Within three hours each and a volley of set points was saved, the Russian world No. 7’s Andrey Rublev and Italian Jannik Sinner (No. 12) reached the round of 16 at Roland-Garros where they will face off on Monday.
Unlike Sinner, Rublev lost one set to Chilean Christian Garin, 37th place and beat 6-4, 3-6, 6-2, 7-6 (13/11). Except the Russian found the resources to finish by saving five equalizers in two sets everywhere.
In this game, his would-be opponent did better by saving 11 set points in the second against American Mackenzie McDonald (no. 60), defeated 6-3, 7-6 (8/6), 6-3.
I don’t feel 100%, that’s for suredelivered the Italian, who was experiencing discomfort in his left knee without wanting his illness to escalate.
At just 20 years old, Sinner reached the round of 16 of the Paris Grand Slam stage for the third consecutive time. On the past two occasions, Rafael Nadal has needed to curb his momentum.
In three confrontations, including two on ocher, he only lost to Rublev once. It was in 2020 in Vienna, where the Italian surrendered at the start of the match.
In their last one-on-one, last month in Monte Carlo, Sinner knocked out Russian, quarter-finalist Porte d’Auteuil in 2020, in three sets of 5-7, 6-1 and 6-3.
Medvedev grabbed Kecmanovic
The world’s second-largest player, Daniil Medvedev, entered the round of 16 on Saturday when he defeated Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic, 6-2, 6-4, 6-2.
The Russian, who arrived in Paris with only one match played after two months without a tournament, continues to undermine his reputation as a standard player on clay.
Saturday, in less than two hours on the Suzanne-Lenglen court, Medvedev did not lose his service against the rising Serbian tennis star, 22, 31st player in the world and comfortable in the ocher.
Long unsatisfied with the French Grand Slam, Medvedev only crossed the first round of Roland-Garros in his fifth participation, last year, ending in the quarter-finals.
Source: Radio-Canada
