PARIS: After the French Open marathon came the sprint.
Defending champion Iga Swiatek swept into the quarterfinals at Roland Garros in just 40 minutes after a crushing 6-0, 6-0 win against Anastasia Potapova.
Swiatek won without even facing a game point against her. The match ended when Potapova hit a forehand into the net on the first match point.
“I was just really focused and in the zone,” Swiatek said. “It went pretty quickly, pretty weird.”
Their match started at around 11 a.m.
That’s just eight hours after men’s defending champion Novak Djokovic finished his five-set, 4 1/2-hour marathon against Lorenzo Musetti at just after 3 a.m. in the latest finish in tournament history.
Swiatek remains on course for her third consecutive French Open title and fourth overall. The top-ranked Pole will play Wimbleon champion Marketa Vondrousova after the fifth-seeded Czech beat unseeded Serb Olga Danilovic 6-4, 6-2.
They played on Court Suzanne Lenglen, the only other court with a roof. After five consecutive days with rain delays, play on the other roofless courts got underway on time.
Later Sunday, third-seeded American Coco Gauff took on unseeded Italian Elisabetta Cocciaretto.
Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner and two-time Grand Slam winner Carlos Alcaraz were in men’s fourth-round action.
Second-seeded Sinner faced Frenchman Corentin Moutet and third-seeded Alcaraz played No. 21-seeded Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime.
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No marathon this time as Swiatek sprints into French Open quarterfinals
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No marathon this time as Swiatek sprints into French Open quarterfinals
- Defending champion dismisses Anastasia Potapova in just 40 minutes with a crushing 6-0, 6-0 win
- Swiatek remains on course for her third consecutive French Open title and fourth overall
PSG’s mental strength hailed as they come from behind to win at Monaco
- The first leg clash between the two Ligue 1 clubs saw Folarin Balogun score twice for the hosts in the opening 18 minutes before Vitinha had his penalty saved to compound matters
MONACO: Paris Saint-Germain coach Luis Enrique hailed the mental strength of his side in coming from two goals down to win 3-2 away at Monaco in the Champions League on Tuesday, but warned the knockout round tie was far from finished.
The first leg clash between the two Ligue 1 clubs saw Folarin Balogun score twice for the hosts in the opening 18 minutes before Vitinha had his penalty saved to compound matters.
But after Desire Doue came on for injured Ousmane Dembele, the match turned and defending champions PSG went on to secure a one-goal advantage for the return leg.
“Normally, when a team starts a match like that, the most likely outcome is a loss,” Luis Enrique said.
“It was catastrophic. It’s impossible to start a match like that. The first two times they overcame our pressure and entered our half, they scored. They made some very good plays.
“After that, it’s difficult to have confidence, but we showed our mental strength. Plus, we missed a penalty, so it was a chance to regain confidence. In the last six times we’ve played here, this is only the second time we’ve won, which shows how difficult it is.”
The 20-year-old Doue scored twice and provided a third for Achraf Hakimi, just days after he had turned in a poor performance against Stade Rennais last Friday and was dropped for the Monaco clash.
“I’m happy for him because this past week, everyone criticized and tore Doue apart, but he was sensational, he showed his character. He helped the team at the best possible time.”
Dembele’s injury would be assessed, the coach added. “He took a knock in the first 15 minutes, then he couldn’t run.”
The return leg at the Parc des Princes will be next Wednesday. “Considering how the match started, I’m happy with the result. But the match in Paris will be difficult, it will be a different story,” Luis Enrique warned.
The first leg clash between the two Ligue 1 clubs saw Folarin Balogun score twice for the hosts in the opening 18 minutes before Vitinha had his penalty saved to compound matters.
But after Desire Doue came on for injured Ousmane Dembele, the match turned and defending champions PSG went on to secure a one-goal advantage for the return leg.
“Normally, when a team starts a match like that, the most likely outcome is a loss,” Luis Enrique said.
“It was catastrophic. It’s impossible to start a match like that. The first two times they overcame our pressure and entered our half, they scored. They made some very good plays.
“After that, it’s difficult to have confidence, but we showed our mental strength. Plus, we missed a penalty, so it was a chance to regain confidence. In the last six times we’ve played here, this is only the second time we’ve won, which shows how difficult it is.”
The 20-year-old Doue scored twice and provided a third for Achraf Hakimi, just days after he had turned in a poor performance against Stade Rennais last Friday and was dropped for the Monaco clash.
“I’m happy for him because this past week, everyone criticized and tore Doue apart, but he was sensational, he showed his character. He helped the team at the best possible time.”
Dembele’s injury would be assessed, the coach added. “He took a knock in the first 15 minutes, then he couldn’t run.”
The return leg at the Parc des Princes will be next Wednesday. “Considering how the match started, I’m happy with the result. But the match in Paris will be difficult, it will be a different story,” Luis Enrique warned.
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