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A chaotic Thursday (May 30) at the 2024 French Open saw quite a few casualties on Day 5. After most of the matches were put on hold due to heavy downpours on Wednesday (May 29), 68 matches were scheduled on Thursday.
Casper Ruud and Holger Rune were pushed to five sets but managed to sneak past their opponents. Defending champion Novak Djokovic eased past Roberto Carballes Baena in straight sets.
Aryna Sabalenka notched up her ninth straight win at the Majors this year. Top-10 players Elena Rybakina and Zheng Qinwen also joined her in the third round. However, not all the big names made it through.
Here's a look at the most prominent names to be eliminated on Day 5 of the 2024 French Open:
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#5 - Jozef Kovalik beat (18) Karen Khachanov 4-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4
Khachanov was on course for a routine win over Kovalik after claiming the first two sets but the latter had other plans. The Slovak raised his level to stage a memorable comeback and record the best result of his career.
Kovalik lost in the qualifying rounds but got a second shot as a lucky loser, entering the main draw of a Major for the first time since the 2020 US Open. His first-round win over Marcos Giron was his first at a Major, and he has backed it up with an impressive win over Khachanov. He will take on Rune in the next round.
#4 - Clara Tauson beat (9) Jelena Ostapenko 7-6 (4), 4-6, 6-3
Tauson ousted former French Open champion Ostapenko to make the third round in Paris for the second year in a row. She narrowly edged out her opponent to take the first set but the Latvian fought back to capture the next set.
Ostapenko led by a break twice in the decider and it looked like she would complete the comeback. However, Tauson flipped the script to hand the Latvian another early exit from the tournament where she had her biggest triumph. The Dane will next face another Major champion, Sofia Kenin, in the third round.
#3 - Mirra Andreeva beat (19) Victoria Azarenka 6-3, 3-6, 7-5
Teen sensation Andreeva got another big win under her belt by getting the better of former World No. 1 Azarenka. After splitting the first two sets between them, the third set had plenty of momentum shifts as both players struggled to hold serve.
Andreeva cleaned up her act towards the end to defeat Azarenka and reach the third round of the French Open once again. She will take on Peyton Stearns in the next round. Stearns caused an upset of her own with a 7-5, 6-2 win over 10th seed Daria Kasatkina, a former semifinalist at the venue.
#2 - Denis Shapovalov beat (25) Frances Tiafoe 6-7 (4), 6-4, 6-2, 6-4
Tiafoe's woeful season continued with another quick exit as Shapovalov brought an end to his singles campaign. The American struggled in the first round against Mattia Bellucci but got over the finish line in five sets.
Tiafoe started strong against Shapovalov, though he couldn't sustain the momentum and got outplayed by his opponent. He's still in the mix in doubles and has teamed up with Dustin Brown.
As for Shapovalov, he has matched his career-best result at the French Open by reaching the third round. He'll aim to go beyond this stage for the first time but eighth seed Hubert Hurkacz stands in his way.
#1 - Olga Danilovic beat (11) Danielle Collins 6-7 (5), 7-5, 6-4
Danilovic caused the upset of the day as she one-upped the in-form Collins. The latter played some amazing tennis over the past couple of months, winning titles in Miami and Charleston, reaching the final in Strasbourg, and the semifinals in Rome.
Danilovic came through the qualifiers and knocked out 2022 French Open semifinalist Martina Trevisan in the first round. She was the underdog against Collins but proved right from the start that she wasn't going out without a fight.
Collins nabbed a closely fought first set to take the lead. She overcame a 3-1 deficit in the second set to go 5-3 up and even served for the match at 5-4. However, Danilovic turned the tables on her to snatch the set.
The Serb was the better player in the third set and was rewarded for his efforts in the end. She has now made the third round of a Major for the first time in her career. She will take on Donna Vekic for a place in the fourth round of the French Open.
