Jannik Sinner will face Andrey Rublev in the fourth round of the French Open after breezing past Jiri Lehecka in a little over an hour and a half.
Sinner extended his winning streak at grand slams to 17 matches with a 93-minute, 6-0 6-1 6-2 success in Saturday's third-round contest.
Lehecka only took nine points on Sinner's serve throughout the match and needed six attempts to record a hold of his own, as the world number one produced a mistake-free performance.
The first set was in the books in just 23 minutes, with the second requiring 36 minutes. Lehecka showed more resistance in the third set, but breaks in games one and seven got Sinner over the line.
Afterwards, the Italian dedicated his victory to coach Simone Vagnozzi, who celebrated his 42nd birthday on Friday.
"I was playing really, really well," said Sinner. "Especially for two and a half sets, then he was serving very well, very brave.Â
"He made some good serve and volleys. But I'm very happy. Simone, my coach, had his birthday yesterday, and usually when he has his birthday, I don't play well. So this win is for him."
Sinner's opponent in the last 16 will be world number 15 Rublev, who received a walkover in round three as Arthur Fils withdrew due to injury ahead of their match.
Fils cited a back issue for his withdrawal and outlined his hope that he could return in time for Wimbledon, saying: "I have a stress fracture.Â
"I had to make a decision, and we decided with my team it was better to stop now because it could be for only four to six weeks.
"I had some issue with the back for a long time, and during the match against [second-round opponent Jaume] Munar, it got worse. Then I did some exams. The exams were not good at all."
Data Debrief: Sinner eyeing top spot among Italians
Sinner's victory on Saturday was his 71st overall at grand slams, drawing him level with Fabio Fognini for the most by any Italian man in the Open Era.
He will now look to seize top spot outright when he faces Rublev on Sunday.
Sinner is also the only player to reach the last 16 of the men's singles events at each of the last eight grand slams, starting with Wimbledon in 2023.
He is also just the fourth player to win 17 or more consecutive men's singles matches at grand slam events since 2000, after Novak Djokovic (30), Roger Federer (27) and Rafael Nadal (25).
