Daria Kasatkina pays tribute to Australian fans after bowing out of French Open

A proud Daria Kasatkina says the embrace she has felt from Australia during her first grand slam under its flag was like nothing she had ever known in her tennis career.

Kasatkina finally bowed out at the French Open on Monday, beaten by the 18-year-old phenom and her fellow Russian-born friend Mirra Andreeva 6-3, 7-5 after what the victorious teenager rightly called a "hell of a match" in the fourth round at Roland-Garros.

Two months after being granted permanent residency, Kasatkina's hopes of becoming the first Australian woman to reach the quarterfinals since Ash Barty's triumphant year of 2019 fell short, but the 28-year-old said she enjoyed being the "last Aussie standing".

"It's been a good start," she said.

"First of all it's been a good result but also, I felt super good to step on the court as an Australian player.

"To feel the support from the stands so many times. I don't know if everyone who was screaming, 'Aussie', were from Australia, but I felt this support. Also, on social media I'm getting a lot of support from the Australians that they are so happy to welcome me, and they're happy for me.

"So this is the kind of support which I honestly didn't have before, it feels like it's something new to me — but it feels so nice."

When asked if everyone was now allowed to call her "an Aussie battler" after she had given the sixth seed a real scare with her second-set counterattack when she even earned a set point, Kasatkina offered a wry smile and replied: "If you want to …"

It was a tremendous match full of variety, like blitz chess between two all-court grandmasters, played in a fabulous spirit by two training partners.

Their 94-minute duel on Court Suzanne Lenglen ended with Kasatkina chucking her wristband jokingly at her conqueror at the net, while Andreeva informed the crowd tongue-in-cheek that she only practised with the Aussie because she hated her.

"Maybe we know each other too good, maybe we have to take a break in practising … no, I'm kidding," Kasatkina said.

The only other time they had played a match was in the final of last October's Ningbo Open in China, with Andreeva ending in tears and needing to be comforted by the player 10 years her senior after blowing a 3-0 lead in the final set.

Things have clearly changed. Andreeva has grown up. This time, she said it was easy to put friendship aside as she repelled Kasatkina's second-set surge when the world No.17 went from 3-1 down to 5-3 up, with a combination of the most extraordinary defensive resolve and some ferocious attacking shots.

All looked lost for Kasatkina at the start of the second, but she lived up to her promise that she was ready to "die on court" as she chased down seemingly impossible causes and even outlasted the youngster to win one remarkable 26-shot rally.

And that utter determination did give Andreeva problems as Kasatkina earned a set point on the youngster's delivery at 5-4, only to be deprived by a powerful forehand.

Once back level, Andreeva began to dictate. One piece of amazing retrieving also induced a dismal Kasatkina smash into the net, and enabled her to break to love, before she sealed the deal on her second match point when the Aussie hit a forehand long.

Andreeva has reached the quarters without dropping a set and is the youngest woman this century to achieve back-to-back last-eight appearances. Martina Hingis last did it in 1998.

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Asked if her input in practice might have helped Andreeva mature, Kasatkina said: "I hope not!"

But she did recognise a completely different force to the player she played in Ningbo.

"Well, she grew so much. I feel like she's taller and taller every single week, her serve's improving all the time and her movement is very good," she said.

Australian interest remains strong around the grounds, with world No.2 junior Emerson Jones through to the second round of the girls' event with a 6-1, 1-6, 6-2 win over American Capucine Jauffret.

Olympic men's doubles champions John Peers and Matt Ebden beat Italian fourth seeds Andrea Vavassori and Simone Bolelli 6-2, 7-6 (8-6) to make the quarter-finals.

Sinner dominates Rublev to reach quarters

Top-ranked men's player Jannik Sinner's latest dominant performance at the French Open was a 6-1, 6-3, 6-4 victory over No.17 Andrey Rublev to reach the quarterfinals and extend his Grand Slam winning streak to 18 matches.

Sinner is a three-time major champion who won the US Open last September and the Australian Open this January. Now he'll try to get to the semifinals at Roland-Garros for the second consecutive year and faces 62nd-ranked Alexander Bublik on Wednesday.

Sinner hasn't lost a set and has dropped a total of 30 games in Paris so far.

Sinner began somewhat slowly against Rublev under the lights at Court Philippe-Chatrier. Well, for four points, anyway. Rublev got two break points at 15-40 in the opening game, but Sinner erased those and was on his way.

He only faced one other break point the rest of the match and saved it, too.

Sinner finished the first set with 10 winners to just three unforced errors and kept the pressure on Rublev.

Emotional Bublik creates history for Kazakhstan

Alexander Bublik became the first man from Kazakhstan to reach the quarterfinals at a Grand Slam tournament, eliminating No.5 Jack Draper 5-7, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4.

The 27-year-old Bublik dropped to the court, smudging himself with the red clay, when he finished off the biggest win of his career.

"Sometimes in life, there is only one chance, and I had a feeling that that was mine and I couldn't let it slip," he told the crowd afterward.

"Standing here is the best moment of my life. Period."

Moments later, he joked: "I'm standing here like I won the thing."

Bublik managed to produce a total of 68 winners, 31 more than the left-handed Draper.

At No.62, Bublik is the lowest-ranked man to earn a pair of victories at Roland-Garros against opponents ranked in the top 10 since No.100 Andrei Medvedev in 1999. Bublik came back from a two-set deficit to defeat No.9 Alex de Minaur in the second round last week.

"I have a certain skill set to play tennis," Bublik said.

"And it worked marvelously today — 100 per cent one of the best days of my life and one of the best matches I have ever played in my life."

Djokovic notches win number 100 at the Roland-Garros

Novak Djokovic earned his 100th career French Open victory, a mark surpassed among men only by Rafael Nadal, by overwhelming Cam Norrie 6-2, 6-3, 6-2.

Djokovic hasn't ceded a set on his way to the quarterfinals this year at Roland-Garros, where he has won three of his 24 Grand Slam titles.

"I feel good. Every day, I have more expectations about my game, (and with) 12 sets played, 12 sets won, everything is solid and positive," Djokovic said.

The 38-year-old Serbian had a pair of three-match losing streaks this season but seems to be in top form lately, including collecting his 100th title at the Geneva Open the week before play began in Paris. He also beat Norrie in Geneva.

"He was solid today, and he didn't give me anything," Norrie said.

"Defending well, serving well, returning well and very sharp."

Next up for Djokovic is a matchup against No.3 seed Alexander Zverev.

"He definitely knows how to play tennis. He definitely knows what it means to be on the big stage and to play big matches," Zverev said about Djokovic.

"There is no doubt about that."

Djokovic improved to 100-16 at the French Open. Nadal, who retired at the end of last season, went 112-4 while winning a record 14 championships at the clay-court major.

Gauff wins but still cops jokes about forgetting her racquets

Coco Gauff earned her fifth consecutive trip to the French Open quarterfinals with a straight-sets victory, but she still is catching flak because she forgot to bring her racquets to a match earlier in the tournament.

The No.2-seeded Gauff, who won the 2023 US Open and was the runner-up in Paris in 2022, has been engaging in a bit of back-and-forth with another American and Roland-Garros quarterfinalist, Frances Tiafoe, over the equipment blunder.

Tiafoe teasingly called the 21-year-old Gauff "Mrs Mature."

Gauff's retort: "I feel like maybe just playing tennis, it forces you to grow up faster for some people. Maybe not him."

It was Tiafoe who first made that very mistake back in March, showing up for a match at the tournament in Indian Wells, California, without his racquets. He got plenty of ribbing on social media and from other players — including Gauff.

So when Gauff went to Court Philippe-Chatrier for her first-round match last week and opened her bag only to realise there weren't any rackets inside, the 27-year-old Tiafoe was only too happy to call her out.

"She was full out shaking her whole bag like it was an empty cookie jar on Chatrier. I was like, 'What are you doing?' … I'm going to keep ripping her for a long time. I've never seen someone (ranked No.2) in the world have zero things in her bag. That was incredible," Tiafoe said.

"That kind of thing is so big because it just makes everyone (realise) we're all human. People make mistakes, whether it's the team or her or whatever.

"That was a funny moment, especially (because) she tries to be Mrs Mature. That was great. I'm happy it happened to her. Hopefully it happens again."

Wild card wins through to the quarterfinals

Loïs Boisson never had played at the French Open, let alone in the biggest arena at Roland-Garros. Nothing fazed the French wild card entry and now she is in the quarterfinals.

Boisson, ranked 361st, threw her head back and roared after beating No.3 seed Jessica Pegula 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 on Court Philippe-Chatrier.

She is by far the lowest-ranked woman to beat someone ranked in the top five at the French Open in 40 years. The lowest previously in that span was No.179 Aniko Kapros, who eliminated No.5 Justine Henin in the first round in 2002.

Boisson also is the lowest-ranked woman to reach the quarterfinals at Roland-Garros since at least 1985.

Quite a victory, considering Pegula was the US Open runner-up last year. Understandably, Boisson was nervous as she served for the match and saved three break points.

After Pegula missed an easy-looking winner at the net and clutched her head in her hands, Boisson had her first match point, the biggest point of her career.

Pegula returned a strong serve to the back of the court, where Boisson unleashed a forehand winner down the line. She then raised her arms and realised the enormity of her win.

"Thank you to all of you," Boisson told the crowd in her post-match interview.

"Playing on this court with such an atmosphere was really incredible."

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