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What\u2019s happening at the French Open? Tennis-watchers became unmoored yesterday when world number-one Jannik Sinner<\/a>\u2014as close to a shoo-in to win this, the last major he\u2019d need to complete a career slam, as any player in recent history, given that Carlos Alcaraz<\/a> is injured\u2014wilted badly in the heat, losing in five sets to Juan Manuel Cerundolo of Argentina, ranked 56th in the world. But while it\u2019s always a shame to lose the world\u2019s best player on one of its biggest stages, Sinner\u2019s absence from the rest of the tournament opens up fascinating possibilities\u2014and clears the way for what could be a historic final.<\/p>\n First (obvious) things first: this doesn\u2019t make it any easier for Novak Djokovic (seeded third here) to reach the final. Sinner and Djokovic were on opposite halves of the draw, so Novak will still likely have to make his way past second-seeded Alexander Zverev, 15th seed Casper Ruud, or eighth-seeded Alex de Minaur<\/a> to have a chance at his 25th grand slam. First up for him, though, is 28th seed Joao Fonseca<\/a>, whom he\u2019s playing this morning in a match many are billing as a possibly generational moment. Fonseca grew up playing on clay in Brazil, and at his best is capable of beating almost anyone. Whether that\u2019s enough to get past the sport\u2019s master of strategy and cunning\u2014who, at 39, can still run opponents ragged around the heat-soaked courts\u2014is still to be seen. (We\u2019ll be watching.)<\/p>\n As for that heat: It\u2019s but one of the impediments that have seen some carnage in the first weeks\u2019 matches. The American upstart Hailey Baptiste sustained ACL and meniscus injuries that will keep her away from the sport for six or so months; the Turkish player Zeynep S\u00f6nmez and Belgian Alexander Blockx both had to retire from the tournament after separate incidents in which they stepped on advertising blocks placed on the court; the Czech player Jakub Mensik<\/a> won his second-round match in five grueling sets\u2014but cramped so badly after match point that he couldn\u2019t get up from the court and had to be taken away in a wheelchair. (He\u2019s playing de Minaur now in what should be a lively match; Ruud, meanwhile, plays American Tommy Paul shortly in another matchup with great potential; while early tomorrow morning sees the American prodigy Learner Tien<\/a> square off against Italy\u2019s Flavio Cobolli for a spot in the fourth round.)<\/p>\n On the women\u2019s side, both third-seeded Iga Swiatek<\/a> and 15th-seeded Marta Kostyuk<\/a> (who\u2019s been on a career-high roll lately, particularly on clay) made easy work of their third-round matches and face each other Sunday, while tomorrow sees a powerful lineup of matches we\u2019ll be keeping an eye on: 17th-ranked American Iva Jovic<\/a>, clearly on her way up the rankings, vs. 16th ranked Naomi Osaka<\/a>; world number-one Aryna Sabalenka<\/a> vs. Daria Kasatkina; ninth-ranked Victoria Mboko<\/a> (in the news yesterday for her supposed pairing with a returning Serena Williams for doubles at the Wimbledon warm-up tournament at the Queens Club) vs. 19th ranked American Madison Keys, who\u2019s been capable of some runs into the latter stages lately; and fourth-seeded Coco Gauff<\/a> vs. Anastasia Potapova.<\/p>\n All in all, it should be an amazing weekend of tennis\u2014though the temperatures that have wreaked havoc on a few players are, if anything, expected to get even worse, reaching around 94 degrees today, 92 tomorrow. (For comparison, the match that Sinner suffered through started at around 84 degrees and peaked at around 90.)<\/p>\n As for the big question: no, we don\u2019t know who\u2019s going to win it all now. But whoever wins the semi from the bottom half of the men\u2019s draw (let\u2019s go out on a limb and say this will be Zverev vs. Djokovic) would seem to have an easy final. We\u2019ll call it for Zverev\u2014one of the best players of his era to not yet have a slam in his pocket. On the women\u2019s side, well: Would you bet against Sabalenka? She\u2019s got a stacked draw, though, and would potentially have to beat Coco, Jovic or Osaka, and Mboko to get to the final. On the other side of the draw: Swiatek, Kostyuk\u2014and the eternal wild-card possibility of eighth-seeded Mirra Andreeva, provided she can channel her intensity into results.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n