Novak Djokovic's hopes of completing a career Grand Slam by winning the French Open suffered a scare when he needed a medical timeout during a 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 win over Luxembourg's Gilles Muller at Roland Garros on Thursday.
The Serb top seed slipped on the clay during the second set of the second round match and stretched his right groin muscle, calling for the physio at the change of ends after the ninth game.
Apart from that it was a straightforward victory as he dropped serve only once.
After converting match point with a service winner he went and shook hands with Paris St Germain striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic who was watching in the crowd.
Djokovic will next face Australian hot prospect Thanasi Kokkinakis with a potential quarterfinal clash against nine-time Roland Garros champion Rafa Nadal looming.
If Nadal was looking for an opponent to help him find his rhythm, Nicolas Almagro was the perfect candidate.
The Spaniard reached the third round with a 6-4 6-3 6-1 victory -- his fourth without dropping a set against his compatriot on the Paris clay as his campaign picked up momentum.
"My objective is to keep on doing what I did today. My match was a good match," Nadal, who hit only 16 unforced errors in a dominant display, told a news conference.
"I will try and continue on the same tracks. That is, I will gain power. That's what I want and continue to be stable and solid and I hope I can roll out my plan."
Nadal, chasing a record-extending 10th title here, was tested by Almagro, who slumped to 154th in the rankings after a foot injury, but the Mallorcan had just too much strength.
The 28-year-old Nadal arrived in Paris on the back of his worst season on European clay, but he is beginning to look a little more like his old self.
Wozniaki falls
Danmark’s Caroline Wozniacki was eliminated by Germany's Julia Georges in the second round after suffering a 4-6, 6-7 (4-7) defeat in one hour and 46 minutes.
Last year, the fifth-ranked player was eliminated in the first round of the French Open at the Stade Rolland Garros, while the farthest she has ever made was in 2010, when she was ejected in the quarterfinals.
Georges, 26, and the world No.72, has matched her personal best results in Paris, achieved in 2011 and 2012, and will try to improve on her record by defeating the winner of the match between Bulgaria's Sesil Karatantcheva and Irina Falconi.
Japan’s Kei Nishikori qualified for the fourth round without stepping a foot on the court, as his scheduled German opponent Benjamin Becker defaulted with a shoulder injury.
"Benjamin Becker withdraws with right shoulder injury, Nishikori advances to R16. Wishing Benjamin a speedy recovery," the official French Open account tweeted.
To overcome his best in the Grand Slam, fifth-seeded Nishikori will have to beat in the next round the winner of the match between 43rd-seeded Czech player Lukas Rosol and Russia's 74th-seeded Teymuraz Gabashvili.
Becker was able to take a lengthy match on Wednesday against Spain's Fernando Verdasco, winning 6-4, 0-6, 1-6, 7-5, 10-8.
Reuters
Results (prefix denotes seedings): Men’s singles (II round): 3-Andy Murray (Grb) bt Joao Sousa (Por) 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 6-1; 1-Novak Djokovic (Serb) bt Gilles Muller (Lux) 6-1, 6-4, 6-4; 17-David Goffin (Belg) bt Santiago Giraldo (Col) 6-3, 4-6, 7-5, 6-2; Andrey Kuznetsov (Rus) bt Jurgen Melzer (Aus) 6-1, 5-7, 7-6(0), 7-5; 6-Rafael Nadal (Esp) bt Nicolas Almagro (Esp) 6-4, 6-3, 6-1; Thanasi Kokkinakis (Aus) bt 27-Bernard Tomic (Aus) 3-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 8-6; 23-Leonardo Mayer (Arg) bt Jerzy Janowicz (Pol) 6-4, 6-4, 6-7(1), 6-1; Pablo Andujar (Esp) bt 22-Philipp Kohlschreiber (Ger) 6-1, 7-6(5), 3-6, 3-6, 6-4; 9-Marin Cilic (Cro) bt Andrea Arnaboldi (Ita) 7-6(3), 6-1, 6-1; 29-Nick Kyrgios (Aus) w.o. Kyle Edmund (Bri).
Women’s singles: Sloane Stephens (US) bt Heather Watson (Grb) 6-2, 6-4; 23-Timea Bacsinszky (Sui) bt Tereza Smitkova (Cze) 6-2, 6-0; Tsvetana Pironkova (Bul) bt Denisa Allertova (Cze) 6-3, 7-6 (2); 16-Madison Keys (US) bt Belinda Bencic (Sui) 6-0, 6-3; 27-Victoria Azarenka (Bel) bt Lucie Hradecka (Cze) 6-2, 6-3; 1-Serena Williams (US) bt Anna-Lena Friedsam (Ger) 5-7, 6-3, 6-3; Andreea Mitu (Rom) bt 12-Karolina Pliskova (Czech) 2-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4; Francesca Schiavone (Ita) bt 18-Svetlana Kuznetsova (Rus) 6-7 (11), 7-5, 10-8; 30-Irina Begu (Rom) bt Ana Konjuh (Cro) 6-2, 6-0; 10-Andrea Petkovic (Ger) bt Lourdes Dominguez Lino (Esp) 4-6, 6-4, 6-4; 4-Petra Kvitova (Czech) bt Silvia Soler Espinosa (Esp) 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-2; 17-Sara Errani (Ita) bt Carina Witthoeft (Ger) 6-3, 4-6, 6-2; Julia Goerges (Ger) bt 5-Caroline Wozniacki (Den) 6-4, 7-6(4); Irina Falconi (US) bt Sesil Karatantcheva (Bul) 3-6, 6-1, 6-2.
Deccan Herald is on WhatsApp Channels| Join now for Breaking News & Editor's Picks