Roland-Garros 2026 turns another day as players advance into the second week, but one stat quietly steals the air from every court: for the first time since 1968, no former Grand Slam champions reach the last 16. Behind the numbers, Naomi Osaka, Aryna Sabalenk
On Sunday, May 31, Roland-Garros 2026 is already feeling like a tournament that doesn’t wait for anyone.
On Chatrier. Alex Sharp opened with the opening match. then watched as football fan Flavio Cobolli delivered a dominant performance to defeat the USA’s Learner Tien. Afterward, the Italian wasn’t focused on the tennis anymore. He was more concerned with talking about that night’s upcoming Champions League final than the match he had just played.
Lenglen, meanwhile, carried its own kind of momentum. Chris Oddo started his morning there as Naomi Osaka — walking out in another spectacular outfit — met 18-year-old Iva Jovic. Osaka pushed her way through with a 7-6(5), 6-7(3), 6-4 win, securing a spot in the second week.
Oddo returned to Lenglen later, setting the stage for the treat that came with Moise Kouame’s meeting with Chile’s Alejandro Tabilo. Tabilo didn’t just advance — he earned his second week ticket with a fourth-set tiebreak, leaving the match decided in the tightest moments.
For all the drama on court, there was a broader kind of unease spreading through the men’s draw. Chris Oddo also perused the men’s draw. where the tournament’s most startling storyline has already taken root: for the first time since 1968. no former Grand Slam champions have made it through to the last 16.
That fact hangs over everything now. In a sport built on legacy, the draw keeps moving with a new kind of uncertainty — one where past titles don’t guarantee the next week.
Back on Chatrier, defending champion Coco Gauff took to the court to face Anastasia Potapova. Dan Imhoff had been at Lenglen for Aryna Sabalenka’s third-round match against Daria Kasatkina. watching Sabalenka move past Kasatkina. before he hotfooted it to Chatrier for Gauff’s match. Potapova put in a “scrappy yet defiant” performance, dashing Gauff’s hopes of a second consecutive title.
As the day shifted toward the night session under the lights on Chatrier. Felix Auger-Aliassime moved into the second week with a win over the USA’s Brandon Nakashima. It carried the weight of redemption too: FAA had earlier made a miraculous escape from German Daniel Altmaier in the first round. After the match, he called the result “a great evening for me and all Parisians.”.
Among the writing and wrap-ups, Victoria Chiesa put together the coverage, and Lee Goodall’s wrap catches it all — the wins, the upsets, the late-match nerves, and the growing sense that Roland-Garros 2026 is rewriting expectations before the tournament even settles into its deeper rounds.
The storyline heading into Sunday’s next wave is clear: players are advancing, rivalries are sharpening, and the tournament’s last-16 door is opening in a way no one has seen since 1968.
Roland-Garros 2026 RG Live Sunday May 31 Naomi Osaka Aryna Sabalenka Coco Gauff Anastasia Potapova Flavio Cobolli Iva Jovic Moise Kouame Alejandro Tabilo Felix Auger-Aliassime Brandon Nakashima last 16 1968
So wait nobody’s past winners made it to the last 16?? That’s kinda wild lol.
I don’t get how that happens, like where are all the former champions?? Did they all get injured or something? Also why is it talking about Champions League final in the tennis match article.
No former Grand Slam champions reach last 16 since 1968… so does that mean the tournament is rigged or just bad seeding? I feel like someone’s holding back the good players on purpose.
Naomi Osaka winning 7-6 6-7 6-4 sounds like she barely survived, but I guess that’s tennis now. Still, that “former champions not in last 16” stat makes me think it’s more about rankings than skill or something. Also I saw the name Iva Jovic and thought it was from the WNBA or whatever, so yeah I’m confused. Anyway, Roland-Garros always feels random to me, like one day it’s favorites and the next day it’s chaos.