PARIS: Teenagers Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek sent shockwaves through Roland Garros on Sunday, reaching their maiden Grand Slam quarter-finals, as 12-time champion Rafael Nadal breezed into the last eight for the 14th time.

World No.54 Swiatek, 19, shocked top seed and women’s title favourite Simona Halep 6-1, 6-2.

Italy’s Sinner, also 19 and ranked 75, defeated sixth seed and US Open runner-up Alexander Zverev 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 to become the youngest men’s Grand Slam quarter-finalist since Novak Djokovic in Paris in 2006.

His reward is a clash with Nadal who defeated American qualifier Sebastian Korda 6-1, 6-1, 6-2 to stay comfortably on course for a record-equalling 20th Grand Slam crown.

It was Nadal’s 97th win at the tournament against just two defeats since his title-winning debut in 2005.

In a tournament turned upside down by the coronavirus, which meant a four-month delay and with a crowd capacity of just 1,000 a day, it was fitting that further shock wins were delivered by qualifiers.

Italy’s Martina Trevisan, ranked at 159, and 131st-ranked Nadia Podoroska of Argentina, also made their way to the quarter-finals with wins over fifth seed Kiki Bertens and Barbora Krejcikova respectively.

Sinner is first player to reach the last eight on his Roland Garros debut since Nadal lifted the trophy in 2005.

Swiatek fired 30 winners past 2018 champion Halep who failed to carve out a single break point.

Swiatek ended the 17-match winning streak of Halep, the overwhelming favourite in the absence of 2019 champion Ashleigh Barty and US Open winner Naomi Osaka and following the injury-enforced withdrawal of Serena Williams.

It was a stunning turnaround for the Pole who won just one game against the Romanian at the same stage in Paris last year, swept off court in just 45 minutes.

Swiatek will face Trevisan for a place in the semi-finals after the 26-year-old registered a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Bertens.

Trevisan and Podoroska are the first qualifiers to make the last eight since Yaroslava Shvedova in 2012.

The Italian saved two match points in her third round win over Greek 20th seed Maria Sakkari.

Podoroska, also making her main draw debut, defeated Krejcikova 2-6, 6-2, 6-3 and will next face third seed Elina Svitolina of Ukraine.

The 23-year-old Podoroska, who was ranked at 255 at the start of the season, has now won 42 matches across all tours in 2020 despite the truncated season.

She will bid to emulate compatriot Paola Suarez who made the semi-finals in Paris in 2004.

Svitolina reached the quarter-finals for the third time with a 6-1, 6-3 win over France’s Caroline Garcia.

Sunday’s shocks mean that only four seeds remain in the women’s draw — Svitolina, fourth-seeded Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin, two-time Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova, seeded at seven, and Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur, the 30th seed.

Nadal will be playing in his 42nd Grand Slam quarter-final when he faces Sinner.

Korda, the world No.213 and son of 1998 Australian Open champion and 1992 Roland Garros runner-up Petr Korda, never recovered from slipping quickly to a 5-0 deficit in the first set.

It was a brief respite as 34-year-old Nadal swept into the last eight without dropping a set and with his opponent left to rue 48 unforced errors on a chilly, blustery day in the French capital.

Late on Saturday, top seed Novak Djokovic demolished Colombian lucky loser Daniel Galan to reach the last 16 for a record-equalling 11th successive year.

The world No.1 Djokovic swept past 153rd-ranked Galan 6-0, 6-3, 6-2, his most challenging moment coming when he helped ground staff lay more clay on the surface of Court Philippe Chatrier after rain had made it treacherous.

Djokovic, who has dropped just 15 games in three rounds, took his 2020 record to 34 wins against one loss as he continues his bid to become the first man in half a century to win all four Grand Slam titles twice.

Next up is Russian 15th seed Karen Khachanov who put out Chile’s Cristian Garin.

Greek fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas made the fourth round for a second successive year when Slovenia’s Aljaz Bedene retired with a right foot injury. The 22-year-old was on court for just 80 minutes and was leading 6-1, 6-2, 3-1 when Bedene called it quits.

Next up for Tsitsipas is Bulgarian 18th seed Grigor Dimitrov who also profitted from a retirement with Roberto Carballes Baena 6-1, 6-3 down when he gave up due to illness.

The Spaniard had shocked ninth seed Denis Shapovalov in the previous round but that five-hour epic came back to haunt him.

Results on Sunday (prefix number denotes seeding):

Men’s singles:

Fourth round: Jannik Sinner (Italy) bt 6-Alexander Zverev (Germany) 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3; 2-Rafael Nadal (Spain) bt Sebastian Korda (US) 6-1, 6-1, 6-2.

Women’s singles:

Fourth round: Iga Swiatek (Poland) bt 1-Simona Halep (Romania) 6-1, 6-2; Martina Trevisan (Italy) bt 5-Kiki Bertens (Netherlands) 6-4, 6-4; 3-Elina Svitolina (Ukraine) bt Caroline Garcia (France) 6-1, 6-3; Nadia Podoroska (Argentina) bt Barbora Krejcikova (Czech Republic) 2-6, 6-2, 6-3.

Saturday’s remaining results:

Men’s singles:

Third round: 1-Novak Djokovic (Serbia) bt Daniel Galan (Colombia) 6-0, 6-3, 6-2; Marton Fucsovics (Hungary) bt Thiago Monteiro (Brazil) 7-5, 6-1, 6-3; 18-Grigor Dimitrov (Bulgaria) bt Roberto Carballes Baena (Spain) 6-1, 6-3 — Baena retired; 5-Stefanos Tsitsipas (Greece) bt Aljaz Bedene (Slovenia) 6-1, 6-2, 3-1 — Bedene retired.

Women’s singles:

Third round: Danielle Collins (US) bt 11-Garbine Muguruza (Spain) 7-5, 2-6, 6-4; Fiona Ferro (France) bt Patricia Maria Tig (Romania) 7-6 (9-7), 4-6, 6-0; 7-Petra Kvitova (Czech Republic) bt Leylah Fernandez (Canada) 7-5, 6-3; Laura Siegemund (Germany) bt 13-Petra Martic (Croatia) 6-7 (5-7), 6-3, 6-0; Paula Badosa (Spain) bt Jelena Ostapenko (Latvia) 6-4, 6-3.

Published in Dawn, October 5th, 2020