The 2025 French Open at Roland Garros enters its second round of matches on Thursday, with the world’s top two male and female players gunning to secure their spots in the final 32 of the clay-court Grand Slam, bringing high stakes to the packed schedule under Paris’ unseasonably scorching skies.
Leading the men’s draw is Italian world No. 1 Jannik Sinner, who arrives in Paris with unprecedented momentum heading into his quest for a first career French Open title and a completed career Grand Slam. Fresh off becoming only the second player in tennis history — after Novak Djokovic — to claim all three clay-court Masters 1000 titles, wrapping up a full set of nine 1000-level tournament trophies, Sinner has entered the tournament as the overwhelming favorite to lift the trophy.
Sinner is already looking to improve on a standout 2024 Roland Garros run, where he pushed eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz to an epic five-set final before falling just short. This year, the path to the title is far clearer: Alcaraz, the defending champion, is sidelined with an injury, leaving few competitors capable of challenging Sinner’s red-hot form. He kicked off his 2025 campaign with a clinical first-round win under the lights on Court Philippe Chatrier on Tuesday, and will open Thursday’s main draw action on centre court against Argentina’s Juan Manuel Cerundolo, ranked 56th in the world. The pair have only met once before, a straight-sets win for Sinner in the opening round of Wimbledon three years ago.
Addressing the ongoing heat wave that has dominated the opening week of the tournament, Sinner downplayed concerns over his ability to cope with soaring temperatures. “I’m happy to play night. I’m happy to play day, whenever they put me,” he said. “I think I handled the heat very well in Indian Wells, was very hot this year, so I didn’t have issues there. We prepared in a good way. Of course here, different heat, but the humidity is not as tough as maybe in Australia or US.”
On the women’s side of the draw, world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka will also take to Court Philippe Chatrier on Thursday seeking to lock in her third-round spot, but the Belarusian arrives in Paris after a shaky start to the European clay-court season. Fresh off a dominant Sunshine Double win at Indian Wells and Miami in March, Sabalenka has looked surprisingly vulnerable on red dirt this spring: she suffered a shock quarter-final exit to Hailey Baptiste in Madrid, followed by a third-round loss to Sorana Cirstea at the Italian Open. Sabalenka blamed unfavorable wet and cold conditions in Rome for her underperformance, and has had no such complaints about the Paris heat, which suits her aggressive power game.
After a commanding straight-sets opening win over Jessica Bouzas Maneiro on Tuesday, the 28-year-old joked about the rapid shift in conditions: “I’d say that it was a bit warm. Especially compared to the first days when I first got here, it was… freezing. Now it’s boiling hot and balls are flying, everything is much faster. But physically I feel strong, so I feel like it can benefit me.” Scheduled as the third match on centre court, with temperatures again forecast to top 30°C, Sabalenka will face French wildcard Elsa Jacquemot, ranked 67th, and is heavily favored to advance.
Thursday’s schedule also features a host of other top contenders seeking second-round wins. Defending women’s champion Coco Gauff, the American No. 4 seed, will take on Egyptian qualifier Mayar Sherif on Court Suzanne Lenglen. The 2020 Roland Garros debut marked the only time Gauff has been eliminated before the quarter-final stage here, when the 16-year-old Gauff fell to Martina Trevisan.
Four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka of Japan will face Croatia’s Donna Vekic on Court Simonne Mathieu, while rising Canadian teen Victoria Mboko will test her skills against Czech Katerina Siniakova. American teen sensation Iva Jovic will go head-to-head with compatriot and former world No. 8 Emma Navarro, while Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime will look to avoid another grueling “roller-coaster” match like his opening-round thriller when he faces Argentina’s Roman Andres Burruchaga. American fifth seed Ben Shelton and French 17-year-old wildcard Moise Kouame will bookend the day’s play on Court Suzanne Lenglen, Roland Garros’ second-biggest showcourt.