Three French Pairs Reach Paris Major Round of 16 at Roland Garros

Three French pairs are through to the round of 16 at the Paris Major, a rare sight for the host nation at padel's biggest week on French soil. Timeo Fonteny, Thomas Leygue and Dylan Guichard all won their way onto the Philippe-Chatrier show court this week, and all three play their last-16 matches on Wednesday at Roland Garros.

Fonteny's wildcard run

Fonteny, 19, is a four-time French junior champion who took his main-draw debut on a wildcard invitation alongside Spanish partner Nacho Moragues. The pair beat Jose Luis Gonzalez and Alvaro Melendez 6-1, 6-4 in their opening match. Fonteny called playing at Roland Garros "a dream," and said he owed the finish to his partner's late points and the home crowd's support. Next up: 14th seeds Alex Arroyo and Jose Jimenez, quarterfinalists in Madrid.

Leygue's comeback

Leygue, 24, is back after a serious Achilles tendon injury sidelined him for months. Playing with Jesus Moya, he first battled through a marathon 2 hour 14 minute qualifier, saving three match points against the run of play before closing it out 7-5, 4-6, 6-4. He then backed it up with another main-draw win to reach the last 16. "I gave everything I had left on the court," Leygue said after the qualifying win, adding that he wanted to keep the run going in front of his parents. Leygue and Moya face Juanlu Esbri and Sanyo Gutierrez on Wednesday.

Guichard completes the trio

Dylan Guichard, partnered with Clement Geens, rounded out the French charge with his own main-draw win to reach the round of 16. He next faces Leo Augsburger and Juan Lebron.

A rare French wave

French men's padel has long struggled for direct entries at the majors, so seeing three home pairs alive in the same round at Roland Garros stands out. Top seeds Agustin Tapia and Arturo Coello also play their round of 16 on Wednesday, headlining a stacked day on the main court.