Nadal, Djokovic march into French Open last 16, Kerber knocked out

The tournament is picking up pace as it progresses beyond the initial rounds.

The French Open 2022 is turning out to be very entertaining considering the clashes at the Roland Garros. Favourites Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic continued their sensational performances to enter the Round of 16 of the grand slam. Eyes will be on these two stars as they inch closer to an epic clash with each other.

Defending champions and World No.1 Novak Djokovic won by 6-3, 6-3, 6-2 against Slovenia’s Aljaz Bedene. The top seed will face 15th seed Diego Schwartzman in the next round as he nears another meeting with Nadal. Talking of the Spaniard and the 13-time French Open winner, Nadal easily won his fixture by a 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 win over Dutch opponent Botic van de Zandschulp. 

Interestingly, Nadal will be up against Canada's Felix Auger-Aliassime on Sunday. The exciting bit from this fixture is that the Canadian’s coach is Toni Nadal - Rafael’s uncle and former coach. “I don't know what's going to happen if he's going to stay in the box or not, but I don't care. I have zero problems with that. So it's not a story at all for me. I know what's the feeling that we have for each other. I know he wants the best for me.” Nadal said at the prospect of having Toni Nadal watch from a neutral place.

Over at the Women’s Singles bracket, former World No.1 Angelique Kerber bid adieu to France after losing her tie against Aliaksandra Sasnovich. The game ended in straight sets 6-4, 7-6 (7-5) in the favour of the Belarusian tennis player.

Notable results elsewhere

Carlos Alcaraz made history by becoming the youngest player to reach the final 16 of the French Open since 2006. The 19-year-old beat 27th seed Sebastian Korda 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 in a dominant fashion to progress further in the tournament.

Third seed Alexander Zverev also moved into the next round with a comfortable win over Brandon Nakashima by a 7-6 (7-2), 6-3, 7-6 (7-5) scoreline. He will now face Bernabe Zapata Miralles who recorded a win over John Isner in five sets. In women’s singles, American Coco Gauff managed an easy win over Kaia Kanepi to move into the next round by a 6-3, 6-4 scoreline.

The 13th seed Jelena Ostapenko lost her clash with Alize Cornet of France in three sets. The game ended 6-0, 1-6, 6-3 in the favour of the player who had the support of the spectators behind her back. 

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