Swiatek and Zverev comfortably advance at Madrid Open

Associated PressApr 30, 2023, 3:12 PM EDT

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MADRID — Iga Swiatek continued to make it look easy at the Madrid Open, reaching the round of 16 with a comfortable 6-3, 6-2 win over Bernarda Pera.

The world No. 1 conceded only one break point and converted on four of the 13 that she earned against the 32nd-ranked American at the “Magic Box” center court.

Swiatek had beaten Julia Grabher by the same score in her opening match in Madrid. The Polish player has won six straight matches in her clay-court season while dropping only one set.

“I wouldn’t say it was easy,” Swiatek said. “Every match is tricky here. I’m happy that I’m getting my rhythm. Playing against a lefty is never easy … but I’m pretty happy that I was disciplined and focused.”

Swiatek will next play either 22nd-seeded Zheng Qinwen or 16th-seeded Ekaterina Alexandrova.

Third-seeded Jessica Pegula had to work harder on her way to a 6-4, 7-6 (2) win over Marie Bouzkova. The American saved 12 of the 14 break opportunities that she conceded against her 31st-ranked opponent.

“It was definitely a long, physical game,” Pegula said. “It’s always hard to play Marie. We always have tough, long matches. I knew it was going to be very difficult.”

In the men’s draw, two-time Madrid Open champion Alexander Zverev cruised past qualifier Hugo Grenier 6-1, 6-0 in less than an hour. Zverev lost last year’s final to Carlos Alcaraz, who could be his next opponent in the Spanish capital. Alcaraz faces 26th-seeded Grigor Dimitrov.

“Today I felt great,” Zverev said. “Maybe Hugo was a bit nervous, first time in the third round at a Masters and that is big for any player. In general I am happy that I kept my composure and that I am through.”

Zverev, who had 26 winners and broke Grenier’s serve six times, won his Madrid titles in 2018 and ’21. He is 21-3 in the tournament, having reached the quarterfinals in all five of his previous appearances.

Fifth-seeded Andrey Rublev improved to 10-1 on clay this season with a 6-2, 7-5 win over Yoshihito Nishioka. Rublev, who reached the quarterfinals in Madrid last year, won the Monte Carlo Masters two weeks ago.

He will next face Karen Khachanov, the 10th-seeded player who defeated home-crowd favorite Roberto Bautista Agut 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 by winning the final three games in a match that lasted almost three hours.

At French Open, Francisco Cerundolo is mad at chair umpire over Holger Rune’s double-bounce

Associated PressJun 5, 2023, 8:49 PM EDT

Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports

PARIS – Francisco Cerundolo of Argentina was devastated about losing his French Open fourth-round match to Holger Rune of Denmark in a fifth-set tiebreaker Monday. He also was mad at chair umpire Kader Nouni for missing a double-bounce of the ball on a point that was awarded to Rune early in his 7-6 (3), 3-6, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (10-7) victory.

They were tied at a set apiece and on serve at 2-1 for the No. 6-seeded Rune early in the third at Court Suzanne Lenglen when the point of contention happened. Cerundolo, who was serving at deuce, hit a forehand that skidded low at the baseline and quickly bounced a second time – which normally would have meant that the point was his.

But Rune went ahead and got his racket on the ball, sending it back over the net. At about the same time, No. 23 seed Cerundolo was saying “sorry” to apologize for the odd way his forehand made the ball skim across the clay. Nouni was not immediately aware of the double-bounce, thought the ball was still in play and called Cerundolo for hindrance for talking during a point. That meant Rune got the point, and when he won the next one, too, he had a service break.

“It was unbelievable, because it was a clear double-bounce. I was mad at the umpire because he has to see it,” Cerundolo said. “It’s his fault.”

In tennis, electronic line-calling is used at many tournaments to make line calls, but replays are not used to check things like double-bounces or whether a point should be lost because a player touches the net, which is not allowed.

And while Cerundolo put the onus on the official, he also thought Rune could have ceded the point because of the double-bounce.

“For sure, I wish he would have done that, because it was a big moment,” Cerundolo said.

Rune, who moved into a matchup against No. 4 Casper Ruud in the quarterfinals, said he saw a replay after the following point, and “saw it was a double bounce. But the point already happened, and he called the score. So I felt sorry.”

But, Rune added: “This is tennis. This is sports. Some umpires, they make mistakes. Some for me; some for him. That’s life.”

Gael Monfils withdraws from French Open with wrist injury

Associated PressJun 1, 2023, 11:34 AM EDT

Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports

PARIS — A thrilling five-set victory took a toll on Gael Monfils, whose withdrawal from the French Open handed No. 6 Holger Rune a walkover to the third round.

The 36-year-old Frenchman said he has a strained left wrist and can’t continue.

He battled Sebastian Baez for nearly four hours on Court Philippe Chatrier before beating the Argentine 3-6, 6-3, 7-5, 1-6, 7-5 in a first-round match that ended at 12:18 a.m. local time.

The victory was Monfils’ first at tour level this year, as the veteran was coming back from heel surgery.

“Actually, physically, I’m quite fine. But I had the problem with my wrist that I cannot solve,” he said. “The doctor say was not good to play with that type of injury. Yesterday was actually very risky, and then today definitely say I should stop.”

Monfils reached the semifinals at the French Open in 2008 and made it to the quarterfinals on three other occasions.