PARIS: A relentless Rafa Nadal cruised into the final 16 of the French Open for the sixteenth time on Saturday, with a brutal 6-3 6-3 6-3 dismantling of Briton Cameron Norrie. Nadal, who received his thirteenth title at Roland Garros final yr, prolonged his run on the claycourt Grand Slam to an unbelievable 30 units received in a row. He final dropped a set in opposition to Dominic Thiem within the 2019 remaining.
Norrie, the world quantity 45, battled gamely in opposition to the third seed, even breaking Nadal twice within the second set, however the ruthless Spaniard reeled him again in on each events, earlier than serving out the one-sided contest a shade over two hours.
A th Grand Slam fourth round
Nadal navigates Norrie 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 and hits the candy 16 half century mark.#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/nkiGZ3O7OU
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 5, 2021
Nadal despatched down 35 winners, together with three aces, and broke Norrie`s serve six instances within the match as he stormed into round 4, the place he’ll battle Italy`s Jannik Sinner, the 18th seed, for a spot within the quarter-finals.
Djokovic sails into subsequent round
World primary Novak Djokovic booked his spot within the second week of the French Open with a dominant 6-1 6-4 6-1 third-round win over 93rd-ranked Lithuanian Ricardas Berankis on Saturday.
The 34-year-old Serbian got here into the match with a 3-0 head-to-head report in opposition to Berankis, who had by no means received a set of their earlier conferences, and put in a medical present on Philippe Chatrier court docket to remain on track for a nineteenth Grand Slam title.
World No. 1 in positive kind
@DjokerNole drops simply six video games on his solution to the 4R at #RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/v7SZjrOOm8
— ATP Tour (@atptour) June 5, 2021
Djokovic broke his opponent`s serve six instances within the match and such was his domination that he didn’t face a single breakpoint on his personal, dropping simply 5 factors off his first service. It is the twelfth straight yr that Djokovic has reached the fourth round at Roland Garros – a report within the Open Era in Paris and breaking a tie with Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.
The 2016 champion, who hit 30 winners in opposition to 18 unforced errors, is but to lose a set in his three matches and can subsequent face teenager Lorenzo Musetti, who defeated fellow Italian Marco Cecchinato 3-6 6-4 6-3 3-6 6-3.
Djokovic has hit in opposition to Musetti a couple of instances at follow however has by no means confronted him in a match and feels the teen will likely be a “big challenge” for him.
“I really like how he plays,” Djokovic informed reporters. “He`s got a lot of firepower from both forehand and backhand. He can play with a lot of spin. He`s got a great feel, come to the net. He can play short balls, dropshots. He can flatten out his serve. He can open up with a good kick and slice. He`s got a really all-around game.”
“There is no question I have to go out playing on a high level, because he will not have much to lose. I`m sure he`s gonna come out and really try to play the tennis of his life playing on one of the two big courts.”
