Rafa Nadal into fourth round of Roland Garros yet again
Rafael Nadal advanced to the round of 16 at a Grand Slam for the 50th time by beating Cameron Norrie in the French Open, 6-3, 6-3, 6-3.
Nadal, 35, advanced to the round of 16 at a Grand Slam for the 50th time. He's trying to add to his record 13 French Open crowns and seeks his 21st major title, which would break the men's record he shares with Roger Federer.
As Nadal spoke to the crowd after the match, fans reminded the Spaniard of his title total by shouting "treize!" -- 13 in French.
"Can you repeat that?" he responded in English with a smile.
Nadal will next play 19-year-old Italian Jannik Sinner, who is seeded 18th.
"He's young, he's improving every week, he has big shots," Nadal said. "I need to be solid. I need to be aggressive too. I need to make him play from tough positions. It's the fourth round — you can't expect an easy opponent."
Nadal knows that from experience. Federer and Novak Djokovic are the only other men to reach the fourth round at 50 major events.
Nadal is trying to add to his record 13 French Open championships and seeks his 21st major title, which would break the men's record he shares with Roger Federer.
Federer and Novak Djokovic are the only other men to have reached the fourth round at 50 major events.
Defending champion Iga Swiatek rallied from a slow start for her latest win at the French Open.
She was down a break in the opening set but regrouped and beat Anett Kontaveit 7-6 (4), 6-0.
Swiatek has won 20 consecutive sets at Roland Garros and that streak was in jeopardy when she trailed 4-2. She dominated from there and lost only 12 points in the second set.
The eighth-seeded Swiatek next faces 18-year-old Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk, who has reached the round of 16 at a major event for the first time.
