Paris: Roger Federer reached the last 16 of the French Open for the 11th straight year on Friday, coasting past Damir Dzumhur of Bosnia-Herzegovina 6-4, 6-3, 6-2. The Swiss second seed, whose only title win at Roland Garros came in 2009, held his serve throughout as he made it to the fourth round without dropping a set. He will play either Gael Monfils of France or Pablo Cuevas of Uruguay for a place in the quarter-finals.
Dzumhur, to date the only man from Bosnia-Herzegovina to play in a major, had been aiming to reach a Grand Slam last 16 for the first time. Richard Gasquet made it seven French players into the third round stirring hopes of a realistic home title challenge.That number equalled the second best showing for French players at the last 32 stage in Paris in the Open-era (since 1968), beaten only by the eight men who made it that far in 1971.
Former champion Ana Ivanovic reached the last 16 in just 53 minutes while Alize Cornet kept home hopes alive by making the second week for the first time. Serbian seventh seed Ivanovic, the 2008 champion, triumphed over 18-year-old Croatian opponent Donna Vekic 6-0, 6-3.
In dramatic contrast, 29th seeded Frenchwoman Cornet needed two and a half hours to defeat 33-year-old Croatian Mirjana Lucic-Baroni 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 in a match scarred by 85 unforced errors. Defending champion Maria Sharapova booked fourth round berth for the 11th time with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Australia’s Samantha Stosur. Sharapova will face 13th seeded Czech Lucie Safarova, who beat big-serving German Sabine Lisicki in a thriller 6-3, 7-6 (7/2).
