PARIS : Italy’s Flavio Cobolli eased into the fourth round of the French Open with a dominant 6-2 6-2 6-3 victory over American Learner Tien on Saturday, ending his opponent’s six-match winning streak.
The 10th seed needed little more than two hours to secure only the second Grand Slam fourth-round appearance of his career, taking full advantage of a weary-looking Tien, who had come through a five-set battle against Facundo Diaz Acosta in the previous round.
“I think I played well also because maybe my opponent today was a little bit tired after the last match,” Cobolli said.
“I was born on clay, it’s my surface, so it’s the worst court for him to play with me. Today was my day.”
Cobolli raced into a 3-0 lead in the opening set and never allowed Tien to settle. The American, seeded 18th, arrived in Paris on the back of his first clay-court title in Geneva but struggled to match the Italian’s consistency and power from the baseline.
After taking the first set comfortably, Cobolli moved 4-1 ahead in the second before sealing it with an ace and a Tien backhand error. Another early break in the third set effectively ended any hopes of a comeback.
Ranked 14th in the world, Cobolli is now among the highest-ranked players remaining in a men’s draw that has already seen the exits of top contenders including Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic.
“I know there are many possibilities for a new Grand Slam champion, but I don’t want to think about this,” Cobolli said. “I have another tough match now.”
Cobolli will face American Zachary Svajda for a place in the quarter-finals.
