Naomi Osaka put her French Open disappointment behind her to advance to the next round of the Libema Open after beating Elise Mertens in straight sets. 

The 26-year-old had match point against eventual winner Iga Swiatek in the second round at Roland-Garros but failed to capitalise. However, that defeat was put to the back of her mind, winning 6-2 6-4 in the Netherlands. 

Mertens matched Osaka in the opening exchanges, but the Japanese would rally to take control and win the next three games to secure an early advantage. 

She showed signs of frustration in the second set as the Belgian threatened to take the encounter to a deciding set, but Osaka remained composed to see out the victory. 

Osaka will now face either Bernarda Pera or Suzan Lamens in the next round. 

Data Debrief: Osaka wins maiden grass encounter against Mertens

Osaka's victory saw her win 28 of her 31 first-serve points, accumulating to a 90 per cent success rate. 

The Japanese claimed her fifth victory over Mertens since their first meeting in Wuhan in 2019, but her triumph was the first encounter between the pair on a grass court. 

An emotional Jasmine Paolini says this year's French Open was "the best days of my life" following her final defeat to Iga Swiatek on Saturday.

It was the Italian’s maiden Grand Slam final after she saw off Mirra Andreeva in straight sets in the semi-finals.

Paolini was already assured of breaking into the top 10 in the WTA rankings on Monday, no matter her result in the final.

She also booked her place in the women's doubles final after coming from behind with partner Sara Errani and will be playing that showpiece on Sunday.

Speaking after the single’s final, Paolini said she could not believe the journey she had been on in the past two weeks.

"Thanks for coming. I really enjoyed playing today," a choked-up Paolini said.

"The best days of my life, I think. Tomorrow, I have the doubles final. It's been a very intense 15 days, and I'm really happy to be here.

"Today was tough, but I'm really proud of myself anyway. You were cheering for me and that is unbelievable.

"I have to say congratulations to you, Iga. Playing you here is the toughest challenge in the sport. You are doing a great job - world number one and many slams.

"I want to thank my team, my family, everyone who is cheering for me every day. Congratulations to everyone who made this tournament special."

Iga Swiatek thanked the fans at the French Open for giving her the belief she needed to win the tournament after nearly being knocked out in the second round.

The world number one won her fourth title at Roland Garros, and her third in a row with a dominant 6-2, 6-1 victory over Jasmine Paolini on Saturday.

However, she almost made a shock early exit in the tournament at the hands of Naomi Osaka but pulled off an incredible comeback.

Swiatek saved a match point against the former world number one to come from 5-2 down to win the deciding set 7-5, setting her on her way to the trophy.

Now, she is the second player in the Open Era to win all of her first five Women's Singles Grand Slam finals after Monica Seles.

From the round of 16 onwards, Swiatek dropped just 11 games combined on her way to securing the title, but following her win, she said it was the crowd in Paris that boosted her confidence following that game.

"I love this place, I wait every year to come back here," Swiatek said after winning her title.

"I was almost out in the second round so thank you for still cheering for me. I needed to believe that this was possible. It’s been an emotional tournament. Thank you for supporting me.

"I want to thank my team, my family, without them I wouldn't be here. I want to thank everyone who made this tournament possible."

Paolini played in her maiden Grand Slam final and also reached the doubles final on Sunday with partner Sara Errani.

Swiatek was full of praise for her opponent and wished her well in her upcoming showpiece.

"Congrats for an amazing tournament," she added.

"I'm really impressed with how you've been playing these last two weeks. I hope we'll have many more matches in final rounds."

Iga Swiatek wins her third consecutive French Open title with a dominant straight-sets victory over Jasmine Paolini on Saturday.

The world number one's brilliant winning streak continued as she won 6-2, 6-1 in one hour and eight minutes on court Philippe-Chatrier.

Paolini, playing in her maiden grand slam final, caused a few nerves by getting an early break, but it was exactly what Swiatek needed to get her focus.

Swiatek won every game in the first set from that point, using power to force Paolini to cover more ground. As mistakes crept into her game, the Pole pushed harder and took the lead.

Swiatek upped her level once more in the second set, with the Italian struggling to find any answers to get back into the tie.

The 23-year-old worked her way through the gears neatly, earning another double break to storm through the first five games.

In her last chance to stay in the match, Paolini went on the offensive to ensure she did not end up on the wrong end of a bagel scoreline, but it only took one more game for Swiatek to wrap up her fifth grand slam title.

Swiatek chases down greats

Swiatek has been equalling records for fun this year, and that only continued with her French Open victory on Saturday.

She now has an impressive four titles at Roland Garros under her belt, and she is just the second women's player to win three consecutively since Justine Henin between 2005 and 2007, and the youngest since Monica Seles between 1990-92.

She is also just the second women's player to win all five of her finals in Grand Slams after Seles during the Open Era, having won the US Open in 2022 as well.

Not only that, but Swiatek is the first player to win three consecutive titles at a single Grand Slam tournament since Serena Williams dominated the US Open between 2012-14.

Swiatek had already previously picked up silverware at the Qatar Open, Indian Wells, Madrid Open and Italian Open in 2024 before adding the Grand Slam title.

She was the favourite going into Saturday's match-up and looked unstoppable, and many will be left wondering just how far she will be able to go in the rest of the year.

A French Open run to be proud of for Paolini

Labelled as a late-bloomer, Paolini is the third player in the last decade to reach her first Grand Slam final at Roland Garros after turning 28, along with Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (2021) and Lucie Safarova (2015).

It was always going to be a tough ask for Paolini to get her hands on the French Open trophy going up against as formidable an opponent as Swiatek.

Though she had already pulled off a big upset against Elena Rybakina in the quarter-finals, and it looked like she could be on for another shock after a strong opening, she struggled to match her opponent's aggression.

2024 has already seen Paolini undergo huge changes – she came into the year with a losing record of 78-87 and one career title.

Since the turn of the year, she is 22-10 with one trophy and has the French Open doubles final to look forward to on Sunday with partner Sara Errani.

She is already confirmed to move into the top 10 of the rankings following the end of the tournament, having said before the final that she never dreamed this far ahead, only taking each match as it came. 

Jasmine Paolini says she started to "dream step by step" before making it to her maiden grand slam final at Roland Garros.

The Italian saw off Mirra Andreeva in straight sets on Thursday to book a showdown against world number one Iga Swiatek as she aims to win her first major title.

Paolini has already pulled off one major upset at the tournament, knocking out Elena Rybakina in the quarter-finals over three sets in impressive fashion.

No matter what happens in the final, Paolini is already assured of breaking into the top 10 in the WTA rankings on Monday and will be ranked, at minimum, number seven at the end of the tournament.

Asked if this was a moment that she imagined when she was young in training, Paolini admitted that was not the case.

"I was watching grand slam finals. I was watching the other Italians make it in the finals, and also won grand slams, but imagining that can be myself was tough," she said.

"Of course, I wished, but now it's something crazy for me. I'm really happy. Also surprised.

"I never dreamed to be number one, grand slam champion. Never dreamed so big. Never.

"Never maybe dream to be in the top 10, but I was hoping, but not really believing it. I think step by step I started to believe, but to dream for closer things.

"I think it's important to dream, but I started to dream, I think, step by step. Not too far away."

Swiatek is chasing a third consecutive French Open title and is a heavy favourite to win it going into the final.

Paolini was full of praise for the Pole but said she would not be intimidated by her opponent.

"Iga is an unbelievable player. So young, but so many achievements and grand slams. Here she won three times," she added. "She's doing well week by week, and that's not easy. So I have huge respect for her.

"My goal is to step on the court on Saturday and try to enjoy the match and to enjoy that moment and to try to play a good match and to make a good performance on the court."

Iga Swiatek believes her victory over Naomi Osaka helped her adjust to Roland-Garros as she reached the final of the French Open following victory over Coco Gauff. 

The world number one saved a match point against Osaka in the second round of the competition, pulling off a comeback to triumph 7-6 (7-1) 1-6 7-5 on Court Philippe-Chatrier. 

Swiatek saved a match point against the former world number one, and from 5-2 down in the deciding set, it was the Pole who prevailed.

Since then, the 23-year-old has lost just 14 games across the next four rounds and is one match away from becoming the first woman to win the tournament in three straight years since Justine Henin in 2007. 

And she credited that win over Osaka as the turning point in her latest French Open campaign.

"Something changed [after the Osaka match]," Swiatek said after beating Andreeva.

"I adjusted better to the court, and it’s not easy to play first matches in a grand slam because the atmosphere is much different in other tournaments.

"Against Naomi, I didn’t have time to get into it. She was intense from the beginning and put pressure on me. I'm happy that I handled it well. The weather changed also; it helped my game and I gained confidence."

Reflecting on a dominant 6-2 6-4 defeat of reigning US Open champion Gauff, Swiatek said: "It was intense.

"In the second set, it was tight because we were breaking each other. But I'm happy that I was consistent with my tactics, didn't overthink stuff, and just went for it at the end."

Swiatek and Gauff have now faced off 12 times, but the American has won just one of those matches. 

"I think [Gauff] is progressing a lot," Swiatek added.

"You can see by her results. Last year’s US Open showed that she's tough. At this age, it's obvious that she's going to grow. It's nice to see her handling everything around her well because it’s not easy. 

"I'm sure we're going to have more really intense matches at the highest level because Coco is also one of the most consistent players out there."

Swiatek will face Jasmine Paolini in Saturday's final.

Iga Swiatek will have the chance to win a third straight French Open title on Saturday after a brilliant performance saw her overpower Coco Gauff in straight sets in the semi-finals.

Three-time Roland Garros champion Swiatek only dropped one set en route to the final four – in a three-sets victory over Naomi Osaka in the second round – and she looked a cut above once again on Thursday in a 6-2 6-4 win.

Having won 10 of her previous 11 meetings with Gauff, Swiatek set the tone by breaking in the very first game, Gauff looking tense as she committed two unforced errors.

Swiatek was forced to save break point with a monster serve but that was as close as Gauff came in the opener, the American committing 18 unforced errors to her opponent's five. 

Gauff improved at the start of the second set, but she was unable to match Swiatek's power and accuracy in the longer rallies and her frustration got the better of her in the third game, briefly breaking down in tears after a row with the umpire over an overruled out call. 

She recovered to go a break up thanks to a whipped forehand, but Swiatek hit straight back to level things then inched ahead as an overhead smash brought another break.

She failed to convert two match points in a back-and-forth game on Gauff's serve but that was just a temporary setback as Gauff sent a wild forehand wide on her fourth match point. 

Data Debrief: Swiatek emulates Navratilova

Swiatek's victory moved her to 8-2 versus top-10 seeds at grand slams. In the last 40 years, Martina Navratilova is the only other woman to manage eight wins in her first 10 such matches.

She will now be the heavy favourite when she faces Mirra Andreeva or Jasmine Paolini in the final.

Elena Rybakina suffered a stunning quarter-final exit from the French Open on Wednesday, an error-strewn performance being punished by Italy's Jasmine Paolini.

World number four Rybakina had been tipped to challenge Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka for the Roland Garros crown, but she only had herself to blame as her opponent reached her first career grand slam semi-final with a 6-2 4-6 6-4 victory.

The Kazakhstani did not look right from the get-go, committing a huge 16 unforced errors to Paolini's one in the opening set, during which the Italian only lost one point on her own serve.

It was more of the same at the start of the second set as a double fault allowed Paolini to clinch an early break with a ferocious cross-court backhand. 

Rybakina did steady the ship by breaking straight back, and she seemed to be in the ascendency when she kicked on to take the second set with two further breaks.

However, errors crept back into her game in a decider that began with four straight breaks of serve. Paolini grew in confidence again, breaking again then getting through a nervy final service game, a long forehand from Rybakina on match point summing up her performance.

Data Debrief: Late bloomer Paolini savours greatest win

Paolini's victory made her just the fifth player this century to make her first grand slam quarter-final at Roland Garros while aged 28 or older, after Elena Likhovtseva (2005), Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (2021) and fellow Italians Francesca Schiavone (2010) and Martina Trevisan (2022).

She will face either Mirra Andreeva or Sabalenka in the last four. With Jannik Sinner also flying the flag, this year's French Open will be the first in the Open Era to feature Italian semi-finalists in both the men's and women's draws.

Iga Swiatek soared into her fourth French Open semi-final after another statement victory over fifth seed Marketa Vondrousova.

The reigning Roland-Garros champion took just over an hour to complete a comprehensive 6-0 6-2 rout of the reigning Wimbledon champion on Court Philippe-Chatrier.

Swiatek has not looked back since surviving match point against Naomi Osaka in round two, wrapping up a dominant 6-0 6-0 humbling of Anastasia Potapova in the last 16.

She built on that momentum against a player she had beaten in each of their three previous meetings, including a 6-1 6-2 victory in round one on the way to winning her first French Open in 2020.

Indeed, Swiatek set the tone by winning 12 of the first 15 points then, following a lengthy fourth game, eight of the last 11 - and 11 from 14 overall on first serve - to draw first blood inside just 28 minutes.

It marked the second year running she had achieved three successive bagels at Roland-Garros, also doing so against Claire Liu and Xinyu Wang 12 months ago.

Vondrousova - the 2019 French Open finalist - had only dropped a single set on route to the quarter-finals, though she did stop the rot in game two of the second set.

That halted the Pole's run of 20 successive games won, but all it did was briefly delay the inevitable as she sailed into the last four, where Coco Gauff awaits.

Data Debrief: Swiatek matches Serena and Navratilova

Her latest bagel made Swiatek the first player since Serena Williams against Sara Errani in 2013 to win the opening set of a French Open quarter-final 6-0 against a top-10 opponent.

It also made fifth seed Vondrousova only the second top-10 player in the last four decades to concede multiple opening sets 6-0 at a single slam - after Kim Clijsters here in 2003.

Swiatek subsequently wrapped up her 33rd win in 35 matches at Roland-Garros - a tally only bettered by Chris Evert (34) after her opening 35 matches here.

That winning percentage of 94.2 per cent is only bettered in a single women's singles major during the Open Era by Margaret Court at the Australian Open (95.5 per cent, 21-1) and French Open (95.2 per cent, 20-1).

Speaking of greatness, the Pole has only dropped two games across her last two matches. That is the joint-most combined in the last 16 and quarter-finals in a single slam, matching Martina Navratilova's tally from the same stages of the 1989 US Open.

Coco Gauff is through to her second French Open semi-final, after coming from behind to deny Ons Jabeur on Court Philippe-Chatrier.

Runner-up to Iga Swiatek at Roland-Garros two years ago, the third seed recovered from losing her first set of the tournament to prevail 4-6 6-2 6-3 in just under two hours.

Gauff was a dominant 6-0 6-1 winner when she last met Jabeur at the 2023 WTA Finals, while also prevailing 6-3 6-1 in their 2021 French Open encounter.

However, it was the Tunisian - appearing in her second successive quarter-final at Roland-Garros - who struck first, breaking in game seven to move halfway towards a maiden semi-final at the clay-court major.

Gauff hit back with a vengeance and broke her opponent in three successive games to take the contest the distance on Chatrier.

The deciding set swung firmly in the American's favour when she broke to 30 in game during a hot streak in which she won 12 out of 15 points, before holding her own serve to prevail when Jabeur sent a forehand smash wide.

Data Debrief: Gauff matches Evert

Gauff continues to excel at the French Open, where her tally of 20 women's singles match wins before turning 21 is only bettered by Iga Swiatek (21), who she may face in the semi-finals.

Aged 20 years and 82 days old, she is the youngest woman to reach three or more successive major semi-finals since Maria Sharapova's run of four between 2006 and 2007. 

Gauff is also the third American women in the Open Era to reach multiple French Open semi-finals before the age of 21, matching the great Chris Evert and Andrea Jaeger.

As for her opponent, Jabeur is the second woman to lose successive completed Roland-Garros quarter-finals after winning the opening set, after Conchita Martinez (1992 and 1993).

Coco Gauff warned tennis must do more to protect player welfare after Novak Djokovic's remarkable late finish at the French Open on Saturday.

Djokovic edged a five-set thriller with Lorenzo Musetti, battling into the early hours of Sunday in Paris at Roland-Garros.

The third-round marathon finished at 3:08 a.m. local time in the French capital, shattering the tournament's previous latest finish of 1:25 a.m.

After overcoming Elisabetta Cocciaretto to reach the quarter-finals, Gauff lamented the late start times and the problems it could cause for both men and women's players.

"I feel like a lot of times people think you're done, but really at 3 a.m. [you're] probably not going to bed until 5 a.m. at the earliest, maybe 6 a.m. or 7 a.m.," said 2023 US Open women's champion Gauff.

"I definitely think it's not healthy.

"For the health and safety of the players, it would be in the sport's best interest to try to avoid those matches finishing or starting after a certain time."

The ATP and WTA tours brought a new ruling in January that matches cannot start after 11 pm local time.

That legislation does not apply to the four majors, though, and hits harder for the men playing best-of-five encounters.

World number one Iga Swiatek, who overcame Anastasi Potapova on Sunday, echoed Gauff's sentiment.

"It's not easy to play and it's not like we're going to fall asleep one hour after the match," said Swiatek.

"[Change] is not up to us. We need to accept anything that is going to come to us."

Iga Swiatek continues to dominate at the French Open, but the world number one is still learning to adapt to testing Roland-Garros conditions.

The four-time major winner coasted into the quarter-finals in Paris, hammering Anastasia Potapova 6-0 6-0 on Court Philippe-Chatrier.

Swiatek is only the third player in the Open Era to claim 6-0 6-0 victories at Roland-Garros in consecutive years, after Gabriela Sabatini (1992-93) and Mary Pierce (1993-94)

The triumph against world number 41 Potapova lasted just over 40 minutes, with Swiatek completely "in the zone" but perplexed by challenging conditions in the French capital.

"It felt the same but I was really focused and in the zone," she said on court. "I wasn't looking at the score so I continued working on my game.

"It was pretty weird, because of the fact we played really early, we felt the temperature would be similar.

"It doesn't feel like summer in Europe. We'll see what the weather is going to be like. The forecast is not precise. We'll see and we're good at adjusting."

Swiatek remains on course for her third consecutive French Open title and fourth in five years.

She won 48 of 58 points on Sunday, and is the first woman to record victory in 18 straight matches at a major since Serena Williams won the 2014 US Open.

After taking the titles in Madrid and Rome, Swiatek also has 16 consecutive wins overall – yet she is still seeking improvements.

"I'll use my coach's experience," she added. "He's more confident than me with my strings.

"The wind bounces, I have got used to it. I have a person who was a sailor in my team so we're good with that."

Iga Swiatek cruised into the French Open quarter-finals after thrashing Anastasia Potapova in a straight-sets victory on Sunday.

The world number one survived a third-round scare in a three-set thriller with Naomi Osaka, but had little trouble in making the last eight at Roland-Garros.

Swiatek did not drop a game en route to her fourth-round demolition of world number 41 Potapova on Court Philippe-Chatrier.

An expectant Paris crowd was treated to one-way traffic as Swiatek claimed the first set in 20 minutes, condemning Potapova to the dreaded bagel.

Further pain followed for Potapova as Swiatek wrapped up a 6-0 6-0 victory in just 41 minutes after a clay-court hammering.

Swiatek's victory sets up a quarter-final meeting with either Olga Danilovic or Marketa Vondrousova, the latter the fifth seed in the French capital.

Data Debrief: Swiatek on fire

Swiatek is now only the third player in the Open Era to claim 6-0 6-0 victories at Roland-Garros in consecutive years, after Gabriela Sabatini (1992-93) and Mary Pierce (1993-94).

The Pole has also claimed 13.6 per cent of her total sets played on clay at WTA level by a score of 6-0. Among players with 10+ 6-0 sets on the surface since 2000, that is the highest rate of any player in completed matches.

Iga Swiatek marked her 23rd birthday with a straight-sets victory over Marie Bouzkova at the French Open on Friday, maintaining her charge for a third successive Roland-Garros title.

Swiatek was pushed all the way by Naomi Osaka in her second-round match on Wednesday, but she enjoyed a far more serene outing on Court Philippe-Chatrier in the third round.

The world number one raced to a 6-4 6-2 win as Bouzkova struggled to match her heavy-hitting, and she could even afford to surrender one of her two breaks at the tail end of the opener.

Swiatek broke immediately at the start of the second set, setting the tone for a powerful finish to the match, her victory fittingly sealed with a thumping forehand up the line.

She will face Anastasia Potapova next up after the Russian overcame Wang Xinyu in three sets on Friday.

Data Debrief: Perfect celebration for Swiatek

Since the WTA rankings were first published in 1975, only two world number ones have won a match at Roland Garros on their birthday, Justine Henin in 2007 and Swiatek on Friday.

She is also the only player this century to reach the fourth round of the women's draw on each of her first six French Open appearances. 

French Open spectators will no longer be able to consume alcohol from the stands, tournament director Amelie Mauresmo has revealed.

The move has been made in a bid to end unruly behaviour within the crowd following a couple of incidents at Roland-Garros this week.

Reigning women's champion Iga Swiatek pleaded for supporters to keep quiet during points after her second-round victory over Naomi Osaka, while David Goffin had chewing gum spat at him in his win over Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard.

While alcohol will still be available on the concourses, Mauresmo says there will be tougher security measures in place to identify offenders, while umpires are encouraged to be stricter when calling for respect "to the players and to the game".

"First of all, we are happy people are very enthusiastic about watching tennis and being part of the matches, showing feeling and emotions," the tournament director said.

"But there are definitely steps which shouldn't go further. A few things have needed to be put in place. Alcohol has been allowed up until now in the stands - but that's over."

"Overstepping these two things is not something we will tolerate. If people want to show emotion, that's great and see how it happens. I'm an optimist and I think people will react in a good way. If not, we will take more measures."