The British duo squandered two match points in a nerve-jangling second set tiebreak and looked to be heading out as the Belgians moved ahead in the third set, leading 9-7.
Wimbledon champion and world number three Elena Rybakina pulled out of a warm-up event in Eastbourne.
Penpix of the top men's contenders at the 2021 French Open which begins on Sunday:
Big-serving Elena Rybakina will aim to retain her title but other players have emerged as serious contenders:
Medvedev makes early exit after Wimbledon meltdown
It was sweet victory for Japan's Miyu Kato as she bagged the mixed doubles crown with Tim Puetz after being disqualied from the women's doubles.
World No 1 Aryna Sabalenka, the most powerful player on the tour, will try to establish herself as an all-rounder with her first title in Paris.
Poland's Swiatek, who has dropped to fifth in the world rankings, has so far failed to win a title this year despite a few deep runs in tournaments, including the Australian Open semi-finals.
India's top-ranked singles player Sumit Nagal made a first round exit from the Geneva Open after going down fighting against Argentina's Sebastian Baez.
Images from Day 3 of the 2024 French Open at Roland Garros in Paris on Tuesday.
Jannik Sinner defeated Carlos Alcaraz in a high-octane final to claim his maiden Wimbledon trophy and fourth Grand Slam crown on Sunday.
Norwegian Casper Ruud did not let a rib injury get in the way of setting up a Madrid Open final showdown with fifth seed Jack Draper as he reached the title match without dropping a set following a 6-4 7-5 win over Francisco Cerundolo on Friday.
World number one Jannik Sinner delivered a flawless performance to pulverise Czech Jiri Lehecka in straight sets in little more than 90 minutes on Saturday.
Coco Gauff said she will never again make the mistake of doubting Rafael Nadal's chances at French Open
Versatility is essential and it has come to the fore for Sabalenka in recent tournaments, where she has used not just her brutal strength to put opponents on the back foot but also applied a touch of finesse to leave them wrong-footed.
Gaston keeps French flag flying at Roland Garros.
Rohan Bopanna and his Australian partner Matthew Ebden have clinched a spot in the prestigious season-ending ATP Finals, marking the Indian's fourth appearance in the tournament.
A year before he won his first Grand Slam title at Roland Garros in 2005, Rafa made his debut in India at the Chennai Open.
Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff resume their simmering rivalry on the pristine lawns of London.
Coco Gauff, 18, is the youngest finalist at Roland Garros since Kim Clijsters in 2001.
Carlos Alcaraz said he could hold his head high despite being unseated from his Wimbledon throne by Jannik Sinner on Sunday and the Spaniard praised their hot rivalry for being several notches higher than the others on the men's tour.
Dubbed the 'King of Clay' for his jaw-dropping 112-4 win-loss record at the Paris major, Rafael Nadal's last Roland Garros triumph came in 2022.
Briton Andy Murray will make his comeback from injury at this month's Geneva Open after the former world number one was handed a wildcard by the organisers of the French Open tune-up event on Wednesday.
Defending champion Iga Swiatek made it to her third final in four years at Roland Garros.
Between them, Alcaraz and Sinner have shared the last six Grand Slam titles and their mesmeric clash last month in the longest-ever French Open final is being touted as one of the greatest of all time.
Novak Djokovic admitted reality was beginning to bite after the Serb was unable to bridge a 15-year age gap in a Wimbledon semi-final drubbing against Italian Jannik Sinner on Friday.
Alcaraz was impressive in his first Grand Slam match since his US Open triumph last year
Images from Day 7 of the 2024 French Open.
Alcaraz has been seen as fellow Spaniard Rafael Nadal's successor on the Paris clay.
The Dane revealed he had taken notes from how Novak Djokovic beat Alcaraz in the Olympic final at Roland Garros.
Djokovic described beating Carlos Alcaraz to claim the Olympic singles gold medal at the fifth attempt as the biggest achievement of his career on Sunday.
A look at the top men's contenders at the 2020 French Open.
Rafael Nadal teamed up with Carlos Alcaraz for the first time as Spain's so-called dream team opened their Olympic doubles campaign with a 7-6(4), 6-4 defeat of Argentine sixth seeds Maximo Gonzales and Andres Molteni on Saturday.
Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff stressed the need to start matches earlier at Grand Slams
The duo will face El Salvador's Marcelo Arevalo and Netherlands' Jean-Julien Rojer in the semi-finals.
Gauff cruises past Zidansek to reach French Open third round
Spain's Rafa Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz will team up to play doubles at this year's Olympic Games in Paris, the Royal Spanish Tennis Federation (RFET) said on Wednesday.
Fashion statements from Roland Garros...
Coco Gauff overcomes Sabalenka in error-riddled final to win French Open
Images from the US Open women's singles quarter-finals at Flushing Meadows, New York, on Tuesday.
