos Tsitsipas has been delighted with the backing he has received at the French Open as he continues his quest to better last year's semi-final run.
The 22-year-old has previously spoke of his fondness for Roland Garros, and he earned a tour-leading 35th win of the season against Pedro Martinez on Wednesday.
It finished 6-3 6-4 6-3 in the second round in favour of the fifth seed, who is yet to lose a set at this year's second grand slam.
Tsitsipas is leading the FedEX ATP Race to Turin, and John Isner stands in his way of a fourth-round place.
"I really like playing in Paris," said Tsitsipas, who won titles in Monte Carlo and Lyon before heading to Roland Garros.
"I feel like the fans have embraced me and made me one of them. So, I'm really glad my tennis is there, my performance is there, and I'm able to deliver not just good tennis but also create a good atmosphere on this court."
Tsitsipas, who at one point dropped his racket while serving, did have to work for his win, though. Martinez broke him in the first and second sets, and the Greek was then denied the opportunity to serve out the win in the third.
Martinez's stand did not last much longer – Tsitsipas' backhand winner in the following game sealing the win.
"I've had good weeks this year, I've had some good results, but, of course, I feel like there's always better," the world number five added.
"I don't see my performance so far as super-excellent and outstanding, but I've been consistent and that's very important."
MEDVEDEV BITES BACK
Daniil Medvedev might finally have settled into life at Roland Garros. The second seed had a dismal record in the French Open heading into this year's grand slam, but despite a shaky start on Wednesday, he defeated Tommy Paul 3-6 6-1 6-4 6-3 to claim a place in round three.
Though Paul made the most of a shaky opening set from Medvedev, the Russian rallied in set two and kept the momentum going, winning 80 per cent of his first-serve points in a victory which took two hours and 18 minutes to round off, and also included eight breaks of serve from the world number two.
Next up is Reilly Opelka, who saw off Jaume Munar. The American has a losing 2-1 head-to-head record against Medvedev, though this is the first time they will meet on clay.
There was a shock elsewhere, as 11th seed Roberto Bautista Agut was dumped out by Swiss qualifier Henri Laaksonen.
ZVEREV GETS SNAPPY AFTER RAGGED DISPLAY
World number six Alexander Zverev was made to work for his place in round three, as he overcame Roman Safiullin 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 7-6 (7-1).
Zverev trailed in both the second and third sets, as the 24-year-old needed two tie-breaks to beat the qualifier.
"Obviously, I don't do it on purpose," Zverev said. "I don't go into the match and say, 'Okay, my tactic is I'm going to be a break down, I'm going to fight back and come back'.
"That's not how it works. I'm a break down most of the time because I play unfocused games or the opponent plays well."
Zverev will play Laslo Djere in round three, and despite his frustration after the match, the German has moved onto 20 wins for the season, which already includes titles in Acapulco and Madrid.
Djere beat fellow Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic, and if Zverev should keep winning, he may well face a quarter-final against Casper Ruud, the promising Norwegian player who beat Kamil Majchrzak 6-3 6-2 6-4 to make it to the third round at Roland Garros for a third straight season.
Standing in the way of Ruud and the last eight is Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, who went the distance to defeat Botic Van De Zandschulp.
Djokovic: Murray is 'perfect' coach to help execute 'big plans'
Novak Djokovic believes former rival Andy Murray is the "perfect" coach for him at this stage of his career as he still has "big plans".
The Serb, a 24-time grand slam winner, announced last week that Murray, who retired after the Paris Olympics, would be working with him during the off-season and through the Australian Open.
Djokovic failed to win a major title for the first time since 2017, though he did clinch a long-awaited Olympic gold medal in August. It is also the first time since 2005 that he did not win an ATP event despite reaching two finals.
Djokovic admitted Murray did not agree to the role straight away, but he thinks it is the best decision he could have come to.
"I took about six months to figure out what I needed at this stage of my career," he told Sky Sports.
"I realised the perfect coach would be someone who has been through the experiences I'm going through, possibly a multiple grand slam winner and world number one.
"We discussed Andy Murray, and I said I would give him a call and see how it goes. It caught him a little off guard. We connected really fast, and he accepted after a few days.
"I couldn't be more excited about it. This collaboration is a surprise to everyone, including me, but it's exciting for tennis."
Djokovic is currently level with Margaret Court for the most major singles titles by any player and needs one more to become the outright leader.
He has a good record in Australia, winning 10 times in Melbourne, beating Murray in four of those finals, with the first major of next season starting on January 12.
The 37-year-old is the only one of the 'Big Four' still playing after Murray and Rafael Nadal's retirements this year, and Roger Federer's in 2022, but he shows no signs of stopping any time soon.
"We all know we have to stop and say goodbye at some point," he added. "Even though it was expected for Rafa and Andy, both of them saying farewell to the sport is a shock for all of us.
"My body is serving me well; I still have motivation to win grand slams. The reason I asked Andy to work with me is because I still have big plans.
"I'll keep going as much as I can feel like I can keep being a candidate for the biggest titles."
Halep questions 'big difference' in doping punishments after Swiatek ban
Simona Halep has hit out at the "big difference" in how doping cases are handled in tennis after Iga Swiatek was handed a one-month ban on Thursday.
World number two Swiatek accepted the one-month suspension after testing positive for the banned substance trimetazidine (TMZ), the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) said.
Two-time Grand Slam champion Halep, meanwhile, was provisionally suspended in October 2022 after testing positive for roxadustat and later banned for four years in September 2023.
The ban was then reduced to nine months after the Romanian's appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport in March this year.
"I stand and ask myself, why is there such a big difference in treatment and judgement?" Halep posted on Instagram.
"I can't find and I don’t think there can be a logical answer. It can only be bad will from ITIA, the organisation that has done absolutely everything to destroy me despite the evidence."
While reducing Swiatek's ban, the ITIA accepted that the positive test was caused by contamination of the regulated non-prescription medication melatonin which the five-time Grand Slam champion took for jet lag and sleep issues.
Halep, 33, had also argued that she had taken a contaminated supplement.
"I lost two years of my career, I lost many nights when I couldn't sleep, thoughts, anxiety, questions without answers," Halep said.
"How is it possible that in identical cases happening around the same time, ITIA to have completely different approaches to my detriment?"
Meanwhile, the ITIA has said that there were "very important differences" between the two cases.
"No two cases are the same, they often involve different circumstances, and direct comparisons are not always helpful," the ITIA told BBC Sport.
"The product contaminated in Ms Swiatek's case was a regulated medication, not a supplement."
Swiatek accepts one-month suspension after testing positive for banned substance
Five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek has accepted a one-month suspension after testing positive for a banned substance.
The world number two tested positive for trimetazidine, a heart medication known as TMZ, after providing an out-of-competition sample in August 2024. She was world number one at the time.
The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) have determined the source was a contaminated nonprescription medication, melatonin, used for issues with jet lag and sleeping.
The ITIA thus concluded that Swiatek was not responsible for significant fault or negligence in the test. Therefore, the suspension will last just one month.
ITIA chief executive Karen Moorhouse said: "Once the source of the TMZ had been established, it became clear that this was a highly unusual instance of a contaminated product, which in Poland is a regulated medicine.
"However, the product does not have the same designation globally, and the fact that a product is a regulated medication in one country cannot of itself be sufficient to avoid any level of fault. Taking into account the nature of the medication, and all the circumstances, it does place that fault at the lowest end of the scale."
It is the second high-profile doping case this year, as Jannik Sinner failed two tests for a steroid in March but was cleared in August.
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