Sabalenka powers into French Open fourth round
Tennis - French Open - Roland Garros, Paris, France - May 30, 2025 Belarus' Aryna Sabalenka reacts with Serbia's Olga Danilovic after winning their third round match REUTERS/Lisi Niesner
Tennis - French Open - Roland Garros, Paris, France - May 30, 2025 Belarus' Aryna Sabalenka in action during her third round match against Serbia's Olga Danilovic REUTERS/Lisi Niesner
Tennis - French Open - Roland Garros, Paris, France - May 30, 2025 Serbia's Olga Danilovic reacts during her third round match against Belarus' Aryna Sabalenka REUTERS/Lisi Niesner
Tennis - French Open - Roland Garros, Paris, France - May 30, 2025 Serbia's Olga Danilovic in action during her third round match against Belarus' Aryna Sabalenka REUTERS/Lisi Niesner
Tennis - French Open - Roland Garros, Paris, France - May 30, 2025 Belarus' Aryna Sabalenka in action during her third round match against Serbia's Olga Danilovic REUTERS/Lisi Niesner
PARIS - World number one Aryna Sabalenka's French Open quest continued as she powered into the fourth round with a 6-2 6-3 victory against Serbia's Olga Danilovic on Friday.
The Belarusian dominated her opponent from the start and although she faced some brief resistance in the second set, she easily set up a meeting with 16th seed Amanda Anisimova of the United States.
"I am super happy with the win, Olga is a fighter and I knew it would be a fight. She played like a top 10 player; pretty soon she will be in the top 10," said Sabalenka.
Sabalenka started in ruthless fashion, racing to a 5-0 lead but Danilovic avoided the bagel by winning the sixth game on serve, going on to pull a break back.
The resurgence was shortlived, however, as Sabalenka wrapped up the opening set with another break of serve.
Danilovic put up a decent fight in the second set but there was no comeback on the cards as Sabalenka broke for 5-3.
The three-time Grand Slam champion wrapped it up with an unreturnable serve on a half-empty Court Philippe Chatrier - a common occurrence on early matches at the French Open. REUTERS
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

Straits Times
13 minutes ago
- Straits Times
PSG's Doue starts, Inter's Martinez and Pavard return for Champions League final
MUNICH, Germany - Teenager Desire Doue starts in attack for Paris St Germain as they face Inter Milan in the Champions League final at the Allianz Arena on Saturday, with defender Benjamin Pavard and captain Lautaro Martinez starting for the Italian side. PSG manager Luis Enrique has placed his trust in the 19-year-old Doue, partnering him with Ousmane Dembele and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia in the forward line, leaving Bradley Barcola on the bench as the French champions aim to secure their maiden Champions League trophy. Doue, who joined PSG from Rennes last August in a deal reportedly worth 50 million euros ($56.74 million), has enjoyed a breakout season. The young forward has scored 13 goals and provided 15 assists in all competitions, earning his first callup to the French national team in March. Inter Milan coach Simone Inzaghi, meanwhile, has been bolstered by the return of key players. Both Pavard and Martinez are back in the starting team after recovering from injuries that sidelined them for several weeks. Their inclusion is a major boost for the Italian side, who are chasing their fourth Champions League title and their first since 2010. Martinez, the club captain, has been instrumental for Inter this season, while Pavard, a 2023 signing from Bayern Munich, has brought stability to Inter's backline. PSG: Gianluigi Donnarumma; Achraf Hakimi, Marquinhos (captain), Willian Pacho, Nuno Mendes; Joao Neves, Vitinha, Fabian Ruiz; Desire Doue, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Ousmane Dembele. Inter Milan: Yann Sommer; Benjamin Pavard, Francesco Acerbi, Alessandro Bastoni; Denzel Dumfries, Nicolo Barella, Hakan Calhanoglu, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Federico Dimarco; Lautaro Martinez (captain), Marcus Thuram. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.


CNA
20 minutes ago
- CNA
Ruthless Sinner humbles Lehecka as Americans dig deep at French Open
PARIS :World number one Jannik Sinner flattened Jiri Lehecka into the French Open clay to make the fourth round but a trio of American women led by Coco Gauff had to dig deep to progress on Saturday. As grey skies enveloped Roland Garros in the morning, Sinner won the opening 11 games against Czech Lehecka as fans checked their watches against the scoreboard in disbelief. Lehecka drew loud cheers when he finally got on the board but Sinner continued his masterclass with brutal clarity to secure a 6-0 6-1 6-2 win. "I think in early stages of Grand Slams it's good that you don't spend so much time, if you have the chance, on court. So I'm happy to do that," Sinner said. "In the other way, matches like this can change quickly, because if you don't start well in one set and the match can go long and then you cannot control it." Up next for Sinner is a clash with Andrey Rublev, who advanced after injured Frenchman Arthur Fils pulled out. BEST FORM Marketa Vondrousova is also no stranger to injuries and the Czech looked to be finding her best form again on Parisian clay. She claimed the opening set against Jessica Pegula on Court Philippe Chatrier but the American third seed was too good when it mattered to close out a 3-6 6-4 6-2 win. She will next face Lois Boisson, who won the all-French clash against Elsa Jacquemot 6-3 0-6 7-5. Second seed Coco Gauff also had trouble against a Czech but came through a shaky second set to beat Marie Bouzkova 6-1 7-6(3) before Madison Keys sharpened up after a slow start to save three match points and beat compatriot Sofia Kenin 4-6 6-3 7-5. Eight American women and men have advanced to last 16, matching the country's record from 1985. Third seed Alexander Zverev sparkled as sunshine parted the clouds in the afternoon, the German downing Flavio Cobolli 6-2 7-6(4) 6-1 to reach the fourth round in Paris for an eighth consecutive year. Zverev next faces Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor, who outlasted American Ethan Quinn 4-6 6-1 6-7(2) 6-1 6-4. 'LUCKY CHARM' Russian 18-year-old Mirra Andreeva outclassed Kazakh Yulia Putintseva 6-3 6-1 on Court Suzanne Lenglen and the sixth seed attributed the comfortable win to a colourful drawing a young supporter left on her bench. "Wherever that little girl is, I want to thank her, because it's my lucky charm," added sixth seed Andreeva, who became the youngest woman to complete 10 Roland Garros singles match wins since Swiss two-times runner-up Martina Hingis. Spanish 10th seed Paula Badosa would have wished for a bit of luck against a dominant Daria Kasatkina but bowed out 6-1 7-5 to the Russian-born 17th seed who now represents Australia. "I was ready for a difficult match," said Kasatkina, who can expect another big test against Andreeva next. "I knew if she got a chance, she would take it straight away. But I'm really proud of myself and how I handled the situation." Jack Draper's campaign continued in style when the Briton ended Brazilian poster boy Joao Fonseca's run with a ruthless 6-2 6-4 6-2 victory. Three-times champion Novak Djokovic plays qualifier Filip Misolic in the evening session seeking his 99th match victory at Roland Garros to equal his tally at the Australian Open, where he has won 10 titles.

Straits Times
28 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Pyramids hope for ‘miracle' of support in African CL final
FILE PHOTO: A horse cart drives with tourists in front of the Great Pyramids in Giza, on the outskirts of Cairo, Egypt, November 4, 2024. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh/File photo CAIRO - Egypt's Pyramids hope to rally local support for Sunday's African Champions League final as they face the possibility of hosting the second leg in a near-empty stadium in Cairo against South Africa's Mamelodi Sundowns. Coach Krunoslav Jurcic said it would be a "miracle" if his side could attract support from a city whose citizens overwhelmingly back one of the two traditional Cairo giants -- Al Ahly or Zamalek. Pyramids have emerged from their shadow to contest a first Champions League final and battled to a 1-1 draw away in Pretoria in the first leg. "We are expecting tomorrow a lot of people in the stadium. This will be a miracle," Jurcic told a press conference on Saturday at the June 30 Stadium on the outskirts of the Egyptian capital. "Lately, a lot of people have been speaking positively about Pyramids. They are supporters of other clubs in Egypt, but they will come to watch because Pyramids is an Egyptian club. "Tomorrow, all of Egypt will be with Pyramids, and this is our big success, this is the miracle for us," the Croatian coach said. They had only a few thousand in the stands when they triumphed in a high-tempo semi-final against another South Africa club Orlando Pirates last month. Pyramids moved to Cairo in 2018 and changed their name under new Saudi owners. They have since been taken over by investors from the United Arab Emirates but failed to attract much support despite challenging the traditional duopoly in recent years. But Jurcic made it clear they were still treated as outsiders as he again criticised Egypt's football association, which made them play a league game on Wednesday. "Where else in the world is a club forced to play a local match a few days before they compete in a Champions League final?," he said. Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso, however, said he did not think it would have any effect on Pyramids' chances in the final. "They rested most of their key players on Wednesday," he said of Pyramids' 5-1 win over Ceramica Cleopatra in their last league fixture of the season. Cardoso also did not think a small crowd would hinder their hosts. "They are used to playing without fans and they still fight for their championship and got to the Champions League final. It's not because of that that they didn't perform," Cardoso added. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.