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Nadal, Djokovic cruise but Murray lame at French Open

Roar Rookie
28th May, 2011
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Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic stayed on course for a second grand slam final showdown with both notching straight-sets wins in Saturday’s third-round action. But if the top two seeds enjoyed a worry-free afternoon, the same could not be said for fourth seed Andy Murray.

The 24-year-old Scot had been coasting along at 6-2 2-1 and deuce on German Michael Berrer’s serve when he badly jarred his right ankle trying to run down a drop shot.

Murray won the point, but he hopped about in agony and then collapsed onto his back in the red dirt of the Suzanne Lenglen showcourt.

After taking painkillers and having the ankle strapped at a medical time-out, Murray resumed to clinch the break and lead 3-1.

But clearly still in some discomfort, he then dropped serve for the first time in the match and screamed out his frustrations at his coaching staff in the tribunes.

Limping between rallies and looking distraught, Murray somehow dug in to break the Berrer serve again and then held his own comfortably enough to lead 5-2.

Murray took the set 6-3 to go two sets up, and another break in his favour gave him the perfect start to the third set and he then won the next three games to go 4-0 up.

Murray duly wrapped up a third straight straight sets win, but there will be serious doubts about his fitness ahead of his fourth tie against Serbian Davis Cup hero Viktor Troicki on Monday.

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A scan later Saturday or on Sunday will be crucial in his decision over whether or not to pull out.

“We will have to wait and see what happens. I just don’t know if I will be able to play my next match. I don’t know if I will be 100 per cent fit,” said Murray.

“I will give it my best shot for the next match. They have very good doctors here, I will take their advice.”

The 15th seeded Troicki saw off Ukraine Alexandr Dolgopolov 6-4 3-6 6-3 6-4 to reach the last 16 of a grand slam event for the first time.

Second seed Djokovic made it 40 straight wins this year by finishing off giant Argentinian Juan Martin del Potro 6-3 3-6 6-3 6-2 in a third-round tie held over from late on Friday when the two men had parted at one set all.

On the resumption, Djokovic once again showed all the composure and killer instinct that have been a feature of his stunning unbeaten run since December and he comfortably dealt with some typically beefy hitting from the 2009 US Open champion.

The Serb will next play back-to-form Frenchman Richard Gasquet for a place in the quarter-finals in a tie that is sure to fire up the partisan Paris crowd on Sunday.

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Djokovic will match John McEnroe’s 42-match winning streak set from the start of 1984 should he reach the semi-finals.

He is also aiming to become the first player since Jim Courier in 1992 to win the Australian and French Open titles in the same year, taking him halfway to the fabled grand slam of tennis.

Top seed and defending champion Nadal made it through to the fourth round with a 6-1 6-3 6-0 win over Croatian qualifier Antonio Veic in a centre-court mismatch.

It was the Spaniard’s 41st win at Roland Garros against just the one defeat since he made his debut in 2005, but such was the paucity of the opposition that the win will answer few questions about his actual form.

His next opponent will be either compatriot Fernando Verdasco, against whom he has a 11-0 win-loss record, or Croatian veteran Ivan Ljubicic.

“I think I did a few things much better than the previous days. Happy for that,” said Nadal, who had looked below his best in the first two rounds.

Also through from the bottom half of the draw on Saturday was Argentinian claycourt veteran Juan Ignacio Chela, who saw off Lukas Rosol of the Czech Republic in four sets.

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And Gilles Simon became the third Frenchman through to the last 16 with a comprehensive 6-3 6-4 6-2 over the last remaining American, Mardy Fish.

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