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Roland Garros: Nadal, Swiatek dominate, Federer through

  • Matt Trollope

Defending champions Rafael Nadal and Iga Swiatek stormed into the second week at Roland Garros as the fourth-round line-up was finalised on Saturday.

Nadal saw off Cameron Norrie 6-3 6-3 6-3 and remains on a semifinal collision course with world No.1 Novak Djokovic, a similarly comprehensive 6-1 6-4 6-1 winner over Ricardas Berankis.

Swiatek motored home to a 7-6(4) 6-0 triumph over Anett Kontaveit, recording her third straight appearance in the fourth round in Paris. 

Also advancing to the last 16 were Italians Matteo Berrettini, Jannik Sinner and Lorenzo Musetti, Grand Slam champions Sofia Kenin and Sloane Stephens, and teen talents Coco Gauff and Marta Kostyuk.

Roger Federer, playing for the first time at night, recovered from 4-2 down in the third set to overcome Dominik Koepfer 7-6(5) 6-7(3) 7-6(4) 7-5 after three hours and 35 minutes.

Men’s fourth-round blockbusters set

Nadal, aiming for a fifth straight title at Roland Garros and 14th overall, was mostly untroubled against fellow lefthander Norrie, who had reached two ATP clay-court finals leading into the tournament.

Reeling off five straight games from 3-1 down in the second set, Nadal beat the Brit for the third time in 2021 and has now won a staggering 32 consecutive sets at the tournament, having not lost one since the 2019 final against Dominic Thiem.

It sets up a thrilling fourth-round battle against 19-year-old Sinner, who overwhelmed Mikael Ymer in straight sets to earn another shot at Nadal after falling to the Spaniard in the 2020 quarterfinals.

Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros
Rafael Nadal celebrates his third-round victory over Cameron Norrie at Roland Garros. (Getty Images)

Djokovic, through to the last 16 for the 12th straight time, will next face another Italian teenager in Musetti, who continued to impress on his Grand Slam debut by ousting countryman Marco Cecchinato in five.

Another teenager, Carlos Alcaraz, saw his breakthrough tournament come to an end; the 18-year-old qualifier fell 6-4 7-6(3) 6-2 to Jan-Lennard Struff.

Ninth seed Berrettini’s straight-sets win over Korean Soon Woo Kwong means there are three Italians through to the fourth round at the same Grand Slam tournament for the first time.

Berrettini next takes on Federer, a player he is yet to beat in two prior meetings. Federer has now advanced to the second week every time he has played at Roland Garros since 2004.

Swiatek, Kenin, Stephens progress

Like Nadal, Swiatek has not dropped a set at Roland Garros since 2019; the Polish star extended her streak to 20 consecutive sets won with her victory over Kontaveit.

She next faces 18-year-old Kostyuk, whose 6-1 6-2 win over Varvara Gracheva saw her become the youngest Ukrainian female player to ever reach the fourth round at a Slam.

Swiatek continues on course for a quarterfinal clash with Kenin – a rematch of their 2020 Roland Garros final – after the No.4 seed beat fellow American Jessica Pegula 4-6 6-1 6-4.

Kenin’s next opponent is 17th seed Maria Sakkari, who outlasted Elise Mertens in a physical three-set battle to progress to the fourth round at Roland Garros for the first time in her career.

Another fourth-round debutante in Paris is Gauff, who led 6-1 when Jennifer Brady retired after struggling with plantar fasciitis and a bone bruise in her foot.

Earlier on Saturday, Stephens reached the second week in Paris for the seventh time in 10 visits thanks to a controlled display of power and consistency against Karolina Muchova.

Upset of the day

Stephens will play for a quarterfinal berth against Czech Barbora Krejcikova, who played brilliantly to hit fifth seed Elina Svitolina off Court Philippe Chatrier.

Krejcikova, last week’s champion in Strasbourg, extended her winning streak to eight matches thanks to a commanding 6-3 6-2 win.

Svitolina is a three-time French Open quarterfinalist but had few answers against the 33rd-ranked Krejcikova, who belted 38 winners to 20 and won 14 of her 18 trips to the net.

The 25-year-old, into the fourth round for the second straight year, has never before played Stephens, a US Open champion who reached the Roland Garros final in 2018.

Tweets of the day

Stat of the day

Roland Garros 2021 has seen the resurgence of Kenin and Diego Schwartzman, who both entered the tournament on four-match losing streaks before rediscovering form at a happy hunting ground.

Kenin had not won a match since the Miami Open when she arrived in Paris, but has beaten a succession of quality opponents – including 2017 champion Jelena Ostapenko – to reach the fourth round for the third straight year. 

Diego Schwartzman (L) and Sofia Kenin have lit up the courts at Roland Garros in 2021. (Getty Images)

No.10 seed Schwartzman, whose previous win had come in Barcelona before opening-round losses in Madrid, Rome and Lyon, quickly struck a rich vein of form Paris and has not dropped a set en route to the second week.

Schwartzman, a French Open semifinalist last year, faces Struff for a place in the quarters.

Quotes of the day

“I took the time to get myself together, find what makes me happy on court, and kind of find my groove back. Obviously results didn't happen right away, but I knew eventually things would connect, and it's nice that obviously since Charleston they have started to come together.”
- Sloane Stephens has won 11 of her past 16 matches, all on clay.

“Me and Jannik, I think we are the future of Italian tennis, and of the tennis in general.”
- Lorenzo Musetti, who, along with fellow Italian teenager Jannik Sinner, is into the fourth round.

“I have the same playlist as in Rome, so it's Led Zeppelin right now. Last year it was Guns N' Roses. So similar kind of music but different band.”
- defending champion Iga Swiatek continues to indulge in her love of rock music.

“I don't want to talk about my driving next to Lewis' name. I mean, honestly it's embarrassing to speak about my driving, and in the same sentence with Hamilton. But I like to drive fast but I have to respect the rules, I guess (smiling). I was never racing. But the analogy and the comparison of my game with an F1 car, it's definitely something that pleases me.”
- Novak Djokovic, upon hearing commentator Jim Courier compared his tennis to the best F1 car driven by a champion driver like Lewis Hamilton.

“I feel like my game is not, for example, there how it was in the Australian Open 2020 when I won. But compared to this whole year and since last year (at the) French, I feel like it's some good tennis. Of course it gives me confidence. I'm finally not on a one-match winning streak. We're getting there.”
- Sofia Kenin

Day 8: Ones to watch

Long-time rivals Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka will attempt to set up a blockbuster quarterfinal when they play their fourth-round matches at Court Philippe Chatrier on Sunday.

Azarenka opens the schedule against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova before Williams, seeking a 24th Grand Slam singles title, takes on No.21 seed Elena Rybakina.

ORDER OF PLAY: Roland Garros Day 8

In between those matches, fifth Stefanos Tsitsipas – favoured by many to come through the bottom half of the men’s draw to reach his first major final – battles No.12 seed Pablo Carreno Busta.

But many are also interested to see if No.2 seed Daniil Medvedev, projected to meet Tsitsipas in the quarterfinals, can continue his newfound clay-court form; the Russian takes on Cristian Garin at Court Suzanne Lenglen.