DJOKOVIC, NADAL ADVANCE
Serbian to face Schwartzman in third round as Spaniard on track to winning 10 titles at a single Grand Slam event
PARIS
DEFENDING champion Novak Djokovic reached the French Open third round yesterday with a 6-1, 6-4, 6-3 win over Joao Sousa of Portugal.
The World No 2 goes on to face Argentina’s Diego Schwartzman, who has made the third round of a major for the first time, for a place in the last 16.
Record nine-time champion Rafael Nadal marched into the third round after crushing Dutchman Robin Haase 6-1, 6-4, 6-3.
The Spaniard is bidding to become the first man to win 10 titles at a single Grand Slam event and will play Nikoloz Basilashvili of Georgia for a place in the last 16.
Reigning French Open champion Garbine Muguruza rallied from a set down to beat Estonia's Anett Kontaveit and reach the third round.
After dropping the opening set to the World No 53, Garbine found herself in deep trouble at 3-1 down in the second but recovered to secure a 6-7 (4-7), 6-4, 6-2 victory.
The Spaniard will meet Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan, the 27th seed, for a place in the fourth round.
With superstar sister Serena away pregnant, it was left to 36year-old Venus to carry the standard for the Williams family at Roland Garros, with a secondround thumping of Japan's Kurumi Nara.
Seeded 10th here, Venus ground her Japanese opponent into the red Parisian dust in a contest that at times almost veered into miss-match territory before ending 6-3 6-1.
Venus never appeared extended on the Philippe Chatrier court, but she nevertheless delivered a display of exquisite shot-making to a crowd denied a real contest.
Punching her black and limegreen racquet through the ball, Venus cleaned the lines with her groundstrokes, sending Kurumi scampering all round the arena.
“You know, it's always a joy when you can control the match,” she smiled afterwards. “That always feels good.”
The win makes her the oldest woman to reach the third round at the French Open since BillieJean King in 1982, .
Next up is either Dutch qualifier Richel Hogenkamp or Belgian Elise Mertens.
“I don't think I have played either in singles, so it will be interesting to, like, see how that ball is coming at me,” she mused.
Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova's comeback was cut short when she was dumped out of the French Open in a second round straight-sets defeat to doubles World No 1 Bethanie Mattek-Sands.
The 15th seed, returning this week from a five-month break after she was stabbed in her playing hand by a burglar in December, littered the court with 25 unforced errors as she lost 7-6 7-6.
But Petra declared her comeback mission a success despite visibly lacking match practice as Bethanie chased her across the court, switching between baseline and net play.
“I was surprised how I played even though I lost,” she told reporters. “I feel good. I did not have as much time to prepare as I wanted. But I feel good and happy that I am back.”
“In the coming weeks it will be business as usual, focusing on the tennis and improving my game. I did not have any expectations here. I came here for my comeback. The mission is completed and I am happy.”
Kristina Mladenovic's back pain seemed a distant memory as the home favourite cruised into
Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (Spa) bt Marco Trungelliti (Arg) 7-5, 6-4, 7-5; Grigor Dimitrov (Bul) bt Tommy Robredo (Spa) 6-3, 6-4, 7-5; Nikoloz Basilashvili (Geo) bt Viktor Troicki (Srb) 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (7-2), 7-6 (8-6); Dominic Thiem (Aut) bt Simone Bolelli (Ita) 7-5, 6-1, 6-3; Steve Johnson (US) bt Borna Coric (Cro) 6-2, 7-6 (10-8), 3-6, 7-6 (8-6); Horacio Zeballos (Arg) bt Ivo Karlovic (Cro) 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (7-5), 63; David Goffin (Bel) bt Sergiy Stakhovsky (Ukr) 6-2, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3; Diego Schwartzman (Arg) bt Stefano Napolitano (Ita) 6-3, 7-5, 6-2; Novak Djokovic (Srb) bt João Sousa (Por) 6-1, 6-4, 6-3; Rafael Nadal (Spa) bt Robin Haase (Ned) 6-1, 6-4, 6-3.
Lesia Tsurenko (Ukr) bt Ekaterina Makarova (Rus) 6-2, 6-2; Jelena Ostapenko (Lat) bt Monica Puig (Pur) 6-3, 6-2; Samantha Stosur (Aus) bt Kirsten Flipkens (Bel) 6-2, 7-6 (8-6); Bethanie MattekSands (US) bt Petra Kvitova (Cze) 76 (7-5), 7-6 (7-5); Catherine Bellis (US) bt Kiki Bertens (Ned) 6-3, 7-6 (7-5); Garbine Muguruza (Spa) bt Anett Kontaveit (Est) 6-7 (4-7), 6-4, 6-2; Yulia Putintseva (Kaz) bt Johanna Larsson (Swe) 6-3, 1-6, 6-3; Shelby Rogers (US) bt Cagla Buyukakcay (Tur) 7-6 (8-6), 6-4; Venus Williams (US) bt Kurumi Nara (Jpn) 6-3, 6-1.
the third round with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Italy's Sara Errani on.
The 13th-seeded Frenchwoman, who was on the brink of pulling out after pulling her back on the eve of her first-round match, rarely looked in trouble against the 2012 Roland Garros runner-up.
Kristina, who will next face American Shelby Rogers, was back to her confident self on Court Suzanne Lenglen, peppering the court with winners in a one-sided contest.
She wasted three match points but fired a excellent inside-out forehand winner to wrap up victory. Agencies