PARIS, May 28 (Reuters) - Winning machine Novak Djokovic brushed aside Juan Martin del Potro while Andy Murray overcame an ankle injury as they joined champion Rafa Nadal in the French Open fourth round on Saturday.
Twice runner-up Robin Soderling also crushed Leonardo Mayer 6-1 6-4 6-3 and Maria Sharapova overcame Chan Yung-jan 6-2 6-3 in bright but blustery conditions in a wide open women’s draw.
After the players were halted because of bad light at the end of the second set on Friday, Djokovic used the unexpected break to swing the momentum back his way and take his 2011 winning streak to 40 matches with a 6-3 3-6 6-3 6-2 triumph.
Murray used the momentum he already had to thrash Germany’s Michael Berrer 6-2 6-3 6-2 despite turning his ankle when trying to slide on the clay to reach a ball early in the second set.
The wincing Briton, yet to win a grand slam title having lost to Djokovic in the Australian Open final in January, had heavy strapping but dropped serve just once as he soldiered on.
The lasting effects of the injury were not clear as the German underdog was so weak that Murray did not have to test the ankle hugely having started the match in much better form.
“I don’t know if I will be playing the next match. Maybe I will be,” the Scot told a Roland Garros news conference.
Perspiration rather than inspiration had been the hallmarks of Murray’s campaign so far but, apart from the injury and the navy-coloured shirt he shared with Nadal, the blues disappeared.
If fit, Murray next meets Serbia’s 15th seed Viktor Troicki, a 6-4 3-6 6-3 6-4 winner over Ukrainian Alexandr Dolgopolov.
Champion Nadal stuttered through his first two matches but was all smiles in a 6-1 6-3 6-0 win over Croat qualifier Antonio Veic with his recent vulnerability only in evidence on first serve in the first set and when broken twice in the second.
Bidding for a sixth title here in seven years, the Spaniard faces Ivan Ljubicic in the last 16 with more confidence but with much more dangerous opponents to come who could exploit a nervousness caused by recent Madrid and Rome losses to Djokovic.
The Serb faced his toughest test since those finals when coming back out on to a jam-packed court with 2009 U.S. Open champion and 25th seed Del Potro threatening to upset all the pre-tournament predictions of more Djokovic success.
BIG QUEUES
But any belief the Argentine had picked up by levelling late in Friday’s gloom evaporated when the world number two broke for 4-2 in the third set having earlier fought off two break points including with one tremendous slugging rally of 23 shots.
Del Potro then double-faulted to hand Djokovic a break in the third game of the fourth, allowing the Serb to step closer to John McEnroe’s 42-0 record since the start of a year.
Djokovic now locks horns with home favourite Richard Gasquet, who won through on Friday along with Roger Federer.
Juan Ignacio Chela, Gilles Simon and Alejando Falla also progressed on Saturday with contrasting victories.
China’s quickfire Li Na earlier wrapped up a simple women’s third-round win over Sorana Cirstea before most fans arrived.
Big queues for the middle Saturday were still forming on the streets when sixth seed Li, the Australian Open runner-up, sealed a 6-2 6-2 win on a quarter-full Court Suzanne Lenglen.
Over on Court Philippe Chatrier down the tree and boutique-lined way, fourth seed Victoria Azarenka of Belarus easily got the better of Italy’s Roberta Vinci with a 6-3 6-2 success which further highlighted her strong title credentials.
“I think I played very well. I was serving well, dominating, and trying to be as aggressive on her serve,” Azarenka said.
With tops seeds Caroline Wozniacki and Kim Clijsters crashing out and several players missing with injury, any woman left could realistically triumph in next Saturday’s final.
Czech ninth seed Petra Kvitova is another contender and hammered American Vania King 6-4 6-2 to set up a meeting with Li.
Ekaterina Makarova, Andrea Petkovic and Maria Kirilenko, who overpowered Clijsters’ conqueror Arantxa Rus, will also take their place in the last 16 with Poland’s Agnieszka Radwanska battling Sharapova after beating Yanina Wickmayer.
Twice runner-up Robin Soderling also crushed Leonardo Mayer 6-1 6-4 6-3 and Maria Sharapova overcame Chan Yung-jan 6-2 6-3 in bright but blustery conditions in a wide open women’s draw.
After the players were halted because of bad light at the end of the second set on Friday, Djokovic used the unexpected break to swing the momentum back his way and take his 2011 winning streak to 40 matches with a 6-3 3-6 6-3 6-2 triumph.
Murray used the momentum he already had to thrash Germany’s Michael Berrer 6-2 6-3 6-2 despite turning his ankle when trying to slide on the clay to reach a ball early in the second set.
The wincing Briton, yet to win a grand slam title having lost to Djokovic in the Australian Open final in January, had heavy strapping but dropped serve just once as he soldiered on.
The lasting effects of the injury were not clear as the German underdog was so weak that Murray did not have to test the ankle hugely having started the match in much better form.
“I don’t know if I will be playing the next match. Maybe I will be,” the Scot told a Roland Garros news conference.
Perspiration rather than inspiration had been the hallmarks of Murray’s campaign so far but, apart from the injury and the navy-coloured shirt he shared with Nadal, the blues disappeared.
If fit, Murray next meets Serbia’s 15th seed Viktor Troicki, a 6-4 3-6 6-3 6-4 winner over Ukrainian Alexandr Dolgopolov.
Champion Nadal stuttered through his first two matches but was all smiles in a 6-1 6-3 6-0 win over Croat qualifier Antonio Veic with his recent vulnerability only in evidence on first serve in the first set and when broken twice in the second.
Bidding for a sixth title here in seven years, the Spaniard faces Ivan Ljubicic in the last 16 with more confidence but with much more dangerous opponents to come who could exploit a nervousness caused by recent Madrid and Rome losses to Djokovic.
The Serb faced his toughest test since those finals when coming back out on to a jam-packed court with 2009 U.S. Open champion and 25th seed Del Potro threatening to upset all the pre-tournament predictions of more Djokovic success.
BIG QUEUES
But any belief the Argentine had picked up by levelling late in Friday’s gloom evaporated when the world number two broke for 4-2 in the third set having earlier fought off two break points including with one tremendous slugging rally of 23 shots.
Del Potro then double-faulted to hand Djokovic a break in the third game of the fourth, allowing the Serb to step closer to John McEnroe’s 42-0 record since the start of a year.
Djokovic now locks horns with home favourite Richard Gasquet, who won through on Friday along with Roger Federer.
Juan Ignacio Chela, Gilles Simon and Alejando Falla also progressed on Saturday with contrasting victories.
China’s quickfire Li Na earlier wrapped up a simple women’s third-round win over Sorana Cirstea before most fans arrived.
Big queues for the middle Saturday were still forming on the streets when sixth seed Li, the Australian Open runner-up, sealed a 6-2 6-2 win on a quarter-full Court Suzanne Lenglen.
Over on Court Philippe Chatrier down the tree and boutique-lined way, fourth seed Victoria Azarenka of Belarus easily got the better of Italy’s Roberta Vinci with a 6-3 6-2 success which further highlighted her strong title credentials.
“I think I played very well. I was serving well, dominating, and trying to be as aggressive on her serve,” Azarenka said.
With tops seeds Caroline Wozniacki and Kim Clijsters crashing out and several players missing with injury, any woman left could realistically triumph in next Saturday’s final.
Czech ninth seed Petra Kvitova is another contender and hammered American Vania King 6-4 6-2 to set up a meeting with Li.
Ekaterina Makarova, Andrea Petkovic and Maria Kirilenko, who overpowered Clijsters’ conqueror Arantxa Rus, will also take their place in the last 16 with Poland’s Agnieszka Radwanska battling Sharapova after beating Yanina Wickmayer.
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