PARIS — Top-ranked Novak Djokovic is into the fourth round of the French Open without dropping a set.
Djokovic never lost control in a 6-3, 6-3, 6-2 win over 147th-ranked Italian qualifier Salvatore Caruso and will next play either 13th-seeded Borna Coric or Jan-Lennard Struff.
In a match that included a lengthy discussion about whether a particular shot landed in or out, Juan Martin del Potro posted his first straight-sets win of the tournament.
Del Potro beat Jordan Thompson of Australia 6-4, 6-4, 6-0 to reach the fourth round and will next face 10th-seeded Karen Khachanov, who defeated Martin Klizan 6-1, 6-4, 6-3.
In the opening game of the third set, Thompson was awarded an ace on a break point despite protests over the ball mark from del Potro. However, del Potro went on to break anyhow and won the set with a bagel.
Also, last year’s runner-up, Dominic Thiem, beat Pablo Cuevas 6-3, 4-6, 6-2, 7-5 and will next play home favourite Gael Monfils.
Monfils eliminated wild card Antoine Hoang 6-3, 6-2, 6-3 in an all-French matchup.
Stan Wawrinka improved to 4-0 against Grigor Dimitrov in Grand Slam meetings — beating him once at each major — and moved into the French Open’s fourth round for the eighth time.
Wawrinka, the champion at Roland Garros in 2015 and runner-up in 2017, edged two-time major semifinalist Dimitrov 7-6 (5), 7-6 (4), 7-6 (8) in a match suspended after two sets because of fading light a day earlier.
Dimitrov certainly had his chances to make it even tighter: He held one set point in the opener, then five in the last tiebreaker, which he led 6-2.
The 24th-seeded Wawrinka, who owns three Grand Slam titles in all, and Dimitrov are the 43rd pair of players to have met at all four majors.
Simona Halep’s title defence remains on track at the French Open following a methodical 6-2, 6-1 third-round win over 27th-seeded Lesia Tsurenko that lasted just 55 minutes.
Halep, whose only Grand Slam title came at Roland Garros last year, is bidding to become the first woman to defend a major since Serena Williams at Wimbledon in 2016.
Halep’s next opponent will be either Olympic champion Monica Puig or Iga Swiatek.
Tsurenko received treatment on her right leg during a medical timeout while trailing 3-0 in the second.
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