Swiatek, Sabalenka into French Open last 16

Express Tribune

2 days ago

FAST WORK: Defending champion Iga Swiatek on the way to a fourth-round victory over Czech Karolina Muchova at Indian Wells. Photo: AFP
Iga Swiatek kept her bid for a fourth consecutive French Open title on track Friday, advancing to the last 16 at Roland Garros along with top women's seed Aryna Sabalenka and Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen.
Reigning men's champion Carlos Alcaraz will look to book his place in the last 16 later to join Italy's Lorenzo Musetti and Dane Holger Rune who both rallied to set up a fourth-round clash.
Swiatek came through despite a very close second set against Romania's world number 60 Jaqueline Cristian, winning 6-2, 7-5 in nearly two hours in sweltering conditions on Court Suzanne Lenglen.
"Before it was 20 degrees when I played my first match but today it was 30 degrees. It is not easy to adjust but I have played in every condition," said Swiatek.
The 23-year-old Pole awaits the winner of a big-hitting showdown between Elena Rybakina and Jelena Ostapenko, who has beaten Swiatek in all six of their previous meetings.
A former world number one, who has fallen to fifth in the WTA rankings, Swiatek has not won a title since her third consecutive title on the Parisian clay in 2024.
Swiatek broke the 60th-ranked Cristian twice in a comfortable first set, but she was pushed a lot harder by her rival in the second and had to save six break points.
"She went for it every time I gave her a chance," said Swiatek, hoping to become the first woman to win four successive Roland Garros titles since Suzanne Lenglen 102 years ago.
"I'm just happy that I was super solid and didn't give any free points but she used her chances."
Earlier Sabalenka produced a dominant display in a 6-2, 6-3 win over Serbian left-hander Olga Danilovic.
"Olga is a fighter. I enjoyed our battle," said Madrid Open winner Sabalenka after beating her 34th-ranked rival in 79 minutes on Court Philippe Chatrier.
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.
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 (having) improved on my game."
Zheng is through to the fourth round in Paris for the second time and will next 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.
Eighth seed Musetti won 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 against Argentine Mariano Navone in three hours and 25 minutes.
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.
"I've grown up a lot. A match like this I don't know if I would (have) come back a few years ago," said Musetti.
"The heat was pretty tough to manage. But happy to find a way to turn around the match."
Musetti, who reached the fourth round in Paris for the third time, next plays Rune who rallied past France's Quentin Halys in five sets.
In the night session, second seed Alcaraz steps up for a third-round meeting with 69th-ranked Bosnian Damir Dzumhur.
Four-time Grand Slam champion Alcaraz is the title favourite after securing the Monte Carlo Masters and Italian Open trophies in the build-up to the clay-court major. The 22-year-old Spaniard has reached the second week in 10 of his last 11 Slam appearances.