The heat has been one of the major talking points in this edition of the French Open, leading to frustration for many top stars. On Saturday, Iva Jovic had just finished two hardcore sets in the Paris heat against Naomi Osaka and wanted to change her clothes before the third. However, the umpire’s response wasn’t something she expected.

“You have to be ready for her. You are on your own time. If you are back after her and the court is ready, then it’s back-to-back time violation,” said the umpire.

Jovic pushed further and asked. “I’m not allowed to change twice? So can I go to the normal, to the bathroom?” But the umpire held the line, saying, “It’s the same thing, you have to be ready for her.”

At that time, Osaka had already gone for a break, and Jovic had used her break after the first set. The chair umpire simply told Jovic that she needs to be back before her opponent, otherwise she will be penalized with a time violation. 

This interaction spurred controversy as the demand from Jovic’s end was on fair grounds. However, the tennis rulebook has differing regulations on this matter.

The ITF Tennis Rulebook mentions that each player in a women’s singles match is entitled to a maximum of one authorized break per match. This break can be used for going to the bathroom (limited to 3 minutes), changing attire (limited to 5 minutes), or both simultaneously (limited to 5 minutes).

However, male players often get the leeway as they are often seen changing outfits on the court during changeovers, without any threat. This has also raised questions about the double standards that are not widely addressed in the sport.

The controversy added an unusual footnote to a match that barely needed one. This was a nearly three-hour battle between two of the hardest ball strikers in the women’s game, the 16th and 17th seeds meeting for the first time, and it was as tight as the seedings suggested. Jovic was 206th in the world two years ago. On Saturday, World No. 17 walked onto one of the biggest courts in tennis and made Osaka work hard for every point. 

Osaka won the first set in a tie-break, dropping it 7-5. Jovic leveled with an equally tight second-set tie-break, winning it 7-3. The third set went with serve until Osaka broke at 5-4 and closed it out 6-4. The margin across the entire match was just four points. It was a game that could’ve gone either way, and the former world No.1 knew it. 

“She’s an amazing player,” she said of Jovic after the match in the press conference. “It was my first time playing her, and I’m sure we’re going to see her go very far in Grand Slams.”

The reward for that first-ever second week in Paris for Osaka is also facing the toughest possible draw, the world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, who has already defeated her twice this year. 

Naomi Osaka faces Sabalenka in the fourth round, trails 0-2 in 2026

After the match, Osaka was informed she would face Aryna Sabalenka for a third time in 2026, and her response captured her mood perfectly. 

“I didn’t know that. YOLO, like, whatever. I feel like I played her, like I played a pretty good match in Madrid. I think I just dipped in the second and third set. Hopefully just keep the consistency and keep trying to be aggressive. Whatever happens, happens.”

The head-to-head between the two stands at 2-1 in Sabalenka’s favor overall, but it is the 2026 record that frames the fourth-round meeting. Sabalenka beat Osaka in straight sets at Indian Wells and then came from a set down to win in three in Madrid. Osaka was in charge of that Madrid game and could have put the game away. This is the nearest she has been to beating the world No. 1 in recent memory, and she brings that confidence with her to Paris. 

Sabalenka, who defeated Daria Kasatkina in straight sets to set up this clash, was cautious about the upcoming battle. 

“I feel like the last one in Madrid was a really tight match, was great level. She really stepped in and raised her level in that match. I’m just ready for the fight. I’m ready to go out there to fight for that match, for that win. Ready to do anything it takes to get the win.”

Despite Osaka being just seven months older than Sabalenka, the two players’ peaks have yet to overlap. Osaka won all four of her four majors between the 2018 US Open and the 2021 Australian Open, a span in which Sabalenka has not advanced as far as a Grand Slam quarterfinal. Now in Paris, their timelines meet at the same stage for the third time this season. Osaka is in her second week of the French Open, and for the first time in her career. She will need everything she showed against Jovic, and then some, to add a win over the world No. 1 to it.