The Belarusian second seed is yet to drop a set in the tournament after a comfortable 6-2, 6-2 win against the world number 82.

Eighth-seeded Sinner, whose best performance at Roland Garros came in 2020 when he lost in the quarter-finals against Rafael Nadal, looked set for a no-nonsense win after cruising through the third set but Altmaier had other ideas.

World number four Elena Rybakina racked up her 30th win of the year on Thursday to reach the French Open last 32.

Novak Djokovic defiantly insisted on Wednesday "it's something I stand for" regarding the controversy over his explosive comments about Kosovo earlier this week at the French Open.

World number one Carlos Alcaraz overcame a second set blip to defeat Japan's Taro Daniel and reach the French Open last 32 on Wednesday.

World number two Aryna Sabalenka cruised into the French Open third round on Wednesday with a straight-sets win over fellow Belarusian Iryna Shymanovich.

International tennis chiefs insisted Wednesday that "political statements" are not banned at Grand Slam events after Novak Djokovic controversially wrote "Kosovo is the heart of Serbia" on a camera at the French Open.

World number five Stefanos Tsitsipas found little resistance as he disposed of claycourt specialist Roberto Carballes Baena in straight sets 6-3 7-6(4) 6-2 on Wednesday to advance to the French Open third round.

Daniil Medvedev backed 172nd-ranked Thiago Seyboth Wild to break the top 30 by the end of the year after suffering a shock French Open first round exit at the hands of the Brazilian on Tuesday.

"Kosovo is our cradle, our stronghold, centre of the most important things for our country... There are many reasons why I wrote that on the camera," 36-year-old Djokovic told Serb media at the tournament

World number one Carlos Alcaraz got his French Open campaign underway with a straight-sets win over Italian qualifier Flavio Cobolli on Monday.

Novak Djokovic started his bid for a men's record 23rd Grand Slam singles title with a straight-sets victory over Aleksandar Kovacevic in the French Open first round on Monday.

World number three Jessica Pegula is not yet a part of the burgeoning "Big Three" rivalry on the women's tour but the American said Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina had earned the right to receive such recognition.

Djokovic shares the all-time men's record of 22 Grand Slam titles with Nadal but can break that tie by winning the French Open for a third time

Novak Djokovic will bid for a record-breaking 23rd Grand Slam title at the French Open without his old rival Rafael Nadal, while Iga Swiatek attempts to become the first woman to defend the title in 16 years.

Fresh from his maiden claycourt title at the Rome Masters, Daniil Medvedev is however taking nothing for granted before starting his French Open campaign at Roland Garros.

Fast-forward a year and 23-year-old Wu is his country's highest-ranked male player at 59 in the world and about to spearhead a landmark assault at the French Open where it has been 86 years since a Chinese man last played in the main draw.

Djokovic is chasing a record 23rd men's Grand Slam title in the absence of the injured Rafael Nadal, who will miss the tournament at Roland Garros for the first time since his 2005 title-winning debut

The Russian added a first clay trophy to his 19-title collection with a 7-5, 7-5 win over Holger Rune in the Italian Open final in Rome.

Elena Rybakina will head to the French Open with the confidence that she can be as effective on clay as she is on the other two surfaces with her booming serve and groundstrokes after the Kazakh world number six won the Italian Open on Saturday.