Matteo Berrettini took Italian revenge on Monday against the Argentine who knocked out Jannik Sinner with a 6-3, 7-6 (2), 7-6 (6) fourth-round demolition of Juan Manuel Cerundolo at the French Open.

Former top 10 player Berrettini, now mended after several seasons of intermittent injury absences sent the South American packing in a solid clay display.

The Italian saved three Cerundolo set points in the third-set tiebreaker, with Berrettini claiming a match point on an inside-out forehand, and following up with a serve winner.. 

“I feel great,” Berrettini said. “I’m happy with the support in a full stadium.

“This is why we train and fight, I’m enjoying the atmosphere with my team and family.”

Fourth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime booked the last eight as he put out another South American in Canadian-born Chilean AlejandroTabilo 6-3, 7-5, 6-1.

FAA becomes the first Canadian man to complete the set of quarter-finals at all four Grand Slam tournaments. 

The 30-year-old Berretini from Rome is competing at Roland Garros for the first time since 2021 when he also reached the last eight here.

The current No. 105 is the lowest-ranked men’s quarter-finalist in Paris since in 2007.

Cobolli lost his first set of the tournament as he ran up against an American with negligible experience on clay, defeating Zach Svajda 6-2, 6-3, 6-7 (3), 7-6 (5).

The 10th-seeded Italian’s victory put him into his second Grand Slam and his first in Paris.

“I was a little bit nervous to close the match today,” the winner said. “It means a lot, this tournament, for me.

“Sometimes it’s not easy when you have to close, especially when you are up in the score like I was today.

“But also Zachary played a really good match today after the second set…  tennis is like this.  At the end, I was happy, and that’s the important thing.”

Svajda came to the major with only one career match win on clay. He began correcting that in the third round by beating Francisco.Cerundolo.

Cobolli cruised through the first two sets but his perfect set record took a dent in the third as Svajda forced a tiebreaker and saved a match point after closing the Italian’s 5-1 lead and forcing a tiebreaker.

It took a tiebreak fourth set to settle the outcome after more than three and a quarter hours.

Alexander Zverev stayed on track for a possible fourth Grand Slam final as the highest seed remaining in the men’s draw at the French Open moved efficiently into the quarter-finals on Sunday.

The German who has finished runner-up at the Australian and US Open plus Roland Garros, defeated qualifying lucky loser Jesper de Jong 7-6 (3), 6-4, 6-1.

With this week’s second-round losses by world No. 1 and top seed Jannik Sinner and 24-time Grand Slam singles champion Novak Djokovic, Zverev could have one of his best chances at lifting a major trophy.

The 29-year-old reached  his eighth Roland Garros quarter-final as he beat his Dutch opponent on de Jong’s 26th birthday.

He needed a tiebreak to secure the opening set but picked up momentum before crushing it in the third set to get off court in a relatively quick two and a quarter hours.

“I had some early difficulties but he started well,” the winner said. “But once I found my rhythm I felt comfortable on the court. 

“That is important for my game. It’s (his game) is there, I just have to show it on the match court.”

With the recent 10-day heatwave now gone, temperatures dropped into the mid-20s Celsius, which should make for more comfortable conditions.

But Zverev is not so sure: “To be honest, I like the heat, I prefer it. My ball flies a lot faster through the air and opponents struggle a bit more.

“I also spend a lot of time in Florida so I’m used to the heat. But we have to make the best of it, things can change within one day.”

Zverev will bid for the semi-finals in a matchup against Rafael Jodar, the prodigy who won an all-Spanish fourth-rounder 4-6, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 over Pablo Carreno Busta.

The fightback took nearly three and three-quarter hours and put the 19-year-old into his first last-eight spot in only his second Grand Slam appearance.

He has reached the last eight here for a sixth straight year.

Jodar, ranked No. 707 a year ago, is the fifth man this century to reach the quarters in his main draw debut at the event.

The youngster made a 4-1 start in the opening set but soon found himself in a five-set dogfight against a 34-year-old dealing with a shoulder injury.

The winner of a clay title in March has now taken victory in 19 of his last 22 matches.

“He’s young and incredibly talented,” Zverev said of his next opponent. “He came onto the clay scene in two months.

“He will be a difficult challenge but I’ll be ready for it.”

Main photo:- Favourite Alexander Zverev wins third round match – by ATPTour.com

Novak Djokovic refused to sink to self-pity after taking only his third loss in a five-set match at the French Open on Friday.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion lost 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5, 7–5 to rising Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca in an epic third-round contest at Roland Garros.

While his dream of breaking a record with an unprecedented 25 titles at the majors lies in tatters, the field at the clay-court major remains wide open, with Jannik Sinner out and Carlos Alcaraz missing through injury.

The 39-year-old Serb with three Paris trophies, was tested to the limit by his teenaged opponent.”A couple times where I felt like I was barely standing on my legs towards the end of the match,” he confessed.

“Looking at the crowd and seeing them lift my spirits and support me was
something really magical, honestly.

“So when I take out all the disappointment and negative thoughts about the match, you know, there’s a lot to be proud about, what I’ve been through, what I experienced,.

“I’m very grateful for this kind of experience.”

Though he came to Paris with only one Rome match in hand, Djokovic said he made up for his lack of court time.

“The amount of hours I’ve played in three matches here felt like I played every tournament in the last three months, to be honest. 

“I think I was playing good tennis, really good level. Considering I was injured for three months and trying to come back and then  going pretty much straight into Grand Slam on this surface that is very demanding and, for me, takes more time to get used to, to find my groove. 

“Taking everything in consideration and all the circumstances, I think the level was really good. 

“I was happy with my level. Of course, right now being disappointed right off the court, losing, being close to win it. That’s all I can say.”