French Open 2021: Azarenka, Zverev and Serena Williams in action – live!

10.47am BST

Sabalenka holds, sealing the game with a big serve that was called out by a line judge. The umps leaves his seat to take a look at the mark, and rules it good. However, the Russian Pavlyuchenkova will now serve for the first set, at 5-4.

10.42am BST

A smart serve-volley from Pavlyuchenkova sees her save the break point, and she then takes the game for 5-3 in the first set. Sabalenka is clearly a bit frustrated with her game, and is occasionally venting her anger by winding up a huge forehand, or an unreasonably powerful second serve.

10.41am BST

Pavlyuchenkova attempts a delicate drop-volley which would put her 40-0 up on her serve, but places it fractionally wide. Sabalenka forces it to 30-30, and then absolutely destroys a brilliantly powerful forehand down the line for a break point. Much more like it from the Russian.

10.38am BST

Tennis – bloody hell! Pavlyuchenkova has now won four straight games and leads 4-3 in the first set. This one could get interesting.

10.35am BST

It’s 3-3 and all square in the first set between Pavlyuchenkova and Sabalenka.

10.34am BST

Sabalenka finds a couple of break points now, but the 29-year-old Pavlyuchenkova does well to bring it back to deuce in this sixth game of the first set. Our Eurosport commentator informs us that this is the 14th time Pavlyuchenkova has played at Roland Garros, which is quite a record.

Sabalenka now saves a game point with a few massive groundstrokes that wear Pavlyuchenkova down with sheer force … however, the Russian eventually finds a way.

10.29am BST

And now Pavlyuchenkova finds a break of her oppenents serve, and is right back in this first set at 3-2.

10.25am BST

Pavlyuchenkova is now on the board: it’s 3-1 in Sabalenka’s favour.

Elsewhere, Elena Rybakina (21) now leads Elena Vesnina 5-0 in their first set.

10.24am BST

On Court Simonne Mathieu, Aryna Sabalenka (3) has raced into a 3-0 first-set lead against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (31). Sabalenka is the top-seeded player left in the women’s competition, following the withdrawals of Ash Barty and Naomi Osaka.

10.18am BST

The debate on Naomi Osaka’s withdrawal from this tournament rumbles on. Watch a video explainer, featuring the thoughts of our tennis reporter Tumaini Carayol, right here:

10.08am BST

Yesterday we saw Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Iga Swiatek, among others, progress safely to the third round at Roland Garros, while the women’s world No 1, Ash Barty, was forced to retire from her match against Magda Linette with a hip injury. There was also a notable flare-up over slow play between Federer and his opponent Marin Cilic.

There was no shortage of action and drama on Thursday, so what will Friday bring? In the women’s singles, Victoria Azarenka faces Madison Keys from 11am, and Serena Williams will be on court at 3pm for a third-round match against compatriot Daniel Rose-Collins.

Third-round…ready?#RolandGarros

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