Roger Federer & Maria Sharapova into French Open fourth round

Federer is seeking to win his 18th Grand Slam singles title

• Federer continues bid for 18th Grand Slam title

• Sharapova through to Safarova meeting

• Ivanovic makes first Grand Slam last 16 since Jan 2014

Second seed Roger Federer reached the French Open fourth round for the 11th year in a row with a 6-4 6-3 6-2 win over Damir Dzumhur in Paris.

The Swiss, who won the French Open in 2009, will play France's Gael Monfils after the 13th seed beat Pablo Cuevas in five dramatic sets late in the day.

Defending women's champion Maria Sharapova beat Australia's Sam Stosur 6-3 6-4 to reach the last 16.

Former champion Ana Ivanovic secured a 53-minute 6-0 6-3 win over Donna Vekic.

Sharapova trying the best that she can

Sharapova appeared on the verge of tears after her win over Sam Stosur

Sharapova was unusually emotional after her win over Sam Stosur, bearing in mind it was a third-round match, and her on-going battle with a cold was part of the reason.

The second seed has been coughing and spluttering her way through the draw, and said: "I've never felt like that on the court playing a Grand Slam, so that's kind of new.

"I'm just trying to do the best that I can with the circumstances."

And the Russian said that her French-style, long-sleeved top was helping. "I like the top and it's keeping me warm and it's keeping me healthy. That's the most important thing," she added.

The 28-year-old, who also won the title in 2012, will play Czech 13th seed Lucie Safarova in the last 16.

No end in sight for Federer

With his game in good shape and a relatively good draw, Federer has every reason to be hopeful of adding to his Grand Slam haul next week.

It is three years since he last won a major, when he beat Andy Murray at Wimbledon, but the Swiss does not know himself whether claiming an 18th Grand Slam would extend his career.

"I may stop the following day or I may go for another five years, I don't know," said the 33-year-old.

"What I can tell you is that if I win Wimbledon or a Grand Slam, I'll be very happy, extremely happy. So it won't make a difference. I don't know the answer myself."

Ivanovic gets Bayern backing

Schweinsteiger (left) was part of Germany's 2014 World Cup winning team

Ivanovic was the first player of the day back to the locker room, breaking Croatian teenager Vekic's serve five times on the way to victory.

The 27-year-old Serb, who won the French Open in 2008 and also reached the French Open final in 2007, was cheered on by her boyfriend, the Bayern Munich and Germany midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger on Court Suzanne Lenglen.

Ivanovic previously dated Australian golfer Adam Scott.

When asked about World Cup winner Schweinsteiger's support afterwards, Ivanovic played the straightest of bats.

"It's great having a great team around you and positive people and the support. You know, there is nothing better than that," she said.

Britwatch

Andy Murray took a break from practising to tell BBC Sport the secret to his 12-match winning streak on clay this year.

"I think just in general, my level's been better," he said.

"And then winning my first clay-court tournament in Munich was important for me. That was a change I made in my schedule with my team, and that's something that I'd never done before.

"I'd never played an [ATP] 250 event on the clay and that's been a good decision that's paid off."

Meanwhile, brother Jamie progressed to the third round of the doubles with Australian partner John Peers after they saw off Santiago Giraldo and Dusan Lajovic 6-1 6-2.

They are likely to meet the top-seeded Americans Mike and Bob Bryan in the quarter-finals if they win their next match.

Jamie Murray enjoyed a second doubles win of the day and he and Ukrainian Elina Svitolina beat Raven Klaasen and Alicja Rosolska 7-5 6-4.

Murray applies the Twitter burn

Andy Murray dealt pretty smartly with a Twitter critic in the wake of his inconsistent, but ultimately successful outing against Joao Sousa on Thursday.

When user Leon Johncey explained that his initial tweet had been born of frustration after losing a bet on a straight-sets win for Murray, the British number one apologised for "serving like a clown in the second set".

Hard to Explain

Thanasi Kokkinakis (left) and Strokes lead singer Julian Casablancas (right)

Thanasi Kokkinakis, who plays world number one Novak Djokovic in the third round on Saturday, was only five when American garage rock band The Strokes released their debut album Is This It.

It is perhaps unsurprising, then, that the Australian 19-year-old was nonplussed when women's world number 10 Andrea Petkovic reposted a tweet that said he "looks like The Strokes circa 2001. All of them."

"Who are the Strokes?" he replied.

"Poor you, new generation that only knows Drake and Rihanna [and maybe Coldplay]," reflected 27-year-old German Petkovic.

For the record, Tennis Australia lists "techno, hip-hop, R'n'B, Michael Jackson, David Guetta and Ministry of Sound compilations" as Kokkinakis's music of choice.

Quotes of the day

"You just wonder: Does your game actually match up with those kind of guys? Because it's so surreal that you don't think it does, and then you realise it's so easy to win games against the guys." Roger Federer on the struggle, or otherwise, of playing the big names in your early days.

"I was warming up and I was still not believing that I'm playing Roger Federer." Damir Dzumhur does not quite have the confidence levels of Federer.

France's Alize Cornet, the 29th seed, beat Croatia's Mirjana Lucic-Baroni 4-6 6-3 7-5 in a gruelling match

"After this two-and-a-half-hour fight, I felt so relieved that I fell on the ground. A bit like Rafa." Alize Cornet took her lead from the best when she celebrated her win over Croatian Mirjana Lucic-Baroni.

"I think that's something I need to sort out. I don't know if they will ever understand there is this accent on the n in my name." Garbiñe Muguruza on struggling to get her sponsor to understand the tilde.

"I don't give a damn. It has no impact whatsoever on what I do." Gilles Simon is not unduly concerned whether his compatriots realise he is the French number one.

"You know, sometimes I jog, and I know that sometimes birds will attack you. I thought that's what was happening. Seriously. Have you never seen crows fighting? Seriously. I have seen it before. I was really wondering.

"I mean, this was unbelievable, this pigeon getting stuck in the camera. It's a tough death." Richard Gasquet reacts to a pigeon getting caught in the spider-cam on Court Suzanne Lenglen.