Rafael Nadal of Spain in action against compatriot Nicolas Almagro during their French Open second round match at Roland Garros in Paris yesterday. (Reuters)
AFP/Paris
World number one Novak Djokovic and defending champion Rafael Nadal stayed on course for a French Open quarter-final yesterday as teenager Thanasi Kokkinakis provided a glimpse into the sport’s future.
Top seed Djokovic survived a worrying injury scare to reach the third round with a 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 win over Gilles Muller of Luxemburg.
Nadal, chasing a 10th Paris title, enjoyed a 6-4, 6-3, 6-1 breeze past Spanish compatriot Nicolas Almagro.
Djokovic’s win over 33-year-old Muller was his 24th straight victory this year as he took another step towards a first ever Roland Garros title and a career Grand Slam. However, he needed a medical timeout leading 5-4 in the second set for treatment on what appeared to be a right groin strain.
It didn’t affect him too much as he quickly wrapped up the second set with a service game to love.
He eventually wrapped up the tie on Court Suzanne Lenglen after just an hour and 45 minutes, hitting an impressive 35 winners.
The 28-year-old goes on to face 19-year-old Kokkinakis who saved three match points to beat fellow Australian Bernard Tomic 3-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 8-6 to make the third round of a major for the first time.
Sixth seed Nadal will face Andrey Kuznetsov for a place in the last 16 after the Russian defeated Austria’s Jurgen Melzer 6-1, 5-7, 7-6 (0), 7-5.
“I am very happy. I played a great match and was very solid,” said nine-time champion Nadal who has now defeated Almagro 13 times out of 14.
“There were long games, the match was not as easy as the score may suggest.”
The 28-year-old Nadal now has 68 wins at the tournament and just one loss.
Out on Court Seven, Kokkinakis, making his Roland Garros debut on a wildcard, came back from 2-5 down in the decider and saved three match points to defeat 27th seed Tomic.
Kokkinakis fired 19 aces and 71 winners to line up a third round clash with Djokovic.
The young Australian is the first teenager to reach the third round in Paris since 2008.
“Novak barely misses a ball, he’s mentally tough, lightning quick on court. The list goes on,” said Kokkinakis.
“He just does everything so well and so professional. I guess that’s why he’s had such great success.”
Britain’s third seed Andy Murray, twice a semi-finalist in Paris, reached the third round with a 6-2, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 win over Joao Sousa of Portugal.
The third seed and two-time Grand Slam winner was in total control in the first set, but let his concentration wander in the second as Sousa chose to attack.
But, after saving a break point early in the third set, he regained his composure and his powerful groundstrokes were too much for Sousa to handle after that.
It was Murray’s 12th straight win on clay this season after back-to-back tournament triumphs in Munich and Madrid.
In the third round he will take on rising Australian Nick Kyrgios who went through on a walkover when the other Briton in the main draw, Kyle Edmund, pulled out with a stomach-muscle strain.
US Open champion Marin Cilic reached the third round for the fourth successive year. The ninth-seeded Croatian fired 38 winners in a 7-6 (3), 6-1, 6-1 win over Italian qualifier Andrea Arnaboldi.
Cilic will face Argentine 23rd seed Leonardo Mayer who beat Jerzy Janowicz of Poland 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (1), 6-1 for a place in the last 16.
This year’s second round featured a record 19 men over the age of 30. But 33-year-old German Benjamin Becker won’t be going any further after he was forced to withdraw from Friday’s scheduled third round clash with Japan’s fifth seed Kei Nishikori because of a right shoulder injury.