Ruthless Jannik Sinner marches into French Open fourth round

PARIS – Top seed Jannik Sinner said that he is happy and focused, as he dismissed world No. 34 Jiri Lehecka in straight sets as the Italian booked his place in the fourth round of the French Open.

The world No. 1 delivered a dominant display of power-hitting as he beat his Czech opponent 6-0, 6-1, 6-2 after a one-hour, 34-minute battering on May 31.

The 23-year-old will next meet 17th seed Andrey Rublev in the last 16, after the Russian was given a bye through the third round following Frenchman Arthur Fils’ withdrawal due to injury.

“This morning I said to my team I’m feeling well and physically ready. We had to go very hard in the beginning. Because I feel like the start of Slams are very important... which then gives you the confidence to keep going,” said Sinner.

“I warmed up very well. I felt very good. After 25 minutes, I was feeling great. Just a relaxed morning. Tried to go on court with a good focus. My team is good, they give me the right tactics. It’s a combination of also being happy on court.”

Sinner is yet to drop a set in this French Open as he continues his impressive return to action following a three-month doping suspension. He returned in time for the Italian Open earlier in May, eventually losing the final to Carlos Alcaraz in straight sets, after confidently navigating his way through the first five rounds.

The Italian has now racked up four sets without conceding a game since his comeback in Rome.

On May 31, he won the first 11 games in a row against Lehecka before the Czech got on the scoreboard to make it 5-1 in the second set. The three-time Grand Slam champion hammered 31 winners on his way to victory on Court Suzanne-Lenglen and faced only one break point, which he saved.

Also reaching the last 16 is world No. 3 Alexander Zverev, after the German, who is looking for his first Grand Slam title, overcame Italy’s Flavio Cobolli 6-2, 7-6 (7-4), 6-1 on May 31.

The match on Court Philippe-Chatrier took 2 hours and 30 minutes during which Zverev, 28, fired 32 winners, including eight aces, to oust the world No. 26 and set up a fourth-round clash with unseeded Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor.

In the women’s draw, Mirra Andreeva had her lucky charm on her bench for her clash against Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva, and left her opponent no chance in a 6-3, 6-1 victory.

The sixth seed, who won the Indian Wells and Dubai top-tier tournaments this season, took 78 minutes to dispatch Putinstseva and set up a meeting with Australia’s Daria Kasatkina.

“I knew Yulia is a very tricky player, she has an interesting game and it’s uncomfortable for me. She likes to cut the rhythm a lot, I knew it would be tough,” the 18-year-old said on Court Suzanne-Lenglen as umbrellas popped open in the stands on a grey Parisian morning.

“I kind of knew what to expect, I knew I had to play at 100 per cent and fight for every ball and get those drop shots. I’m happy with the way I play today.”

Andreeva, who reached the semi-finals in 2024, attributed her win to a present she received.

“When I was walking on court, a little girl put a drawing on my bench. I kept it. It’s my lucky charm. Wherever that little girl is, I want to thank her because it is my lucky charm,” she said.

Despite an inconsistent serve with four double faults, the Russian bagged the opening set with a blistering forehand winner for her third break of serve.

Putintseva tried to mix it up with drop shots, but Andreeva’s baseline power proved too much to handle and she broke for 2-1 after a brief rain interruption. It was game over effectively as she went on to win the remaining four games.

American third seed Jessica Pegula also battled into the last 16 with a 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 win over Czech Marketa Vondrousova. The 2024 US Open runner-up will take on France’s Lois Boisson, ranked 361st in the world, for a place in the quarter-finals. AFP, REUTERS