IMAGES from matches played on Day 7 of the French Open at the Roland Garros in Paris on Saturday
IMAGE: Russia’s Maria Sharapova celebrates after winning her third round match against Czech Republic’s Karolina Pliskova. Photograph: Christian Hartmann/Reuters
Maria Sharapova was back on Roland Garros’ main stage for the first time in three years and put on a dazzling display as she demolished Czech sixth seed Karolina Pliskova 6-2, 6-1 to reach the French Open fourth round.
Absent from the tournament for the last two years after failing a drugs test in 2016, organisers opted not to roll out the red carpet for her comeback as they scheduled her away from the main Philippe Chatrier court for her opening two matches.
But once she returned to the stage where she hoisted the Suzanne Lenglen trophy in 2012 and 2014, the Russian showed she was could still be a destructive force as she left 2017 semi-finalist Pliskova running for the exit after 59 minutes.
Next up will be a meeting with either her long-time nemesis Serena Williams, who has beaten Sharapova in 18 successive encounters dating back to 2005, or Germany’s Julia Goerges.
Kvitova’s hot streak ended by Kontaveit
IMAGE: Estonia’s Anett Kontaveit plays a backhand during her third round match against Czech Republic’s Petra Kvitova. Photograph: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images
Petra Kvitova’s hot streak on clay ended in disappointing fashion as the Czech lost 7-6(6), 7-6(4) to Anett Kontaveit in a delayed French Open third round match on Saturday.
Kvitova, one of seven women’s Grand Slam champions in action on Day Seven, was edged out in a tight tussle on Court One — snapping a 13-match winning run.
The eighth seed began in confident fashion against the Estonian she beat on the way to the Madrid title last month, but a 3-1 lead turned into a 5-3 deficit.
Kvitova recovered to take the opener into a tiebreak but Kontaveit, herself in fine form on clay, edged it 8-6.
Kontaveit rallied from 2-4 in the second set but squandered two match points when serving at 5-4 — missing two regulation forehands — and Kvitova dug in to level at 5-5. The 25th seed served for the match again at 6-5 but faltered once more.
She received a gift in the tiebreak though when Kvitova slammed a smash long at 3-5 and although Kontaveit double-faulted on her first match point she sealed her first career win over the twice Wimbledon champion on the next one.
Unpredictable Fognini outlasts Edmund to reach last 16
IMAGE: Italy’s Fabio Fognini celebrates after winning his third round match against Britain’s Kyle Edmund. Photograph: Gonzalo Fuentes/Reuters
Italian maverick Fabio Fognini edged a topsy-turvy five-setter against British number one Kyle Edmund to reach the fourth round of the French Open on Saturday.
King of the unpredictable, the 18th seed mixed dazzling brilliance with careless errors and even lost 16 points in a row at one stage before prevailing 6-3 ,4-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4.
Edmund’s level also fluctuated throughout the three-hour 34 minute contest in which both players needed medical timeouts.
After breaks were swapped like hot potatoes in the opening four sets, the decider went with service until Australian Open semi-finalist Edmund stepped up to serve at 4-5.
The 23-year-old then buckled, going 0-40 down, and although he saved one match point, Fognini forced the error on the next to reach the last 16 for only the second time on his 11th appearance at Roland Garros.
With Marco Cecchinato also through, Italy has two players in the fourth round here for the first time since Corrado Barazzutti and Adriano Panatta survived that far in 1976.
Muguruza makes easy progress into last 16
IMAGE: Spain’s Garbine Muguruza celebrates after winning her third round match against Australia’s Samantha Stosur. Photograph: Christian Hartmann/Reuters
Former champion Garbine Muguruza reached the French Open last 16 on Saturday with a comfortable 6-0, 6-2 win over Australia’s Sam Stosur.
Spanish third seed Muguruza, the 2016 winner in Paris and the reigning Wimbledon champion, fired 15 winners past Stosur, the 34-year-old 2010 runner-up and former US Open champion.
After wrapping up the first set in just 25 minutes, Stosur only got on the board in the third game of the second.
“I knew this would be very tough against a former US Open winner and a player who has made the final here,” said 24-year-old Muguruza.
“If I didn’t play my best tennis, I realised that it would be very hard.
“Coming back here to Court Philippe Chatrier where I won two years ago always brings special feelings inside me.” The Spaniard goes on to face Lesia Tsurenko of Ukraine who knocked out Slovakian 19th seed Magdalena Rybarikova 6-2, 6-4.
The third seed, who lifted the Suzanne Lenglen Cup in 2016, wasted little time on Court Philippe Chatrier, allowing Stosur only 10 points in the opening set as she sprayed the court with winners.
Hitting the ball as if her life depended on it, Muguruza opened up a 2-0 lead in the second set but Stosur, who reached the final at Roland Garros in 2010, briefly fought back.
The Australian levelled for 2-2 but she then paid dearly as Muguruza bagged the remaining four games to set up a meeting with Ukrainian Lesia Tsurenko, who downed two seeded players on her way to the last 16.
Tsurenko has now reached the last 16 in Paris for the first time, equalling her best run at a Slam at the 2016 US Open.
Stosur’s arsenal of shots and tricks, which usually make her a formidable opponent on all surfaces, were not enough for the Australian to bother Muguruza.
The Spaniard had too much power and she was a bit surprised the win came so easily.
“I was surprised in a way, because I knew it was going to be a battle. The last match, three sets, I’m very happy this time it was not as dramatic as the previous one,” said Muguruza, referring to their clash at Brisbane earlier this year.
“She plays well. Maybe it wasn’t her best day.”
Muguruza would not get carried away, though, only focusing on the next round before anticipating a possible quarter-final clash against Maria Sharapova or Serena Williams.
“The week has been positive, but I’m not trying to think too much ahead. And now I’m going to think about my match against Tsurenko,” she said.
Khachanov downs Pouille to set up Zverev last-16 clash
Hard-hitting Russian Karen Khachanov knocked out France’s number one player Lucas Pouille 6-3, 7-5, 6-3 in the French Open third round after the rain-hit match resumed on Saturday.
Khachanov, who will be in the last 16 for the second year in a row, always had 15th seed Pouille on the back foot and now takes on German ‘wunderkind’ Alexander Zverev.
The match was interrupted by rain on Friday with world number 38 Khachanov having won the first two sets and the Russian was just as focused when play started again on Court Philippe Chatrier on Saturday.
“It was tough to be interrupted, you think about the match all night, it was really difficult for the both of us,” said Khachanov, who had already beaten Pouille in the final of the Marseille Open this year.
Khachanov trains in Spain and has a lot of claycourt practice under his belt which told against Pouille, who appeared exhausted on Friday after just two sets.
The Frenchman had threatened a comeback in the second set when he broke for 4-2, but Khachanov stayed ice cool and broke back, then won 11 of the 17 remaining games.
He ended the contest with an exquisite lob to claim an emphatic win.
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