Aussie champ finds Roland Garros mojo
Once Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin got going, she kept going — into the French Open third round.
The fourth- seeded American started slowly under a closed roof on Court Philippe Chatrier before pulling out a 3- 6, 6- 3, 6- 2 victory over Ana Bogdan.
“I knew I had to fight. She was playing well,” Kenin said. “The first set just didn’t go my way. I couldn’t find my rhythm. I knew I needed to somehow change my game, or else I’m going to be out.”
She also nearly stumbled at the end, too.
Kenin held three match points with Bogdan serving at 5- 1 but failed to convert them all. In the next game, Kenin had to save three break points before finally winning on her fourth match point.
It was far easier for top- ranked Novak Djokovic when he followed Kenin on Chatrier. With the roof open and sunshine bathing the event’s biggest stadium after days of miserable weather, Djokovic routed Ricardas Berankis 6- 1, 6- 2, 6- 2.
Djokovic is going for a second title at Roland Garros after winning in 2016, and for an 18th Grand Slam overall to move t wo behind Roger Federer’s men’s record.
Djokovic has dropped only 10 games so far and next faces lucky loser Daniel Elahi Galan.
Although Djokovic has won 81 career titles, the 153rd- ranked Colombian has not won one and this will be his first appearance in the third round of any major tournament.
Same goes for Roberto Carballes Baena.
He advanced by beating ninthseeded Denis Shapovalov 7- 5, 6- 7 ( 5),
6- 3, 3- 6, 8- 6 in a match lasting five hours.
Shapovalov committed 106 unforced errors, compared with 42 for Carballes Baena, and twice served for the match. Carballes Baena sank to his knees after Shapovalov hit a forehand long and let out a loud shout of delight.
“It is a dream for me to win a match like this on this court. I tried to be very solid and focus on my game,” the Spaniard said. “He’s very aggressive but I think I did a very good match.”
Carballes Baena will next play
18th- seeded Grigor Dimitrov, who has never reached the fourth round at Roland Garros.
The 21- year- old Kenin, meanwhile, will next play qualifier Irina Bara and another victory will equal her best performance at Roland Garros. She reached the fourth round last year in her second appearance at the tournament.
Earlier, former champion Jelena Ostapenko advanced to the third round when she beat second- seeded Karolina Pliskova 6- 4, 6- 2.
Ostapenko won her only major title in 2017 at Roland Garros. The unseeded Latvian will next face either
29th- seeded Sloane Stephens or Paula Badosa.
In other women’s matches, twotime Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova beat Jasmine Paolini 6- 3, 6- 3. The seventh- seeded Kvitova reached the semifinals at Roland Garros in
2012.
Also, No 8 Aryna Sabalenka beat Daria Kasatkina 7- 6 ( 6), 6- 0, but Danish teen Clara Tauson’s surprise Roland Garros run ended when she lost to unseeded American Danielle Collins 6- 2, 6- 3.