PARIS, May 30 (Reuters) – Italian Flavio Cobolli dismantled American Learner Tien 6-2 6-2 6-3 on Saturday to advance to the French Open fourth round in commanding fashion.
The 10th seed reached a Grand Slam fourth round for only the second time with Tien looking sluggish throughout after needing five sets in the previous round to beat Facundo Diaz Acosta.
“I think I played well also because maybe my opponent today was a little bit tired after the last match,” Cobolli told a press conference. “Maybe he helped me today to reach the fourth round.
“I was born on clay, it’s my surface, so it’s the worst court for him to play with me,” he said. “Today was my day. It’s also the first match I won on a centre court at a Grand Slam, so it’s a very good day for me.”
Cobolli, who is ranked 14th in the world and is now the fourth highest ranked player left in the men’s tournament, quickly took a 3-0 lead in the first set with Tien unable to put up any resistance.
The American 18th seed went into the match on a six-match winning streak after capturing his first clay title in Geneva last week, conceded the first set and by the time he trailed 4-1 in the second, it was clear his winning run was about to come to an end.
A Cobolli ace and a backhand error from Tien handed his opponent the second set, and the Italian kept up the pressure to move 3-1 up in the third, courtesy of another early break.
With several top favourites, including world number one, Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic already eliminated, the French Open is guaranteed a new Grand Slam champion, with Cobolli’s name among potential winners.
“I know that there are many possibilities to have a new Grand Slam champion, for sure we will have a new Grand Slam champion. But I don’t want to think about this. I have now another tough match,” Cobolli said.
The 24-year-old will next play American Zachary Svajda.
(Reporting by Karolos Grohmann, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
