French Open has already thrown up plenty of drama in its opening days. Rain disrupted play across the first two days, delaying and suspending several qualifying matches and adding to the chaos on the Paris clay. With a stacked qualifying draw featuring several familiar names, the early rounds have still delivered everything from emotional exits to surprising upsets.

Among those making steady progress is Sloane Stephens. The American has started her Roland Garros campaign on a positive note, advancing through the first two rounds of qualifying and keeping her momentum alive in Paris.

Sloane Stephens sails into the third round of qualifying

Currently ranked No. 361 on the WTA circuit, Stephens had defeated her compatriot Carol Lee 6-3, 6-2 in the first qualifier. The 33-year-old then went on to get the better of Lisa Pigato 6-4, 6-1 to advance into the third and final round of qualifying.

Despite not being in a great form coming into the tournament, Stephens showed a brilliant form in her first two matches and hasn’t dropped a set so far. The only one who now stands between her and the main draw is Leyre Romero Gormaz. The two are set to lock horns on Thursday.

David Goffin’s final French Open campaign comes to an emotional end

David Goffin’s journey at his last Roland Garros was brought to an end by Toby Samuel in the second round of qualifying. The Belgian had broken down in tears after triumphing 6-3, 6-1 in the first round over Tseng Chun-hsin, but failed to continue his momentum in the next match.

Goffin did make a strong start against Samuel and won the first set 7-5. Samuel won the next two sets 6-3, 6-3 to complete the comeback.

After the match, an emotional Goffin reflected on his memorable time at the French Open. He remarked that the crowd has always welcomed him like a prince and the people have treated him as one of their own.

“There is a bit of everything, it’s pure happiness. There have been magnificent matches, magnificent courts, superb atmospheres. I have always been welcomed here as one of your own, as a champion, as a prince. Thank you very much. It has always been a special tournament for me; I almost started here. I played my best matches on the Suzanne-Lenglen court. I gave it my all two days ago and today. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough today, but it was still pure happiness to play on that court,” he said during his post-match interview.

Bianca Andreescu bows out in the qualifiers

In one of the most shocking results of the French Open so far, Bianca Andreescu has been knocked out in the second round of qualifying by Viktoria Hruncakova. The Canadian was among the qualifiers expected to make it to the main draw, but her campaign has come to an unexpected end.

Andreescu had started her campaign on a high and had defeated Daphnee Mpetshi Perricard 6-3, 6-2. She had even showed her gamesmanship by consoling her 17-year-old French opponent after the result. However, despite taking the lead in the match against Hruncakova as well, she ended up fumbling it completely and suffered a 7-6, 4-6, 4-6 loss.

Karolina Pliskova also gets knocked out in the second qualifying round

The former World No. 1 suffered a major upset against Marina Bassols Ribera in the second qualifier. She was defeated 3-6, 2-6 in what was quite a disappointing performance. All the credit goes to Ribera, who kept her French Open hopes alive.

Pliskova was expected to reach the main draw of the Grand Slam following her impressive quarterfinal and R16 runs in Madrid and Rome, respectively. However, she has exited the tournament without even reaching the final match of qualifying.

Will the veteran be able to bounce back from his unexpected loss in the upcoming grass swing? Let us know what you think in the comments!