Red-Dirt Revelry

Love-Love Letter #12 | May 26 - June 1

Your tennis cheat sheet — for fans who like the game, but don’t want to live on Tennis Twitter.

🌍 Where in the World Are We?

We just wrapped a truly remarkable first week of tennis at Roland Garros (aka the French Open) - the ultimate clay-court playground and one of the Big 4. Rallies are popping off like champagne corks at a Parisian soirée, aces are flying faster than this morning’s croissant delivery, and… you know what, two cheesy French puns is plenty.

What’s happening: We have four men (Alcaraz, Tiafoe, Paul, Musetti) and four women (Sabalenka, Swiatek, Zheng, and Svitolina) that have reached the quarterfinals while the second half of the Round of 16 kicks off today (see below for schedule) with Sinner, Zverev, Draper, Djokovic and Andreeva, Gauff, Pegula, Keys vying for spots. All in all, the ‘normal’ names are in play but they’ve needed to produce some world-class tennis to get here.

✅ Results You Should Know

Frances Tiafoe def. Daniel Altmaier 6–3, 6–4, 7–6 (4) (French Open R4)
💡 Why it matters: Tiafoe looked about as comfy on clay as flip-flops in the snow—until he didn’t. Twelve straight sets in his first four rounds at a major? Talk about peaking at the right time.

Carlos Alcaraz def. Ben Shelton 7–6 (8), 6–3, 4–6, 6–4 (French Open R4)
💡 Why it matters: A forehand clocked at 117 mph (one of the fastest ever hit?) and a four-hour slugfest that tested both men’s limits. Alcaraz’s clay resilience showed up when it counted.

Novak Djokovic def. Filip Misolic 6–3, 6–4, 6–2 (French Open R3)
💡 Why it matters: Djokovic at 38 is like fine wine—only getting better (and crushing 20-year-olds like Misolic). 0 sets dropped in his first three rounds.

Iga Świątek def. Elena Rybakina 1–6, 6–3, 7–5 (French Open R4)
💡 Why it matters: Swiatek trailed 1–6, 0–2, then rallied to extend her Paris run to 25 straight wins (that’s crazy). Despite some hiccups throughout this season, she’s still empress of Roland Garros.

Elina Svitolina def. Jasmine Paolini 4–6, 7–6 (6), 6–1 (French Open R4)
💡 Why it matters: Down match points in the second set, Svitolina clutched a 7–6 tiebreak and steamrolled 6–1 in the decider—Paolini was red-hot off her pre-Paris Italian Open title, but Svitolina’s late-match mojo was unreal.

Hailey Baptiste def. Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 7–6 (4), 6–1 (French Open R3)
💡 Why it matters: Baptiste had never made it past Round 2 at a major—now she’s riding rock-solid consistency into Round 4. Her poise under pressure (and that spotless service game) makes her one to watch.

🔥 Can’t-Miss Highlights

FYI some of the preview thumbnails may be blocked due to the video source, but the video will work just fine if you click into the YouTube link.

🎥 Alcaraz vs. Shelton
Honestly, just watch the whole thing. It’s all spectacular tennis.
▶️ Watch here

🎥 Djokovic’s Insane Overhead Defense
Some crazy scrambling from the 38-year-old to secure the first break of the match.
▶️ Watch here (start at 0:21)

🎥 Tiafoe Final Tiebreak
Watch the most critical points from the full third-set tiebreak where Tiafoe sealed the deal.
▶️ Watch here (start at 11:11)

📆 What to Watch For

Tuning into the French Open this year has never been easier and there are loads of great Roland Garros matches coming up:

• Max: All courts streaming—no match missed (highly recommend… soooo easy)

• TNT & truTV: Check your local listings

• Tennis Channel App: Nightly highlight show at 11 PM ET + select afternoon slots

🔍 What to Watch For (Monday, 6/2)

Men’s Round of 16
• Alexander Zverev vs. Tallon Griekspoor – ~7 AM ET (Court Suzanne-Lenglen)
Why tune in: Zverev needs a statement after shaky weeks; Griekspoor’s flat strokes could force Zverev out of rhythm.

• Cameron Norrie vs. Novak Djokovic – ~9 AM ET (Court Philippe-Chatrier)
Why tune in: Home-crowd favorite Norrie aims to shock Djokovic’s relentless rhythm—big test for Brit vs. the ever-stubborn Serb.

• Alexander Bublik vs. Jack Draper – ~11 AM ET (Court Suzanne-Lenglen)
Why tune in: Bublik’s unorthodox spins versus Draper’s power-punching style—expect clay-court fireworks and unpredictable point construction.

• Jannik Sinner vs. Andrey Rublev – ~2:15 PM ET (Court Philippe-Chatrier)
Why tune in: Two of the tour’s best hitters collide; can Sinner’s clay finesse outgun Rublev’s cannonballs?

Women’s Round of 16
• Coco Gauff vs. Ekaterina Alexandrova – ~5 AM ET (Court Philippe-Chatrier)
Why tune in: Gauff looked electric in R4; Alexandrova’s heavy baseline game could make this a true first-major test.

• Mirra Andreeva vs. Daria Kasatkina – ~5 AM ET (Court Suzanne-Lenglen)
Why tune in: Andreeva’s fearless clay ambition meets Kasatkina’s veteran craft—expect momentum swings and long, tactical rallies.

• Loïs Boisson vs. Jessica Pegula – ~7 AM ET (Court Philippe-Chatrier)
Why tune in: Home favorite Boisson has stunned fans all week—now she faces the steady, all-court prowess of a Top 5 seed.

• Madison Keys vs. Hailey Baptiste – ~9 AM ET (Court Suzanne-Lenglen)
Why tune in: Keys’s big-hitting baseline meets Baptiste’s first-time-major quarter hopes—a David vs. Goliath vibe with Goliath’s power.

Plan your coffee breaks and snacks accordingly—Paris waits for no one!

📰 Off-Court Happenings

Aren’t there enough on-court happenings this week for you? BUT - Paolini breaking up this fight among fans over her sweaty towel was pretty good:

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👗 An Outfit Worth Seeing

“This outfit is supposed to be for on-court, but I’m too shy to do it!”
Check out Zheng’s all-crimson look which is meant to pay homage to the original tennis style icon Suzanne Lenglen. The legendary French champion revolutionized on-court fashion with her signature calf-length pleated skirts and headbands—a look immortalized in the statue outside of the Roland-Garros stadium that bears her name.