Novak Djokovic prolonged his dominant streak on the French Open, reaching the final 32 for the nineteenth consecutive 12 months.
Meanwhile, Roland Garros organizers imposed a ban on alcohol within the stands to curb disruptions attributable to unruly followers.
Defending champion Djokovic breezed previous Spain’s Roberto Carballes Baena with 43 winners in a commanding 6-4, 6-1, 6-2 victory.
Next, Djokovic will face thirtieth seed Lorenzo Musetti, whom he has defeated 4 instances of their 5 encounters.
However, Musetti posed a major problem to Djokovic within the 2021 French Open, profitable the primary two units of their final 16 conflict earlier than retiring as a consequence of damage.
“It was a difficult match against Roberto. He hit a lot of very good and precise shots,” Djokovic stated.
“The last game of the first set I played really well and started to play at a higher level. At the end of the match, I was playing very well.”
Also advancing to the third spherical on one other rain-hit day within the French capital had been girls’s title contenders Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina.
The conduct of followers on the match, highlighted by Belgium’s David Goffin claiming he had chewing gum spat at him, prompted measures to curb unruly conduct.
“Alcohol has been allowed in the stadiums until now but that’s over,” match director Amelie Mauresmo instructed reporters.
However, alcohol, together with beer from cell distributors, will nonetheless be offered across the grounds.
Mauresmo stated followers shall be ejected in the event that they toss something at a participant, and “umpires have tighter, more precise instructions on crowd control.”
Fourth seed Alexander Zverev, who ended Rafael Nadal’s French Open profession within the first spherical, defeated Goffin 7-6 (7/4), 6-2, 6-2.
Zverev arrived in Paris after profitable the Rome Open title and is the one participant to achieve the semi-finals on the final three French Open tournaments.
On Friday, a Berlin courtroom will hear Zverev’s attraction in opposition to a superb for allegedly assaulting his ex-girlfriend.
He obtained a 450,000-euro ($487,000) superb in October however appealed earlier this 12 months, resulting in a full trial.
The 27-year-old just isn’t required to attend the proceedings and insisted on the eve of the match that he “believes in the German system.”
On Thursday, he declined to debate the case additional.
“I have said everything before the tournament,” he stated.
Casper Ruud, the runner-up to Nadal and Djokovic within the final two years, wanted 5 units to defeat Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 7-6 (7/5), 1-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3.
After solely 9 singles matches had been performed as a consequence of a Wednesday washout, 55 second-round ties had been scheduled on Thursday.
World No. 2 Sabalenka fired 27 winners previous Japanese qualifier Moyuka Uchijima to win 6-2, 6-2.
Comfort amid climate
The two-time Australian Open champion, a semi-finalist in Paris in 2023, has made at the very least the final 4 at her previous six Grand Slams and is anticipated to be Iga Swiatek’s chief rival within the Pole’s quest for a fourth French Open title.
Sabalenka will face shut good friend Paula Badosa of Spain for a spot within the final 16.
“It’s not the best weather. I feel like going back to the hotel. Getting a blanket and hot tea, and Netflix,” stated the Belarusian, who had the benefit of taking part in underneath the roof of Court Philippe Chatrier.
Fourth-seeded Rybakina, the one girl to defeat Swiatek on clay this 12 months, was equally untroubled, easing previous Arantxa Rus of the Netherlands 6-3, 6-4.
Qualifier Olga Danilovic, ranked a hundred and twenty fifth, rallied from a set and 5-3 all the way down to defeat eleventh seed Danielle Collins 6-7 (3/7), 7-5, 6-4.
Also exiting was 2017 champion Jelena Ostapenko, who fell to Denmark’s 72nd-ranked Clara Tauson 7-6 (7/4), 4-6, 6-3.
Peyton Stearns, who received her first WTA title in Rabat final weekend, surprised Russian tenth seed Daria Kasatkina 7-5, 6-2.
Source: www.dailysabah.com
