The Japan Times - Swiatek eyes last eight as shadow of war darkens French Open mood

Swiatek, bidding to become the first woman since Justine Henin in 2007 to win back-to-back titles in Paris, has made the fourth round with ease.

Four of the six sets the 22-year-old has played have been 'bagels' where an opponent fails to win a single game.

Hapless Wang Xinyu was double-bageled by the Pole in the last 32, going down to defeat in just 51 minutes.

Swiatek tackles Lesia Tsurenko and will again be overwhelming favourite having easily defeated the 34-year-old in their two previous meetings, including the first round at Roland Garros last year for the loss of just two games.

But Tsurenko hasn't dropped a set so far and has made the last 16 by knocking out two former Slam champions in Barbora Krejcikova and Bianca Andreescu.

"The next match is the biggest challenge on the tour right now. She's world number one," said Tsurenko.

Should 66th-ranked Tsurenko pull off a shock victory, she will join compatriot Elina Svitolina in the quarter-finals.

That would mark the first time that two Ukrainian women have reached the last eight of the same Slam.

The war in Ukraine has been a constant issue at the tournament ever since world number two Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus defeated Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk on the opening weekend.

Kostyuk was booed for refusing to shake the hand of Sabalenka in protest over the war in which Belarus is a close ally of Russia.

Sabalenka has refused to carry out media commitments, claiming she does not "feel safe" having faced a barrage of questions over her stance on the war and her links to Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.

On Tuesday, Sabalenka faces Svitolina for a place in the semi-finals.

Svitolina has already said she will maintain the position of all Ukraine players in refusing to shake hands with Russian and Belarusian opponents.

She exchanged a cordial thumbs up with Daria Kasatkina after beating the Russian in Sunday's fourth round.

- Jabeur through -

However, Kasatkina said Monday she had been stunned by being jeered by the crowd, insisting she was "just being respectful on my opponent's position not to shake hands".

A win for Swiatek on Monday would give her a potential last-eight clash with Coco Gauff, the American teenager she defeated in the 2022 final.

Gauff, the sixth seed, was taking on Anna Karolina Schmiedlova, the 100th-ranked Slovakian who is in the second week of a Slam for the first time.

Tunisian seventh seed Ons Jabeur powered into the quarter-finals for the first time with a 6-3, 6-1 rout of Bernarda Pera, breaking the American's serve eight times.

Jabeur, a Wimbledon and US Open runner-up last year, will meet Brazilian 14th seed Beatriz Haddad Maia or Spain's Sara Sorribes Tormo for a semi-final spot.

Fourth-ranked Casper Ruud, the runner-up to Rafael Nadal a year ago, faces in-form Nicolas Jarry of Chile for a quarter-final spot.

Jarry finished 2022 at 152 in the world but climbed to a career-high 35 coming into Paris.

He will also be buoyed by having defeated Ruud on his way to the Geneva clay court title on the eve of the French Open.

If Ruud comes through, he could face world number six Holger Rune in a repeat of their bad-tempered quarter-final last year.

Rune accused Ruud of a "lack of respect" while the Norwegian told his Danish rival to "grow up".

Rune takes on Francisco Cerundolo of Argentina who is in the fourth round of a Slam for the first time.

Japan's Yoshihito Nishioka faces Tomas Martin Etcheverry of Argentina.

Nishioka, seeded 27, is in the fourth round of a Grand Slam for a second successive major after his breakthrough performance in Australia.

Until this year, he had never passed the second round at Roland Garros.

Alexander Zverev, a two-time semi-finalist, faces Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov in the night session. Dimitrov, 32, has never made the last eight in Paris.

T.Sasaki--JT