In the ongoing French Open,&nbsp;Rafael Nadal ensured his 300th Grand Slam match victory by putting up a great show on Wednesday. The win, which was achieved in straight sets 6-3, 6-1 and 6-4, seems to have dashed the hopes of Corentin Moutet. Nadal sailed into the third round of French Open. In the first two rounds, he looked at his usual best. In overall 21 majors, Nadal has won 13 Roland Garros titles. &nbsp;&nbsp;

The preparations of Nadal were hampered due to a rib injury and a foot problem. He did not seem keen to talk about his physical condition. "I can’t try to go very deep in a tournament if I'm worried about my physical issues every single day. So, if something happens, I am gonna accept it. But for the moment, I am focused on tennis," the Spaniard told reporters. &nbsp;

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Nadal will now face Dutch 26th seed Botic van de Zandschulp in a potential quarter-final. &nbsp;

"Preparation hasn't been perfect so I didn't expect a perfect start to the tournament. But it has been going quite well. I am positive about the things that I did out there tonight. Of course, there is room to improve and I need to improve if I want to keep having chances to go deeper," Nadal said. &nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

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In the ongoing French Open, Rafael Nadal ensured his 300th Grand Slam match victory by putting up a great show on Wednesday. The win, which was achieved in straight sets 6-3, 6-1 and 6-4, seems to have dashed the hopes of Corentin Moutet.

In the ongoing French Open, Rafael Nadal ensured his 300th Grand Slam match victory by putting up a great show on Wednesday. The win, which was achieved in straight sets 6-3, 6-1 and 6-4, seems to have dashed the hopes of Corentin Moutet. Nadal sailed into the third round of French Open. In the first two rounds, he looked at his usual best. In overall 21 majors, Nadal has won 13 Roland Garros titles. The preparations of Nadal were hampered due to a rib injury and a foot problem. He did not seem keen to talk about his physical condition. "I can’t try to go very deep in a tournament if I'm worried about my physical issues every single day. So, if something happens, I am gonna accept it. But for the moment, I am focused on tennis," the Spaniard told reporters. WATCH WION LIVE HERE Nadal will now face Dutch 26th seed Botic van de Zandschulp in a potential quarter-final. "Preparation hasn't been perfect so I didn't expect a perfect start to the tournament. But it has been going quite well. I am positive about the things that I did out there tonight. Of course, there is room to improve and I need to improve if I want to keep having chances to go deeper," Nadal said. (With inputs from agencies) You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here. ×

Rafael Nadal registers 300th Grand Slam match win, enters French Open’s third round

Australian wildcard Nick Kyrgios needed 51 minutes to stun world number seven Andrey Rublev 6-3 6-0 and Alexander Zverev's superior serving led to a 6-4 3-6 6-3 win over Borna Coric in second-round action at the Miami Open on Friday.

Rublev looked good at the start, building a 2-1 lead after breaking Kyrgios in the early stages of the first set.

But it was all downhill from there for the Russian though as Kyrgios piled up the winners and put pressure on Rublev's serve by stepping into the court to take the ball early.

"I don't think I played unbelievable, I just played the right way," Kyrgios told Tennis Channel.

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/swiss-open-kidambi-srikanth-beats-denmarks-anders-antonsen-to-enter-mens-singles-semi-final-465735">Swiss Open: Kidambi Srikanth beats Denmark's Anders Antonsen to enter men's singles semi-final</a>

"Against Rublev, you know he wants to try and dictate, to have a lot of rhythm, and I didn't give him that today. I tried to slap as many winners as I could, serve well and get up the court on my return and it worked."

Kyrgios, who has won five of his last six matches, will next play Italian Fabio Fognini, who beat Japan's Taro Daniel 6-7(1) 6-2 7-6(5) earlier in the day.

Zverev, having split the first two sets against Croatian Coric, served his way out of trouble in the first game of the third set and fended off a break point while serving up 5-3 en route to the hard-fought win.

The German, who fired down 12 aces and only committed one double fault, said his more aggressive approach was the difference in the contest.

"The last few matches I was losing close three-set matches because I felt I wasn't going for it," said Zverev, who fell to Tommy Paul in a tight three-setter in the second round of Indian Wells earlier this month.

"Today I felt like if I'm going to lose, I`m going to go for it. That worked out and hopefully it will in the next match as well."

Zverev said he will have his hands full when he faces either American Mackenzie McDonald or Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov in the third round.

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/iga-swiatek-set-to-become-polands-first-world-no-1-in-tennis-history-after-win-against-golubic-in-miami-open-465724">Iga Swiatek set to become Poland's first World No. 1 in tennis history after win against Golubic in Miami Open</a>

"Grigor is playing extremely well right now. He made the quarter-finals at Indian Wells, playing at an extremely high level, but Mackie is good on the fast surfaces, which it is here," he said.

Elsewhere in second-round action, Italy's ninth seed Jannik Sinner beat Emil Ruusuvuori of Finland in the best match of the tournament so far, rifling a forehand service return winner to seal a 6-4 3-6 7-6(8) victory.

World number 11 Sinner will next face Pablo Carreno Busta, who beat David Goffin of Belgium 6-3 6-2.

Frenchman Hugo Gaston overcame 22 aces from American John Isner to advance 7-6(5) 6-4 and 10th seed Cameron Norrie came out on the winning side of an all British battle with Jack Draper 7-6(5) 6-4 at the Masters 1000 tournament.

Australian wildcard Nick Kyrgios needed 51 minutes to stun world number seven Andrey Rublev 6-3 6-0 and Alexander Zverev's superior serving led to a 6-4 3-6 6-3 win over Borna Coric in second-round action at the Miami Open on Friday.

Australian wildcard Nick Kyrgios needed 51 minutes to stun world number seven Andrey Rublev 6-3 6-0 and Alexander Zverev's superior serving led to a 6-4 3-6 6-3 win over Borna Coric in second-round action at the Miami Open on Friday. Rublev looked good at the start, building a 2-1 lead after breaking Kyrgios in the early stages of the first set. But it was all downhill from there for the Russian though as Kyrgios piled up the winners and put pressure on Rublev's serve by stepping into the court to take the ball early. "I don't think I played unbelievable, I just played the right way," Kyrgios told Tennis Channel. ALSO READ: Swiss Open: Kidambi Srikanth beats Denmark's Anders Antonsen to enter men's singles semi-final "Against Rublev, you know he wants to try and dictate, to have a lot of rhythm, and I didn't give him that today. I tried to slap as many winners as I could, serve well and get up the court on my return and it worked." Kyrgios, who has won five of his last six matches, will next play Italian Fabio Fognini, who beat Japan's Taro Daniel 6-7(1) 6-2 7-6(5) earlier in the day. Zverev, having split the first two sets against Croatian Coric, served his way out of trouble in the first game of the third set and fended off a break point while serving up 5-3 en route to the hard-fought win. The German, who fired down 12 aces and only committed one double fault, said his more aggressive approach was the difference in the contest. "The last few matches I was losing close three-set matches because I felt I wasn't going for it," said Zverev, who fell to Tommy Paul in a tight three-setter in the second round of Indian Wells earlier this month. "Today I felt like if I'm going to lose, I`m going to go for it. That worked out and hopefully it will in the next match as well." Zverev said he will have his hands full when he faces either American Mackenzie McDonald or Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov in the third round. ALSO READ: Iga Swiatek set to become Poland's first World No. 1 in tennis history after win against Golubic in Miami Open "Grigor is playing extremely well right now. He made the quarter-finals at Indian Wells, playing at an extremely high level, but Mackie is good on the fast surfaces, which it is here," he said. Elsewhere in second-round action, Italy's ninth seed Jannik Sinner beat Emil Ruusuvuori of Finland in the best match of the tournament so far, rifling a forehand service return winner to seal a 6-4 3-6 7-6(8) victory. World number 11 Sinner will next face Pablo Carreno Busta, who beat David Goffin of Belgium 6-3 6-2. Frenchman Hugo Gaston overcame 22 aces from American John Isner to advance 7-6(5) 6-4 and 10th seed Cameron Norrie came out on the winning side of an all British battle with Jack Draper 7-6(5) 6-4 at the Masters 1000 tournament.

Miami Open: Nick Kyrgios crushes Andrey Rublev, Alexander Zverev fights past Borna Coric to enter 3rd round

Ashleigh Barty's bid to become the first woman since Serena Williams in 2015 to win the French Open and Wimbledon in the same year stayed on track with a 6-1, 6-3 second-round victory over Belgium's Alison van Uytvanck on Thursday.

The 23-year-old Australian world number one will play either British wild card <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/wimbledon-clarke-dumps-dart-last-minute-to-pair-up-with-cori-gauff-for-mixed-doubles-233018">Harriet Dart</a> or Brazilian qualifier Beatriz Haddad Maia for a place in the last 16.

"I had to make a lot of returns first and foremost and then try and nullify her variety a little bit," she said.

Barty, who if she achieves the Roland Garros-Wimbledon double will be only the eighth woman to do so, said she would switch off from tennis for the moment.&nbsp;

"I'm sure there's some cricket on or something," she said in reference to the ongoing World Cup in England where Australia have made the semi-finals.

Barty seized the initiative from the outset on Thursday breaking Van Uytvanck, who had eliminated 2017 champion Garbine Muguruza in the second round of last year's tournament, twice in succession.

She repeated that in the second set and although the 25-year-old Belgian broke <a href="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/sports/wimbledon-ashleigh-barty-embraces-number-one-tag-cruises-into-second-round-232654&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwiqlvCFmpvjAhXN6nMBHYNCAvgQFjAAegQIBBAC&amp;usg=AOvVaw3R1ZD-htm9R9We_T_XWEzg">Barty </a>when she served for the match, the Australian made no mistake when presented with a match point on her opponent's serve in the following game. &nbsp;

Also easing through was 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens who took the first eight games against her Chinese opponent Wang Yafan before winning 6-0, 6-2.

Stephens seeded nine, will play either British 19th seed Johanna Konta or Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic in the next round.

Ashleigh Barty's bid to become the first woman since Serena Williams in 2015 to win the French Open and Wimbledon in the same year stayed on track with a 6-1, 6-3 second-round victory over Belgium's Alison van Uytvanck on Thursday.

Ashleigh Barty's bid to become the first woman since Serena Williams in 2015 to win the French Open and Wimbledon in the same year stayed on track with a 6-1, 6-3 second-round victory over Belgium's Alison van Uytvanck on Thursday. The 23-year-old Australian world number one will play either British wild card Harriet Dart or Brazilian qualifier Beatriz Haddad Maia for a place in the last 16. "I had to make a lot of returns first and foremost and then try and nullify her variety a little bit," she said. Barty, who if she achieves the Roland Garros-Wimbledon double will be only the eighth woman to do so, said she would switch off from tennis for the moment. "I'm sure there's some cricket on or something," she said in reference to the ongoing World Cup in England where Australia have made the semi-finals. Barty seized the initiative from the outset on Thursday breaking Van Uytvanck, who had eliminated 2017 champion Garbine Muguruza in the second round of last year's tournament, twice in succession. She repeated that in the second set and although the 25-year-old Belgian broke Barty when she served for the match, the Australian made no mistake when presented with a match point on her opponent's serve in the following game. Also easing through was 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens who took the first eight games against her Chinese opponent Wang Yafan before winning 6-0, 6-2. Stephens seeded nine, will play either British 19th seed Johanna Konta or Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic in the next round.

Wimbledon: Ashleigh Barty cruises into Wimbledon third round

Eleven years after beating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga to win the 2008 Australian Open title, top seed Novak Djokovic bested the Frenchman again at Melbourne Park to reach the third round early on Friday.

The world number one Serb claimed a clinical 6-3 7-5 6-4 win over wildcard Tsonga at Rod Laver Arena, a match that finished after midnight and failed to live up to the players' intriguing rivalry at the year's first Grand Slam.

A 20-year-old Djokovic edged a fourth-set tiebreak to claim his maiden Grand Slam crown in 2008 against then 22-year-old Tsonga.

Two years later, the Frenchman turned the tables in a five-set classic in the 2010 quarter-finals, crushing Djokovic's hopes of a second Melbourne trophy.

The players have had a different trajectory since the swashbuckling days of their early twenties but the gap has grown much wider in the past year.

While 31-year-old Djokovic is seeking a third successive Grand Slam title and a record seventh Australian Open crown, Tsonga's ranking has slipped to 177th after his 2018 season was cut short by knee surgery in April.

The gap was on full show as Djokovic cruised to victory in just over two hours, setting up a mouth-watering inter-generational clash with Canadian teenager Denis Shapovalov.

Yet there was still enough of the old magic on show from the burly Tsonga, whose 33-year-old legs scrambled hard to set up the shot of the night, a stunning forehand winner down the line from around the net.

Djokovic said he was a "a bit more nervy" than usual playing against Tsonga, even if plenty of seats were vacant at centre court, with the late hour caused by a scheduling logjam.

"Playing on the centre stage against Jo, who I consider one of the greatest rivals that I had throughout my life, my career," said Djokovic.

"Because of his injuries, he dropped his ranking, but the ranking is definitely not showing the right picture of his quality.

"I'm glad to see him playing. I hope that he can get back where he deserves: at the top of the tennis game."

Shapovalov is only 19 but very highly regarded. The Canadian said he would be studying up on fellow left-hander Rafa Nadal's game in a bid to compete with the Serbian 14-times Grand Slam champion.

"Good," shrugged Djokovic. "Everyone has access to YouTube. Doesn't worry me at all... Nadal and him, yes, I mean, the only thing they're sharing I think is the left hand.

"I don't think they share many similarities in their game. I think it's quite different."

Eleven years after beating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga to win the 2008 Australian Open title, top seed Novak Djokovic bested the Frenchman again at Melbourne Park to reach the third round early on Friday.

Eleven years after beating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga to win the 2008 Australian Open title, top seed Novak Djokovic bested the Frenchman again at Melbourne Park to reach the third round early on Friday. The world number one Serb claimed a clinical 6-3 7-5 6-4 win over wildcard Tsonga at Rod Laver Arena, a match that finished after midnight and failed to live up to the players' intriguing rivalry at the year's first Grand Slam. A 20-year-old Djokovic edged a fourth-set tiebreak to claim his maiden Grand Slam crown in 2008 against then 22-year-old Tsonga. Two years later, the Frenchman turned the tables in a five-set classic in the 2010 quarter-finals, crushing Djokovic's hopes of a second Melbourne trophy. The players have had a different trajectory since the swashbuckling days of their early twenties but the gap has grown much wider in the past year. While 31-year-old Djokovic is seeking a third successive Grand Slam title and a record seventh Australian Open crown, Tsonga's ranking has slipped to 177th after his 2018 season was cut short by knee surgery in April. The gap was on full show as Djokovic cruised to victory in just over two hours, setting up a mouth-watering inter-generational clash with Canadian teenager Denis Shapovalov. Yet there was still enough of the old magic on show from the burly Tsonga, whose 33-year-old legs scrambled hard to set up the shot of the night, a stunning forehand winner down the line from around the net. Djokovic said he was a "a bit more nervy" than usual playing against Tsonga, even if plenty of seats were vacant at centre court, with the late hour caused by a scheduling logjam. "Playing on the centre stage against Jo, who I consider one of the greatest rivals that I had throughout my life, my career," said Djokovic. "Because of his injuries, he dropped his ranking, but the ranking is definitely not showing the right picture of his quality. "I'm glad to see him playing. I hope that he can get back where he deserves: at the top of the tennis game." Shapovalov is only 19 but very highly regarded. The Canadian said he would be studying up on fellow left-hander Rafa Nadal's game in a bid to compete with the Serbian 14-times Grand Slam champion. "Good," shrugged Djokovic. "Everyone has access to YouTube. Doesn't worry me at all... Nadal and him, yes, I mean, the only thing they're sharing I think is the left hand. "I don't think they share many similarities in their game. I think it's quite different."

Australian Open: Djokovic dominates Tsonga re-match to reach third round

World number one Simona Halep cruised into the third round of the Australian Open on Thursday with an easy 6-2, 6-2 victory over Eugenie Bouchard.

The Romanian top seed needed just an hour and five minutes to sweep past the Canadian on Margaret Court Arena.

She will face unseeded American Lauren Davis on Saturday for a place in the last 16 as she steps up her quest for a first Grand Slam title.

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&quot;I feel the pain but I didn&#39;t think about it. I just wanted to play the match and to win it.&quot; 
 
[1] <a href="https://twitter.com/Simona_Halep?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Simona_Halep</a> defeats Eugenie <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Bouchard?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Bouchard</a> 6-2 6-2 to progress to the third round.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AusOpen?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AusOpen</a> <a href="https://t.co/M6mSqZJ2TJ">pic.twitter.com/M6mSqZJ2TJ</a>
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The Romanian top seed needed just an hour and five minutes to sweep past the Canadian on Margaret Court Arena

World number one Simona Halep cruised into the third round of the Australian Open on Thursday with an easy 6-2, 6-2 victory over Eugenie Bouchard. The Romanian top seed needed just an hour and five minutes to sweep past the Canadian on Margaret Court Arena. She will face unseeded American Lauren Davis on Saturday for a place in the last 16 as she steps up her quest for a first Grand Slam title. "I feel the pain but I didn't think about it. I just wanted to play the match and to win it." [1] @Simona_Halep defeats Eugenie #Bouchard 6-2 6-2 to progress to the third round.#AusOpen pic.twitter.com/M6mSqZJ2TJ — #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 18, 2018 ×

Australian Open: Simona Halep thrashes Eugenie Bouchard to reach third round

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