French Open: Jannik Sinner drops just 3 games to extend Grand Slam unbeaten run to 17 matches

When Jannik Sinner's opponent in the French Open's third round finally won a single game Saturday, the Court Suzanne-Lenglen crowd responded with a standing ovation. Sinner was simply too good on this day, extending his Grand Slam winning streak to 17 matches and looking very much like the No. 1-ranked man.

Sinner dominated Jiri Lehecka 6-0, 6-1, 6-2 in just 1 hour, 34 minutes, the quickest men's match at Roland-Garros this year and, measured by games lost, the most lopsided victory at a major tournament of Sinner's career.

"We try to improve," Sinner said. "Today, I don't think there are many things I can improve."

Can say that again.

Check out some of the numbers: Sinner delivered 31 winners and made only nine unforced errors. He accumulated 18 break points, converting seven, and faced just one, which he saved.

The first 11 games went Sinner's way. When Sinner missed a return wide, making the score 6-0, 5-1 after 55 minutes of action, Lehecka raised his arm and pumped his fist in a bit of sarcastic celebration. The fans went wild, rising out of their seats and clapping and shouting, eliciting a smile from Lehecka.

Make no mistake, though. Lehecka is no also-ran. The 23-year-old from the Czech Republic is ranked 34th and has been a Grand Slam quarterfinalist.

But he was completely overmatched by Sinner, who has won the past two major championships — at the U.S. Open in September and the Australian Open in January — and is now the owner of an unbeaten run at the sport's most important tournaments that's been surpassed this century only by a trio of guys by the names of Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

Sinner's bid for a first French Open title, and fourth Slam trophy overall, will continue Monday, when he'll face No. 17 Andrey Rublev for a quarterfinal berth. Rublev advanced when his opponent, No. 14 Arthur Fils, withdrew from the tournament because a stress fracture in his lower back.

Coco Gauff got off to a terrific start in the French Open's third round Saturday, taking 12 of the first 15 points for a 3-0 lead after just 10 minutes. The rest of the opening set went smoothly, too.

Things got much tougher from there, and the 2023 U.S. Open champion was merely two points from dropping the second set, before getting back in the right direction and defeating Marie Bouzkova 6-1, 7-6 (3) to reach Week 2 at Roland-Garros for the fifth consecutive year.

Gauff, a 21-year-old from Florida, was the runner-up in Paris in 2022 and is seeded No. 2 at the clay-court Grand Slam tournament this year.

Next up for her will be a matchup on Monday against No. 20 Ekaterina Alexandrova, with the winner moving into the quarterfinals.

Jessica Pegula, the No. 3-seeded American who was the runner-up at the U.S. Open, came back to eliminate 2019 French Open finalist and 2023 Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 and reach the fourth round. Another American, 70th-ranked Hailey Baptiste, made it into Week 2 at a major for the first time by beating Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 7-6 (4), 6-1 and will play Madison Keys or Sofia Kenin next. No. 6 Mirra Andreeva, an 18-year-old Russian who reached the semifinals a year ago, advanced to a fourth-round showdown against No. 17 Daria Kasatkina. American qualifier Ethan Quinn, the 2023 NCAA champion for the University of Georgia, played his second consecutive five-setter and was beaten by Tallon Griekspoor of the Netherlands 4-6, 6-1, 6-7 (2), 6-1, 6-4. Griekspoor came into the day 0-4 in third-round matches at majors. Griekspoor next meets 2024 runner-up Alexander Zverev, while No. 5 Jack Draper takes on Alexander Bublik. Draper defeated 18-year-old Brazilian Joao Fonseca 6-2, 6-4, 6-2.

No. 1-ranked Aryna Sabalenka and the two defending champions, Iga Swiatek and Carlos Alcaraz, are all scheduled to appear in the fourth round Sunday. There are three American men in Week 2 in Paris for the first time since 1995, and all are in action: No. 12 Tommy Paul, No. 13 Ben Shelton and No. 15 Frances Tiafoe. Shelton faces Alcaraz, Paul goes up against No. 25 Alexei Popyrin and Tiafoe meets Daniel Altmaier.