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Lorenzo Sonego rallied from two sets to love down for the first time in his career on Friday, when he battled past World No. 7 Andrey Rublev 5-7, 0-6, 6-3, 7-6(5), 6-3 at Roland Garros.

In an epic clash, the Italian showed an abundance of spirit and quality, hanging in points against the big-hitting Rublev to earn his sixth Top 10 win. After losing the first two sets, Sonego started to play more aggressively, using his forehand to open up the court against Rublev, who lost from two sets to love up for the first time.

"It is a miracle," Sonego said. "I played my best tennis today. It was tough after one hour when I was two sets down. It was an incredible comeback today. Thanks for all the support.

"I played more aggressively. When he is aggressive, it is tough to compete. I tried to do my best on serve and I had to play more aggressive at the net. I played every point with the right attitude."

Into the fourth round at a major for the third time, Sonego will next play 11th seed Karen Khachanov.

Defending Roland Garros champions Marcelo Arevalo and Jean-Julien Rojer cruised into the third round in Paris on Thursday with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Nicolas Barrientos and Robert Galloway.

The third seeds were forced to battle in the first round against Stefanos Tsitsipas and Petros Tsitsipas, whom they ultimately outlasted in a final-set tie-break. Their second-round clash was more straightforward — they did not face a break point.

Arevalo and Rojer will next play 13th seeds Jamie Murray and Michael Venus, who defeated Colombians Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah 6-1, 7-5. Venus won the Roland Garros title in 2017 alongside Ryan Harrison.

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In other second-round action, fifth seeds Lloyd Glasspool and Harri Heliovaara squeaked by Ilya Ivashka and Alexei Popyrin 7-6(3), 7-5. Tenth seeds Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos ousted Simone Bolelli and Fabio Fognini 6-0, 6-3.

Is this the fortnight Alexander Zverev wins his first major title?

The German maintained his impressive record at Roland Garros on Thursday when he cruised past Slovakian Alex Molcan 6-4, 6-2, 6-1 to reach the third round for the seventh time.

In a dominant display, Zverev opened his shoulders to hit through Molcan, striking 42 winners in the night session on Court Philippe-Chatrier to advance after one hour and 58 minutes in their first ATP Head2Head meeting.

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Zverev is a two-time semi-finalist in Paris, having suffered a right ankle injury against Rafael Nadal in the last four last year. Twelve months on and the 26-year-old is fully fit and firing again at Roland Garros, where he will meet Frances Tiafoe in the third round. The 12th-seeded American downed Madrid semi-finalist Aslan Karatsev 3-6, 6-3, 7-5, 6-2 to advance to the third round for the third time.

Third-round action commences on Friday at Roland Garros, where Top 5 stars Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic and Stefanos Tsitsipas continue their title quests at the clay-court major.

ATPTour.com previews some of the best third-round matchups to watch in the top half of the singles draw on Day 6 in Paris.

[1] Carlos Alcaraz (ESP) vs. [26] Denis Shapovalov (CAN)

Possessing an explosive game, the Canadian has the ability to hit through Alcaraz, who will look to use his variety to disrupt the 24-year-old. Shapovalov struck a combined 88 winners in his victories against Brandon Nakashima and Matteo Arnaldi earlier this week to reach the third round in Paris for the first time. He was full of praise for Alcaraz when asked about the Spaniard ahead of their meeting.

“I'm a huge, huge fan of his,” Shapovalov said. “He's super humble for achieving what he has at such a young age. You can see how much he enjoys being on the court and the situations that are coming to him. He is not in an easy spot being No. 1 and so young and with so much noise around him. I really look up to him.”

Alcaraz, who advanced to the quarter-finals last year, takes a 32-3 season record into the Court Philippe-Chatrier night session match.

After five hours and 26 minutes of brutal hitting, Jannik Sinner’s European clay swing came to an end on Thursday when he fell in five sets against Daniel Altmaier at Roland Garros.

Sinner was disappointed with his second-round defeat but was keen to focus on the bigger picture.

“I had my opportunities. I couldn't find a right way how to win the points,” said Sinner, who squandered two match points in the fourth set. “I was a little bit unfortunate at some points. But this is the sport. I will come back stronger.

“I knew it was a tough last two tournaments. I put a little bit too much expectations or pressure [on myself], it's part of the game. I feel like the season is going good. I played a lot of matches… It is a tough one to swallow, but I [will] keep going.”

Sinner leaves Roland Garros holding an 8-3 record on clay in 2023. The eighth seed advanced to the semi-finals in Monte-Carlo but struggled to find his best level in Paris and Rome, where he lost in the fourth round.

Editor's note: This story was translated from ATPTour.com/es.

Novak Djokovic will take to court at Roland Garros on Friday knowing that his opponent won their last match.

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina beat the Serbian in Monte-Carlo in April last year in an intense three-set clash. The two players meet again on Friday in Paris as they both chase a place in the third round of the season’s second Grand Slam.

"It’s completely different to Monte-Carlo,” said the World No. 34 Davidovich Fokina. “Here it’s five sets, and there he’d hardly played any matches... We all know what Djokovic is like. He’s a legend. Playing against him will be an honour, as will returning to [Court] Philippe-Chatrier.

“I’m going to be ready. I’m playing at a good level, I’ve been very relaxed for two matches, competing at a high level. I can’t wait to keep doing that for another match.”

Daniel Altmaier sprung a second-round upset of Jannik Sinner in dramatic fashion on Thursday at Roland Garros, where the World No. 79 came back from the brink to secure a 6-7(0), 7-6(7), 1-6, 7-6(4), 7-5 marathon victory.

Altmaier saved two match points on Sinner’s serve at 4-5 in the fourth set on Court Suzanne-Lenglen and then held his nerve impressively to triumph in a remarkable decider. Despite failing to serve out the match at 5-4 and Sinner saving four match points in a nail-biting final game, the 24-year-old German dug deep to earn a five-hour, 26-minute victory and reach the third round at the clay-court major for the second time.

“Playing every point you can with the best effort, that’s what keeps you in reality,” said Altmaier, when asked how he had kept his cool to save Sinner’s match points. “I was just thinking that, and the competition says it all. We’ve had historic matches with so many match points… I don’t know if you can call this an ‘historical’ match, but I think it was one to remember.”

After a promising start in which Altmaier split a pair of tie-break sets with Sinner, the German appeared to have run out of steam as the his higher-ranked opponent reeled off five games in a row to charge to the third set. Altmaier’s fourth-set escape act and fifth set heroics demonstrated his high endurance levels, however, as he claimed the first five-set win of his career.

In the longest match at Roland Garros since Lorenzo Giustino's six-hour, five-minute win against Corentin Moutet in 2020, Altmaier went toe to toe with the eighth seed Sinner from the baseline throughout. He delivered a series of spectacular winners with his stylish one-handed backhand and was also clinical at the net, winning 78 per cent (38/49) of points when he moved forward.

Daniel Altmaier earned one of the biggest upsets of this year's Roland Garros on Thursday when he stunned eighth seed Jannik Sinner in five gruelling sets over the court of five hours and 26 minutes.

ATPTour.com looks at five things to know about the 24-year-old German.

His Idols Were Roger Federer & Stan Wawrinka
When fans watch Altmaier play, they will quickly notice his one-handed backhand. It is fitting that his idols growing up were Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka.

“Thank you for everything! You inspired everyone around the world ? and been a role model not only as an athlete but even more as a person!” Altmaier wrote on Instagram when Federer retired.

Casper Ruud continues to build early momentum at Roland Garros.

The fourth seed overcame a spirited second-round challenge from Giulio Zeppieri on Thursday at the clay-court major, where he downed the Italian qualifier 6-3, 6-2, 4-6, 7-5 on Court Philippe-Chatrier.

Ruud delivered a high-class all-around display for much of the three-hour, four-minute encounter, although Zeppieri deployed his gritty lefty game to good effect to gain a foothold in the match and clinch the third set. The Norwegian’s consistently deep groundstrokes proved decisive to his victory as he converted five of 13 break points overall to reach the Roland Garros third round for the fifth year in a row.

“It was a tough match,” said Ruud in his on-court interview. “I started well, got a break early and served well myself. That’s the beauty of best-of-five sets. In a normal match I would have won 6-3, 6-2, but here you have the chance to fight like he did. He played much better in the third set and the fourth set, and it became very tough.

“In the end there also, I served for the match, and he played well, and it gets pretty physical out here. So, I’m very happy to come through and not having to play a fifth set was nice today. I have extra time to recover for my next match.”

“Who were you thinking of?”

That question was asked of Genaro Alberto Olivieri, the No. 231 player in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, after he earned his first tour-level win on Tuesday at Roland Garros. It was also his first victory in a major, which he earned by beating Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard 7-6 (3), 4-6, 4-6, 7-5, 6-1.

The answer to the question was both clear and touching, but also painful.

“My father, who died during the pandemic,” answered the Argentine. “He was my sidekick, the person who helped me in every way — psychologically, emotionally… Then he started to learn a little more about tennis and he would even help me with that. I always remember him. I hope he is now watching everything that is happening to me this week and that he has an even bigger smile than I do.”

In February 2021, while the COVID-19 pandemic was still in full force around the world, Olivieri travelled to Turkey, where he shared a room with current World No. 64 Pedro Cachín. Before returning to Barcelona, Cachín tested positive and both players and their teams had to isolate until they tested negative.

The Roland Garros second-round action draws to a close on Thursday as top names seek to continue their progress in Paris. Top 10 stars Jannik Sinner and Casper Ruud and two-time semi-finalist Alexander Zverev, who all enjoyed straight-sets opening wins, are among those in action in the bottom half of the singles draw.

ATPTour.com previews some of the second-round matchups to watch on the Day 5 schedule in Paris.

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[8] Jannik Sinner (ITA) vs. Daniel Altmaier (GER)

Sinner and Altmaier’s only previous ATP Head2Head meeting was a five-set thriller at the 2022 US Open. It was Sinner who prevailed on the hard courts of New York, and the eighth-seeded Italian with the big-hitting baseline game will feel confident of backing up that victory after he cruised past Alexandre Muller for the loss of just six games in the first round in Paris on Tuesday.

The World No. 79 Altmaier has his own reason to be confident, however. He reached his maiden ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final in Madrid in April and has pedigree at Roland Garros, where he reached the fourth round as a qualifier in 2020. Can the German rouse his best level to spring a big upset on Court Suzanne-Lenglen?

Gael Monfils announced Wednesday evening his withdrawal from Roland Garros due to a left wrist injury.

The announcement came less than 24 hours after the Frenchman produced a magical late-night performance on Court Philippe-Chatrier in the first round against Sebastian Baez. Monfils was scheduled to play sixth seed Holger Rune on Thursday evening for a place in the third round.

“Actually, physically, I'm quite fine. I was quite happy this morning. I woke up quite good, but I had the problem with my wrist that I cannot solve,” Monfils said in a press conference. “Felt it during the match, actually the whole match [yesterday]. And unfortunately even [though] we pushed it ’til tonight, just came back again for another exam, and yes, waited a little bit.

“The doctor said [it] was not good to play with that type of injury. Yesterday was actually very risky, and then today definitely said I should stop.”

The injury is to the TFCC of his left wrist. Monfils is unsure exactly how long he will be out, but is hopeful of returning for the grass-court season.

Fresh off their first title of the season in Lyon, Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury overcame a slow start Wednesday in their opening-round match at Roland Garros.

The second seeds defeated Hugo Dellien and Guido Pella 2-6, 6-1, 6-4 after winning 29 of 40 first-serve points. Ram and Salisbury are aiming for their fourth major team title this fortnight. In 2022, the American-British duo triumphed in Monte-Carlo, Cincinnati, at the US Open, and at the Nitto ATP Finals. They will next play Lloyd Harris and Raven Klaasen or Roberto Carballes Baena and Jaume Munar.

It was a historic day for Marcelo Melo, who earned his 600th tour-level victory when he partnered John Peers past William Blumberg and Miomir Kecmanovic 5-7, 6-3, 6-4. The Brazilian Melo is the ATP Tour’s active doubles wins leader.

Fourth seeds and last year’s Roland Garros finalists Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek also advanced after they escaped Sebastian Baez and Guillermo Duran 7-6(3), 3-6, 7-6(10-4). The Argentine Baez was returning to court after a three-hour, 47-minute singles marathon Wednesday night, when home favourite Gael Monfils defeated the 22-year-old in a five-setter that went until 12:18 a.m.

Editor's note: This story was translated from ATPTour.com/es

In 2022, Casper Ruud was one win away from becoming the No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. That was not the Norwegian’s only achievement in a season that included three titles (Buenos Aires, Geneva and Gstaad) and a further four championship matches: in Miami and at Roland Garros, the US Open, and the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin.

It was the best year of Ruud’s career, and something of a double-edged sword for 2023; this season, Ruud is facing the challenge of defending his haul of Pepperstone ATP Ranking points.

“We knew it would be a difficult year, although we believed he had the level to repeat everything he did in 2022,” explained Pedro Clar-Rossello, Ruud’s coach, after the fourth seed’s first-round win against Elias Ymer on Tuesday at Roland Garros. “Always playing at the top level is not easy. This year, the preseason was a little different, but we thought he would start the year well. In the first tournaments that was not the case, and it led to a slight loss of confidence.”

At the beginning of the season, Ruud won one match and lost his other at the United Cup, fell at the first hurdle in Auckland and at the second at the Australian Open and in Acapulco, Indian Wells and Miami.

Novak Djokovic overcame a pulsating first-set challenge from Marton Fucsovics before accelerating to an ultimately comfortable 7-6(2), 6-0, 6-3 second-round victory on Wednesday at Roland Garros.

The third seed let slip a 5-2 lead in the opening set as an inspired Fucsovics roared back into contention early on Court Philippe-Chatrier. The World No. 83 went toe to toe with Djokovic in a series of thrilling exchanges under the lights in Paris, but the 22-time major champion stepped up a gear to comfortably claim the tie-break.

It was largely plain sailing for Djokovic from then on, as he broke Fucsovics’ serve seven times across the second and third sets to complete a two-hour, 44-minute victory. Djokovic struck the ball with power and depth off both wings throughout, a positive sign for the 36-year-old as he bids for a record 23rd major crown this fortnight.

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As opposed to any lapse from Djokovic, a sublime streak of returning from Fucsovics was the basis for his first-set recovery. The Hungarian carved out nine break points in the set but converted only one as Djokovic repeatedly repelled him with precise serving at key moments.

“Every time after a good tournament or sometimes a bad tournament, we’d go out to McDonald’s!”

Denis Shapovalov may have some go-to restaurants around the world, but the 24-year-old has long enjoyed a post-tournament visit to the icon American-based hamburger chain, he revealed to ATP Uncovered in the latest edition of the ‘What I Eat’ series.

What does the Canadian eat before matches? Does he prefer a cappuccino or a latte? What does he indulge in when he’s not competing at a tournament? Shapovalov answered it all.

Watch the full video above to hear his funny answer when asked if he likes vegetables and more about what the World No. 32 generally eats.

Marcelo Melo added another achievement to his milestone-filled career on Wednesday at Roland Garros. The Brazilian, the ATP Tour’s active doubles wins leader, earned his 600th tour-level victory when he partnered John Peers past William Blumberg and Miomir Kecmanovic 5-7, 6-3, 6-4.

“When I achieved 500, I thought it was crazy already,” Melo told ATPTour.com. “Now to achieve 600 it's even more crazy, so I'm very happy with that.”

The 39-year-old has shown great consistency for nearly two decades to reach the milestone. Melo has been inside the Top 50 of the Pepperstone ATP Doubles Rankings since 9 July 2007.

But the former doubles World No. 1 had not been overthinking the possibility of reaching 600 wins.

“Two or three weeks ago, I was checking how many matches because I was looking to see how many matches [I had played] because I'm about to get 1,000 matches,” said Melo, who is 12 matches from reaching that mark. “So I was looking to see, maybe I would achieve it, and then I saw I was 599. But then I completely forgot. After I finished the match, I did not even remember.”

Carlos Alcaraz recovered from a mid-match dip at Roland Garros on Wednesday to book his spot in the third round in Paris for the third consecutive year.

After clinching the opening set, the top seed suffered a loss of concentration in the second set against Taro Daniel. However, the 20-year-old quickly improved his level to advance past the Japanese star 6-1, 3-6, 6-1, 6-2.

Alcaraz, who is the top seed at a major for the first time, used his variety to pull Daniel around and showed smooth court coverage to improve to 32-3 on the season after two hours and 25 minutes.

"Taro was playing great. He is a really tough player and this year he has won matches against great players," Alcaraz said. "The conditions were tough and it was really, really tough, but you have to adjust your game as best as you can. I was really focused on every shot. I played a great level and happy with the win."

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Thanasi Kokkinakis showcased all the spirit, persistence and determination required to defeat a Roland Garros champion at the clay-court major on Wednesday, where the Australian took out Stan Wawrinka 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-7(4), 6-3.

Kokkinakis had turned a set-and-a-break deficit into a two-sets-to-one advantage on Court Simonne-Mathieu, but the 2015 winner Wawrinka raced to an ultimately unassailable 5/0 lead in the fourth-set tie-break to force a deciding set in front of an enraptured crowd.

The 27-year-old Kokkinakis recaptured the momentum by charging to a 4-0 lead in the decider, before Wawrinka rallied again. In a dramatic final game at 5-3, the Swiss saved four match points after fighting back from 40/0 down on return, but he was powerless to stop the fifth as Kokkinakis dug deep to claim victory in a four-hour, 38-minute epic.

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Having lost in another five-set marathon against another three-time major champion, Andy Murray, at January’s Australian Open, Kokkinakis was delighted to come out on top against Wawrinka as he sealed victory by hitting 51 winners and converting five of 14 break points he earned.

Stefanos Tsitsipas reached the third round at Roland Garros for the fifth consecutive year on Wednesday when he overcame Spaniard Roberto Carballes Baena 6-3, 7-6(4), 6-2 to earn his 20th win at the clay-court major.

Chasing his first major title, the 2021 finalist Tsitsipas was in control for large periods on Court Suzanne-Lenglen. The Greek demonstrated great footwork to dictate on his forehand, hitting with heavy topspin to force Carballes Baena deep.

"I like the bounces and the way the ball [moves] when it is sunny like this," Tsitsipas said when asked about the lively conditions. "There were a few instances this year where it rained a little bit and did not suit me as much, but I really enjoy sunny days like this."

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Tsitsipas overpowered the World No. 57 in the first and third sets, and recovered from dropping serve twice in the second set, winning a tight tie-break. With his two-hour, 16-minute victory, Tsitsipas set a third-round meeting against Diego Schwartzman or Nuno Borges.