Day 7 Live: Rune dashes home hopes, Badosa retires

 - Reem Abulleil

Follow our updates from a busy Saturday at Roland-Garros

Holger Rune, Roland Garros 2022, third round© Clément Mahoudeau/FFT

Denmark's Holger Rune reached the second week of a Grand Slam for the first time in his young career, taking out home favourite Hugo Gaston 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 on Court Philippe-Chatrier on Saturday night.

The 19-year-old Rune wrapped up the third-round win in under two hours and next takes on No.4 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas for a place in the quarter-finals.

Tsitsipas reached the fourth round at the expense of Mikael Ymer, and is into the Roland-Garros second week for the fourth consecutive year.

>> FULL TSITSIPAS-YMER REPORT

Medvedev still going strong

World No.2 Daniil Medvedev has reached the second week at Roland-Garros for a second consecutive year thanks to a 6-2, 6-4, 6-2 route of Serbian No.28 seed Miomir Kecmanovic in round three on Saturday.

Medvedev, who made the quarters here last year after going 0-4 in his first four appearances in Paris, next faces 2014 US Open champion Marin Cilic or home favourite Gilles Simon in the last-16 stage.

Keys returns to fourth round

Madison Keys became the fifth American woman to reach the round of 16 in Paris with a 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 (10/3) victory over Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina.

Keys, a 2018 semi-finalist and a 2019 quarter-finalist at Roland-Garros, cracked 44 winners in the two hour and nine-minute contest on Court Simonne-Mathieu.

Madison Keys, 2e tour, Roland-Garros 2022©Nicolas Gouhier / FFT

Another RG second week for Iga

Iga Swiatek dropped serve three times in one match for the first time this tournament but was still able to come through in straight-sets 6-3, 7-5 over Danka Kovinic of Montenegro to move into the Roland-Garros last 16.

The 20-year-old Pole was up a double-break in the second set but was pegged back by the 95th-ranked Kovinic before striking again to claim a 90-minute victory.

The world No.1 extended her winning streak to 31 matches and next faces Chinese teenager Zheng Qinwen or French veteran Alize Cornet for a spot in the quarter-finals.

>> FULL REPORT

Third seed out

Last year's quarter-finalist and No.3 seed Paula Badosa was forced to retire from her third round against Veronika Kudermetova while trailing the No.29 seed 3-6, 1-2.

Badosa required medical attention to her right leg during the contest and her retirement sends Kudermetova into the Roland-Garros second week for the first time.

The official reason for the Spaniard's withdrawal is a right calf injury.

Paula Badosa, Roland Garros 2022, third round© Corinne Dubreuil/FFT

Tight contest for Sinner

Italian No.11 seed Jannik Sinner came through a thrilling third-round affair against American world No.60 Mackenzie McDonald on Court Simonne-Mathieu, needing nearly three hours to post a 6-3, 7-6(6), 6-3 win and book himself a place in the last 16.

The 20-year-old Sinner took the opening set 6-3 in 41 minutes before McDonald opened up a 5-2 lead in the second.

Serving to level the match, McDonald saw 10 set points come and go before Sinner broke on his seventh opportunity of the game to get back on even terms at 5-5. That 10th game lasted nearly 15 minutes.

>> FULL REPORT

Sinner saved an 11th set point in game 12 to force a second-set tiebreak.

The 11th seed finally closed out the 89-minute set 8/6 in the breaker to take a two-set lead over McDonald.

The third set was less complicated as Sinner converted the sole break point he created en route to a straight-sets success.

Sinner is into the Roland-Garros second week for the third time in as many appearances.

His reward is a meeting with No.7 seed Andrey Rublev, who sidestepped a tough challenge from Chilean Cristian Garin 6-4, 3-6, 6-2, 7-6(11).

Rublev saved five set points in the third to come through in straights and takes a 1-2 head-to-head record into fourth round against Sinner.

Begu ends Jeanjean's run

Romanian veteran Irina-Camelia Begu moved into the Roland-Garros fourth round for just the second time in 11 appearances as she ended the fairytale run of French wildcard and Grand Slam debutante Leolia Jeanjean on Saturday.

The 31-year-old Begu needed 85 minutes to defeat Jeanjean 6-1, 6-4 and awaits American No.11 seed Jessica Pegula or last year's semi-finalist Tamara Zidansek in the next round.


Irina-Camelia Begu, Roland-Garros 2022, Simple Dames, 3eme TourCorinne Dubreuil / FFT

Juniors draws are out

The boys' and girls' singles draws have been released on Saturday morning with juniors action kicking off on Sunday.

American Bruno Kuzuhara headlines the boys' field and opens against Turkish qualifier Togan Tokac, while Croatian Petra Marcinko is the top seed of the girl's draw and faces Canadian Kayla Cross in the first round.

>> Check out the juniors draws HERE and HERE

Bruno Kuzuhara, Roland Garros 2021, boys' singles© Corinne Dubreuil/FFT