French Open 2026: Sabalenka beats Kasatkina, Gauff exits, Australian campaign ends
Consensus Summary
The French Open 2026 saw the end of Australia's singles campaign as Daria Kasatkina lost to world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the third round, marking her 100th win as top-ranked player. The match, played on Court Suzanne-Lenglen, ended 6-0, 7-5, with Sabalenka dominating despite Kasatkina's fighting effort. This loss made Kasatkina the last Australian singles player remaining, following earlier exits by Alex de Minaur and others. Meanwhile, defending champion Coco Gauff was upset by Anastasia Potapova in the third round, ending her title defense. Sabalenka will now face Naomi Osaka in the fourth round, setting up a high-profile clash. The tournament has seen early exits for top seeds like Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic, while Sabalenka remains a strong contender for the Suzanne Lenglen Cup alongside Iga Świątek.
✓ Verified by 2+ sources
Key details reported by multiple sources:
- Daria Kasatkina lost to Aryna Sabalenka in the French Open third round (6-0, 7-5) on Court Suzanne-Lenglen
- Sabalenka defeated Kasatkina to record her 100th win as world No 1, becoming the ninth player to achieve this milestone
- Kasatkina was the last Australian singles player remaining at the French Open after her loss
- Coco Gauff lost to Anastasia Potapova in the third round (4-6, 7-6 (7/1), 6-4) ending her title defense
- Sabalenka will face Naomi Osaka in the fourth round after Osaka defeated Iva Jovic (7-6 (7/5), 6-7 (3/7), 6-4)
- Kimberly Birrell lost to Oleksandra Oliynykova in the second round (6-3, 0-6, 7-6 (10/5))
- Sabalenka previously held a 7-2 head-to-head advantage over Kasatkina
- The match between Sabalenka and Kasatkina lasted 76 minutes
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- Daria Kasatkina defeated Susan Bandecchi 7-5, 7-6 (13/11) in the second round
- Sabalenka beat Elsa Jacquemot 7-5, 6-2 in the second round
- Kimberly Birrell lost to Oleksandra Oliynykova 6-3, 0-6, 7-6 (10/5)
- Naomi Osaka beat Donna Vekić 7-6 (7/1), 6-4 to set up a third-round clash with Iva Jovic
- Jannik Sinner crashed out in five sets to Juan Manuel Cerúndolo
- Defending champion Coco Gauff defeated Mayar Sherif 6-3, 6-2 in the second round before losing to Potapova
- Sabalenka said Kasatkina is 'a fighter' and 'puts all the balls back'
- Sabalenka described Jacquemot as a 'very tough opponent' who played 'really incredible tennis'
- Australia had 13 singles contenders at the French Open, with Kasatkina being the last to lose
- Adam Walton and Kim Birrell also struggled in the tournament
- Thanasi Kokkinakis had an improbable comeback win
- Alex de Minaur lost to Jakub Mensik in the third round after winning the first set 6-0
- Sabalenka's 16 winners in the first set against Kasatkina included a 37th winner in the second set
- Sabalenka won her 100th match as world No 1 on the last day of a seven-day European heatwave
- Sabalenka described Kasatkina as 'amazing' and expected a fight
- Sabalenka got lucky with a net cord that plopped over dead and Kasatkina's double-fault in the final game
Contradictions
Conflicting information between sources:
- Article 1 (ABC) states Kasatkina defeated Bandecchi 7-5, 7-6 (13/11) in the second round, but this result is not mentioned in Article 2 (Guardian) or Article 3 (ABC) as a consensus fact
- Article 1 (ABC) reports Sabalenka beat Jacquemot 7-5, 6-2, while Article 2 (Guardian) does not mention Jacquemot's match score, only that Sabalenka overcame a scare
- Article 1 (ABC) states Sabalenka earned an early break with a powerful forehand to go 3-1 up against Jacquemot, but Article 2 (Guardian) does not mention this detail
- Article 3 (ABC) states Gauff lost 4-6, 7-6 (7/1), 6-4 to Potapova, while Article 1 (ABC) does not mention the third set score, only that Gauff lost in straight sets to Sherif in the second round (which is a different match)
Source Articles
Australia's Kasatkina sets up French Open clash with top seed Sabalenka
Daria Kasatkina will face world number one Aryna Sabalenka in the third round as fellow Australian Kimberly Birrell departs the singles draw in Paris.
Kasatkina overpowered by Sabalenka to end Australia’s French Open hopes
Last Australian player in singles draw is defeated Kasatkina loses 6-0, 7-5 to world No 1 in Paris Australia’s lukewarm challenge at a boiling French Open is over after Daria Kasatkina was beaten 6-0, 7-5 by the world No 1, Aryna Sabalenka. Kasatkina became the last of Australia’s 13 singles contenders to bite the red dust before the end of the first week, a battling fightback almost inevitably denied by Sabalenka, who will face Naomi Osaka in the last 16. Continue reading...
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