Medvedev, Swiatek book pre-quarters berths, Badosa retires

Paris: World No 2 Daniil Medvedev reached the last-16 stage at Roland-Garros for a second consecutive year after routing Serbian No 28 seed Miomir Kecmanovic in round three here on Saturday.
Medvedev next meets 2014 US Open champion Marin Cilic or home favorite Gilles Simon. He reached quarters here last year after going down 0-4 in his first four appearances in Paris.
In the women’s singles match, Iga Swiatek overwhelmed 6-3, 7-5 Danka Kovinic, despite dropping serves three times in a match for the first time this tournament.
The 20-year-old Pole was up a double-break in the second set, but was pegged back by the 95th-ranked Kovinic before striking again to claim a 90-minute victory.
The world No.1 extended her winning streak to 31 matches and next faces Chinese teenager Zheng Qinwen or French veteran Alize Cornet for a spot in the quarter-finals.
In another match, Paula Badosa opted to retire as she needed medical attention to her right leg during the contest against Veronika Kudermetova. Badosa, who was a quarter finalist last year at Roland Garros, had to leave the arena crestfallen 3-6, 1-2.
The official reason for the Spaniard’s withdrawal is a right calf injury.
In other men’s singles, Italy’s No.11 seed Jannik Sinner packed off an exciting third-round contest against American world No.60 Mackenzie McDonald on Court Simonne-Mathieu. He wrapped the match in nearly three hours to post a 6-3, 7-6(6), 6-3 win to book the last-16 berth.
The 20-year-old Sinner claimed the opening set 6-3 in 41 minutes before McDonald punched back with a 5-2 lead in the second.
Serving to level the match, Sinner missed 10 set points before breaking on his seventh opportunity of the game to level scores at 5-5. The 10th game lasted 15 minutes.
saw 10 set points come and go before Sinner broke on his seventh opportunity of the game to get back on even terms at 5-5. That 10th game lasted nearly 15 minutes.
Sinner saved an 11th set point in game 12 to force a second-set tiebreak.
The 11th seed finally closed out the 89-minute set 8/6 in the breaker to take a two-set lead over McDonald.
The third set was less complicated as Sinner converted the sole break point he created en route to a straight-sets success.
Sinner is into the Roland-Garros second week for the third time in as many appearances.
He meets No.7 seed Andrey Rublev, who sidestepped a tough challenge from Chilean Cristian Garin 6-4, 3-6, 6-2, 7-6(11).
Rublev saved five set points in the third to come through in straight sets and took a 1-2 head-to-head record into the fourth round against Sinner.
In another match, Romanian veteran Irina-Camelia Begu moved into the Roland-Garros fourth round for just the second time in 11 appearances as she ended the fairytale run of French wildcard and Grand Slam debutante Leolia Jeanjean on Saturday.
The 31-year-old Begu needed 85 minutes to defeat Jeanjean 6-1, 6-4 and awaits American No.11 seed Jessica Pegula or last year’s semi-finalist Tamara Zidansek in the next round. (UNI)