TENNIS – 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 yesterday.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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