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PARIS: Rafael Nadal entered the French Open round of 16 on Friday and took another confident step to equal Roger Federer’s record of 20 Major titles, while a crop of rising youngsters offered tantalizing glimpses of his potential.
The 12-time Roland Garros champion defeated Italian number 74 Stefano Travaglia 6-1, 6-4, 6-0 in just 95 minutes, clinching his 96th victory in the tournament.
“I think today I played the best game of this year at Roland Garros,” Nadal said.
Nadal will face 213-ranked Sebastian Korda, son of 1998 Australian Open champion and 1992 French Open runner-up Petr Korda, for a place in the quarterfinals.
“He is my biggest idol. It’s one of the reasons why I play tennis, ”Korda said of the Spaniard.
“Growing up, I named my cat Rafa after him. That says a lot about how much I love the boy. “
The 20-year-old Korda beat Pedro Martinez in straight sets to become the first man outside the top 200 to reach the knockout stages in Paris since France’s Arnaud di Pasquale in 2002.
Hugo Gaston, also 20, quickly became the second-lowest ranked man in the fourth round when the world No. 239 stunned 2015 champion Stan Wawrinka 2-6, 6-3, 6-3, 4- 6, 6-0 in a tie interrupted by rain.
Gaston goes on to play US Open winner and Austrian third seed Dominic Thiem, Nadal’s runner-up in Paris the past two years.
“It’s incredible for me, it’s a dream. But I try to stay focused, ”said Gaston, the only Frenchman left in the frame.
“I feel tired from adrenaline, but I still have some gas.”
“I’m not going to pressure myself and try to play relaxed like I did today.”
At 19, Italian teenager Jannik Sinner is the youngest player to reach the fourth round at Roland Garros since Novak Djokovic in 2006.
Last year’s Next Gen champion made the second week of a Grand Slam for the first time by beating Federico Coria 6-3, 7-5, 7-5.
He will face US Open runner-up Alexander Zverev after the German sixth seed ended the 2018 qualifier and semi-finalist Marco Cecchinato streak in three sets.
“I’m just trying to get better day after day,” said Sinner, who is ranked 75th and has yet to lose a set in Paris.
Halep take revenge
Simona Halep, the top seed and title favorite, the 2018 champion, avenged last year’s Roland Garros loss to Amanda Anisimova by beating the American teenager 6-0, 6-1 in just 54 minutes.
The reigning Wimbledon champion made just seven unforced errors as she extended her career-best winning streak to 17 matches.
“I think I played a really good game. I was very aggressive and knew from last year that I had to change something and I did it today, ”said Halep.
“I took the game in my hands.”
Halep faces another 19-year-old opponent, Pole Iga Swiatek, for a place in the quarterfinals.
She lost just one game when the couple met here in the last 16 a year ago.
Halep’s status as the women’s favorite was reinforced after the retirement of Serena Williams, in addition to the absence of world No. 1 and defending champion Ashleigh Barty, as well as US Open winner Naomi Osaka.
“I don’t feel the pressure. Of course, I expect myself to play good tennis, but that doesn’t mean I have to win every game, ”Halep said.
“I just want to try to risk myself every time I step onto the court, and I’m not thinking about the title. It is very far “.
Thiem did a surprisingly short job with Norway’s Casper Ruud, the 28th seed, who has won more tour-level matches on clay than anyone else this season.
“In general, I was super happy with my performance. I think he was one of the best this year, ”Thiem said after an impressive 6-4, 6-3, 6-1 win.
Two-time quarter-finalist Elina Svitolina made sure to stay for the second week with a 6-4, 7-5 victory over 27th-seeded Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova.
Svitolina will play at home hopeful Caroline Garcia, who defeated 16-seeded Elise Mertens, 1-6, 6-4, 7-5.
Italian Lorenzo Sonego overcame a 36-point tiebreaker against Taylor Fritz to complete a 7-6 (7-5), 6-3, 7-6 (19-17) victory.
Fifth-seeded Kiki Bertens edged out Katerina Siniakova 6-2, 6-2, advancing quickly from her stormy win over Sara Errani in the previous round.
