Iga Swiatek’s French Open hopes given boost as nemesis Jelena Ostapenko exits

Iga Swiatek remains on course for a fifth French Open title after a major obstacle was removed from her path.

Swiatek swept into the fourth round and has yet to drop a set after beating Romanian Jaqueline Cristian 6-2 7-5.

The defending champion feared she would meet her nemesis, Jelena Ostapenko, who has remarkably beaten Swiatek in all six of their career meetings.

But Latvian Ostapenko, the 2017 winner in Paris, was beaten 6-2 6-2 by Elena Rybakina to rob Roland Garros of a grudge match for the ages in the last 16.

Asked if she had a preference about who to play, while the Ostapenko match was still in progress, Swiatek smiled: "No. Am I a good liar? Let's say it doesn't matter, really. Oh my God. I couldn't play poker!"

Swiatek is without a title since this time last year and has slipped to number five in the world.

But the Pole has yet to run into any difficulty as she stretched her winning streak at Roland Garros to 24 matches.

Aryna Sabalenka, the top-ranked player by some distance, is many people's favourite to win her first French Open title.

But the Belarusian was keen to heap the pressure on to Swiatek's shoulders after beating Olga Danilovic 6-2 6-3.

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"It's tough to predict in woman's tennis, you know," she said. "Let's just leave it on Iga since she won it, what, three times in a row, right? I will just leave it for her."

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Sabalenka will face American Amanda Anisimova, the 16th seed, on Sunday.

Last year's runner-up Jasmine Paolini, the fourth seed from Italy, is through after a 6-4 6-1 win over Ukrainian Yuliia Starodubtseva

Qinwen Zheng's match with Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko was temporarily halted after a spectator injured themselves in the stands.

The Chinese eighth seed was a set and a break up at the time and eventually won 6-4 6-3.

In the men's draw, American 12th seed Tommy Paul came through his second five-setter this week, beating Russian Karen Khachanov 6-3 3-6 7-6 (7) 3-6 6-3.

Italian eighth seed Lorenzo Musetti dropped the first set against Argentina's Mariano Navone but went through in four.

In the night match, defending champion Carlos Alcaraz also needed four sets to beat Bosnian Damir Dzumhur.

The Spaniard won 6-1 6-3 4-6 6-4 and said: "The first two sets were under control but then he decided to play deeper and more aggressive.

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"My energy went down but I had to give everything I had inside. I'm proud to get the win in the end.

"That's why it's difficult to win grand slams, because you have to keep your focus over three or four hours."

French 14th seed Arthur Fils has withdrawn from the tournament with a back injury, giving Russia's Andrey Rublev a walkover into round four.

PA