Swiatek races to 30th straight win
Tsitsipas survives another French Open epic
Published: 04:05 PM,May 27,2022 | EDITED : 08:05 PM,May 27,2022
Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas reacts as he plays against Czech Republic's Zdenek Kolar during their men's singles match on day five of the Roland-Garros Open tennis tournament at the Court Suzanne-Lenglen in Paris on May 26, 2022. (Photo by Christophe ARCHAMBAULT / AFP)
PARIS: Unstoppable world number one Iga Swiatek racked up her 30th successive victory at the French Open on Thursday as 2021 runner-up Stefanos Tsitsipas survived another Roland Garros rollercoaster.
Swiatek swept past Alison Riske of the United States 6-0, 6-2 to reach the third round as only three of the top 10 women's seeds survived the opening two rounds.
Eighth-seeded Karolina Pliskova and Danielle Collins, the ninth seed, joined fellow top 10 players, defending champion Barbora Krejcikova, Maria Sakkari, Ons Jabeur, Anett Kontaveit and former winner Garbine Muguruza in failing to reach the last 32.
Swiatek, the 2020 champion in Paris, is on the best streak since Serena Williams's 34-match winning run in 2013 and goes on to face Danka Kovinic of Montenegro for a place in the last 16.
Swiatek raced through the first set against 43rd-ranked Riske in just 21 minutes and was 3-0 up in the second before the American avoided a 'double bagel'.
The Pole still managed to take her record of 6-0 sets in 2022 to a season-leading 15.
'I'm pretty happy to play some solid tennis,' said Swiatek who joins third seed Paula Badosa and seventh-seeded Aryna Sabalenka in the last 32.
GAUFF IN LAST 16
On Friday, Coco Gauff, the youngest player left in the French Open, made the last 16 with a straight-sets win over Kaia Kanepi, the oldest woman in the tournament at 36.
Gauff, the 18-year-old 18th seed, triumphed 6-3, 6-4 to reach the fourth round for a second successive year having enjoyed a run to the quarterfinals in 2021.
Kanepi, ranked 46, was the junior champion at Roland Garros in 2001, three years before Gauff was born.
Gauff defeated the Estonian on her way to the Parma clay court title in 2021 and goes on to face Belgium's Elise Mertens for a spot in the quarterfinals.
Mertens reached the last 16 with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Varvara Gracheva of Russia.
Fourth seed Tsitsipas needed another epic performance to reach the third round, beating world number 134 and qualifier Zdenek Kolar of the Czech Republic.
The Greek star saved four set points in the fourth set tiebreaker to win 6-3, 7-6 (10/8), 6-7 (3/7), 7-6 (9/7) in a little over four hours.
On Tuesday, Tsitsipas had to come back from two sets down to defeat Lorenzo Musetti in the first round.
Kolar, 25, was playing in his maiden Grand Slam having tried and failed 16 times to qualify.
Tsitsipas will face Sweden's Mikael Ymer for a place in the last 16.
'He drove me crazy,' said Tsitsipas. 'It was really frustrating because he got behind every ball.'
Simona Halep, the 2018 champion, fell to big-serving Chinese teenager Zheng Qinwen, playing just her second Slam, 2-6, 6-2, 6-1.
Halep admitted after the match that she had suffered a panic attack at the end of the first set. Sabalenka saw off Madison Brengle 6-1, 6-3.
Danish teenager Holger Rune reached his first Slam third round with a 6-2, 6-3, 6-3 win over Switzerland's Henri Laaksonen.
The 19-year-old fired 28 winners and managed to avoid a worrying injury when his foot became lodged in a tarpaulin cover on Court 12. -- AFP
French Open results
Men (second round)
Casper Ruud (NOR x8) bt Emil Ruusuvuori (FIN) 6-3, 6-4, 6-2; Lorenzo Sonego (ITA x32) bt Joao Sousa (POR) 7-6 (7/4), 6-3, 6-4; David Goffin (BEL) bt Frances Tiafoe (USA x24) 3-6, 7-6 (7/1), 6-2, 6-4; Hubert Hurkacz (POL x12) bt Marco Cecchinato (ITA) 6-1, 6-4, 6-2; Holger Rune (DEN) bt Henri Laaksonen (SUI) 6-2, 6-3, 6-3; Hugo Gaston (FRA) bt Pedro Cachin (ARG) 6-4, 6-2, 6-4; Mikael Ymer (SWE) bt Dan Evans (GBR x29) 6-3, 3-6, 6-2, 6-3; Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE x4) bt Zdenek Kolar (CZE) 6-3, 7-6 (10/8), 6-7 (3/7), 7-6 (9/7); Andrey Rublev (x7) bt Federico Delbonis (ARG) 6-3, 3-6, 6-2, 6-3; Christian Garin (CHI) bt Ilya Ivashka 6-3, 7-6 (7/5), 4-6, 6-3; Mackenzie McDonald (USA) bt Nikoloz Basilashvili (GEO x22) 6-3, 6-1, 6-4; Jannik Sinner (ITA x11) bt Roberto Carballes Baena (ESP) 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3; Gilles Simon (FRA) bt Steve Johnson (USA) 7-5, 6-1, 7-6 (8/6); Marin Cilic (CRO x20) bt Marton Fucsovics (HUN) 4-6, 6-4, 6-2, 6-3; Miomir Kecmanovic (SRB x28) bt Alexander Bublik (KAZ) 4-6, 7-5, 6-2, 6-1; Daniil Medvedev (x2) bt Laslo Djere (SRB) 6-3, 6-4, 6-3
Women (second round)
Iga Swiatek (POL x1) bt Alison Riske (USA) 6-0, 6-2; Danka Kovinic (MNE) bt Anna Karolina Schmiedlova (SVK) 6-3, 7-5; Zheng Qinwen (CHN) bt Simona Halep (ROM x19) 2-6, 6-2, 6-1; Alize Cornet (FRA) bt Jelena Ostapenko (LAT x13) 6-0, 1-6, 6-3; Madison Keys (USA x22) bt Caroline Garcia (FRA) 6-4, 7-6 (7/3); Elena Rybakina (KAZ x16) bt Katie Volynets (USA) 6-4, 6-0; Shelby Rogers (USA) bt Danielle Collins (USA x9) 6-4, 6-3; Darya Kasatkina (x20) bt Fernanda Contreras Gomez (MEX) 6-0, 6-3; Camila Giorgi (ITA x28) bt Yulia Putintseva (KAZ) 6-3, 7-5; Aryna Sabalenka (x7) bt Madison Brengle (USA) 6-1, 6-3
Swiatek swept past Alison Riske of the United States 6-0, 6-2 to reach the third round as only three of the top 10 women's seeds survived the opening two rounds.
Eighth-seeded Karolina Pliskova and Danielle Collins, the ninth seed, joined fellow top 10 players, defending champion Barbora Krejcikova, Maria Sakkari, Ons Jabeur, Anett Kontaveit and former winner Garbine Muguruza in failing to reach the last 32.
Swiatek, the 2020 champion in Paris, is on the best streak since Serena Williams's 34-match winning run in 2013 and goes on to face Danka Kovinic of Montenegro for a place in the last 16.
Swiatek raced through the first set against 43rd-ranked Riske in just 21 minutes and was 3-0 up in the second before the American avoided a 'double bagel'.
The Pole still managed to take her record of 6-0 sets in 2022 to a season-leading 15.
'I'm pretty happy to play some solid tennis,' said Swiatek who joins third seed Paula Badosa and seventh-seeded Aryna Sabalenka in the last 32.
GAUFF IN LAST 16
On Friday, Coco Gauff, the youngest player left in the French Open, made the last 16 with a straight-sets win over Kaia Kanepi, the oldest woman in the tournament at 36.
Gauff, the 18-year-old 18th seed, triumphed 6-3, 6-4 to reach the fourth round for a second successive year having enjoyed a run to the quarterfinals in 2021.
Kanepi, ranked 46, was the junior champion at Roland Garros in 2001, three years before Gauff was born.
Gauff defeated the Estonian on her way to the Parma clay court title in 2021 and goes on to face Belgium's Elise Mertens for a spot in the quarterfinals.
Mertens reached the last 16 with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Varvara Gracheva of Russia.
Fourth seed Tsitsipas needed another epic performance to reach the third round, beating world number 134 and qualifier Zdenek Kolar of the Czech Republic.
The Greek star saved four set points in the fourth set tiebreaker to win 6-3, 7-6 (10/8), 6-7 (3/7), 7-6 (9/7) in a little over four hours.
On Tuesday, Tsitsipas had to come back from two sets down to defeat Lorenzo Musetti in the first round.
Kolar, 25, was playing in his maiden Grand Slam having tried and failed 16 times to qualify.
Tsitsipas will face Sweden's Mikael Ymer for a place in the last 16.
'He drove me crazy,' said Tsitsipas. 'It was really frustrating because he got behind every ball.'
Simona Halep, the 2018 champion, fell to big-serving Chinese teenager Zheng Qinwen, playing just her second Slam, 2-6, 6-2, 6-1.
Halep admitted after the match that she had suffered a panic attack at the end of the first set. Sabalenka saw off Madison Brengle 6-1, 6-3.
Danish teenager Holger Rune reached his first Slam third round with a 6-2, 6-3, 6-3 win over Switzerland's Henri Laaksonen.
The 19-year-old fired 28 winners and managed to avoid a worrying injury when his foot became lodged in a tarpaulin cover on Court 12. -- AFP
French Open results
Men (second round)
Casper Ruud (NOR x8) bt Emil Ruusuvuori (FIN) 6-3, 6-4, 6-2; Lorenzo Sonego (ITA x32) bt Joao Sousa (POR) 7-6 (7/4), 6-3, 6-4; David Goffin (BEL) bt Frances Tiafoe (USA x24) 3-6, 7-6 (7/1), 6-2, 6-4; Hubert Hurkacz (POL x12) bt Marco Cecchinato (ITA) 6-1, 6-4, 6-2; Holger Rune (DEN) bt Henri Laaksonen (SUI) 6-2, 6-3, 6-3; Hugo Gaston (FRA) bt Pedro Cachin (ARG) 6-4, 6-2, 6-4; Mikael Ymer (SWE) bt Dan Evans (GBR x29) 6-3, 3-6, 6-2, 6-3; Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE x4) bt Zdenek Kolar (CZE) 6-3, 7-6 (10/8), 6-7 (3/7), 7-6 (9/7); Andrey Rublev (x7) bt Federico Delbonis (ARG) 6-3, 3-6, 6-2, 6-3; Christian Garin (CHI) bt Ilya Ivashka 6-3, 7-6 (7/5), 4-6, 6-3; Mackenzie McDonald (USA) bt Nikoloz Basilashvili (GEO x22) 6-3, 6-1, 6-4; Jannik Sinner (ITA x11) bt Roberto Carballes Baena (ESP) 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3; Gilles Simon (FRA) bt Steve Johnson (USA) 7-5, 6-1, 7-6 (8/6); Marin Cilic (CRO x20) bt Marton Fucsovics (HUN) 4-6, 6-4, 6-2, 6-3; Miomir Kecmanovic (SRB x28) bt Alexander Bublik (KAZ) 4-6, 7-5, 6-2, 6-1; Daniil Medvedev (x2) bt Laslo Djere (SRB) 6-3, 6-4, 6-3
Women (second round)
Iga Swiatek (POL x1) bt Alison Riske (USA) 6-0, 6-2; Danka Kovinic (MNE) bt Anna Karolina Schmiedlova (SVK) 6-3, 7-5; Zheng Qinwen (CHN) bt Simona Halep (ROM x19) 2-6, 6-2, 6-1; Alize Cornet (FRA) bt Jelena Ostapenko (LAT x13) 6-0, 1-6, 6-3; Madison Keys (USA x22) bt Caroline Garcia (FRA) 6-4, 7-6 (7/3); Elena Rybakina (KAZ x16) bt Katie Volynets (USA) 6-4, 6-0; Shelby Rogers (USA) bt Danielle Collins (USA x9) 6-4, 6-3; Darya Kasatkina (x20) bt Fernanda Contreras Gomez (MEX) 6-0, 6-3; Camila Giorgi (ITA x28) bt Yulia Putintseva (KAZ) 6-3, 7-5; Aryna Sabalenka (x7) bt Madison Brengle (USA) 6-1, 6-3