PARIS: Former champion Novak Djokovic reached the French Open third round for the 13th consecutive year by beating Spanish qualifier Jaume Munar 7-6 (7-1), 6-4, 6-4 on Wednesday, while second seed Alexander Zverev staged a fightback to win a five-setter with Dusan Lajovic.

Djokovic, the 2016 Roland Garros champion and former world number one, is seeded 20 this year after struggling to rediscover his best form after returning from a right elbow injury.

He wasn’t at his best on Court Suzanne Lenglen, but goes on to face Spain’s 13th seed Roberto Bautista Agut, who beat Colombian Santiago Giraldo 6-4 , 7-5, 6-3.

German world number three Zverev found himself in deep trouble when trailing by two sets to one against Lajovic, but the Serbian ran out of gas as it finished 2-6, 7-5, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2.

The 21-year-old, a winner of three Masters titles, is yet to reach a Grand Slam quarter-final and was knocked out in the first round at Roland Garros last year.

But Zverev moved into round three for the second time, where he will play Bosnian 26th seed Damir Dzumhur, as he looks to become the first German man to win the title since 1937.

Japan’s Kei Nishikori also staged a comeback to edge out Frenchman Benoit Paire on Philippe Chatrier court, winning 6-3, 2-6, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 and eighth-seeded Belgian David Goffin produced a clinical display to reach the third round, defeating Frenchman Corentin Moutet 7-5, 6-0, 6-1.

The unlikely adventure of Argentinian world number 190 Marco Trungelliti, who became the eighth lucky loser in the draw after driving back to Paris from Barcelona, came to an end as he lost 6-1, 7-6 (7-1), 6-1 to Italian Marco Cecchinato in the second round.

World number one Simona Halep fought back after a disastrous opening set to beat American Alison Riske 2-6, 6-1, 6-1 in their delayed first-round match.

Halep, the runner-up in Paris in 2014 and 2017, slumped 0-5 down in the opening set to world number 83 Riske and will next face American Taylor Townsend, who is ranked 72 in the world.

The 26-year-old, who is still looking for a first Grand Slam title, will play for the second straight day on Thursday, after the match with Riske was pushed back from Tuesday due to rain.

Eighth seed Petra Kvitova eased into the third round with a 6-0, 6-4 victory over Spain’s Lara Arruabarrena on Court One.

The two-time Wimbledon champion has now won 13 consecutive matches on clay after claiming titles in Prague and Madrid, and will face Estonia’s 25th seed Anett Kontaveit for a place in the last 16.

Ukrainian fourth seed Elina Svitolina reached the last 32 for the fourth straight year by brushing aside Viktoria Kuzmova in straight sets.

The 23-year-old, who arrived in Paris having won her second straight Italian Open title, saw off her Slovakian opponent 6-3, 6-4 and will next take on Romanian 31st seed Mihaela Buzarnescu.

Wednesday’s results (prefix number denotes seeding):

Men’s singles:

Second round: 8-David Goffin (Belgium) bt Corentin Moutet (France) 7-5, 6-0, 6-1; Marco Cecchinato (Italy) bt Marco Trungelliti (Argentina) 6-1, 7-6 (7-1), 6-1; 10-Pablo Carreno-Busta (Spain) bt Federico Del Bonis (Argentina) 7-6 (7-0), 7-6 (7-2), 3-6, 6-4; 13-Roberto Bautista Agut (Spain) bt Santiago Giraldo (Colombia) 6-4, 7-5, 6-3; 20-Novak Djokovic (Serbia) bt Jaume Munar (Spain) 7-6 (7-1), 6-4, 6-4; 30-Fernando Verdasco (Spain) bt Guido Andreozzi (Argentina) 6-3, 6-2, 6-2; 26-Damir Dzumhur (Bosnia Herzegovina) bt Radu Albot (Moldova) 6-3, 6-3, 5-7, 1-6, 7-5; 2-Alexander Zverev (Germany) bt Dusan Lajovic (Serbia) 2-6, 7-5, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2.

First round: Pierre-Hugues Herbert (France) bt Peter Polansky (Canada) 6-3, 4-6, 6-2, 6-2.

Women’s singles:

Second round: Katerina Siniakova (Czech Republic) bt Kateryna Kozlova (Ukraine) 6-7 (4-7), 6-4, 6-4; 26-Barbora Strycova (Czech Republic) bt Ekaterina Makarova (Russia) 6-4, 6-2; Yulia Putintseva (Kazakhstan) bt Jennifer Brady (US) 6-4, 6-3; 13-Madison Keys (US) bt Caroline Dolehide (US) 6-4, 6-1; 21-Naomi Osaka (Japan) bt Zarina Diyas (Kazakhstan) 6-4, 7-5; 31-Mihaela Buzarnescu (Romania) bt Rebecca Peterson (Sweden) 6-1, 6-2; 4-Elina Svitolina (Ukraine) bt Viktoria Kuzmova (Slovakia) 6-3, 6-4; 8-Petra Kvitova (Czech Republic) bt Lara Arruabarrena (Spain) 6-0, 6-4; 25-Anett Kontaveit (Estonia) bt Alexandra Dulgheru (Romania) 7-5, 6-2; Qiang Wang (China) bt Petra Martic (Croatia) 6-1, 6-1.

First round: 1-Simona Halep (Romania) bt Alison Riske (US) 2-6, 6-1, 6-1.

Tuesday’s remaining results:

Men’s singles:

First round: Jurgen Zopp (Estonia) bt 14-Jack Sock (US) 6-7 (4-7), 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-3; Sergiy Stakhovsky (Ukraine) bt 28-Feliciano Lopez (Spain) 6-2, 6-4, 6-2; Mischa Zverev (Germany) bt Florian Mayer (Germany) 6-2, 6-1, 7-6 (7-3); Elias Ymer (Sweden) bt Dudi Sela (Israel) 7-6 (7-3), 6-3, 6-1; 5-Juan Martin del Potro (Argentina) bt Nicolas Mahut (France) 1-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-4.

Women’s singles:

First round: Taylor Townsend (US) bt Myrtille Georges (France) 6-4, 6-2; Bethanie Mattek-Sands (US) bt Johanna Larsson (Sweden) 6-4, 6-3; 12-Angelique Kerber (Germany) bt Mona Barthel (Germany) 6-2, 6-3; Ana Bogdan (Romania) bt Marketa Vondrousova (Czech Republic) 6-3, 1-6, 6-4; 7-Caroline Garcia (France) bt Duan Ying-Ying (China) 6-1, 6-0; 11-Julia Goerges (Germany) bt Dominika Cibulkova (Slovakia) 6-4, 5-7, 6-0.

Published in Dawn, May 31st, 2018