Petit Choux: Life of a Showgirl

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Roland Garros 2026: Order of Play | Draws | Live Scores

• The bottom half of the draw is up on Day 4. Here’s what I’m looking at: Bencic-McNally, Ruud-Medjedovic, Ostapenko-Linette, Fonseca-Prizmic, Kokkinakis-Carreno Busta, Basavareddy-Michelsen.
• And yes, it’s gonna be another roaster of a day. But the forecast says the heat will finally break on Sunday and it will be very mild for the rest of the tournament.

• At a time when all of tennis’ whimsical traditions are under attack – line judges, mixed doubles, chaotic packed-to-the-brim OOPs, boring tennis basics overtaking audacious fashion choices – we take this moment to thank Naomi Osaka for single-handedly carrying the flame for the Walk Out as Catwalk. (The Athletic)
• Newer tennis fans may not realize this but man, we used have it so good. Between Roger Federer, Serena Williams, and Maria Sharapova, we had a Nike trio that made their first walkouts at a Grand Slam feel as meaningful as the match itself. Roger’s Wimbledon cardigan? Maria’s US Open Breakfast at Tiffany’s dress? Serena’s….God I mean how do you even pick? We can go back to the Puma days, with the first catsuit? Or the Nike denim skirt? The Wimbledon blazer? The Off-White train? Incredible shit.
• Even the messes were iconic, because at least brands were DOING something. Stan Wawrinka’s Yonex shorts remain the trademark symbol of the underdog working man. Dominic Hrbaty’s aerated tee, Radek Stepanek’s lions, Caroline’s Stella McCartney ruffles, Tomas Berdych in H&M. We remember these things!
• Now the walkout/kit reveal is basically dead. There are small moments that feel like wins – I think Coco is taking baby steps towards more event-like fashion moments. But a lot of the “fashion” moments nowadays just feel like bling. Which is also a way to go! But it’s not, say it with me now:

• Naomi Osaka is the only one who’s really doing it, though. And while everyone’s taste mileage may vary, everyone can certainly agree that her outfits are always THE TALK. And there’s reason to talk about them, because there is thought and intention behind them. There is almost always a story behind the clothes. Choices were made, and those choices are what make it interesting. Fashion isn’t “OOH PRETTY CLOTHES”. That’s just… clothes. Fashion is a conversation. What is the designer trying to say or convey, either narratively or technically?

• For her Roland Garros outfit, Naomi worked with Swiss designer Kevin Germanier. She says when she first put it on it made her think of the Eiffel Tower at night. Here’s how Germanier described his vision (WWD)

“I wanted to celebrate her strength, individuality and athleticism, while ensuring that her first step onto the court felt just as powerful and unforgettable as her game. And since this is her first appearance since the Met Gala, we knew we had to make a statement.”

• A very cool aspect of the outfit is the fact that it is an upcycled design using Naomi’s old competition kits:

Details for the kit included a structured corset, crafted from her competition garments and designed with snap closures for a versatile look and feel. A cascading pleated skirt was created from the interior layers of her jacket, with each pleat hand-set to achieve movement and added dramatic flair. 

Atop the structure of the design, each surface was lavished with Germanier’s embellishment techniques, with hundreds of hand-applied crystals creating prismatic light play across the corseted bodice. Beadwork also traced the tennis kits architectural seams.

• The gold dress looked amazing against the red clay, which…surprised me? I guess I just haven’t actually seen that color combo before, and boy did it work for me. Under the scorching Paris sun, it sparkled and moved beautifully, and given the whip and torque in Naomi’s game, I was impressed that the beading held up. I couldn’t help but think of Alysa Liu’s gold-medal winning dress for her Donna Summer skate in Milan. (Just Jared)

"My bow dress with [Robert Wun], the Wun Ambush dress kind of first started it all off. But the US Open, like the roses in my hair, I think that's when I started to really get into it a lot more. Obviously with Australia, that was a real conversation starter.

"So for me, I don't really feel like it's too much of a big deal to do that and then play after. I could see where people would think I feel a little stressed or whatever. I think that's kind of the thing about it.

"Sometimes people say athletes are, like, in show business or entertainers or whatever. I feel like for me, Grand Slam walk-ons are the only time that I possibly feel like I'm an entertainer."

• Apparently commentators were speculating – or outright advocating for – the dress to be banned because it was too shiny and therefore a distraction. To which I would say (1) if it was actually in any way distracting to Siegemund, she would have told the umpire TOUT SUITE and (2) Naomi did pack a couple of backup dresses if it was an issue. And if Laura Siegemund does not complain about it, I think that’s that on that.

• Coco Gauff passed a big test early in her title-defense opener against Taylor Townsend. TT started sharp and broke out to a 3-1 lead in the first, and you would think Coco’s mind would start swirling. Crashing out in the first round to your compatriot? Oof. BUT, Coco kept her cool and calmly reeled Taylor in to win 6-4, 6-0. She gets Mayar Sherif next.

"I had thoughts about what if I lose and stuff. Honestly, I kind of remember that tennis is two out of three sets, and I think Rome taught me a lot about my ability after losing the first set and stuff.

"I felt like Taylor came out playing really great tennis, and I just felt like if she continues to play like this and she wins a match like this, then she deserves to win and I could walk away and be like, I just wasn't good enough today.

"So I didn't allow myself mentally today to get to that point where I feel like in the past I would."

• WTA No.1 ranking projections: Rybakina has to make the semis to have a chance to overtake Aryna at No.1 If Aryna makes the fourth round, she’ll keep No.1 regardless of anyone’s results. She opened her tournament with a straight-forward win over Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, who put some pressure on her but ultimately DF’d on set point and match point.

Thanasi Kokkinakis Will Keep Pushing - The Second Serve

Despite injuries, Thanasi Kokkinakis Will Keep Pushing.

The Second ServeDavid Shaftel

• And the Winner of Round 1 goes to…..and I can’t believe I am saying this at Roland Garros: Australia. First there was Kokkinakis’ crazy win over Terence Atmane. And then today, No. 97 Adam Walton knocks out [6] Daniil Medvedev in five crazy sets to start the day, and No. 86 Kim Birrell stuns [5] Jess Pegula in three sets to cap the women’s results at night.

• If I did a suicide draw, Pegula would have been my pick today. Did NOT see that result coming. After dropping that first set, Birrell was absolute nails from the baseline, beating Jess with depth all night. She Pegula’d Pegula.
• That’s Jess’ first loss to a player not named Marta Kostyuk (2), Elena Rybakina (3), or Iga Swiatek (1) this year.

Clay dreams and culture shocks: Why Australians still battle at Roland Garros

At clay court major time, if the answer is Pat Rafter, the question, probably, is this: who was Australia’s last male singles semi-finalist at Roland Garros?We’re talking about a serve-volleyer, of course. A future two-time Wimbledon finalist (on grass) and soon-to-be dual US Open champion (on hard).So, well, clay? Really? In Paris, which has hosted the least successful Slam for two generations of Australian men?Among the current cohort, world No.102 Rinky Hijikata speaks of limited exposure to

The First ServeLinda Pearce

• This question from Ubaldo Scanagatta to Daniil Medvedev was wild, but as has been the case for decades, sometimes the wildest questions yield the best answers. And that’s especially true when you have someone like Daniil, who is an adult in the interview room. He doesn’t take things personally.

Q.  You're so unpredictable that it's really difficult for me to understand you, because I saw you lose 6-Love to Berrettini. Then you almost beat Sinner in Rome. Then you come here, you win one set 6-1, lose the next one 1-6. You are a clever person, but on court sometimes you're crazy. What is your answer?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Every tournament has a different court, different balls, different... What else? I mean, I can be different every day. I don't like to stand up early, and I'm usually less performative when I stand up at 6:15 in the morning. I like to sleep in.

So this is just part of small, in general, let's say, in tennis you need to adapt to the things, and sometimes I'm not good enough to adapt to it, and sometimes I am. That's basically all I can tell you.

Q.  You're intelligent.

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah, but my tennis depends on couple of things that I cannot control, meaning if the ball doesn't go, I don't have the power to make it go like Jannik. It doesn't matter. Ball doesn't go, he hits it full power. The ball goes, he just makes it a bit adjustment and doesn't go full power. I go full power and if the ball doesn't go, it doesn't go.

Another early slam loss for Medvedev, Bublik also out of French Open

Daniil Medvedev’s dismal string of Grand Slam performances continued with a first-round loss to Adam Walton at the French Open.

The GrandstandRicky

• Let the hype begin: Introducing 17-year-old Moise Kouame:

The enormous hype that has surrounded Kouamé since the start of the year has led to conversations about the role fans and the media play in the development of an athlete, whether they have a duty to temper the hype and allow the player to develop at their own pace or if this is something that simply comes with the territory.

The spotlight on Kouamé has already been intense, but this victory plainly underlined why it exists. The teenager’s serve is enormous for his age, scaling 139mph (223km/h) on Tuesday as, adrenaline driving him on, he furiously consolidated his decisive break in set two. He may have plenty of time to develop physically, but Kouamé is already a supreme athlete – incredibly fast around the court and capable of a sliding open stance off both wings. His two-handed backhand is incredibly solid and he barely missed a forehand against Cilic. Still, the most impressive quality was his composure.

• This is ROUGH: Alexander Blockx injured his ankle during practice and has withdrawn ahead of his second-round match against Alex De Minaur. The culprit according to him: the court covers that are typically rolled up at the back of the court:

• Felix Auger Aliassime somehow survived the ATP’s Top 10 seed carnage of Round 1, playing some VERY courageous tennis to come from a break down in the fifth to beat Daniel Altmaier 10-7 in the match-tiebreak. With that, the Top 10 seeds out after the first round are: [6] Taylor Fritz, [7] Daniil Medvedev, and [9] Alexander Bublik.
• Lowkey notable result: Maria Sakkari d. Linda Noskova 7-5, 7-6(3).

Why Naomi Osaka’s Black Party Rattles Racists And Soothes My Soul

Naomi Osaka hosted a dinner party in Paris and invited friends, her fellow Black tennis players and then posted pictures on social media. Then came the love, and hate.

Courtside CoffeeMerlisa Lawrence Corbett

• Did you know that pho traces its origins back to pot-au-feu? I did not know this at all untili I was dining with my sister years ago at a restaurant in San Francisco, and she ordered the pot-au-feu because she wanted to try it. She took one sip of the broth and looked up with a shock: “Wait…this is pho.” And then we did the research and figured it all out. Colonization sucked but thanks for the beef broth, I guess. The other story I heard was that Vietnam didn’t really eat beef before the French came. Then the French really wanted beef and they were tearing through it. The Vietnamese servants would be throwing all the beef bones away, until someome figured, hey, there’s still bone marrow in there, we can still cook with it. If there’s one thing about Viets, we’re an industrious people.
• Bop of the Day: Flight of the Conchords taught me all my French.