Don’t look now, but here comes Zheng Qinwen.
Four-time Roland Garros champion Iga Swiatek — winner of 23 consecutive matches at the French Open — has grabbed most of the headlines, but Zheng finds herself in an enviable, oh-so comfortable spot.
Going back to last summer’s Paris Olympics, the 22-year-old from China has won eight consecutive matches at Roland Garros. On Friday, the singles gold medalist faces 18-year-old qualifier Victoria Mboko — winner of 42 professional matches this year — in an intriguing third-round matchup.
Roland Garros: Scores | Order of play | Draw
“The Olympic Games gives me a lot of strength,” Zheng told reporters in Paris. “I got a lot of inspiration from the win. That many matches was really difficult. I know what I’m capable to do through many fights.”
This is the first meeting of seeded players in the draw’s top-half. Here’s what’s on tap:
No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka vs. Olga Danilovic
Head-to-head: 1-0, a 6-4, 6-2 win for Sabalenka in the second round of qualifying seven years ago at the Madrid Open.
“I wouldn’t even watch that match, because we are completely different players,” Sabalenka said of that lone meeting. “Yeah, she’s doing well. I’m really excited facing her in the next round.”
Sabalenka is in fine form, dropping only five games in four sets against Kamilla Rakhimova and Jil Teichmann. Some 31 of Sabalenka’s 36 match-wins this year were in straights.
The World No. 1 has now won 49 Grand Slam matches since 2023, 10 more than the next best, Swiatek.
Danilovic is a case study in perseverance.
The 24-year-old lefty from Serbia lost in qualifying her first three times at Roland Garros, then broke through in 2022, qualifying and winning her first main-draw match. The next two years, she qualified and went one round further, reaching the Round of 16 last year, beating Danielle Collins, Donna Vekic and Martina Trevisan.
On Wednesday, Danilovic defeated Collins here for the second straight year, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4.
No. 4 Jasmine Paolini vs. Yuliia Starodubtseva
Head-to-head: 0-0.
Paolini’s 6-3, 6-3 win over Ajla Tomljanovic was her eighth straight victory, the longest streak of her career.
The Rome champion has won eight of her past nine matches at the French Open, going back to last year’s run to the finals. Sliced another way, her momentum in the Grand Slams has been building. Paolini has won more major matches over the past two years (22) than any player except Sabalenka (26).
Her calling card has been consistency, beating the players she’s supposed to beat. The 28-year-old Italian has won 18 of her past 19 matches against players outside the PIF WTA Rankings Top 70 — and Starodubtseva is currently No. 81.
Starodubtseva was an impressive 7-6(4), 6-2 winner over No. 37-ranked Anastasia Potapova.
No. 5 Iga Swiatek vs. Jaqueline Cristian
Head-to-head: 0-0.
After experiencing some turbulence in the previous three European red-clay events, Iga is doing Iga things again at Roland Garros. There were no signs of vulnerability in her first two straight-sets matches.
She’s looking to win her 24th consecutive match at the French Open, which would equal Justine Henin’s mark — and leave her chasing only Chris Evert (29) and Monica Seles (25). Swiatek said she’s worked through a negative mindset that held her back in Stuttgart, Madrid and Rome.
Cristian, a 26-year-old from Romania, was a 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 winner over qualifier Sara Bejlek. She’s coming off a championship final appearance in Rabat and has won six of her past seven matches.
No. 8 Zheng Qinwen vs. qualifier Victoria Mboko
Head-to-head: 0-0.
Zheng has won 15 matches on the WTA Tour this year. We mention this because, by contrast, the 18-year-old Mboko has already amassed those 42 victories — in a span of about 20 weeks. And while the majority of those came at ITF level, there’s something to be said for momentum and the confidence it brings.
Playing in her first Grand Slam main-draw, Mboko has won all five of her matches, including qualifying, in straight sets. After defeating Eva Lys 6-4, 6-4 to advance to the third round, Mboko was asked about the prospect of playing the reigning Olympic gold medalist.
“I feel like I’m not really so focused on it right now,” Mboko said matter-of-factly. “Of course my next opponent, she’s a really good player, and I know it’s going to be a very difficult match for me. I just finished my match not that long ago, so I’m still trying to settle down a little bit and keep it relaxed.”
Said Zheng, “I think every time I see young player coming, they have a lot of hungry, for sure. They fight a lot, for sure, because it’s their dream place. But same as me, it’s my dream place too.”
Zheng, who was a 6-2, 6-3 winner over Emiliana Arango, has won 19 of her past 20 matches against players ranked outside the Top 50. Mboko is at No. 120.
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No. 12 Elena Rybakina vs. No. 21 Jelena Ostapenko
Head-to-head: 3-2, Rybakina. After dropping the first two outings to Ostapenko, Rybakina is 3-0, all occurring in 2023.
Rybakina is looking for her seventh straight win on clay after taking the Strasbourg title last week, her first in more than a year. She defeated 17-year-old wild card Iva Jovic 6-3, 6-3.
Ostapenko, the 2017 champion at Roland Garros, was a 5-7, 6-3, 6-3 winner over Caroline Dolehide.
No. 16 Amanda Anisimova vs. No. 22 Clara Tauson
Head-to-head: 0-0.
This is a compelling matchup of two ascendant young players with tournament wins this year.
Anisimova won the title at the WTA 1000 in Doha. The 23-year-old has won seven of her 11 matches on clay. Six years ago, she was a semifinalist at Roland Garros — her best result in a Grand Slam.
Tauson, 22, took the title in Auckland back in January and reached her first WTA 1000 final in Dubai. She defeated Top 10 player Emma Navarro in Rome and was a 7-6(2), 7-5 second-round winner over Arantxa Rus.
Other notable matches:
No. 13 Elina Svitolina vs. Bernarda Pera
No. 19 Liudmila Samsonova vs. Dayana Yastremska