Paris (AFP)

In the night from Saturday to Sunday, in the cold and the sidereal void of the Philippe-Chatrier court under curfew, Roger Federer delivered and won a standoff of more than three and a half hours to reach the 8th finals of Roland- Garros.

On the contrary, his Big 3 buddies Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal as well as the defending champion in the ladies' category Iga Swiatek qualified for the round of 16 having found a hell of a cruising speed.

By winning his third game this year at Porte d'Auteuil, Nadal has also set a new record: with now 103 wins (for two losses), the Spaniard is the most prolific player in a single Grand Slam tournament, ahead of Federer's 102 at the Australian Open (and 101 at Wimbledon).

Djokovic's personal best is 82 wins in Melbourne.

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Federer row, until when?

"It was a hell of a game, with a lot of twists!"

Federer, who has played his first Grand Slam in sixteen months, was happy to have dismissed the German Dominik Koepfer (59th) 7-6 (7/5), 6-7 (3/7), 7-6 (7 / 4), 7-5 after 3h35 of arm wrestling.

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But immediately after, the Swiss cast doubt on his participation in the round of 16.

"I don't know if I'm going to play" against Matteo Berrettini, "I have to decide if I keep playing or not. Isn't it too risky to keep shooting (on the knee), is it the right time to rest? ", he asked at a press conference, referring to the tournament in Halle which begins on June 14 and will launch its season on grass.

Returning to competition in March, after two right knee operations in 2020, the Swiss who will celebrate his 40th birthday in August has made Wimbledon his priority objective.

"Every game I have to reassess the situation and see the next morning in what state I wake up and how my knee is doing. It may be even more true after a game as long as it is today." , said the former world No. 1 today 8th.

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Nevertheless, he takes some positive things from this marathon, believing that he has made "a big step forward" in terms of his physical condition.

"I didn't expect to win three games in a row here," he said.

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Djoko and Rafa at cruising speed

Djokovic walked to dismiss Lithuanian Ricardas Berankis (93rd) 6-1, 6-4, 6-1 in 1h32.

"I was solid, I varied a lot in the exchanges," summed up the world No. 1 who is aiming for a 19th Grand Slam title to get closer to a length of the record jointly held by Nadal and Federer.

A finalist last year, the Serbian reached the round of 16 at Roland Garros for the twelfth time in a row, which represents a record in the Open era (since 1968).

Nadal and Federer stopped eleven consecutive eighths on Parisian soil, between 2005 and 2015.

Nadal, he made a few mistakes (29 in total) which allowed the Briton Cameron Norrie (45th) not to be totally overwhelmed (6-3, 6-3, 6-3).

"Sometimes I played good tennis, sometimes I could do better," commented the world No.3.

"There are things I need to do better, but I'm confident I think I can do it," he warned.

He therefore remains more than ever the favorite for a 14th Parisian coronation, synonymous with a record 21st Grand Slam title.

The Spaniard will face Jannik Sinner (19th to 19), whom he beat 7-5, 6-4 in May in the 2nd round of the Rome Masters 1000 en route to a 10th title.

"What happened in Rome remains in Rome," Nadal said, however.

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The Serbian will play against Lorenzo Musetti (76th) who, at 19, participates in his first Grand Slam tournament.

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The Swiatek express is launched

Unexpectedly last year, the Polish student tumbled at 19 and won her first Grand Slam title without conceding a single set.

Expected this year, Swiatek, who celebrated his 20th birthday on Monday, went through the first week at a pace comparable to that of last year, without losing a single round.

In total, after her victory on Saturday against Anett Kontaveit (31st) 7-6 (7-4), 6-0, she is therefore at 20 sets won in a row at Roland Garros.

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"I did not go far from not making this record last today," she admitted.

But, after the forfeits of Naomi Osaka (2nd) and Simona Halep (3rd), as well as the abandonment of Ashleigh Barty (N.1) and the defeat of Aryna Sabalenka (4th), the demonstration of the second set poses Swiatek as the tournament favorite.

No player has kept her title at Roland Garros since Justine Hénin, who even won three times in a row in 2005, 2006 and 2007.

© 2021 AFP