Ruthless Sinner humbles Lehecka as Pegula digs deep at French Open

World No 1 Jannik Sinner flattened Jiri Lehecka into the French Open clay to make the fourth round but third seed Jessica Pegula had to dig her way out of trouble to beat 2019 runner-up Marketa Vondrousova yesterday.

As grey skies enveloped Roland Garros, Sinner gave Lehecka no respite to win the opening 11 games as fans checked their watches against the scoreboard in disbelief.

Lehecka drew loud cheers when he finally got on the board but Sinner continued his Roland Garros masterclass with brutal clarity to secure a 6-0 6-1 6-2 win. “I think in early stages of Grand Slams, it’s good that you don’t spend so much time, if you have the chance, on court. So I’m happy to do that,” Sinner said.

“In the other way, matches like this can change quickly, because if you don’t start well in one set and the match can go long, then you cannot control it.”

Up next for Sinner is a clash with Andrey Rublev, who advanced after injured Frenchman Arthur Fils pulled out.

Vondrousova is also no stranger to injuries and the Czech looked to be finding her best form again on Parisian clay yesterday. She claimed the opening set on Court Philippe Chatrier but American Pegula proved too good when it mattered to close out a 3-6 6-4 6-2 win, She will next face Lois Boisson, who won the all-French clash against Elsa Jacquemot 6-3 0-6 7-5.

Third seed Alexander Zverev sparkled as sunshine parted the clouds in the afternoon, the German downing Flavio Cobolli 6-2 7-6(4) 6-1 to reach the fourth round in Paris for an eighth consecutive year. He faces Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor, who outlasted American Ethan Quinn 4-6 6-1 6-7(2) 6-1 6-4.

Russia’s 18-year-old Mirra Andreeva outclassed Kazakh Yulia Putintseva 6-3 6-1 at Court Suzanne Lenglen, and the sixth seed attributed the comfortable win to a colourful drawing a young supporter left on her bench.

“Wherever that little girl is, I want to thank her, because it’s my lucky charm,” said the sixth seed, who became the youngest woman to complete 10 Roland Garros singles match wins since Swiss two-time runner-up Martina Hingis.

Tenth seed Paula Badosa from Spain would have wished for a bit of luck to force a third set against a dominant Daria Kasatkina but crashed 6-1 7-5 to the Russian-born 17th seed who now represents Australia.

“I was ready for a difficult match,” said Kasatkina, who can expect another big test against Andreeva next. “I knew if she got a chance, she would take it straight away. But I’m really proud of myself and how I handled the situation.”

Jack Draper’s campaign continued in style when the Briton ended Brazilian poster boy Joao Fonseca’s run with a ruthless 6-2 6-4 6-2 victory.

Three-times champion Novak Djokovic plays qualifier Filip Misolic in the evening session seeking his 99th match victory at Roland Garros to equal his tally at the Australian Open, where he has won 10 titles.

Reuters