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Roland Garros: Serena, Medvedev advance, Sabalenka out

  • Matt Trollope

Serena Williams and Daniil Medvedev have soared into the second week at Roland Garros, despite hardly figuring among discussions of title favouritism on the eve of the tournament.

Williams, who had won just one match on clay leading in, beat Danielle Collins in straight sets to record her best result in Paris since 2018.

DRAW: Roland Garros women's singles

Medvedev, who prior to this year had never won a match at Roland Garros, dismissed dangerous No.32 seed Reilly Opelka for the loss of just 10 games.

Stefanos Tsitsipas, Alexander Zverev and Victoria Azarenka were also among the big names to advance on Friday, yet the tournament surprisingly lost Aryna Sabalenka and Casper Ruud, whose excellent clay-court seasons came to a premature end.

Serena, Azarenka move closer to quarterfinal clash

Collins, a quarterfinalist in Paris last year - and playing pain-free for the first time in years due to surgery for endometriosis - represented a tough test for Williams in the third round.

Yet the 23-time major champion passed that test impressively, recovering from 4-1 down in the second set to 6-4 6-4 and setting up a showdown with resurgent 21st seed Elena Rybakina, a straight-sets winner over Elena Vesnina.

Williams will play for a place in her first Roland Garros quarterfinal since 2016, where she could face long-time rival Victoria Azarenka.

“That's exactly what I told her. I said I'd love to see her win the whole thing and I'd be supporting her.” – Danielle Collins (pictured embracing Serena Williams) after losing to Williams in their third-round match. (Getty Images)

Azarenka advanced to the last 16 with a surprisingly one-sided 6-2 6-2 win over Madison Keys and next takes on Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, who stunned wayward third seed Sabalenka 6-4 2-6 6-0.

In a wide-open bottom quarter of the draw, Paula Badosa saved a match point to win a thrilling two-hour, 51-minute battle against Ana Bogdan; the Spaniard has now won her last eight matches and improved her 2021 clay-court record to 16-2.

She next faces 2019 French finalist Marketa Vondrousova – who beat Polona Hercog 6-3 6-3 – while Tamara Zidansek and Sorana Cirstea also won through to set up a fourth-round clash.

Medvedev, Tsitsipas progress

Despite openly discussing his clay-court struggles, Medvedev said he felt comfortable practising ahead of Roland Garros, where he believed the conditions and balls resembled a hard court.

And it seems the No.2 seed was not joking; his 6-4 6-2 6-4 defeat of Opelka means he has dropped just one set en route to the second week.

He will next face Chilean Cristian Garin, who beat Marcos Giron in four sets. And should he continue winning, Medvedev might in the quarterfinals meet No.5 seed Tsitsipas, who ousted John Isner 5-7 6-3 7-6(3) 6-1 in a tough battle under Court Philippe Chatrier's lights and who will play 12th seed Pablo Carreno Busta for a place in the last eight.

Zverev, meanwhile, is the only seed remaining in the third quarter after No.15 seed Ruud and No.27 seed Fabio Foignini bowed out in the third round.

DRAW: Roland Garros men's singles

The German cruised past Serbia's Laslo Djere 6-2 7-5 6-2 and will play former world No.4 Kei Nishikori – who won the first set against Henri Laaksonen before the Swiss retired – for a quarterfinal berth.

Zverev beat Nishikori twice on clay in the past month, in Madrid and Rome.

Upset of the day

Ruud’s five-set loss to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina was a major shock given the Norwegian’s form on clay in 2021.

The 22-year-old had vaulted inside the top 20 thanks to reaching three clay-court semifinals – in Monte Carlo, Munich and Madrid – before winning the Geneva title, and was 17-4 on the surface entering Friday's match.

However, a crucial break of serve deep in the fifth set allowed 46th-ranked Davidovich Fokina to complete a 7-6(3) 2-6 7-6(6) 0-6 7-5 win.

Into the second week at Roland Garros for the first time, the 21-year-old Spaniard will take on in-form Argentine Federico Delbonis, whose 6-4 6-1 6-3 upset of Fognini was his 25th win on clay this year.

Stat of the day

Sabalenka’s power has never been in question, and her first-strike approach told the story of her match against Pavlyuchenkova.

The recent Madrid champion and Stuttgart finalist struck a breathtaking 19 winners to just four unforced errors to force a third set, where she completely unravelled – she sprayed 17 unforced errors while only managing six winners to lose it 6-0.

Aryna Sabalenka during her third-round loss at Roland Garros to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
Aryna Sabalenka shows her frustration during her third-round loss to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova at Roland Garros. (Getty Images)

It marked Pavlyuchenkova’s 37th career top-10 win and sees her reach the second week in Paris for the first time in a decade; she was a quarterfinalist in 2011.

Pavlyuchenkova’s next opponent, Azarenka, is enjoying her best run at Roland Garros since reaching the semifinals eight years ago.

Sabalenka’s loss means that eight of the top 12 seeds have been eliminated from the women’s draw.

Tweet of the day

Quotes of the day

“I think this match represents Roland Garros. This match was very tough. He played unbelievable. In the fifth set, we were in the battle every game. Then was, with all emotions inside, with all the crowd singing your name, was unbelievable.”
- Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, after upsetting Casper Ruud.

“Actually to be honest with you, it went so quick. I didn't even expect that score. All I remember… was just focusing so much on my leg. I found myself playing, of course, every point and fighting. I was all of a sudden 2-0 up. That gave me I guess push that I'm okay, 2-0 up. I felt way better, positive.”
- Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, who received a medical timeout at the end of the second set, before winning the third against Sabalenka without dropping a game.

“The beliefs, they can change. When I was young I never ate fish, like I hated it. Now I love tuna, but raw tuna. This year I'm enjoying myself in Roland Garros. I don't hide it. I'm really enjoying. Let's see.”
- Daniil Medvedev, when asked about his dislike of clay.

“The legend of the sport. Of course I want to be with her on the court, to feel this power and everything. I was watching her matches when I was growing up, and it will be nice to play with Serena. Why not (smiling)?”
- Elena Rybakina, who meets Serena Williams in the fourth round.

Day 7: Ones to watch

Saturday at Roland Garros represents the multi-generational nature of tennis, with 'Big Three' legends Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer playing alongside a troupe of emerging stars.

Djokovic (playing Ricardas Berankis) and Federer (taking on Dominic Koepfer) play either side of women’s defending champion Iga Swiatek at Court Phillipe Chatrier, while Nadal battles in-form Brit Cameron Norrie at Court Suzanne Lenglen.

ORDER OF PLAY: Roland Garros Day 7

In action at the same time are teenage talents Coco Gauff, Marta Kostyuk, Jannik Sinner, Lorenzo Musetti and Carlos Alcaraz – all of whom have a realistic shot of reaching the second week.

Weather depending, Day 7 action will see the fourth-round line-up finalised at Roland Garros.