Daniil Medvedev dug deep to hold off Tomas Machac's threat in the French Open third round, claiming a 7-6 (7-4), 7-5, 1-6, 6-4 victory on Saturday.

Medvedev was pushed all the way to a first-set tie-break but took the opener, spurred on by an electric atmosphere on Court Suzanne Lenglen, before storming through the second.

Machac, who shocked Novak Djokovic in the Geneva Open semi-final last week, refused to back down, and soared through the third set, though he could not hold onto his building momentum.

With the prospect of a deciding set creeping closer, Medvedev rallied and held off a stubborn Machac, gaining a decisive break in the 10th game of the final set before a mistake from the Czech gifted him the victory.

Medvedev, who is chasing a second major, will face either Alex de Minaur or Jan-Lennard Struff in the fourth round.

Data Debrief: Medvedev hits form on clay

Medvedev has a win percentage of 76 per cent on clay since 2023 in ATP events, compared to just 44 per cent on the same surface between 2016 and 2022.

The world number five has now reached the round of 16 for the 15th time in his career at Grand Slams; only Marat Safin, Mikhail Youzhny and Yevgeny Kafelnikov have reached the fourth round more often in Grand Slams amongst Russians. 

Casper Ruud played twice on Saturday to win the Geneva Open, as he heads into Roland-Garros in fine form.

With his semi-final against Flavio Cobolli having been postponed on Friday due to rain, Ruud returned to the court to seal a 1-6 6-1 7-6 (7-4) victory.

The Norwegian was swiftly back in action in Switzerland, taking on Tomas Machac, who stunned Novak Djokovic on Friday, in the final.

And the world number seven made light work of Mahac, winning 7-5 6-3 to become the first three-time champion at the Geneva Open, which he also won in 2021 and 2022.

Data Debrief: Clay court specialist 

Ruud has now claimed an 11th ATP event title on clay since the start of the 2020 season.

He is the only player to win 10+ titles over that span on the surface, with Carlos Alcaraz (seven) the next best.

Novak Djokovic admits he is concerned by his performance levels this season ahead of launching his title defence at the French Open.

The world number one's wait for his first silverware of 2024 continued following a semi-final defeat by Tomas Machac in Geneva on Friday.

He also fell in the last four in Melbourne and Monte Carlo, while suffering a shock defeat at the hands of world number 123 Luca Nardi in the last 32 at Indian Wells.

Therefore Djokovic, who split from long-term coach Goran Ivanisevic earlier in the campaign, can be forgiven for not being full of confidence ahead of his latest quest for a record-breaking 25th grand slam singles title at Roland Garros.

"Of course, I am worried. I haven't been playing well at all this year," he said after his defeat to Machac.

"It's not enjoyment when you are suffering on the court feeling this way. You're not able to focus on tennis when you have other stuff happening. I just hope I can be fit and ready and prepared for Roland Garros.

"I don't want to take anything away from his win, he deserved it. I don't know what to think about this match, to be honest. I want to forget about it and move on to Paris.

"It was good that I could come here and play more than one match. I played three. I just need to feel better."

Djokovic will become the fourth man in the Open Era to make 20 or more main-draw appearances at the French Open when he begins his campaign against local wildcard Pierre-Hugues Herbert.

A run to the quarter-finals at Roland Garros - without walkovers - would see him surpass Roger Federer for the most singles match wins at majors.

Although, an early exit could see the 37-year-old surrender top spot in the ATP rankings, with world number two and reigning Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner breathing down his neck. 

"[I've had] some [good] matches here and there, but it is what it is," he added. "You have to accept it. I don't consider myself a favourite there. I'm going to take it match by match and see how far I can go."

Tomas Machac upset Novak Djokovic as he captured the biggest win of his career to deny the Serbian a place in the Geneva Open final.

Machac reached his first ATP Tour final with a 6-4, 0-6, 6-1 victory on Friday following a hard-fought contest.

Djokovic had control of the first set, storming into a 4-1 lead, but Machac rallied to take the opening set.

After receiving a medical time-out before the second set, Djokovic superbly won the second set without dropping a single game but faded in the decider.

Djokovic won the opener in the third, but Machac came from behind to seal the win in two hours and seven minutes. He will face Casper Ruud or Flavio Cobolli in the final on Sunday. 

Data Debrief: Final still out of Djokovic's reach

Despite making a strong start to the Geneva Open, fitness problems seem to have caught up with Djokovic ahead of the French Open later this month. 

He lost his second career match despite having won a set with a 6-0 scoreline (after Sam Querrey in the Paris Masters in 2012), and has failed to make a final in 2024.