Melisa Ercan had never qualified for the third round at a Junior Grand Slam until this Monday, but she picked an extraordinary moment to do it by beating top seed Sara Saito in a three-set battle. 

“It feels really good, she’s a great player so I knew it was gonna be a tough one but I prepared really well so I’m really happy with the win today," said Ercan after her 6-7(4) 6-3 6-3 triumph.

"I was mentally pretty good, that’s what I’m proud of. I didn’t serve really well but my mental toughness was pretty solid today. I actually don’t care who I’m playing. I just need to play my best because everybody is playing very well here.”

Ercan, competing in her fourth Junior Grand Slam at Roland Garros, was rewarded for the sacrifices she has made in her early career.

“I started to play tennis when I was eight back in Turkiye," she said. "It was not easy, there were a lot of obstacles and sacrifices but still, here I am!

“I’m training in Australia. It’s not easy, you need to be able to adapt, but I love Australia and the Australian people. I have really good conditions to practice there.”

Ercan hasn’t seen her family in months but hopes they’re now going to be able to come and join her here in Europe.

“My family is in Turkiye but they are coming to Australia and back. I’ve been there for three months, didn’t see my family but they’re going to come soon I think and I’m just really excited. It’s worth it in the end.”

She’s very clear on what her goal is: “I would love to play professionally one day, so these are all good experiences before the professional level. I think playing both juniors and professional Tour is a good combo as it gives you a great experience.”

Ercan will stay in Europe for the grass season, before going back to Australia to play professional events for the rest of the year. For now, she hopes she can stay a bit longer in Paris on a surface she enjoys a lot.

“I grew up on clay so that’s why maybe I’ve got an advantage. But I also like grass and hard court. But right now, clay is my favourite," she says, laughing. "I hope it’s not changing.”

The self-confessed 'Big 3' and Maria Sharapova fan credits her level during practice for the confidence she showed on the court against Saito.

“The confidence is coming from the great practices so this win is just like the sauce on the salad! I just need to play my best for the next round," she said.

Australian Open champion Alina Korneeva received the news of Saito’s defeat with pragmatism. She had just beaten Jenny Lim from France in straight sets, 6-2 6-1, avoiding the drama of her first round clash. 

“Top seed or not doesn’t matter. Everybody can win, and everybody can lose. Today was much better for me because I was less nervous.

“I also feel that I have improved my movement on the court since Melbourne and it was the most important.”

Kaitlin Quevedo also avoided an early exit by recovering from a tough start against Mingge Xu to win 2-6 6-3 6-2. The fourth seed was overjoyed after the match, explaining how big of a dream it was for her to play here.

“Playing here and in the other Junior Grand Slams means a lot to me," said the American. "It means everything, this is what we work for every day, to eventually be able to play here with the professionals. I’m really excited with the win today. I’m so happy and looking forward to keep working hard for the next round.”

Quevedo won four titles in 2022 and the biggest of her junior career this year at J500 Milan. At 17, she has also won three professional titles.

“All of this gives me confidence," she admitted. "I can really go for my shots and also now my game style is more developed. But I’m not going into any match being overconfident.”

With her heavy forehand and the quality of her spin, no wonder she feels at home on clay.

“I’ve always had the game for clay and I really enjoy playing on it, Quevedo said. "It’s my favorite Grand Slam here. My game style really fits well for the clay. I always play on green clay in the US so it’s not this nice red clay that I enjoy when I get there.”

Also, no wonder she has just one tennis idol when it comes to Roland-Garros.

"I love Rafa, I always watched Rafa. He is the Roland-Garros king. I’d love to follow in his footsteps, to get there eventually.”

Quevedo started to play tennis with her sisters because her dad insisted she picked a sport.

“My dad was like ‘You have to play a sport, there is no choice’, and also my grandfather is from Spain and was a very good tennis player so we went after tennis. And it ended up going well! I love playing tennis and I’m glad it’s the sport that I chose. Making the choice of ‘this is what I want my career to be’ is a very important decision but I’m going to go for it, and my parents and my coaches are supporting me a lot so I know I’ll get there.”