French Open 2026 Day 8 Predictions, Order of Play & Best Bets
The carnage at the top of the men’s draw met its match on the women’s side on Day 7: defending champion Coco Gauff was beaten 4-6, 7-6, 6-4 by Anastasia Potapova — the 28th seed who had already knocked out Katie Boulter. With Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic already gone, Alexander Zverev is now the highest seed left in the men’s draw — and he is into Day 8’s bottom-half Round of 16 alongside four-time champion Iga Swiatek. The day’s blockbuster is under the Chatrier lights: 19-year-old João Fonseca, fresh from stunning Djokovic, meets Casper Ruud in the night session. Aryna Sabalenka, Frances Tiafoe and Felix Auger-Aliassime all came through Day 7 to set up their own R16s tomorrow. Below: yesterday’s results, today’s order of play, our best bets and the Day 8 acca.
For the full draw and projected paths, see our 2026 Roland-Garros draw analysis. For outright markets, our French Open 2026 outright tips and women’s tips. Catching up? Read yesterday’s Day 7 article.
Day 7 Results: Gauff Stunned, Sabalenka Cruises, Tiafoe and FAA Survive
The women’s headline matched the men’s chaos of the previous two days: defending champion Coco Gauff was beaten by Anastasia Potapova 4-6, 7-6, 6-4 — the 28th seed backing up her Day 5 win over Katie Boulter with the biggest scalp of her career. World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka was ruthless against Daria Kasatkina, racing through 6-0, 7-5, while Naomi Osaka beat teenage qualifier Iva Jovic 7-6, 3-6, 6-4 to reach her first Roland-Garros fourth round since 2018. The men’s matches ran past midnight: Frances Tiafoe outlasted Jaime Faria 4-6, 6-7(2), 7-6(4), 6-1, 6-2 in a near-four-hour comeback — becoming the first American man to reach back-to-back Roland-Garros fourth rounds since Andre Agassi — and Felix Auger-Aliassime came from a set down to beat Brandon Nakashima 5-7, 6-1, 7-6(4), 7-6(1).
| Match | Result | Score |
| Potapova (28) d. Gauff (4) | UPSET — defending champion out | 4-6, 7-6, 6-4 |
| Sabalenka (1) d. Kasatkina | Through — ruthless | 6-0, 7-5 |
| Osaka (16) d. Jovic | Through — first RG R16 since 2018 | 7-6, 3-6, 6-4 |
| Tiafoe d. Faria | Through — 5-set comeback (Agassi-matching feat) | 4-6, 6-7(2), 7-6(4), 6-1, 6-2 |
| Auger-Aliassime (4) d. Nakashima | Through — from a set down | 5-7, 6-1, 7-6(4), 7-6(1) |
Day 8 Order of Play: Bottom-Half Round of 16
The bottom half reaches the second week. With Sinner and Djokovic gone, Zverev is the man to beat; the night session pits Djokovic’s conqueror against a three-time finalist.
| Court / Session | Match | Round |
| Chatrier (day) | Iga Swiatek (3) v Marta Kostyuk (15) | R16 |
| Suzanne-Lenglen (day) | Elina Svitolina (7) v Belinda Bencic | R16 |
| Chatrier (day, closer) | Alexander Zverev (2) v Jesper De Jong | R16 |
| Chatrier (night, NB 20:15 CEST) | Casper Ruud v João Fonseca — the blockbuster | R16 |
| Also in R16 | Mirra Andreeva (8) and Andrey Rublev (11) in bottom-half action | R16 |
French Open Day 8 Best Bets
Swiatek to beat Kostyuk
Four-time champion Iga Swiatek has dropped serve sparingly through three rounds and owns a commanding record over fellow Pole Marta Kostyuk. Kostyuk is the Madrid champion and no pushover, but on Chatrier clay in a best-of-three, Swiatek’s ceiling is a class above. Tip: Swiatek to win (around 1/8).
Zverev to beat De Jong
With Sinner and Djokovic out, Alexander Zverev is the highest seed left and the clear tournament favourite. Dutch qualifier Jesper De Jong has had a breakthrough fortnight, but the gap in pedigree and clay-court power across five sets is wide. Tip: Zverev to win (around 1/6).
Svitolina to beat Bencic
The Rome champion and 7-seed Elina Svitolina has been one of the most consistent players of the clay swing. Belinda Bencic, back near her best after maternity leave, is dangerous but the surface favours Svitolina’s grind. Tip: Svitolina to win (around 4/6).
French Open Day 8 Acca
Four bottom-half R16 favourites, combined into one slip:
| Leg | Selection | Approx Odds |
| 1 | Iga Swiatek to win | 1/8 |
| 2 | Alexander Zverev to win | 1/6 |
| 3 | Elina Svitolina to win | 4/6 |
| 4 | Mirra Andreeva to win | 1/2 |
Combined: around 9/4. Three days of from-the-front upsets — Sinner, Djokovic, now Gauff — mean nothing is bankable, but these four are seeded favourites against lower-ranked or qualifier opposition. The Ruud v Fonseca night match is the genuine coin-flip and is left out of the acca as a watch-only. Build the acca with new-customer free bets via the Paddy Power Bet £5 Get £40 welcome offer — paid as £40 in free bets valid for 30 days, ideal for tennis multiples.
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More Roland-Garros 2026 Coverage
Full cluster: Roland-Garros 2026 hub | tournament preview | draw analysis | Britain at Roland-Garros | outright tips | women’s tips | each-way value | acca builder.
Daily coverage: Day 4 · Day 5 · Day 6 · Day 7 · Day 8 · Day 9 · Day 10 · Quarter-Finals · Semi-Finals · Women’s Final · Women’s Champion · Men’s Champion.
