Summary of the ninth day of competition at Roland Garros 2021, on a day in which the last tickets to the quarterfinals of the French Grand Slam were distributed. Novak Djokovic sealed the ticket to the quarterfinals after lifting two sets against Lorenzo Musetti (6-7,6-7, 6-1, 6-0 and 4-0), who in the end had to withdraw due to injury in the fifth set. Rafa Nadal beat Jannik Sinner (7-5, 6-3 and 6-0) in three sets to meet Diego Schwartzman in the quarterfinals.
After the withdrawal of Roger Federer due to physical discomfort, today Monday, June 7, only the last three tickets to the quarterfinals, corresponding to the upper part of the men’s team, remained to be distributed. Matteo Berrettini did not even need to jump on the track as he was the rival that Federer would have measured. Those who did have to dress short were Djokovic and Lorenzo Musetti, summoned in the second shift of Philipp Chatrier, after Coco Gauff , after her victory against Jabeur (6-3 and 6-1), became the most tennis player Young to reach a Grand Slam quarter-final since Venus Williams in 1997.
Lorenzo Musetti was about to surprise in the tournament as Marco Cecchinato did years ago, who eliminated Djokovic in the quarterfinals on his debut in Paris (2018). It was also his first appearance in a Grand Slam for him and Musetti submitted Djokovic from the start. After lifting an initial break, he took the set to sudden death and came back to win the set. The second set was resolved in the same way
After almost two and a half hours of the game, the rumble was already heard in the center, but the Serbian found a loophole through which to get into the game. Djokovic took advantage of a slump from the Italian and took the third and fourth sets in the blink of an eye, with only one game lost (6-7.6-7, 6-1 and 6-0). The match was going to the fifth set and Musetti had to receive medical attention in the locker room. Not used to such long matches, he ended up taking its toll and could not finish the match – he retired when he was losing 4-0 in the last set. It will be his compatriot Matteo Berrettini, benefited from the loss of Federer, who tries to strike the Serbian in the quarterfinals.
Nadal meets Diego Schwartzman
In the Suzanne – Lenglen, Diego Schwartzman beat Jan Lennard Struff in three sets (7-6 (9), 6-4 and 7-5) in three hours and four minutes of play. The Argentine expected a rival in the quarterfinals who would come out of the duel between Nadal and Jannik Sinner, in the third turn of Philippe Chatrier.
Despite the obvious good health of Italian tennis – with three players in the top 16 at Roland Garros – Jannik Sinner once again ran into Nadal. Riccardo Piatti’s pupil wanted to assert that third time is the charm and make things difficult for the 13-time Roland Garros champion. In fact, Sinner reacted to an initial break and enjoyed his serve to close the set (4-5), but it only woke up Nadal. With eight consecutive games, the Spanish won the first set (7-5) and went 4-0 in the second.
Jeu, set, match: Nadal @RafaelNadal makes it 35 sets in a row at #RolandGarros as he dismisses Sinner 7-5, 6-3, 6-0. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/VALFKoXY8K
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 7, 2021
Sinner again pulled his electrifying tennis, to extend the set (4-3), but again Nadal showed that he knows how to grow in adversity. He broke the Italian’s serve to avoid the draw and ended up taking the set (6-3). There the Spaniard said enough, no more opportunity for a rival for whom he always has good words. With a donut, Nadal closed the match after two hours and 20 minutes of the game (7-5, 6-3 and 6-0) to meet his friend El Peque in the quarterfinals next Wednesday.
