Roger Federer advanced to the third round of the French Open on Wednesday as Maria Sharapova brushed aside fellow Russian Vitalia Diatchenko but Simona Halep became the day's biggest casualty. Swiss second seed Federer beat Marcel Granollers of Spain 6-2, 7-6 (7/1), 6-3 in front of a packed crowd on Court Suzanne Lenglen that included Angus Young, the guitarist of veteran Australian rock band AC/DC.
Federer got the job done in one hour, 47 minutes, although he was broken twice and his opponent made life tough in the second set in particular. The 2009 champion eventually came through a tiebreak before running away with the third set and will now meet Damir Dzumhur of Bosnia for a spot in the last 16.
When asked about the presence of Young among the crowd on a sun-drenched Paris day, Federer said: "I have seen them twice in concert. Once when I was 15 and I even met him. "I still had long hair at the time. I don't know if he remembers. It is a real pleasure to see him here." Sharapova, who was also champion at Roland Garros in 2012 and runner-up in 2013, defeated Diatchenko 6-3, 6-1 to set up a clash with former finalist Samantha Stosur in the third round.
The second seed exchanged breaks with her Fed Cup teammate early on but went on to win the opener 6-3, Diatchenko double-faulting on set point. Sharapova then broke right at the start of the second set to lead 2-0, and although Diatchenko saved a first match point to pull it back to 5-1, she could not stop her compatriot closing out the match in the following game.
Stosur of Australia, the runner-up in 2010 who is seeded 26th this year, breezed past French wildcard Amandine Hesse 6-0, 6-1 on Court Suzanne Lenglen. Stosur and Sharapova also met in the last 16 a year ago, with the Russian prevailing in three sets. "She's always a tough opponent and loves playing on clay. But I have a good record against her and I hope I can continue that," said Sharapova of her next opponent.
Romanian Halep lost to Sharapova in the final last year but the third seed was the biggest name yet to fall by the wayside in the women's draw as she was beaten 7-5, 6-1 by veteran Mirjana Lucic-Baroni of Croatia. "I couldn't play my best today. But, you know, she started to hit the ball very strong at the beginning of the match. So she was better than me today, and I have just to take...this situation to handle it and just to go forward," said Halep.
Lucic-Baroni, who last reached the third round in Paris in 2001 as a teenager, now faces French 29th seed Alize Cornet, who saw off Romania's Alexandra Dulgheru 6-2, 7-5. In other action, Federer's compatriot Stan Wawrinka, seeded eight, ousted Serbia's Dusan Lajovic 6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 6-3 and faces Steve Johnson of the United States next. Kei Nishikori, the fifth seed who was the only one of five Japanese players in the initial men's draw to have made it through to the second round, eased past Thomaz Bellucci of Brazil 7-5, 6-4, 6-4.
Next up for Nishikori is Germany's Benjamin Becker, who eliminated Spain's 32nd seed Fernando Verdasco, emerging from a marathon fifth set to progress 6-4, 0-6, 1-6, 7-5, 10-8. Another Spaniard, 19th seed Roberto Bautista Agut, was knocked out in straight sets by Czech Lukas Rosol 6-4, 6-2, 6-2, but four French hopes gave the home fans something to shout about.
Gilles Simon, seeded 12, dismissed Martin Klizan of Slovakia 7-5, 6-2, 6-3 while Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, a former semi-finalist here who is seeded 14, overcame Israel's Dudi Sela in three sets 6-4, 6-1, 6-1. Benoit Paire put out Italy's Fabio Fognini 6-1, 6-3, 7-5 while Nicolas Mahut accounted for 2014 semi-finalist Ernests Gulbis 6-3, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3. Results from the fourth day of the French Open at Roland Garros on Wednesday (x denotes seeded player):
Men (1st round): Gilles Muller (LUX) bt Paolo Lorenzi (ITA) 4-6, 4-6, 7-6 (7/1), 7-6 (7/5), 6-4 Second round: Gilles Simon (FRA x12) bt Martin Klizan (SVK) 7-5, 6-2, 6-3; Steve Johnson (USA) bt Sergiy Stakhovsky (UKR) 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (8/6); Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI x8) bt Dusan Lajovic (SRB) 6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 6-3; Roger Federer (SUI x2) bt Marcel Granollers (ESP) 6-2, 7-6 (7/1), 6-3; Benjamin Becker (GER) bt Fernando Verdasco (ESP x32) 6-4, 0-6, 1-6, 7-5, 10-8; Teimuraz Gabashvili (RUS) bt Juan Monaco (ARG) 6-3, 6-4, 6-2; Damir Dzumhur (BIH) bt Marcos Baghdatis (CYP) 6-4, 6-3, 4-6, 6-2; Kei Nishikori (JPN x5) bt Thomaz Bellucci (BRA) 7-5, 6-4, 6-4; Pablo Cuevas (URU x21) bt Dominic Thiem (AUT) 7-6 (9/7), 7-5, 6-7 (5/7), 7-5; Lukas Rosol (CZE) bt Roberto Bautista Agut (ESP x19) 6-4, 6-2, 6-2; Benoît Paire (FRA) bt Fabio Fognini (ITA x28) 6-1, 6-3, 7-5; Nicolas Mahut (FRA) bt Ernests Gulbis (LAT x24) 6-3, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3; Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA x14) bt Dudi Sela (ISR) 6-4, 6-1, 6-1; Gael Monfils (FRA x13) bt Diego Schwartzman (ARG) 4-6, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3; Tomas Berdych (CZE x4) bt Radek Stepanek (CZE) 6-3, 6-7 (7/9), 6-3, 6-3
Women: (second round): Annika Beck (GER) bt Paula Kania (POL) 6-2, 6-2; Lucie Safarova (CZE x13) bt Kurumi Nara (JPN) 6-2, 6-0; Sabine Lisicki (GER x20) bt Daria Gavrilova (AUS) 6-1 - retired; Samantha Stosur (AUS x26) bt Amandine Hesse (FRA) 6-0, 6-1; Maria Sharapova (RUS x2) bt Vitalia Diatchenko (RUS) 6-3, 6-1; Alize Cornet (FRA x29) bt Alexandra Dulgheru (ROM) 6-2, 7-5; Mirjana Lucic-Baroni (CRO) bt Simona Halep (ROM x3) 7-5, 6-1; Donna Vekic (CRO) bt Bojana Jovanovski (SRB) 6-4, 6-3; Angelique Kerber (GER) bt Ajla Tomljanovic (AUS) 6-3, 6-2; Elena Vesnina (RUS) bt Polona Hercog (SLO) 2-6, 6-1, 6-3; Elina Svitolina (UKR x19) bt Yulia Putintseva (KAZ) 1-6, 7-5, 6-4; Garbiñe Muguruza (ESP x21) bt Camila Giorgi (ITA) 6-1, 6-4.
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