Taylor Fritz fires up Paris after ousting last Frenchman; Coco Gauff to face 16-year-old Mirra Andreeva

WATCH: Coco Gauff reaches the third round at Roland Garros

Of the top 16 seeds in the men’s draw of Roland Garros, three of them are American: No. 9 Taylor Fritz, No. 12 Frances Tiafoe and No. 16 Tommy Paul. Each was in action on Thursday, seeking to reach the third round; Fritz for the second time at this event, Tiafoe and Paul for the first.

But while none of those Americans have ever gone to the round of 16 at Roland Garros, it’s familiar territory for their compatriot, Coco Gauff. A singles finalist at Roland Garros 12 months ago, Gauff this year is seeded sixth and today played a second round match versus No. 61 Julia Grabher.

A review of the day that, depending on your point of view, saved the best for last:

Frances Tiafoe d. Aslan Karatsev, 3-6, 6-3, 7-5, 6-2

Like Tiafoe, the 62nd-ranked Karatsev has reached one Grand Slam singles semifinal, back at the 2021 Australian Open. Throughout the first set, Tiafoe’s service return was less productive than usual, repeatedly giving Karatsev the chance to dictate play. But, serving at 6-3, 2-1, Karatsev was broken at love. Soon, Tiafoe had leveled the match.

The path remained rough. Serving at 4-5 in the third, Tiafoe fought off two set points—and then accelerated with a blend of patience, aggression and his own special flair. With Karatsev serving in third at 5-5, 30-40, Tiafoe struck a magnificent crosscourt backhand passing shot, then held at 15 to vault ahead. From there, Tiafoe’s variety commanded the court.

Next up for Tiafoe: the winner of the match between 22nd-seeded Alexander Zverev and 86th-ranked Alex Molcan. While Tiafoe has never played Molcan, he’s very familiar with Zverev. The two have played one another seven times, Zverev winning six. But at their only Slam encounter, in the second round of the 2019 US Open, Tiafoe extended Zverev to five sets. Tiafoe has improved greatly and will pose many more questions than he did that afternoon in New York.

Coco Gauff d. Julia Grabher, 6-2, 6-3

A Top 10 player like Gauff is always facing highly motivated opponents, eager for a career-defining win. Versus Grabher on Thursday, Gauff met that demand with business-like efficiency over 68 minutes.

More intriguing is that in her next match, Gauff will be the older player, as she’ll take on 16-year-old qualifier Mirra Andreeva. In second round action today, Andreeva beat 96th-ranked Diane Parry, 6-1, 6-2. Prior to that, Andreeva defeated veteran Alison Riske-Amritraj, 6-2, 6-1.

To think it was less than four years ago when Gauff burst on the scene at Wimbledon. Now it’s Andreeva’s turn to be the precocious prodigy. Asked to compare her tennis now to where it was a year ago when she was competing in the juniors, Andreeva said words we’ve often heard from fast-rising teenagers. “I honestly don't feel any changes. I just play, but I think I became more mature, so this is what's more important now for me.”

One other interesting aspect is that the two have practiced together once. Still, as Andreeva said, “But the practice and the match is different, so I might also play different. I don't know. Who knows?”

Nicolas Jarry d. Tommy Paul, 3-6, 6-2, 6-4, 7-5

Tommy Paul has an affinity for Paris. In 2015, he won the junior title at Roland Garros. There’s also a stylistic connection between Paul and the City of Light. His coach, Brad Stine, has encouraged Paul to think himself as a tennis Picasso—akin to the iconic artist who lived in Paris most of his life. At his best, Paul can dazzle with variety and texture.

But today was a day when Paul had the paintbrush repeatedly taken out of his hands. Up against No. 35 Nicolas Jarry, Paul opened strong, winning the first set, 6-3. From there, though, Jarry asserted himself repeatedly, taking the next three sets, 6-1, 6-4, 7-5.

Jarry is in superb form. Last Saturday, he won Geneva, a run that included victories over 2022 Roland Garros runner-up Casper Ruud and semifinalist Alexander Zverev. To see the clay-raised Jarry dictate play versus Paul was an impressive display of lower body strength, disciplined hip turns and one deep, hard drive after another. Added to the Jarry mix is that he stands 6’6” and can serve quite powerfully.

Next for Jarry comes a first-time match versus another American: No. 75 Marcos Giron.

Taylor Fritz d. Arthur Rinderknech, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4

The 78th-ranked Frenchman was well-versed in performing for a partisan crowd. The twist was that he’d sharpened those skills playing in the United States, for Texas A&M. In Paris, these two 6’5” powerhouses competed with tremendous physicality, mobility, and poise. The latter was particularly important for Fritz. Night tennis, formally part of Roland Garros for three years now, has naturally pumped up the volume. Rinderknech channeled it well. He broke Fritz in the opening game and took the opening set without much trouble.

But as Fritz fought through Davis Cup-like cheers and a crisp-hitting opponent, his serves, groundstrokes and some feather-like touch began to tilt matters his way. Fritz galloped through the next two sets. But as the fourth began, Rinderknech, fueled by the energy pulsing through Court Suzanne Lenglen, showed no signs of vanishing.

In the fourth, seeking the go-ahead break, Fritz first earned it at 3-all, highlighted by two sublime drop shots. But Rinderknech broke back. So it was that at 4-all, Fritz again closed out the game with an untouchable drop shot. Closing it out was challenging, the penultimate point won after a 19-shot rally. Next for Fritz is a first meeting versus a formidable clay-courter, 23rd-seeded Francisco Cerundolo—Joel Drucker

Rinderknech's loss left France with no singles players left in Roland Garros after just five days and two rounds, and it seemed like the Parisian crowd took out their frustration on Fritz.

The American was always going to be the target of the partisan patrons, but Fritz upped the ante when, after converting match point, he showed fans the international sign for Shhh!

That didn't go over very well:

Jeers rained down on the No. 9 seed, but he still had an on-court interview to conduct. After first telling Marion Bartoli that he couldn't hear her (probably legitimately), replied to her question about how he got through:

"I came out and the crowd was so great, honestly. They cheered so well for me I wanted to make sure I won."—Ed McGrogan