Andrey Rublev reacts to a point during his match against Matteo Arnaldi of Italy. Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports

An epic temper tantrum highlighted Day 6 of the French Open

By Mike Santa Barbara | Last updated May 31, 2024 8:19 PM ET

Day 6 of the French Open had its fair share of action, but the true standout was a John McEnroe-like freak-out from one of the top players in the world.

Here are some highlights from Friday's action.

Andrey Rublev loses his cool in upset defeat

Rublev, who celebrated one of the proudest victories of his career at the Madrid Open less than a month ago, imploded at the French Open on Friday. The world's sixth-ranked player saw his run come to a surprising halt, marked by an embarrassing and epic tirade.

In an upset victory, Italian Matteo Arnaldi topped Rublev, 7-6, 6-2, 6-4. Upset with his play and the officials, Rublev lost his composure during the match, repeatedly smashing his racket aggressively on his own knee in disgust.

It was an afternoon to forget for Andrey Rublev at Roland-Garros #RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/U0ou2C16Ca
— Eurosport (@eurosport) May 31, 2024

Tantrums from Rublev aren't uncommon. After an argument with a line judge, he was booted from the Dubai Open semifinals in March.

Defending champ celebrates birthday with Round of 32 win

Iga Swiatek, the defending French Open, defeated Marie Bouzkova (6-4, 6-2). The victory clinched a second-week spot at Roland-Garros for the sixth time in six years.

Friday was a breeze compared to her previous match. Naomi Osaka took Swiatek to the limit on Wednesday but survived, winning 7-6, 1-6, 7-5.

After the win over Bouzkova, fans sang Happy Birthday to Swiatek, who was grinning ear-to-ear.

Sing along, please @iga_swiatek #RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/gc87eLyYoG
— wta (@WTA) May 31, 2024

Jannik Sinner makes history

Sinner, the world's No. 2 ranked men's player, advanced on Friday, quickly dispatching Pavel Kotov in straight sets (6-4, 6-4, 6-4). His victory also helped him join an elite list.

According to OptaStats, Sinner (31-2) is now one of only four men's players ever to win 31 or more of their first 33 seasonal matches before their 23rd birthday. Jimmy Connors (1974), Ivan Lendl (1982) and Pete Sampras (1994) are the others.

Just like he drew it up #RolandGarros | @janniksin pic.twitter.com/vFWjimYZwZ
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) May 31, 2024

Mike Santa Barbara

Mike Santa Barbara is a Wilmington, Delaware native (Yes, it's a real place) with over a decade of sports writing experience. A diehard Philadelphia sports fan, he has two dogs named after Flyers and cried real tears when the Eagles won Super Bowl LII. You can follow him on Twitter at @mike__sb

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