Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic advance to French Open last 16

Fifth seed Elina Svitolina was handed an upset against Barbora Krejcikova.

Defending champion Rafael Nadal continued his unerring run, as he defeated Cameron Norrie 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 to reach the last 16 of the French Open. The current British No. 2 showed flashes of his abilities but it was not enough versus the Roland Garros stalwart.

Notably, Norrie had come out on top in an epic 21-shot rally. Rafael Nadal was well tested in this match but negotiated his way through to the next phase.

On the other hand, Novak Djokovic comfortably made it through to the next round after a straight-set victory. Djokovic outclassed Lithuania's Ricardas Berankis 6-1, 6-4, 6-1 at the iconic Philippe-Chatrier court. The World No. 1 broke his opponent's serve six times in the match and such was his domination that he didn't face a single breakpoint on his own.

In doing so, the 34-year-old made it through to the fourth round for the 12th consecutive year, a new Open Era record for the longest streak of Roland Garros round four appearances.

Italian teenagers continue to impress

19-year-old Lorenzo Musetti got the better of compatriot Marco Cecchinato in five sets to reach the last 16 on his Grand Slam debut. The Italian overcame the 2018 French Open semi-finalist 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3. He becomes the sixth man since the turn of the century to reach the last 16 in his first major tournament. Next up for Lorenzo Musetti is a daunting matchup against top-seed Novak Djokovic.

Another Italian representative Jannik Sinner triumphed 6-1, 7-5, 6-3 over Mikael Ymer of Sweden. The 19-year-old who credits Maria Sharapova for his rapid progression strolled past Ymer, had defeated hometown boy Gael Monfils in the previous round. Sinner will now come up against Rafael Nadal, who had beaten him at the quarter-finals last year.

Svitolina bundled out, Stephens through

World No. 6 Elina Svitolina became the seventh top 10 seed in women's singles to be knocked out in the French Open's opening week. Svitolina had impressed in her last two outings and looked good for a deep run at the Roland Garros. However, Barbora Krejcikova knocked her out in the third round. Svitolina's serve was broken six times as she was outclassed 6-3, 6-2 by the impressive unseeded Czech.

The Ukrainian follows Ashleigh Barty, Naomi Osaka, Karolina Pliskova, Aryna Sabalenka, Belinda Bencic and Bianca Andreescu out of Roland Garros. Krejcikova next faces Sloane Stephens, who beat Karolina Muchova 6-3, 7-5. The 2017 US Open champion and 2018 French Open runner-up broke serve early in the first set and at a crucial juncture in the second to progress.

Swiatek's title defence on point

Women's singles defending champion Iga Swiatek powered her way past Anett Kontaveit into the next round. The 20-year-old who had become the first-ever Polish player to win a Grand Slam title last year, won 7-6, 6-0 in an engaging match. This was the pair's third meeting, with the Estonian having had the edge in each of their last two matches. However, Swiatek has been a completely different proposition since her Roland Garros triumph in 2020. Her next challenge will come in the form of Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine.

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