Valentin Royer was next on Court Philippe-Chatrier to play Novak Djokovic as the fourth day of Roland Garros action kept moving in Paris. On another court, Elina Svitolina beat Kaitlin Quevedo and advanced to round three after a straight-talking win that she said began with a strong first set and ended with her holding firm when the match tightened.
Svitolina said she played really well in the opening set against Quevedo and knew the young American would get better as the match went on. She said she stayed strong and served it out nicely, a result that sent her through after a 6-0, 5-4, 7-6 finish marked by a brief wobble before she closed it out.
The win carried extra weight because Svitolina had already been pushed to the limit in round one, when she had to survive a match tiebreak against Bondar. She said that battle gave her confidence, and at this stage of a major it also does something harder to measure: it gets her straight into fighting mode and the tournament mindset she wants from the first ball.
That matters at Roland Garros because Svitolina knows the place well. She won the junior edition in 2010, a reminder of how long she has been coming to these courts, and how often Paris has been part of her story. She also said life away from tennis has changed her perspective, noting that she is married to the French guy and has a little daughter at home.
There is still a sharp edge to the run, though. Svitolina’s confidence comes from having already survived one difficult match, but Quevedo made her work for control in the second and third sets, showing why an early lead in Paris can disappear quickly. The contrast is what made the result meaningful: Svitolina did not cruise, and she did not need to. She absorbed the push, kept her nerve and moved on to face Korpatsch in round three.
For Royer, the moment was different but no less loaded. His place in the queue on Court Philippe-Chatrier put him at the center of the day’s main-stage action against Djokovic, while Svitolina’s progress reflected the quieter grind that usually decides the women’s draw. Together, the two matches captured what this day at Roland Garros has become: the biggest names waiting for their turn, and the players already through still having to earn every round the hard way.
