Roland Garros, Djokovic wins and finds Zverev. Next Errani-Paolini. Tonight Sinner-Rublev

While waiting for the challenge between Jannik Sinner and the Russian Andrej Rublev, which will close the round of 16 (starting at 20.15), one hundredth match in Paris and another victory, which brings him back among the candidates for the final success, for Novak Djokovic . The Serbian takes the match with the British Cameron Norrie without too much trouble (three sets and score, 6-2 6-3 6-2, which measures the forces on the field): quarter-finals achieved at Roland Garros, where he will meet Alexander Zverev. For the German, a passage to the next round made easier by the withdrawal of his opponent, the Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor , during the second set. The world number 3 won the first match 6-4, then took a 3-0 lead and at that point Griekspoor (due to an abdominal problem) had to leave the field.

Happy Djokovic, who on the Parisian clay has rediscovered feeling with the racket and now begins to see the goal of the slam as possible again. "I felt good but I know I can play even better even if I played 12 sets and won them all. 100 is a really nice number but now we need to keep going to chase others, and let's hope to get another one in the next round", Djokovic's words after publicly paying homage to PSG's victory in the Champions League final.

The Doubles Girls and Musetti

While waiting for Jannik Sinner, the Italian tennis team is pampering itself with the victories of Lorenzo Musetti and the doubles pair Sara Errani-Jasmine Paolini, which are worth access to the quarterfinals. The road is barred, however, for Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori, who with their exit in the round of 16 (6-2, 7-6 against the Australian Olympic champions Matthew Ebden and John Peers) see their dream of playing for the title again vanish, as happened 12 months ago. The quarterfinals in Paris are a first for Musetti, who got the better of the Danish Holger Rune. A success of which he said he was «very proud» for a match that «I consider one of my best». «I'm playing my best tennis and physically I feel I'm very prepared» added the player from Carrara who will face the American Frances Tiafoe, tomorrow afternoon: «I know him well, we've often played against each other even if never in a slam . He's talented and can be very dangerous but I think I have the means to annoy him."

Jasmine Paolini is smiling, despite her elimination in singles, who together with her friend Errani got rid of the pair composed of the Brazilian Beatriz Haddad Maia and the German Laura Siegemund in two sets (6-4, 6-3) . For the winners of the Internationals, the eighth victory in a row is an injection of confidence, as is the prospect of facing the Russian Veronika Kudermetova and the Belgian Elise Mertens in the quarterfinals, defeated in the final in Rome. In the women's tournament (the round of 16 concluded), the great revelation is the French Lois Boisson (n.361 Wta), who defeated the n.3 in the world, the American Jessica Pegula, in three sets (3-6, 6-4, 6-4) , reaching the quarterfinals in her first participation in the Parisian slam with a wild card.

The 22-year-old has chosen to tattoo a word above her right elbow, which is like a motto and a manifesto, Resilience: a year ago, the rupture of her cruciate ligament had in fact kept her away from the courts, even from what would have been the first Roland Garros. Boisson has chosen to try neuro-visual training in those months of stoppage. Now she will find the talented 18-year-old Russian Mirra Andreeva on her path: in the meantime, she will climb the rankings by conquering the quarterfinals, approaching the top 100.