Staff Reporter.
@FrenchOpen.
Top seed Novak Djokovic’s quest for a second career Grand Slam continued with another one-sided victory as he reached the French Open last 16.
Djokovic, 34, has not dropped a set so far this week after seeing off Lithuania’s Ricardas Berankis 6-1 6-4 6-1 on Court Philippe Chatrier.
The 2016 champion, aiming for a 19th Grand Slam, took six of nine break points and did not face one himself.
Djokovic’s next opponent will be rising Italian teenager Lorenzo Musetti.
Musetti, 19, is playing in the main draw of a Grand Slam for the first time and went through to the fourth round by beating compatriot Marco Cecchinato in an entertaining contest where the pair hit a combined 106 winners.
Two audacious winners from Musetti – a behind-the-back volley and a flicked lob after he scampered back to the baseline – were particularly special as he won 3-6 6-4 6-3 3-6 6-3 in his first five-setter.
Elsewhere, 10th seed Diego Schwartzman moved into the last 16 without having dropped a set this week.
The 28-year-old Argentine won 6-4 6-2 6-1 against German veteran Philipp Kohlschreiber as he looks to go even better than his appearance in the semi-finals last year.
Meanwhile Elina Svitolina became the seventh top-10 seed to be knocked out in the French Open’s opening week as she fell in the third round to Barbora Krejcikova.
Fifth seed Svitolina’s serve was broken six times as she was outclassed 6-3 6-2 by the impressive unseeded Czech.
The Ukrainian follows Ashleigh Barty, Naomi Osaka, Karolina Pliskova, Aryna Sabalenka, Belinda Bencic and Bianca Andreescu out of Roland Garros.
Fourth seed Sofia Kenin came from a set down to beat compatriot Jessica Pagula.
American Kenin, the 2020 runner-up and highest seed remaining in the tournament, looked in danger of joining the casualty list when she lost the opening set from 3-0 up by surrendering three successive service games.
But her aggressive approach ultimately paid off against a more passive Pagula as Kenin hit 48 winners to triumph 4-6 6-1 6-4 in a mixed display that also featured 41 unforced errors and 10 double faults.
She is one of just three top-10 seeds left standing, along with Serena Williams, who reached the fourth round on Friday and defending champion Iga Swiatek, who plays her third-round match, against Estonian 30th seed Anett Kontaveit, later on Saturday.