PARIS (Reuters) — World No. 2 Daniil Medvedev overcame his past struggles Wednesday on clay to reach the third round of Roland-Garros, and 23-time Grand Slam winner Serena Williams advanced after a second-set scare, as a debate over the complicated relationship between athletes and the media spilled over into another day of competition.
Players’ media mandate was yet again under scrutiny as competitors voiced their support for Naomi Osaka but stopped short of publicly backing her press boycott. A reporter briefly lost his press credentials for stating he had logged on to a press conference with German Alexander Zverev from a supermarket.
Medvedev, who had a 0-4 record at Roland-Garros before this latest attempt, kept his bid alive with relative ease to set up a fourth-round clash with American Reilly Opelka, as Williams, who is gunning for a record-equaling 24th Grand Slam title, fired off five aces to down Romanian Mihaela Buzarnescu.
Japan’s Kei Nishikori managed to scrape through with a brutal, four-hour, five-set win over Russia’s Karen Khachanov, while Greek fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas made light work of Spain’s Pedro Martinez in a straight-sets victory.
On the women’s side, two-time Grand Slam winner Victoria Azarenka, 31, showed off her vast experience to take down Danish teenager Clara Tauson in straight sets, while third-seed Aryna Sabalenka defeated her fellow Belarusian Aliaksandra Sasnovich despite a bevy of unforced errors.
Daniil Medvedev of Russia in action during his match against Tommy Paul of the U.S. on day four of the French Open at Stade Roland Garros Paris on June 2, 2021.
Serena Williams of the U.S. reacts during her second round match against Romania’s Mihaela Buzarnescu at the French Open in Paris on June 2, 2021.
