Share

Anderson sees off Donskoy

Johannesburg - Kevin Anderson reached the third round of the French Open after fighting back to beat Russian Evgeny Donskoy at Roland Garros on Wednesday.

The only South African remaining in the singles draw of the Grand Slam tournament, Anderson lost the first set in a tie-break but regained his composure to secure a 6-7, 6-1, 7-5, 6-2 victory in the second-round clash.

Anderson will face either Canadian Milos Raonic, the world number 16, or Frenchman Michael Llodra in the third round.

Meanwhile, France's Jo-Wilfried Tsonga survived a first-set scare to advance into the third round of the French Open with a 7-6, 6-4, 6-3 win against Finn Jarkko Nieminen on Wednesday.

The sixth-seeded Tsonga, the last French man to reach a grand slam final at the 2008 Australian Open final, next faces either French 25th seed Jeremy Chardy or Spain's Robert Bautista Agut.

Tsonga saved a set point in the first-set tiebreak but then turned up the power and never looked back on a chilly Court Philippe Chatrier.

He ended the contest on his first match point with a backhand passing shot after less than two hours.

"I was opportunistic, I made the most of my chances," Tsonga told a courtside interviewer.

Later on Wednesday, Gael Monfils, who eliminated Czech fifth seed Tomas Berdych in the first round, takes on Latvia's Ernests Gulbis.

Julien Benneteau, the 30th seed, faces German Tobias Kamke in the second round.

The last French man to win a grand slam singles title was Yannick Noah, who won the French Open in 1983. Henri Leconte was the last French man to reach the singles final at Roland Garros, in 1988.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should the Proteas pick Faf du Plessis for the T20 World Cup in West Indies and the United States in June?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Faf still has a lot to give ...
64% - 471 votes
No! It's time to move on ...
36% - 262 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE