Swiatek, Djokovic advance at French Open as second seed Rybakina exits

Paris – World number one Iga Swiatek and men's favorite Novak Djokovic navigated their second-round matches at the French Open on Wednesday, both advancing to the third round. Swiatek, a four-time champion at Roland Garros, defeated Czech teenager Sara Bejlek 6-2, 6-3. Djokovic, seeking a record-extending 25th Grand Slam singles title, overcame French player Valentin Royer 6-3, 6-2, 6-7(7), 6-3.

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It was a tricky match in terms of the rhythm, because Sara plays differently than most of the players.

The day, however, saw significant upsets in the women's draw. Second seed Elena Rybakina, the reigning Australian Open champion, was the highest-profile casualty, falling to Ukraine's Yuliia Starodubtseva 3-6, 6-1, 7-6(4). This marks the biggest win of Starodubtseva's career and her first over a top-10 opponent. "I feel like if you are trying to beat one of the best, you have to believe that you can beat the best," Starodubtseva commented after her victory.

Italian 13th seed Jasmine Paolini also made an early exit, losing to Argentina's Solana Sierra in a three-set battle. In other women's matches, Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva and Switzerland's Belinda Bencic secured their places in the third round. Chinese player Wang Xiyu advanced after her American opponent Hailey Baptiste retired due to injury during the first set.

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I feel like if you are trying to beat one of the best, you have to believe that you can beat the best.

On the men's side, second seed Alexander Zverev also progressed with a straightforward win over Czech player Tomas Machac. Two-time finalist Casper Ruud advanced after defeating Hamad Medjedovic. Djokovic acknowledged the challenging conditions, stating, "Clearly, the feelings on the court are different when you win a match, so it was a very important victory in conditions that weren't easy for both players." He also commended Royer for his performance, particularly in winning the third set.

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Clearly, the feelings on the court are different when you win a match, so it was a very important victory in conditions that weren't easy for both players.