Sabalenka Meets Jacquemot: 'Paris Is My Last Hurdle'
The Belarusian world No. 1 plays on Thursday evening against French wild card Elsa Jacquemot, who came back from a set down in the first round, with the match scheduled around 5 p.m. local time.
After her 11 a.m. practice on Tuesday, Sabalenka went to a cafe inside the French Open grounds at Parc des Princes to meet with her new sports psychiatrist, Luka Charo. Reporters saw her leave at 1.15 p.m., eyes a little red and her bag heavy.
A day later, at her Wednesday press conference, the Belarusian explained:
Paris does hurt me in some of these years, but I am here to win, not to apologise.
When and against whom
On Thursday evening, on central Court Philippe-Chatrier, Sabalenka plays her Roland Garros second round against Elsa Jacquemot, a 22-year-old French wild card. The match is third on the order of play, meaning an expected start between 4:30 and 5:30 p.m., depending on the previous two matches.
What we know about her opponent
Jacquemot is ranked No. 137 in the world, left-handed, with a two-handed backhand. In round one she beat the difficult Czech Linda Fruhvirtova, who was top 30 in 2023 but never came back from a back injury.
Jacquemot was down 6-3, 4-1 in that match before flipping it and winning in three sets. She is the kind of player who likes long rallies on clay. She is fit enough to go five hours if she has to.
What Sabalenka’s coach is saying
Sabalenka has never played Jacquemot. Coach Anton Dubrov told reporters on Tuesday:
We have already prepared, two sessions at the academy in Maribor with left-handed practice partners.
The plan is for the Belarusian to push Jacquemot to hit long forehands from the first point. The French player does not transition well from defence to offence from that position.
If Sabalenka wins the first set routinely, the match ends in an hour and fifteen. If the first set goes to 5-5, that could be a problem.
Stats for those who like reading
Sabalenka’s best Paris run came in 2023, when she reached the semi-final and lost to Mihaela Lis 6-4, 6-4 in two sets. Since then, she has gone out twice in the quarter-finals (2024 to Pegula, 2025 to Swiatek).
The Belarusian has three Grand Slam titles, all on hard courts:
- US Open 2024 and 2025
- Australian Open 2023, 2024 and 2026
Paris is the only major she has not won, a fact that has genuinely weighed on her this season.
What next, if she gets through
The likely third-round opponent is Britain’s Emma Raducanu, whom Sabalenka has beaten in all three of their meetings in straight sets.
What happens beyond that depends on the fourth round, where Donna Vekic or Sofia Kenin are the likely candidates, neither of whom has ever troubled Sabalenka on clay.
Personally, I give the Belarusian 88 percent to get through against Jacquemot. The reason is that the French player does not have a top-ten serve, and Sabalenka served 71 percent first serves in against Maneiro Buzas in round one, peak form for her. She just needs to avoid getting wound up by the home crowd, which will back Jacquemot game by game as if a Grand Slam is on the line.
The match should start between 5 and 6 p.m. local time, depending on the previous match. Sabalenka spent two hours with her psychiatrist on Wednesday evening at her apartment on Boulevard Saint-Germain. For her that is unusual. A year ago she would have watched a film. Something has shifted this summer, and not for the worse. It is just bad news for Jacquemot.
