Del Potro Sprints Into Round Of 16, Khachanov Awaits

Two days after battling through a five-set marathon, Juan Martin del Potro did not waste any time in securing his spot in the Round of 16 at Roland Garros.

Del Potro made quick work of Australia’s Jordan Thompson on Saturday, claiming a comprehensive 6-4, 6-4, 6-0 win in exactly two hours. One year after reaching the semi-finals, the eighth seed is streaking towards a repeat run on the terre battue.

The Tandil native sprinted out of the gates on Court Simonne-Mathieu, breaking to open the match. Thompson did well to fight back, drawing level at 3-all, but a determined Del Potro refused to engage in extended rallies and would break right back.

He would eventually surge to a two-set lead, and with a five-set marathon win over Yoshihito Nishioka fresh in his memory, the Argentine was eager to finish off the Aussie in efficient fashion. Three breaks in the third set would see him cross the finish line. Del Potro launched 38 winners in total, while hitting just 16 unforced errors.

A fully healthy Del Potro is a daunting sight as the second week beckons at Roland Garros. He is coming off a quarter-final finish at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Rome, which was just his second tournament back in his recovery from a fractured knee.

The Argentine will next face another big hitter in Russian Karen Khachanov, who stopped Martin Klizan 6-1, 6-4, 6-3 in their third round clash. Khachanov, seeded 10th in Paris, has equalled his best Grand Slam result. The 23-year-old has reached the second week in all three main draw appearances at the clay-court major.

Khachanov, who captured his 100th tour-level match win earlier in the week, is rounding into form in the French capital. He has dropped just one set en route to the fourth round, also downing Cedrik-Marcel Stebe and wild card Gregoire Barrere.

“I think from my side it was a solid match,” said Khachanov. “I think he was a little bit tired after two five-setters, so I felt it from the beginning. And I think that’s what was the main key for me, to try to move him, to not give him some easy shots, because he’s a dangerous guy. He’s going for his shots. He’s very unpredictable.

“And I think I did well from the beginning. In the second set, I had a little bit ups and downs at the beginning of the set. And it was most likely the deciding, mentally, for him and for me.”

The Russian was on cruise control from the start against Klizan, breaking three times in the opening set. He would eventually close out the convincing win on his third match point, converting seven of nine break chances for the one-hour and 41-minute victory.

Del Potro leads the FedEx ATP Head2Head series against Khachanov 3-0, with all three encounters coming in 2018. He kicked off the season with a straight sets victory in Auckland, followed by a four-set win in the Australian Open second round and another triumph later in the year in Beijing.