By Julien Pretot
PARIS (Reuters) – World number two Jannik Sinner eased into the French Open fourth round with a ruthless 6-4 6-4 6-4 victory against Russian Pavel Kotov on Friday.
The Australian Open champion, wearing a long-sleeve undershirt on yet another chilly day, only faced one break point in a one-sided encounter.
Kotov, who was hoping to beat a second Grand Slam champion in a row after eliminating Stan Wawrinka in the previous round, got off to a fiery start but Sinner was still a level above in the first set.
The Italian got another early break in the second to move two sets up and the same pattern was repeated in the third as Sinner wrapped up victory with an ace on match point to set up a meeting with either Austrian Sebastian Ofner or local favourite Corentin Moutet.
Sinner also beat Kotov in straight sets in the Madrid Masters in April.
“It was very different, I just tried to stay very focused on my game. Thanks for the support, it’s amazing to play on this court,” Sinner said on court Philippe Chatrier, where the stands gradually filled up after lunch time.
(Reporting by Julien Pretot; Editing by Toby Davis)
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