Elena Rybakina enters third round of French Open 2023 with win over Linda Noskova

Elena Ryabkina’s comfort on clay improved as she defeated another Czech teenager on Thursday to reach the third round at the French Open. The reigning Wimbledon champion and No. 4 seed at Roland Garros defeated 18-year-old Linda Noskova 6-3, 6-3 on Court Suzanne Lenglen. “I can’t say it’s been easy for me here. It’s just getting better and better every match,” Rybakina said on the court. She should have felt comfortable on the dirt after winning the Italian Open, but the 6-foot (1.8-metre) Kazakh is basing most of her faith on her height advantage.

“It is my good weapon,” she said, “but, at the same time, it is not easy to advance on clay. It always requires me to prepare and to be more patient during rallies.”

The Australian Open runner-up hit 30 winners to Noskova’s 16, although both players had 26 unforced errors. Moscow-born Rybakina, who beat Brenda Fruhvirtova in the first round, will next face Spain’s Sara Sorribes Tormo. Teenager Mira Andreeva’s Grand Slam debut just keeps getting better. The 16-year-old Russian beat Diane Parry of France 6-1, 6-2 to reach the third round and set up a potential matchup with Coco Gauff. Andreeva has lost just six games in two rounds.

rolling on @Roland Garros ,

No. 4 seed Elena Rybakina is in Round 3 for the third year in a row after defeating Noskova 6-3, 6-3!pic.twitter.com/tLlZFbBOvP— WTA (@WTA) June 1, 2023

No. 20 Madison Keys made 74 unforced errors on Court Simone Mathieu to lose 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 to fellow American Kayla Day.

Dey, who won the girls’ title at the 2016 US Open, is ranked 138 and came through qualifying to make her main-draw debut at Roland Garros. She defeated wild card Kristina Mladenovic of France in the first round.

Injuries and the coronavirus pandemic put Dey’s career on hold, she explained. “I tore my quad. I have broken my leg. I tore both labrums in my hip. So it was just very bad luck, one thing after another,” Day said. “Every time I tried to come back, it felt like something else would happen.” Later, defending champion and No. 1 seed Iga Swiatek Will face Claire Liu of the United States. Gauff – last year’s runner-up – takes on Austria’s Julia Grabar.

On the men’s side, two-time major finalist Casper Ruud, the No. 4 seed, reached the third round after defeating Italian Giulio Zapieri 6–3, 6–2, 4–6, 7–5. No. 18 Alex de Minaur of Australia lost to Tomas Martin Echeverri of Argentina 6-3, 7-6(2), 6-3.