Monday at Roland Garros was a case of the match that never with Serena Williams being forced to withdraw from the tournament.
The 36-year-old pulled out of her blockbuster showdown with Maria Sharapova due to a pectoral injury. Sending the Russian into her first grand slam quarter-final since the 2016 Australian Open. Sharapova’s next opponent, Garbine Muguruza, also had her match hampered by injury. Taking on Lesia Tsurenko, the Ukrainian retired after two games due to a problem with her hamstring.
Simona Halep and Angelique Kerber progressed to the last eight without falling victim to any physical issues. Top seed Halep thrashed Elise Mertens in just under an hour. Meanwhile, two-time grand slam champion Kerber eased her way past home favourite Caroline Garcia.
In the men’s draw, Rafael Nadal continued his French Open love affair with a straight set win over Germany’s Maximilian Marterer. Achieving his 900th win on the tour. Awaiting Nadal in the next round will be Argentine 11th seed Diego Schwartzman. Who battled back from two sets down to knock out Kevin Anderson. Elsewhere, Marin Cilic booked a mouth-watering showdown with Juan Martin del Potro in what will be their 13th tour meeting. Del Potro currently leads their head-to-head 10-2.
