Sabalenka knocked down Rakhimova to reach 4th round of French Open

Aryna Sabalenka eliminated Russian Kamilla Rakhimova with a score of 6-2, 6-2 to advance quickly to the fourth round of the French Open.

Strong with her serve, world number two Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan advanced to the semifinals against American Sloane Stephens against Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva on a court that had been bathed in sunlight.

The world number one Iga Swiatek was defeated by Sabalenka in the Madrid Open final last month. Sabalenka has yet to drop a set in the competition and has finally ended her third-round losing run in Paris.

The Belarusian, whose three previous appearances at Roland Garros were cut short at that point, maintained control throughout and faced only one break point, which she avoided with an ace on her second serve.

“It feels amazing to feel the support and just to be on this court and have the opportunity to play tennis,” the Australian Open champion said following a match that lasted a little over an hour.