Sabalenka storms into last 32 , Gauff reaches French Open third round

PARIS: World number one Aryna Sabalenka eased into the third round at Roland Garros on Thursday with a 7-5, 6-2 win over France’s Elsa Jacquemot.

Sabalenka snatched a tight opening set with a break in the final game and then swept Jacquemot aside to set up a meeting with Australia’s Daria Kasatkina.

The Belarusian has reached the final at five of the past six Grand Slams. She finished runner-up to Coco Gauff at last year’s French Open.

Meanwhile, Coco Gauff continued her French Open title defence with a straight-sets victory over Egyptian qualifier Mayar Sherif in the second round on Thursday.

The American fourth seed was too strong for the world number 129 on Court Suzanne Lenglen, winning 6-3, 6-2.

Gauff will next face either in-form Austrian 28th seed Anastasia Potapova or Britain’s Katie Boulter in the last 32.

“It was a physical match, a tough match, my patience was really tested today,” said Gauff.

The 22-year-old, who has reached at least the quarter-finals at Roland Garros in each of the past five years, was not at her best but was never in danger of suffering an upset defeat.

“No expectations,” she insisted when asked if winning the title last year raised her hopes this time around. “I’m just having fun.”

She broke Sherif seven times in total during a match in which both players struggled on serve, but sealed the win after an hour and 50 minutes.

Sherif has still never reached the third round at a Grand Slam tournament, after losing in round two for the fourth time in five years in Paris.

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