Sabalenka, Zheng advance as Musetti battles into French Open last 16

Observer

2 days ago

Paris: Top women's seed Aryna Sabalenka and Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen eased into the French Open last 16 on Friday as Italy's Lorenzo Musetti rallied from a set down to book his ticket to the men's fourth round.
Sabalenka produced a dominant display in a 6-2, 6-3 win over Serbian left-hander Olga Danilovic.
"On the court it is about dreams and I give my all," said Madrid Open winner Sabalenka after beating her 34th-ranked rival in 79 minutes on the sun-drenched Court Philippe Chatrier.
"Olga is a fighter. I enjoyed our battle and supper happy to be through this difficult match."
The 27-year-old Belarusian next plays 16th-seeded American Amanda Anisimova for a place in the quarter-finals.
Anisimova ousted Danish 22nd seed Clara Tauson 7-6 (7/4), 6-4 in their third-round tie.
Zheng ended the run of Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko 6-3, 6-4.
China's Qinwen returns to Mboko during day 6. — Reuters
The Chinese eighth seed has now won nine successive matches at Roland Garros following her run to Olympic gold last year.
"We had some really good points, it was not an easy match," said Zheng.
"Today was a tough battle against Qinwen," said 18-year-old Grand Slam newcomer Mboko.
"Lots of things to learn and hopefully come back to my next tournament with some more positives and improved on my game."
Zheng is through to the fourth round in Paris for the second time and will next face Russian 19th seed Liudmila Samsonova who brushed aside Ukraine's Dayana Yastremska 6-2, 6-3.
Zheng and Samsonova will both be bidding for a first Roland Garros quarter-final berth.
Italy's Musetti in action during third round. — Reuters
— Musetti fights on —
Eighth seed Musetti won 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 against unseeded Argentine Mariano Navone in three hours and 25 minutes on Court Suzanne Lenglen.
Musetti arrived in Paris as one of the form players in the world after backing up his runner-up finish in Monte Carlo with semi-final runs in Madrid and Rome.
But the Italian dropped his first set in Paris against world number 97 Navone.
"Honestly, today was completely different conditions from the last two matches," said Musetti.
"I was a little bit surprised at the beginning, but happy and really proud of the comeback.
"I've grown up a lot. A match like this I don't know if I would (have) come back a few years ago."
Musetti, who reached the fourth round in Paris for the third time, next plays either 10th seed Holger Rune of Denmark or France's Quentin Halys for a place in the quarter-finals.
— Alcaraz, Swiatek eye second week —
Reigning men's champion Carlos Alcaraz bids to book his place in the last 16 later on Friday, with defending women's champion Iga Swiatek also in third-round action.
Second seed Alcaraz eased through his opening two matches in Paris, despite dropping a set against Hungary's Fabian Marozsan.
Next up is a third-round meeting in the night session with 69th-ranked Bosnian Damir Dzumhur, who has made the last 32 for the first time since 2018 but struggled with a knee injury during his win over Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard.
Four-time Grand Slam champion Alcaraz is the title favourite at Roland Garros after securing the Monte Carlo Masters and Italian Open trophies in the build-up to the clay-court major.
He has reached the second week in 10 of his last 11 Slam appearances.
"If I lose the focus in Grand Slams, in matches (that are) the best-of-five, it's much better to refocus your attention," he said.
"You have more time, you have more sets just to be back if you lose your focus a bit."
The 22-year-old Spaniard would secure a match against either American 13th seed Ben Shelton or Italian surprise package Matteo Gigante with a victory.
Four-time winner Swiatek has dispelled some of the doubts surrounding her form with two comprehensive wins and takes on unseeded Romanian Jaqueline Cristian on Court Suzanne Lenglen.
"I have been feeling good and that's it," said Swiatek, hoping to become the first woman to win four successive Roland Garros titles since Suzanne Lenglen 102 years ago.
Fourth seed Jasmine Paolini, the 2024 losing finalist, continues her campaign against Ukraine's Yuliia Starodubtseva, while Elina Svitolina targets a third straight last-16 appearance against American Bernarda Pera.
— AFP