French Open 2018: Saturday Results, Highlights, Scores Recap from Roland Garros
Maria Sharapova affirmed her credentials as a genuine contender for glory at the 2018 French Open on Saturday as she blitzed past Karolina Pliskova. Serena Williams also impressed in a routine win over Julia Gorges, setting up a dream matchup in the fourth round.
Sharapova, a two-time champion at Roland Garros, has shone on her first appearance at the competition since 2015 and dropped just three games against the world No. 6. Williams had to work a little harder but was in complete control, a positive note after a few shaky showings in the tournament.
Elsewhere, third seed Garbine Muguruza also stormed into Round 4 with a win over Sam Stosur. The big shock of the day in the women's draw came when Anett Kontaveit eliminated Petra Kvitova at the end of two tight sets.
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In the men's draw, defending champion Rafael Nadal didn't drop a single set in an easy win against Richard Gasquet. Fabio Fognini was one of the early winners, as he edged a five-set thriller against Kyle Edmund.
Here are the results from Saturday at Roland Garros and a recap of the best of the action from the French capital so far.
Selected Saturday Results
Men's Singles
(18) Fabio Fognini bt. (16) Kyle Edmund, 6-3, 4-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4
(3) Marin Cilic bt. Steve Johnson: 6-3, 6-2, 6-4
(8) David Goffin bt. (32) Gael Monfils: 6-7 (8), 6-3, 4-6, 7-5, 6-3
(1) Rafael Nadal bt. (27) Richard Gasquet: 6-3, 6-2, 6-2
Women's Singles
(3) Garbine Muguruza bt. Sam Stosur, 6-0, 6-2
(25) Anett Kontaveit bt. (8) Petra Kvitova, 7-6 (6), 7-6 (4)
(10) Sloane Stephens bt. Camila Giorgi, 4-6, 6-1, 8-6
(28 Maria Sharapova bt. Karolina Pliskova, 6-2, 6-1
(PR) Serena Williams bt. (11) Julia Gorges: 6-3, 6-4
For the results in full visit the Roland Garros website.
Sharapova Shows her Class, Williams Impresses
With two wins at Roland Garros already in her career, Sharapova has a special affinity with the clay courts and would've been disappointed to have missed the last two editions.
It appears she's ready to make up for some lost time, as she crushed the world No. 6 in a lopsided encounter. Sharapova dominated with her power and aggression from the start, with Pliskova looking helpless across the net.
As these figures from WTA Insider illustrate, Sharapova was able to keep her opponent constantly on the back foot:
Her next opponent will be Williams, who put together her best outing yet in the win over Gorges. The 37-year-old has looked rusty at times in the tournament but showed few signs of weakness in the third round, and appears to be rounding into form at the right time.
Muguruza is also looking capable of winning this tournament again, keeping up the sensational standards she has set at Roland Garros so far.
As noted by Christopher Clarey of the New York Times, she's been excellent in 2018:
The Spaniard, a champion here in 2016, made light work of Stosur, including a bagel in the opening set. When she gets it going on this surface, her combination of dynamism and power makes her tough to halt.
Kvitova won't be in contention, though, as her 13-match winning run was brought to an end by Kontaveit. The latter dug in tremendously and was on hand to win the clutch points in two tiebreaks.
In the men's draw, Nadal continued his exceptional run at the French Open with a dominant win over his old rival Gasquet.
His dominance can perhaps be best summed up by this stat from the first set:
The defending champion might not lose a set on his way to yet another French Open title if he continues to play like this.
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