Rybakina and Sabalenka Cruise into Fourth Round of French Open
Grand Slam champions Elena Rybakina and Aryna Sabalenka secured straight-set victories to reach the fourth round of the French Open on Saturday.
Rybakina, the fourth seed and reigning Wimbledon titleholder, defeated Belgium’s Elise Mertens 6-4, 6-2. Sabalenka, the second seed and two-time Australian Open winner, followed suit by overcoming fellow top-20 player Paula Badosa 7-5, 6-1.
“It’s tough to play your best friend,” Sabalenka acknowledged after the match against Badosa, with whom she shares a close relationship.
Initially trailing 5-3 in the opening set, Sabalenka rallied to win eight consecutive games and seize control of the encounter.
“I was just feeling myself and trusting my shots,” the Belarusian explained.
Gracheva Advances, Djokovic Fights Back
Elsewhere, Russian-born Varvara Gracheva of France advanced to the fourth round of a major tournament for the first time, defeating Romania’s Irina-Camelia Begu 7-5, 6-3.
In a marathon match that concluded after 3 a.m. local time, defending champion Novak Djokovic fought back from two sets down to overcome Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti 7-5, 6-7(8), 2-6, 6-3, 6-0 in nearly four-and-a-half hours.
Zverev Rallies to Avoid Early Exit
Fourth seed Alexander Zverev rallied from 4-1 behind in the fifth set to edge out 26th-seeded Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor 3-6, 6-4, 6-2, 4-6, 7-6(3), sealing the victory with an ace. Zverev, the recent Italian Open champion, has now reached the semifinals at the last three French Opens, avoiding an early exit at Roland Garros for the first time since 2017.
Rain once again disrupted play for several hours, with only the main show courts remaining active. Despite the challenging conditions, the matches provided engaging tennis for the fans who braved the chilly weather to support the players.
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