28. 05. 2011. ·
Photo: Getty Images
World no.2 Novak Djokovic advanced into last 16 at the French Open with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory over no.25 ranked Argentine Juan Martin Del Potro in 2 hours and 56 minutes on court Suzanne Lenglen.
Players were tied at one set apiece 6-3, 3-6 after 1 hour and 36 minutes of play on Friday evening, when the third round clash was suspended due to darkness.
The match was postponed until 3pm CET on Saturday.
Second-seeded Djokovic made two unforced errors in the fifth game of the third set to hand Del Potro two break points. The Argentine hit a forehand into the net to squander the first, while Nole saved the second with an outstanding cross court forehand after a 25-stroke rally. The Serb went on to hold with a forehand winner down the line and an ace. He broke Del Potro’s serve in the very next game and held to love to consolidate the break for 5-2 to get himself in a commanding position. Djokovic took the set 6-3 in 40 minutes.
Novak made a double break in the fourth set, Del Potro broke back once, but the 24-year-old Belgrade native put the pressure on the Argentine and won two games in a row to close the set and match 6-2.
“I went into the match a bit more nervous than usual,” said Nole after the match. “We both made a lot of unforced errors at the start and then had some great, great periods of the match when we both played well.”
“I was managing to control my game a little bit better today than I did yesterday and I think that resulted with the win.”
Match statistics: aces (6-5), double faults (2-3), winners (41-22), unforced errors (38-46).
The Australian Open champion, holder of 7 titles this year, extended his winning streak to 40-0 on the season. His overall winning streak dating back to the Davis Cup final in December is now 42 matches, tied-third (with John McEnroe) in the all-time list.
Djokovic, who is looking to become the first player since Jim Courier in 1992 to win the Australian Open and Roland Garros in the same year, now has a 4-0 record over Del Potro.
Nole will face no.13 seed Richard Gasquet on Sunday for a place in the quarter-finals. The Frenchman beat Brazil’s Thomaz Bellucci 6-2, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 yesterday.
They have faced each other five times before, with Djokovic leading the head-to-heads by four wins to one.
