Cobolli sweeps Tien aside as Svajda eliminates Fran Cerúndolo, the two meep up in fourth round
Flavio Cobolli (No 10) beat Learner Tien 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 in 2h 12min on Chatrier – into the Roland-Garros round of 16 for the first time, no sets dropped all tournament. American Zachary Svajda, the world No. 85, beat Francisco Cerúndolo (No 25) 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 6-3 in five to reach his first Grand Slam round of 16.
Flavio Cobolli, Roland-Garros 2026 | © Ch. Caillaud / PsNewz
Flavio Cobolli, the 10th seed, beat Learner Tien 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 on Court Philippe-Chatrier on Saturday to reach the round of 16 at Roland-Garros for the first time in his career. Some minutes later, on Court 7, Zachary Svajda – the 21-year-old American world No. 85 — beat 25th-seeded Argentinian Francisco Cerúndolo 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 6-3 to set up a fourth-round meeting against the Italian, completing the dismantling of a section of the men’s draw that had already lost Daniil Medvedev, Valentin Vacherot and Cameron Norrie in the opening week.
Cobolli has dropped no sets all tournament. The 23-year-old Roman played the most controlled match of his Grand Slam career against Tien, the 18th seed and Geneva champion who had arrived in Paris on a six-match clay winning streak.
“It’s my first win on the centre court at a Grand Slam, so it means a lot”, Cobilli said. “I played well also because maybe my opponent today was a little bit tired about the last match that he does last few days. Maybe he help me today to reach the fourth round.”
The Italian broke five times in the contest, won 79 per cent of his first-serve points, and dropped his own serve only twice. Tien was on the back foot from the opening exchanges. The contest took two hours and twelve minutes and never spent a moment in genuine balance.
The match leaves Cobolli in a part of the men’s draw that no longer has a higher-ranked seed in it. He has reached the round of 16 at a Grand Slam for the second time in his career – the first was last year at Wimbledon, where he then made the quarter-finals – and the path to a maiden Roland-Garros quarter-final has cleared with every result around him this week.
The match of their life
Svajda’s run continues the theme. The American, who had been beyond the first round at a Grand Slam only once before in his career – back in 2021 – was playing his third consecutive Slam-level victory of the tournament after beating the Medvedev slayer Adam Walton in the first round and Alexei Popyrin in four sets in the second.
Cerúndolo, the 25th seed, never settled into the contest. Svajda was down a break early, recovered, and led two sets to love before Cerúndolo levelled. The decisive break in the fifth came at 3-3 – Svajda made the conversion, held, and held again to close it out.
It is the first time in his Grand Slam career that Svajda has reached the round of 16, and only the second time he has been beyond the first round of a major. Sunday’s reward – Cobolli, in form, on clay, with the path to the quarter-finals depending on it – is the biggest match of the American’s life and the biggest opportunity of the Italian’s.
Roland-Garros 2026 Men’s Singles – 3rd Round
JM.Cerundolo vs M.Landaluce – UPCOMING
M.Berrettini vs F.Comesana – UPCOMING
J.Faria (Q) vs F.Tiafoe (19) – UPCOMING
M.Arnaldi vs R.Collignon – UPCOMING
F.Auger-Aliassime (4) vs B.Nakashima (31) – UPCOMING
M.Kouame (W) vs A.Tabilo – UPCOMING
F.Cobolli (10) – L.Tien (18): 6-2, 6-2, 6-3
Z.Svajda – F.Cerundolo (25): 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3
J.Mensik (26) – A.De Minaur (8): 6-0, 2-6, 6-2, 6-3
A.Rublev (11) – N.Borges: 7-5, 7⁷-6², 7⁷-6², 7⁷-6²
C.Ruud (15) – T.Paul (24): 4-6, 6⁴-7⁷, 6-4, 7-6⁴, 7-5
J.Fonseca (28) – N.Djokovic (3): 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5, 7-5
R.Jodar (27) – A.Michelsen: 7⁷-6², 6⁵-7⁷, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3
P.Carreno Busta – TA.Tirante: 7⁷-6⁰, 7-5, 3-6, 6-4
J.De Jong (LL)- – K.Khachanov (13): 7-5, 5-7, 6-2, 6²-7⁷, 6-4
A.Zverev (2) – Q.Halys: 6-4, 6-3, 5-7², 6-2
