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(Updated 3) French Open, Day 8: Wozniacki-Kasatkina halted because of darkness

Sunday, 3 June 2018, 21:53 Last update: about 9 years ago

The Latest on the French Open (all times local):

 

9:25 p.m.

The French Open fourth-round match between No. 2 Caroline Wozniacki and No. 14 Daria Kasatkina has been suspended for the day in the second set because of darkness.

Kasatkina won the opening set 7-6 (5) against reigning Australian Open champion Wozniacki.

They were tied at 3-all in the second set when play was halted.

The match will resume Monday. The winner will face U.S. Open champion Sloane Stephens in the quarterfinals.

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7:45 p.m.

From never having won a Grand Slam match before last week, Marco Cecchinato has now won four in a row to set up a quarterfinal against Novak Djokovic.

With a 7-5, 4-6, 6-0, 6-3 upset victory against eighth-seeded David Goffin of Belgium on Sunday, the 72nd-ranked Italian became the lowest-ranked man to reach the quarterfinals at Roland Garros since Ernests Gulbis, then ranked 80th, in 2008.

The 25-year-old Cecchinato lost in the first round at his four previous majors. He came close to defeat in his first match this year at Roland Garros, losing the first two sets, before winning 10-8 in the fifth.

 

7:30 p.m.

Novak Djokovic equaled Roger Federer's mark of reaching nine consecutive quarterfinals at Roland Garros by beating No. 30 seed Fernando Verdasco 6-3, 6-4, 6-2.

It's also Djokovic's 12th career trip to the round of eight in Paris, a record for the 50-year professional era. Djokovic advanced to his 40th Grand Slam quarterfinal.

Rafael Nadal can pull even with a 12th French Open quarterfinal, too, by winning on Monday.

The straightforward victory for 2016 French Open champion Djokovic was his 200th career tour-level win on clay.

 

6:15 p.m.

The Williams sisters, Venus and Serena, are out of the French Open doubles tournament.

The third-seeded pairing of Andreja Klepac and Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez beat the Americans 6-4, 6-7 (4), 6-0 to advance to the quarterfinals.

Serena Williams plays Maria Sharapova on Monday for a place in the women's singles quarterfinals.

 

4:35 p.m.

American Sloane Stephens is into her first quarterfinal at the French Open, having stalled in the fourth round on four previous occasions.

Stephens, the U.S. Open champion in 2017, blew past Anett Kontaveit of Estonia 6-2, 6-0 in just 52 minutes on Court Philippe Chatrier.

The 25th-seeded Kontaveit was unable to exert any pressure on the 10th-seeded Stephens with her error-strewn game.

Stephens faced no break points.

Kontaveit made 21 unforced errors and hit just six clean winners.

 

3:20 p.m.

Dominic Thiem is into the French Open quarterfinals for the third straight year, in what was becoming a steam-rollering of Kei Nishikori until the 19th-seeded player from Japan mounted a late fight-back.

"The first two sets were amazing," the seventh-seeded Austrian said of the 6-2, 6-0, 5-7, 6-4 win, "... then he raised his level."

Nishikori won just 14 points in the first set and even fewer, nine, in the second, as his serve and service returns ran cold on the sun-kissed Court Philippe Chatrier.

Play stayed on serve in the third set until Nishikori won the only break point, on Thiem's serve in the 12th game.

Thiem bit his fingers after squandering his first match point. But Nishikhori made life easy for him, with an over-cooked forehand hit long on Thiem's second match point.

Thiem made the semifinals last year and in 2016. He'll play the second-seeded Alexander Zverev next.

 

3 p.m.

Alexander Zverev is into his first Grand Slam quarterfinal, and he's done it the hard way, winning his third back-to-back five-set match at the French Open.

The second-seeded German won 4-6, 7-6 (4), 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 against Karen Khachanov, a 38th-ranked Russian, in their first-ever meeting on clay or at a major.

Zverev's previous Grand Slam best was reaching the fourth round at Wimbledon last year.

At 21, Zverev is the youngest quarterfinalist at Roland Garros since Juan Martin del Potro in 2009.

Zverev's youth and fitness regime — he says he spends three to four hours in the gym each day — have helped him overcome the fatigue of three-hour plus matches on the leg-pounding clay of Roland Garros.

He shrugged off a question about spending so much time on court, saying: "I'm young so I may as well stay on court to practice a little bit."

 

1:15 p.m.

Madison Keys is thinking big at the French Open after reaching the quarterfinals for the first time.

Her feat means the 13th-seeded American has now reached the last eight at every major.

"I made the final of the U.S. Open but lost to my friend Sloane Stephens," the 23-year-old Keys said. "Hopefully big things can happen here."

After beating No. 31 Mihaela Buzarnescu of Romania 6-1, 6-4, she next faces either No. 26 Barbora Strycova of the Czech Republic or Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan.

They were playing their match later Sunday on Court Suzanne Lenglen.


12:25 p.m.

U.S. Open runner-up Madison Keys has reached the quarterfinals of the French Open for the first time by beating Mihaela Buzarnescu of Romania 6-1, 6-4.

On a sunny Court Philippe Chatrier, the 13th-seeded American had two match points at 5-2 and 40-15. But Buzarnescu fought back to break Keys and then clenched her fist after holding for 5-4.

Serving a second time for the match, the 23-year-old Keys let out a scream of "Come on!" when she hit a superb cross-court backhand winner to make it 40-15 and give herself another two chances for victory.

Seconds later, she threw her head back after serving a booming ace that flew past Buzarnescu before she could react.

Keys next faces either No. 26 Barbora Strycova or Yulia Putintseva.

It was a good tournament for the 30-year-old Buzarnescu — seeded 31st — a former Ph.D. student who has climbed more than 300 ranking spots in the last year.

 

10:30 a.m.

Novak Djokovic takes on a familiar adversary in the fourth round of the French Open on Sunday.

The former top-ranked Serb faces Fernando Verdasco on Court Philippe Chatrier, where he won the last of his 12 major titles in 2016.

Djokovic, now seeded 20th as he continues his comeback from a long-term elbow injury, has won the past five encounters against the Spanish veteran.

Two other title contenders are in men's fourth-round action.

Looking to reach his first Grand Slam quarterfinal is No. 2 Alexander Zverev of Germany, who plays big-hitting Russian Karen Khachanov on Court Suzanne Lenglen.

No. 7 Dominic Thiem of Austria — a semifinalist at Roland Garros the past two years — faces No. 19 Kei Nishikori of Japan. They are scheduled first on Chatrier in warm and sunny conditions.

Later on Lenglen, Australian Open champion Caroline Wozniacki had a tough-looking fourth-round match against Daria Kasatkina.

The 14th-seeded Russian has beaten her twice this year.

 

LOOKAHEAD TO SUNDAY

The men's and women's second-seeded players are in fourth-round action at the French Open.

No. 2 Alexander Zverev of Germany faces big-hitting Russian Karen Khachanov, a familiar face from back in their junior days.

"We know each other pretty well," the 21-year-old Zverev said. "Also we are good outside the court, with his parents, they know me and I know them well."

Zverev beat the 22-year-old Khachanov in their only previous meeting, two years ago on hard courts in the Russian city of Saint Petersburg.

Both are looking to reach the quarterfinals of a major for the first time, and they will be first up on Court Suzanne Lenglen.

No. 2 Caroline Wozniacki is bidding for her second straight Grand Slam title after winning the Australian Open, the first major of her career.

But the Danish player faces a tricky match later on Lenglen against 14th-seeded Russian Daria Kasatkina, who has beaten her twice this year.

Also, in men's fourth-round matches, 2016 French Open champion Novak Djokovic takes on Spanish veteran Fernando Verdasco for the 15th time overall. Djokovic leads 10-4, including the past five encounters.

No. 7 Dominic Thiem of Austria — a semifinalist at Roland Garros the past two years — faces No. 19 Kei Nishikori of Japan. Nishikori leads him 2-0 in head-to-heads.

Both of those matches are on Court Philippe Chatrier.

SUNDAY'S FORECAST

Sunny with some cloud and a high of 81 degrees (27 Celsius).

SATURDAY'S WEATHER

Sunny throughout with a high of 75 degrees (24 Celsius).

SATURDAY'S WINNERS

Seeded winners in the men's third round: No. 1 Rafael Nadal, No. 3 Marin Cilic, No. 5 Juan Martin del Potro, No. 6 Kevin Anderson, No. 8 David Goffin, No. 9 John Isner, No. 11 Diego Schwartzman, No. 18 Fabio Fognini.

Seeded winners in the women's third round: No. 1 Simona Halep, No. 3 Garbine Muguruza, No. 7 Caroline Garcia, No. 10 Sloane Stephens, No. 12 Angelique Kerber, No. 16 Elise Mertens, No. 25 Anett Kontaveit, No. 28 Maria Sharapova.

SATURDAY'S LOSERS

Seeded losers in the men's third round: No. 15 Lucas Pouille, No. 16 Kyle Edmund, No. 27 Richard Gasquet, No. 31 Albert Ramos-Vinolas, No. 32 Gael Monfils.

Seeded losers in the women's third round: No. 6 Karolina Pliskova, No. 8 Petra Kvitova, No. 11 Julia Georges, No. 18 Kiki Bertens, No. 19 Magdalena Rybarikova, No. 24 Daria Gavrilova.

STAT OF THE DAY

2007 — The last time there were no men from France in the fourth round at Roland Garros.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"We are both on a comeback for two totally different reasons, and she's been on her journey for over a year and I just started mine a couple months ago." — Williams, looking ahead to her fourth-round clash against long-time rival Sharapova.

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