PARIS: Iga Swiatek finished her recent win at the French Open and raised a triumphant right fist. Rafael Nadal won less than half an hour later and celebrated with a left uppercut.
The two defending champions ensure a potent double combination at Roland Garros. Both won away on Saturday (Sunday in Manila) and reached the fourth round.
Swiatek recovered after a break in the opening set and defeated Anett Kontaveit 7: 6 (4), 6: 0. Nadal was not shocked in losing serve twice in a row in the second set, and he eliminated Cameron Norrie 6-3, 6-3, 6-3.
Nadal, 35, has made it to the round of 16 for the 50th time in a Grand Slam and will next play the teenager Jannik Sinner. The Spanish superstar is trying to expand his record by 13 French Open crowns and is aiming for his 21st major title, which would break the men’s record he shares with Roger Federer.
Federer and Novak Djokovic are the only ones other men who have reached the fourth round at 50 major events.
Twenty-year-old Swiatek has won 20 sets in a row at Roland Garros and that streak was in jeopardy when she left Kontaveit 4-2. The defending champion dominated from then on and lost only 12 points in the second set.
Sofia Kenin moved into the fourth round for the third time in a row by playing an all-American seesaw game against Jessica Pegula 4-6, 6-1 , Won 6-4. Kenin is the top seeded player left in fourth place in the women’s category, and she hit a slump when she returned to Roland Garros, where she was second to Swiatek in October.
« This whole year has been in relation not great on my tennis, « said Kenin. « I had some early rounds. I’m just happy that I can finally find my rhythm and play good tennis again. »
The top seed Djokovic had on the way to 6: 1, 6: 4, 6: 1 against the unset Ricardas Berankis no breakpoint. Two Italian 19-year-olds also made it through – Sinner and Lorenzo Musetti.
Kenin took a 3-0 lead in the opening set against number 28 seeded Pegula, but then stepped onto the pitch to take over the rallies, in particular with a backhand that produced two dozen winners. She scored 48 outright winners for Pegula.
Kenin had 10 double faults and was broken five times but played her last four service games to complete the win. The 2020 Australian Open champion, who was canceled due to appendectomy in February, improved to 10-8 this year.
American Sloane Stephens came forward by beating Karolina Muchova, who was ranked 18, with 6- 3, defeated 7-5. Stephens will next face Barbora Krejcikova, who upset fifth-seeded Elina Svitolina 6-3, 6-2.
Djokovic reached the last 16 at the French Open for the twelfth year in a row and said he was on a cool, cloudy day Afternoon made the necessary adjustments. Next, Djokovic meets Musetti, who is playing in his first Grand Slam event.
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