29. 05. 2011. ·
Photo: Getty Images
No.2 seed at the second Grand Slam of the season – Roland Garros, Novak Djokovic, is through to the quarter-finals at the French Open after he defeated homecrowd favourite and no.13 seed Richard Gasquet in straight sets 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 in 1 hour and 47 minutes on Sunday.
Novak made a break in the opening game of the match and held to 15 with 3 aces in the second game to consolidate the break. The world no.2 faced three break points in the sixth game, but saved them all and kept the advantage till the end of the set to take it 6-4 in 36 minutes.
It is often said that seventh game is the most crucial game of any set. Win the seventh and statistics say that in 90 percent of cases you will go on to win the set. That’s exactly what the 24-year-old Belgrade native did. He used his chances, broke Gasquet and closed the set 6-4 in 37 minutes.
Nole stormed through the third set. He broke the Frenchman’s serve twice, in the third and fifth games, and clinched it 6-2.
“I’m happy with my game today. I played a great match against a great player, but I got important breaks and made no mistakes after that,” said Djokovic after the match. “It’s never easy and I didn’t expect it to be easy, that’s for sure,” Nole added. “Maybe the score line says differently, but I had to work. The first two sets it was only one break that decided it. We were both winning our service games quite comfortably. Each set I played one really good return service game and that was enough.”
”I think I’m playing really well at the moment and today I increased the level from the last match, which makes me even happier. I just want to maintain this level.”
Novak served 8 aces to Gasquet’s 6.
He recorded 34 winners to his opponent’s 16.
The Serb made 15 unforced errors to the Frenchman’s 26.
Nole converted 4of his 8 break points, while Gasquet failed to capitalise on any of his 3 chances for break.
Djokovic will play against world no.49 Fabio Fognini for a place in his third semi-finals in Paris.
The Italian beat Spaniard Albert Montanes in five sets 4-6, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 11-9.
Nole won their both previous encounters. The last one was on clay at Serbia Open 2010, 6-4, 6-4.
“We know each other really well,” Djokovic said courtside. “So it’s going to be an interesting match.”
The best Serbian tennis player is 41-0 in 2011, and if he beats unseeded Fabio Fognini in the quarter-finals, he will match John McEnroe’s record for the best start to the season set in 1984.
Nole increased his overall streak to 43-0, dating back to the Davis Cup finals in December, and needs three more wins to equal Guillermo Vilas’s overall Open era record of 46 consecutive wins.
“I’m playing the best tennis of my life at the moment. But it’s important to just focus in each match and see how far I can go.”
