Sabalenka, Zheng sizzle as temperatures soar at French Open
Tennis - French Open - Roland Garros, Paris, France - May 30, 2025 China's Qinwen Zheng in action during her third round match against Canada's Victoria Mboko REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq
Tennis - French Open - Roland Garros, Paris, France - May 30, 2025 Canada's Victoria Mboko in action during her third round match against China's Qinwen Zheng REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq
Tennis - French Open - Roland Garros, Paris, France - May 30, 2025 China's Qinwen Zheng in action during her third round match against Canada's Victoria Mboko REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq
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 and Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen eased into the fourth round of the French Open while Lorenzo Musetti blew hot and cold on a scorching day at Roland Garros on Friday.
Defending champion Iga Swiatek continued her bid for a fifth Roland Garros trophy when the fifth seed stayed calm on a steamy afternoon to beat Romania's Jaqueline Cristian while Holger Rune edged a brutal five-setter with France's Quentin Halys.
Holder Carlos Alcaraz resumes his title defence against Bosnian Damir Dzumhur in the cool of the evening session.
Sabalenka avoided the worst conditions but had to stave off a plucky Olga Danilovic to win 6-2 6-3 and continue her bid for a maiden Roland Garros title following major triumphs at the Australian and U.S. Opens.
The three-time Grand Slam champion looked in ruthless form while racing ahead 5-0 but Danilovic avoided the bagel by taking the sixth game on serve and pulled a break back to give herself a small chance to come back.
The resurgence did not last, however, as Sabalenka closed out the opening set with another break of serve and withstood another stern test in the second set to beat her 34th-ranked opponent from Serbia.
"Olga's a fighter and I knew it was going to be a fight," Sabalenka said.
"I enjoyed playing against her, she played like a top 10 player and I'm sure soon she'll be in the top 10. I enjoyed our battle and I'm super happy to be through this difficult match."
Zheng, who won her biggest title at last year's Paris Olympics, continued her good form on the Roland Garros clay as the Chinese eighth seed moved into the second week by beating Grand Slam debutant Victoria Mboko 6-3 6-4 at Court Simonne Mathieu.
That match was halted briefly when the 18-year-old Mboko was down 5-3 in the second set as a fan needed medical attention but Zheng ensured her momentum was not affected when play resumed and quickly dispatched the Canadian.
Former semi-finalist Amanda Anisimova required treatment for a blister on her right hand before the American secured a 7-6(4) 6-4 victory over Denmark's Clara Tauson to reach the last 16 of the major where she announced herself in 2019.
Anisimova, seeded 16th, takes on Sabalenka in the next round aiming to improve her 5-2 win-loss record against the Belarusian top seed.
'BIG HITTERS'
"We're both big hitters, so I'm sure we're going to be going at it back and forth," Anisimova said.
"Obviously she's one of the best right now. She's number one. I feel it's always a good matchup. I really enjoy the fight and the challenge she brings on.
"I'm just looking forward to it. Hopefully I can bring my 'A' game. Hopefully it'll be a good match."
Liudmila Samsonova will also expect to be fully tested when she meets Zheng after seeing off Dayana Yastremska 6-2 6-3.
Swiatek extended her spectacular French Open winning streak to 24 matches after seeing off a spirited Jaqueline Cristian of Romania 6-2 7-5 as the temperature soared.
"It was 20 degrees Celsius when I played my first match but today it was 30 degrees," Swiatek said.
"It's not easy to adjust but I've played in every condition. Last year at the Olympics it was super hot, so I was ready."
Up next for Swiatek is fellow Grand Slam champion Elena Rybakina, who ousted 2017 Roland Garros winner Jelena Ostapenko 6-2 6-2.
Last year's runner-up Jasmine Paolini of Italy eased past Yuliia Starodubtseva 6-4 6-1 and could face another Ukrainian if Elina Svitolina can beat American Bernarda Pera.
On the men's side, eighth seed Musetti dropped the opening set against Mariano Navone of Argentina before prevailing 4-6 6-4 6-3 6-2 while Rune emerged from a see-sawing battle against Halys with a 4-6 6-2 5-7 7-5 6-2 win.
"It was a brutal match. He played really well. Massive respect to him," Rune said.
"I tried to change things. The first set didn't go how I wanted it to. I had to put more spin on the ball because of the conditions.
"The player who took the opportunities to be aggressive was the player who won today."
Tommy Paul also won in five sets, the American 12th seed beating Russian Karen Khachanov 6-3 3-6 7-6(7) 3-6 6-3 while Australia's Alexei Popyrin got past Nuno Borges 6-4 7-6(11) 7-6(5). REUTERS
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