Rafael Nadal Defeats Fabio Fognini to Advance to French Open 4th Round

Defending French Open champion Rafael Nadal breezed through the third round at Roland Garros on Saturday, defeating 27th-seeded Fabio Fognini in straight sets, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4, 6-4, according to the tournament's official Twitter account:

With the victory, Nadal advances to the fourth round, where he will take on 13th-seeded Kei Nishikori on Monday, who's pursuing history of his own, per Roland Garros:

Nadal, who was playing his second match in as many days because of rain earlier in the week, was pleased with his performance in the third round after struggling more than usual to open the tournament (via Roland Garros):

Rafa dropped the opening set in both his first- and second-round victories over Daniel Brands and Martin Klizan, respectively, but was much sharper in key moments early on Saturday (via Roland Garros):

Nadal, who will turn 27 on Monday, started somewhat slow again on Saturday but managed to take the first set in a dramatic tiebreaker. Rafa committed 16 unforced errors and connected on only seven winners in the opening set but took advantage of 31 unforced errors from Fognini. 

Over the final two sets, Nadal managed to break Fognini three times to close out the match comfortably, 6-4, 6-4, following the first-set tiebreak win.

Nadal has now advanced to the fourth round of the French Open for the ninth straight time since 2005. The only loss of his career at Roland Garros came in the fourth round in 2009, a four-set loss to Robin Soderling. 

With the win, Rafa is 55-1 on the red clay of Paris. His seven French Open championships are an Open-era record, and despite being the No. 3-seeded player in the men's draw this summer, Nadal is the favorite to claim an unthinkable eighth title at Roland Garros this June.

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