PARIS — Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and David Ferrer showed no mercy on Saturday to reach the second week of the French Open, with the seeded trio grinding up opponents in quick straight sets.
The Nadal Roland Garros juggernaut continued with the six-time champion defeating Eduardo Schwank, 6-1, 6-3, 6-4. He will line up to start the second week of the major against another Argentine when he plays Juan Monaco.
The South American won a four-and-a-half-hour marathon over Canadian Milos Raonic, 6-7 (5-7), 6-3, 6-7 (5-7), 6-3, 6-4.
Fourth seed Murray seemed like a changed man in his crushing 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 defeat of Santiago Giraldo of Colombia.
Two days earlier, the complaining Scot could barely walk for a set and a half due to back spasms but managed to psyche out flustered Finn Jarkko Nieminen for a second-round victory.
“I woke up this morning again feeling better than I did, but that’s because of the work my physio has done the last 48 hours and all the recovery work that we’ve done between the last match and now,” said Murray.
Murray will be playing the round of 16 at Roland Garros for the fourth consecutive year after reaching the semis in 2011 where he lost to Nadal.
Ferrer put former top 10 Russian Mikhail Youzhny through the wringer, 6-0, 6-2, 6-2.
So dismal was the performance that Youzhny scrawled “SORRI” with his foot in the clay after finally winning his first game in the second set.
In the women’s draw, second seed Maria Sharapova advanced easily over Peng Shuai of China, 6-2, 6-1. Wimbledon champion and fourth seed Petra Kvitova defeated Russian Nina Bratchikova 6-2, 4-6, 6-1.
Li Na defeated American Christina McHale, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 while Varvara Lepchenko beat 2010 winner Francesca Schiavone of Italy, 3-6, 6-3, 8-6.
