The end of the round of 16 at Roland-Garros took place on Monday and was marked by the very rapid qualifications of two of the candidates for the final victory: the Polish Iga Swiatek and the Tunisian Ons Jabeur.
The round of 16 of Roland-Garros ended on Monday, June 5, on the courts of the Porte d’Auteuil. This ninth day of the Parisian Grand Slam was marked by the success of the Tunisian Ons Jabeur against Bernarda Pera (6-3, 6-1), and that of Iga Swiatek over Liesa Tsurenko, after abandonment. Brazilian Beatriz Haddad Maia escaped the trap set by Sara Sorribes Tormo (6-7 [3-7]6-3, 7-5). In the men’s draw, Casper Ruud also battled to oust Nicholas Jarry (7-6 [7-3]7-5, 7-5), as Holger Rune against Fransisco Cerundolo (7-6 [7-3]3-6, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6[10/7]). On the other hand, no problem for Alexander Zverev. Here’s what to remember from the day.
The fight: Rune defeats Cerundolo
Holger Rune went through all the states facing Francisco Cerundolo. The seeded No. 23, led two sets to one, was able to find the resources to ship the fourth set, taking advantage of a big drop in speed from the Dane. The two men then each came very close to winning the bet in the fifth round, but it was the seeded n°6 who, after a super tie-break when he had served for the match at 5-4, raised his arms to heaven.
Mistreated in the three rounds, last year’s finalist, Casper Ruud, finally won after a fierce fight of 3h20, overcoming the courageous Nicolas Jarry (7-6 [7-3], 7-5, 7-5). A clay-court specialist, the Chilean tried to asphyxiate the Dane with his variations, alternating between drop shots, lobs and passing shots, but failed to make the difference in decisive moments (18% break points converted) .
Casper Ruud and Holger Rune are the new generation, who don’t like each other but who have already gotten used to it. It will be their sixth duel in two years on the main circuit, and a rematch of the quarter-final of the 2022 edition of Roland-Garros. At the time, Ruud won in four sets. But a fortnight ago, Rune dominated his rival for the first time, at the Masters 1000 in Rome in three rounds.
The reunion: Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek take a date
After her quick victory against the Slovak Anna Karolina Schmieldova in 1h31 (7-5, 6-2), Coco Gauff will have the opportunity to take her revenge on Iga Swiatek, who took advantage of the abandonment of Liesa Tsurenko to not pass only 31 minutes in the field. Last year, the two women appeared in the Roland-Garros final. The 19-year-old American then lost heavily, totally overwhelmed by the domination of the 22-year-old Polish (6-1, 6-3).
The ride: not a panic “Ons” for Jabeur
At the start of the day, Ons Jabeur was expeditious against Bernarda Pera (6-3, 6-1). Prompt winner in 1h03 of play, the world number 7 took advantage of the clumsiness of the American (33 unforced errors), unable to convert a single one of her commitments. For the first time in her career, the 29-year-old Tunisian has qualified for the quarter-finals of Roland-Garros.
Forced to retire in the semi-finals in Stuttgart, forfeit in Madrid and heavily defeated by Paula Badosa in Rome, Ons Jabeur was full of confidence before facing the Brazilian Beatriz Haddad Maia, who came out of it in pain against Sara Sorribes Tormo (6-7 [3-7]6-3, 6-7, 7-5).
Zverev’s Night Stroll
For the third time in a row, Alexander Zverev was scheduled on the Philippe-Chatrier court, for the evening session. For the third time, he imposed himself, clearly taking the upper hand over Grigor Dimitrov, a man who succeeds him rather well. Indeed, for the fourth time in five duels, the German took the measure of the Bulgarian, winning 6-1, 6-4, 6-3 in 2h17. “Baby Fed” has not beaten him since their first confrontation in 2014 in Basel, and has still not reached the quarter-finals in Paris in his career. Zverev has lost just one set since the start of the Paris fortnight and will play the Argentinian in the quarterfinals Tomas Martin Etcheverry, 49th in the world.