Djokovic, Nadal Moving Towards QF Showdown – Murray, Serena Enter Third Round on Day-5 of the French Open

Defending champion Rafael Nadal and world no.1 Novak Djokovic won their second round matches on Thursday and the way they are playing, the big two are destined to meet each other in quarterfinal of the 2015 French Open tournament. Britain’s Andy Murray dropped a set against Portuguese Joao Sousa before coming through in four sets. Murray will be up against Australian star Nick Kyrgios in the third round. Among women, top seed, Serena Williams also dropped the first set again a little-known German Anna-Lena Friedsam before assuming control in the next two sets. A major upset was caused in women’s draw, when world no.72 Julia Georges of Germany bounced off no.5 seed Caroline Wozniacki in straight sets. Also among women, there was interesting tussle between two former champions. The 2019 champion Francesca Schiavone emerged victorious against 2009 winner Svetlana Kuznetsova in a seemingly unending battle that lasted 3 hours and 49 minutes. Australia’s Thanasi Kokkinakis and Croatian Borna Coric ensured that the 2015 French Open will have at least two teenagers in the third round after 9 years. Kokkinakis and Coric both had to endure 5-sets in their second round matches. In another major achievement, India’s veteran star Leander Paes completed his 700th match win, when he teamed up with Switzerland’s Martina Hingis in the mixed doubles and the pair defeated Juan Sebastian Cabal and Alla Kudryavtseva.

Top seed Novak Djokovic, who has never won the French Open, went through to third round in his 37th match victory out of 39 matches that he has played in the 2015 season. In a business-like performance, the Serbian notched up a routine 6-1, 6-1, 6-4 victory over Luxembourg’s Gilles Muller. Djokovic suffered an accidental fall during the match but that didn’t deter him from outplaying Muller. The Serb will play Australian teenager Thanasi Kokkinakis in the next round. Rafael Nadal faced compatriot Nicolas Almagro in his second round match and coasted to an easy 6-4, 6-3, 6-1 victory to improve to his lifetime record at the French open to 68-1. Despite slippages in this season, which has denied the Spaniard any major title, Nadal showed supremacy over Almagro during the match. Scotsman Andy Murray had to endure a stern test against Portugal’s Joao Sousa before he could enter the third round. Sousa took the second set from the no.3 seed but finally lost to Murray 2-6, 6-4, 4-6, 1-6. Murray’s third round opponent is Australia’s Nick Kyrgios.

Top-seeded Serena Williams dropped the first set against Germany’s Anna-Lena Friedsam before finding her rhythm in the next two sets to finish her second round match 5-7, 6-3, 6-3. The same fate awaited women’s fourth seed Petra Kvitova, who had to fight hard against an experienced clay-court player Sílvia Soler-Espinosa of Spain before edging out the Spaniard at 6-7, 6-4, 6-2. But in the day’s biggest upset, Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki was trounced out of Roland Garros by Germany’s Julia Georges 6-4, 7-6. In a marathon battle of two former champions, Italian Francesca Schiavone defeated Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia 6-7, 7-5, 10-8 in 3 hours 49 minutes. Schiavone had won the French Open in 2010 and Kuznetsova a year earlier in 2009. It was the third longest women’s singles match in French Open history fought over 206 points. In the women’s draw, Belarusian Victoria Azarenka was another big star, who came through with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Lucie Hradecka of the Czech Republic. Next up for Vika is top seed Serena Williams and everyone is waiting for that contest.

Australian teenager Kokkinakis reached the third round by defeating compatriot and 27th seed Bernard Tomic in a five-set thriller that ended with the score line of 3-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 8-6. The other teenager to join Kokkinakis in the third round was Croatia’s Borna Cilic, who also fought for five sets against Spain’s Tommy Robredo before winning by the score of 7-5, 3-6, 6-2, 4-6, 6-4. One more young gun USA’s Jack Sock entered the third round by defeating Pablo Carreno Busta. India’s Leander Paes made history by winning his 700th match of his career partnering with Martina Hingis of Switzerland in the mixed doubles. The Indo-Swiss duo got the better of Juan Sebastian Cabal and Alla Kudryavtseva. 6-2, 6-3.