Elena Rybakina upset Serena Williams 6-3, 7-5 in the fourth round of the French Open on Sunday.

Williams never quite got into her rhythm, committing 19 unforced errors in the two-set match. Rybakina capitalized on the former French Open champion’s shaky services game, breaking Williams five times.

Rybakina now advances to her first-ever Grand Slam quarterfinal. The No. 21 seed will face No. 31 seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, fresh off her own three-set win over Victoria Azarenka.

Williams’ quest for her 24th Grand Slam title will have to wait for Wimbledon, which is set to begin on June 28.

Coco Gauff defeated Wang Qiang 6-3, 7-6(1) on Thursday to advance to the third round of the French Open.

Gauff battled back after saving a set point to win her second-round match in straight sets. The 17-year-old has won 11 of her last 12 matches and will now play in the third round of Roland Garros for the first time in her career.

The No. 1 ranked player Ash Barty has exited the French Open, retiring early from her second-round match against Magda Linette.

Barty suffered a left hip injury days before the tournament began and it was affecting her ability to move. Barty called for a medical timeout at the end of the opening set and briefly left the court for treatment.

The 2019 champion trailed 6-1, 2-2 when she signaled she would no longer be able to continue against Linette.

Barty is the third top-ranked player to exit the French Open this week. Naomi Osaka withdrew for mental health reasons and Petra Kvitova was forced to forfeit after twisting her ankle following a TV interview. Simona Halep has also been out with a hamstring injury.

The leaders of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments responded this week to Naomi Osaka’s withdrawal from the French Open.

The four-time major champion and No. 2-ranked player in the world was fined $15,000 after skipping the press conference on Sunday following her first-round victory at Roland-Garros. The next day, Osaka pulled out of the tournament entirely. In a social media post explaining her decision, Osaka said she has “suffered long bouts of depression” and experiences “huge waves of anxiety” before speaking to the media.

Osaka included that she would be “more than happy” to speak with the tournament after the event was over and welcomed the opportunity to work with the Tour on media obligations and protocols.

The leaders of the Grand Slam tournaments, who threatened possible disqualification or suspension for Osaka on Sunday if she continued to skip news conferences, vowed to address players’ concerns about mental health in a joint statement Tuesday.

“On behalf of the Grand Slams, we wish to offer Naomi Osaka our support and assistance in any way possible as she takes time away from the court. She is an exceptional athlete and we look forward to her return as soon as she deems appropriate,” the statement read. “Mental health is a very challenging issue, which deserves our utmost attention. It is both complex and personal, as what affects one individual does not necessarily affect another. We commend Naomi for sharing in her own words the pressures and anxieties she is feeling and we empathize with the unique pressures tennis players may face.”

The issue has opened up a widespread debate about how to balance media obligations and athletes’ mental health. Many athletes have spoken out in support of Osaka, including Serena Williams.

Venus Williams addressed the issue in a press conference Tuesday, saying that each person handles media attention and duties differently.

“For me, personally, how I deal with it was that I know every single person asking me a question can’t play as well as I can and never will, so no matter what you say or what you write, you’ll never light a candle to me,” Williams said. “So that’s how I deal with it. But each person deals with it differently.”

Gael Monfils, world No. 15, said in his post-match press conference Tuesday that he could relate to Osaka’s concerns but also that the sport of tennis needs Osaka.

“We need Naomi. We need her definitely to be 100 percent,” Monfils said. “We need her back on the court, back (at) the press conference — and back happy.”

Venus Williams and Coco Gauff’s run in doubles at the French Open didn’t last long.

Facing off against No. 13 seeds Ellen Perez and Zheng Saisai in the first round Wednesday, Williams and Gauff won their first set 7-6(5) before dropping the next two 6-4, 6-3.

Their pairing was announced Sunday to the delight of many tennis fans. While it’s the first time they’ve played together, Williams and Gauff have faced off twice before at Wimbledon in 2019 and at the Australian Open in 2020. Gauff got the better of Williams each time.

With the loss, Williams’ time at the French Open comes to an end. The 40-year-old also lost her first-round singles match Tuesday, falling in straight sets to Ekaterina Alexandrova. Gauff, meanwhile, won her first-round match against Aleksandra Krunić and will face Wang Qiang in the second round of the singles tournament.

Nike and other major sponsors of Osaka’s have come out in support of her decision to withdraw from the French Open, as first reported by CNN.

Osaka signed a sponsorship deal with Nike in 2019. On Monday, the company applauded the star for opening up about her struggles with depression and anxiety.

“Our thoughts are with Naomi. We support her and recognize her courage in sharing her own mental health experience,” Nike said.

Other sponsors joined the calls of support.

“Naomi Osaka’s decision reminds us all how important it is to prioritize personal health and well-being,” Mastercard said in a statement. “We support her and admire her courage to address important issues, both on and off the court.”

Swiss luxury watchmaker TAG Heuer said that it supports its brand ambassadors “in triumph but also during challenging periods.”

“Naomi is going through difficult times and we truly hope to see her back soon. She is a great champion and we are convinced that she will come out of this period stronger, be it professionally or personally,” the company said in a statement.

Many of Osaka’s Japanese sponsors also joined in. Japanese automaker Nissan issued their statement of support, writing in a statement, “We support the right of our ambassadors to express themselves and stand by her decision.”

All Nippon Airways, a Tokyo-based airline, said that it would continue to support Osaka “as a sponsor.”

Sweetgreen, a US restaurant chain of which Osaka is a brand ambassador and investor, said: “Our partnership with Naomi is rooted in wellness in all its forms. We support her in furthering the conversation around mental health and are proud to have her as part of the Sweetgreen team.”

Osaka’s decision to withdrawal has been applauded athletes across sports. Additionally, the four Grand Slam tournaments issued a release promising to address concerns related to athletes’ mental health.

American teenager Coco Gauff is continuing her dominant clay streak. 

Gauff, 17, erased set points before pulling out the opening tiebreaker against Aleksandra Krunic in her first-round matchup. She would go on to beat Krunic 7-6 (11), 6-4 Tuesday at the French Open, marking her first match win as a seeded player at any Grand Slam tournament. 

Gauff was the junior tournament champion at Roland-Garros three years ago at the age of 14.

Next up is Wang Qiang, who Gauff beat in straight sets in the final of the Emilia-Romagna Open in Parma, Italy on Saturday, giving Gauff her first clay-court singles title. It also pushed her up to No. 25 in the WTA rankings, making her the youngest American woman to make her Top 25 debut since Serena Williams in 1998. 

With the win, Gauff is now 13-3 on clay this season.

No. 11 seed Petra Kvitova pulled out of the French Open on Tuesday, citing an ankle injury she incurred during her post-match press requirements.

Kvitova, a semifinalist at Roland Garros in 2020, won her first-round match against Greet Minnen 6-7 (3), 7-6 (5), 6-1 and was set to play Elena Vesnina in the second round on Wednesday.

Kvitova’s announcement comes only a day after Naomi Osaka withdrew from the tournament due to mental health concerns.

In her statement, Kvitova said she would be gearing up for the grass-court season, which culminates with Wimbledon on June 28.

The Women’s Tennis Association has responded to Naomi Osaka’s announcement that she will not be doing press at the French Open. 

In her statement, Osaka cited players’ mental health as the reason behind the decision, stating that interviews after losses are like “kicking a person while they are down.”

“I’m just not going to subject myself to people that doubt me,” she wrote.

The WTA responded on Friday morning in a statement, writing that mental health is “of the utmost importance to the WTA.”

“We have a team of professionals and a support system in place that look after our athletes’ mental and emotional health and well-being,” the organization said in a statement on Friday.

“The WTA welcomes a dialogue with Naomi (and all players) to discuss possible approaches that can help support an athlete as they manage any concerns related to mental health.”

The WTA simultaneously stressed that it also has responsibilities to the fans and public.

“Professional athletes have a responsibility to their sport and their fans to speak to the media surrounding their competition, allowing them the opportunity to share their perspective and tell their story,” it said.

The 23-year old has received some support, including from 7-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams who wrote “Girl, do you. Your life is yours to live!” However 13-time French Open champion Rafa Nadal and women’s world No. 1 Ash Barty have expressed their belief that players have a duty to address the media. 

Osaka begins play Sunday against World No. 63 Patricia Maria Tig of Romania in the first round of the French Open.

American tennis player Sofia Kenin announced on Instagram that she would no longer be coached by her father.

The 22-year-old said she is putting together a new team ahead of this month’s French Open.

Currently No. 4 in the WTA rankings and 2020’s French Open runner-up, Kenin will hope to replicate last year’s success at the upcoming Grand Slam with a new coach by her side.