Day 7 Diary: South Americans fly the flags

Jarry rising

One of the most dangerous unseeded names in this year’s men’s draw, Nicolas Jarry is on a roll.

In a whirlwind season in which he started ranked outside the top 150, the Chilean has carved a rapid route to a career-best world No.35 following titles at home in Santiago and last week, in Geneva.

His 6-2, 6-3, 6-7(7), 6-3 win over American Marcos Giron was his 19th on clay this year, second only to Carlos Alcaraz, and set up a showdown with fourth seed Casper Ruud.

The 27-year-old credits working on his mindset as the key contributor to his hot streak on clay this season.

“Before, I was very emotional and when things didn't go my way, I would lower the energy,” Jarry said after his third-round match in which he struck 55 winners.

“I've been working in different angles on myself, with a psychologist trying to analyse myself more, writing more about myself, doing a lot of psychological work.”

Strength in numbers

Jarry is one of four South American men through to the fourth round – the most since 2005 – alongside Argentines Tomas Martin Etcheverry and Francisco Cerundolo, and Peruvian Juan Pablo Varillas.

In the women's draw, Brazilian 14th seed Beatriz Haddad Maia made it five South Americans after saving a match point to deny Ekaterina Alexandrova.

"I wasn't serving my best, I wasn't returning my best, I wasn't playing the shots that I would like and I know that I have a quality, which is try and keep fighting," Haddad Maia said. "I think today was the key to make it to the next round."

Yoshi on the move

It is all finally coming together for world No.33, Yoshihito Nishioka.

The Japanese lefty had notched up just one third-round showing at a major in 26 attempts before this season.

After denying Thiago Seyboth Wild, 3-6, 7-6(8), 2-6, 6-4, 6-0 on Saturday, the 27-year-old has now reached two straight Grand Slam fourth rounds.

The key for a player just 170cm tall is good wheels.

“Down 3-6 in the tiebreak, still I fight. I never give up. This is the reason why I made a round of 16 today,” he said.

“Always my game is long, tough and I had to think many things. I had to run because I don’t have power that much. I have to run to balls a lot… This is an amazing feeling. Australian Open first time I made a round of 16, [now] also here as well.”

A first-time major quarter-finalist is assured when Nishioka and 49th-ranked surprise packet Etcheverry square off.

Gauff steps up as seasoned campaigner

Long the standard-bearer of the current teenage crop, Coco Gauff remembers the feeling of competing in a Grand Slam main draw at 16.

At that age, Gauff had already reached the fourth round twice – at Wimbledon and the Australian Open – before her second-round exit in Paris.

On Saturday, she brought qualifier Mirra Andreeva’s impressive run to a halt, 6-7(5), 6-1, 6-1, but had nothing but praise for the 16-year-old.

“I remember I was here playing at 16 years old so she has a lot to look forward to,” Gauff said. “Hopefully you'll see many of the matches between the two of us here…

“Even up to two years or a year ago I was playing people for the first time a lot so I'm quite used to it. And we've practised together this week actually, so I'm sure she picked up some of my tendencies in that practice and I picked up some of hers… Today she proved she belongs where she is and belongs to go even further.”

Pole's dominance laid bare

Two-time champion Swiatek had pundits reaching for the record books following her 6-0, 6-0 trouncing of Wang Xinyu.

While most were focused on the number of sets in which she dished out a bagel, perhaps more telling was her overall winning percentage at Roland-Garros.

Her third match win in Paris this year improves the world No.1's record to 24-2 and draws her level with Chris Evert’s 92.3 per cent for the second highest winning ratio in the Open Era at Roland-Garros. She now trails only Margaret Court’s 95.2 per cent.