After time out of the game, Teichmann and Wang Xiyu surge into Paris second week

On paper, Jil Teichmann and Wang Xiyu are the unlikeliest outsiders in the second week of Roland Garros. Ranked No. 170 and No. 148 respectively, they're the two lowest-ranked players left in the draw -- yet on Saturday, Teichmann came from 5-1 down in the second set to upset No. 10 seed Karolina Muchova 6-1, 7-5 in the third round. Qualifier Wang also overturned break deficits in both sets to defeat Yuliia Starodubtseva 6-3, 7-5.

In neither case does their ranking reflect their abilities. Teichmann, a 28-year-old left-hander boasting a full repertoire of clay-court skills, is a former No. 21 -- a career high she reached in 2022, the same year she made the Roland Garros fourth round for the first time. Her win over Muchova was a rematch of the 2019 Prague final, with the same result, and her ninth career Top 10 win (but first since beating Belinda Bencic at Indian Wells 2023). Wang, another left-hander who wields a lethal forehand, peaked at No. 49 in 2023, the same year she won her first title in Guangzhou.

If Teichmann and Wang fell off fans' radar, it's because both have taken extended breaks from the sport in the past year. Last September, Teichmann began to feel that she needed to step away from the grind which she'd pursued non-stop since the age of 14.

"Things happen on court, off court," she told reporters after defeating Muchova. "Changes with quite a lot of my team, as well as in my personal life things happened. So at some point things get together and it kind of gets too much ... I was feeling that I was getting down a road that was not healthy anymore."

Teichmann still retained her love for tennis, but knew that in order to prolong her career, she had to pause it -- even if that meant starting again from outside the Top 200. It wasn't easy -- there was "a bit of back and forth" over whether she should waste the Top 100 ranking she'd regained that year.

"But deep down when I was really just listening to my heart, it was, like, OK, that's what I do need," Teichmann continued. She traveled -- not on the hamster wheel of the tennis circuit, but to visit a childhood friend in Berlin and family in Switzerland. She skiied, she surfed and she took the time she needed to "fill my batteries," as she put it.

Since her return in April, Teichmann's customary joie de vivre has been evident on court again. Last week in Rabat, she found herself embroiled in a marathon quarterfinal tussle against home hope Yasmine Kabbaj. At 6-6 in the third-set tiebreak, after over three hours of play, Teichmann grinned and made a goofy face at the camera as she changed ends. Two points later, victory was hers. Against Muchova, she carves a drop shot so delicate that she breaks out into a broad grin, and the smile doesn't leave her face as she surges through her second-set comeback. Throughout, she laughs and jokes with fans during the tightest moments.

"I'm this kind of player a little bit," she said. "Very emotional. I do enjoy playing in a stadium, playing with a crowd, talking. I just need that. That's why I play tennis, you know, to be in the big stage, to be playing these big moments and, as well, having a lot of support from all my friends."

Having struggled with burning out less than a year ago, Teichmann's decision to take a mental health hiatus has been fully justified.

After injury break, Wang learns the virtues of patience

While Teichmann has been able rediscover the joy in her tennis, the lesson Wang has taken from her struggles is to be patient. A shoulder injury sidelined the 25-year-old between October last year and March this year. She returned at ITF and WTA 125 level in her native China prior to Roland Garros, and has barely stopped winning since. She's claimed three ITF titles, has compiled a 27-2 record (one of those losses was a retirement) and she has yet to drop a set in six matches in Paris so far in making the second week of a major for the first time.

"Because I come back after injury, I think I try to be more patient to myself," Wang said after defeating Starodubtseva.

"I try to accept the problem that I have and go through it ... I am just trying to be more enjoyed in the match and try to stay calm and face to the difficult and try to find a solution in the match."

It was a similar level-headed mindset with which Wang steadily built her winning streak.

"I didn't think a lot," she said about her 2026 record. "I just stayed in the present to see what is going to happen and try to face it and not something special. I am just trying my best to live one more day."

In a twist of fate, Wang was on the other side of the net when the most horrific injury of Roland Garros occurred -- Hailey Baptiste's fall during their second-round match leading to ACL and meniscus injuries.

"After I finished the day, I saw the video of how she fell," Wang recalled. "It was really bad. I feel so sad about her because she did so great in this season. She has really good improvement. She is Top 30 now. I was very looking forward to have a good match with her. I feel really sorry and sad. I hope she comes back as soon as possible. She has such good talent in tennis. I am really looking forward to playing one more time with her in the future."