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PARIS. — Novak Djokovic moved effortlessly into the French Open tennis tournament fourth round for the 12th successive year on Saturday, setting up an intriguing duel against Italian teenager Lorenzo Musetti as Elina Svitolina crashed out, leaving just three of the women’s top 10 seeds in the tournament.

World No. 1 Djokovic, the champion in Paris in 2016 and chasing a 19th Grand Slam title, brushed aside 93rd-ranked Ricardas Berankis of Lithuania 6-1, 6-4, 6-1.

“If you look at it, it may seem like an easy win but that’s not the case,” said Djokovic.

“The conditions were different, the bounce was lower so you have to adapt but that’s part of the job.”

Djokovic is bidding to be the first man in more than half a century to win all four majors on multiple occasions.

Next up for the Serb is 19-year-old Musetti after the 76th-ranked Italian fired 50 winners past compatriot Marco Cecchinato in a 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 victory.

He becomes just the sixth man since 2000 to make the fourth round of a Slam on debut.

“I have practised with Novak so I know a little bit about his game. There will be more tension, but it’s what I have been working for since childhood,” said Musetti. “Now it’s reality.”

Fellow Italian teen Jannik Sinner, a quarter-finalist in 2020, also made it to the second week, easing past Sweden’s Mikael Ymer 6-1, 7-5, 6-3.

A relentless Rafael Nadal cruised into the last 16 of the French Open for the 16th time on Saturday, with a brutal 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 dismantling of Briton Cameron Norrie.

Nadal, who won his 13th title at Roland Garros last year, extended his run at the claycourt Grand Slam to an unbelievable 30 sets won in a row. He last dropped a set against Dominic Thiem in the 2019 final.

Norrie, the world number 45, battled gamely against the third seed, even breaking Nadal twice in the second set, but the ruthless Spaniard reeled him back in on both occasions, before serving out the one-sided contest a shade over two hours.

Nadal sent down 35 winners, including three aces, and broke Norrie’s serve six times in the match as he stormed into round four, where he will battle Italy’s Jannik Sinner, the 18th seed, for a place in the quarter-finals. — AFP