Sinner advances on day of upsets and drama in men’s draw

French Open 2025

Location: Roland Garros, May 25 – June

On day five of the French Open, Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic had five-set thrillers, significant upsets, and an emotional farewell.

As he brought the curtain on Frenchman Richard Gasquet’s career and advanced to the third round, the world’s number one Sinner was ruthlessly effective.

Djokovic, the sixth seed, was overcome by Corentin Moutet, who had a blister that would end his record-breaking 25th Grand Slam singles triumph.

Sinner, an Italian champion for three consecutive years, extended his winning streak to 63 matches against players outside the top 20.

23 years after Gasquet made his Roland Garros debut, he made a final bow in his playing career.

Although Sinner won 6-3, 6-0, and 6-4 over Gasquet, the Frenchman addressed the envious crowd and presented a commemorative trophy.

“I’ve been thinking a lot about this day, and I’m hoping it never arrives,” Gasquet said.

Djokovic, 38, defeated France’s Moutet 6-3, 6-2, 7-6 (7-1) later in the day, continuing his recent strong form.

Djokovic returned to Roland Garros after claiming his 100th ATP singles title in Geneva last week, and he kept his form against Moutet, who won in less than three hours.

In a tight third set, Djokovic only needed a medical timeout for a blister on his left foot.

After saving a crucial point to make the tie-break, the Serb advanced to victory.

With the blister, things got a little complicated, Djokovic said. That initially irritated me a little.

But I don’t believe it will cause me any trouble to overcome.

In a five-set marathon fight, Filip Misolic will face him after beating Denis Shapovalov, the 27th seed of Canada.

On Thursday, world number nine Alex De Minaur, the reigning world number nine, and Czech 19th seed Jakub Mensik both won the first two sets and were eliminated from Roland Garros.

De Minaur, a talented but frequently temperamental payer, fell to 62nd-ranked Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan, who was 2-6, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2.

Bublik later claimed he had already accepted defeat before launching a comeback.

I had the thought “I was checking the tickets [home] already.” In some ways, I didn’t care much. The 27-year-old said, “I was like I will accept the loss.”

For me, it was a little premature. In the first two sets, I struggled a little. Therefore, it was crucial to get up and then engage in one of the best Slam contests of my life.

Henrique Rocha, Portugal’s top 200 overall, will take on Bublik, who surprisingly defeated Mensik.

Despite being unable to move at one point due to a back injury, Home hope Arthur Fils made it through a grueling four-and-a-half-hour contest with Spain’s Jaime Munar.

The 20-year-old looked down and out after the third set after getting treated during the third and fourth sets.

The 14th seed, however, rallied from a break down in the decider to compete victory after taking painkillers and being wildly enthralled by the French supporters.

Fils ripped off his shirt as he celebrated his 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-4) 2-6 0-6 6-4 victory on Court Suzanne Lenglen, and he savored the cheers from the crowd.

This is “Fils said, my best match of all time.”

The best five-set match I’ve ever played is the best one that I’ve ever had, despite my previous struggles. This game was a possibility for me to lose.