No. 1 cruising at French, eyes ‘Djoker Slam II’
PARIS — Prime-ranked Novak Djokovic is beginning to make profitable majors look comparatively straightforward.
Djokovic superior into the fourth spherical of the French Open with out dropping a set, extending his Grand Slam win streak to 24 matches as he seeks a fourth main title in a row.
He by no means misplaced management in a 6-Three, 6-Three, 6-2 win over 147th-ranked Italian qualifier Salvatore Caruso on Saturday, profitable 84 % of his factors on first serve to enhance to 42-1 towards gamers ranked outdoors the ATP Prime 100 in majors.
Djokovic simply must win the French to have all 4 Grand Slam titles again in his possession for a second time in his profession — dubbed the “Djoker Slam” when he completed it in 2015-16.
Solely two different males have held all 4 main titles concurrently — Rod Laver, who received calendar-year Grand Slams in each 1962 and 1969, and Don Budge, who received a file six majors in a row in 1937-38.
Djokovic has solely as soon as received the French Open (2016), however he has 15 Grand Slam titles total — and is quietly creeping nearer to Roger Federer (20) and Rafael Nadal (17), who each have joined Djokovic within the fourth spherical.
Subsequent up for Djokovic is Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff, who outlasted 13th-seeded Borna Coric Four-6, 6-1, Four-6, 7-6 (1), 11-9.
Elsewhere, Stan Wawrinka improved to Four-Zero towards Grigor Dimitrov in Grand Slam conferences — beating him as soon as at every main — and moved into the fourth spherical at Roland Garros for the eighth time.
Wawrinka, the champion right here in 2015 and runner-up in 2017, edged two-time main semifinalist Dimitrov 7-6 (5), 7-6 (Four), 7-6 (eight) in a match suspended after two units due to fading mild a day earlier.
Dimitrov definitely had his probabilities to make it even tighter: He held one set level within the opener, then 5 within the final tiebreaker, which he led 6-2.
The 24th-seeded Wawrinka, who owns three Grand Slam titles in all, and Dimitrov are the 43rd pair of gamers to have met in any respect 4 majors.
Alexander Zverev virtually blew a 2-Zero set lead towards Dusan Lajovic, however prevailed 6-Four, 6-2, Four-6, 1-6, 6-2 to advance to the second week. The No. 5 seed has received seven five-set matches in majors going again to the beginning of final season, probably the most of any participant in that point.
Different seeded gamers to advance included No. 6 Stefanos Tsitsipas, who subsequent faces Wawrinka, and No. 9 Fabio Fognini, who survived a first-set tiebreak en path to a 7-6 (5), 6-Four, Four-6, 6-1 victory towards No. 18 Roberto Bautista Agut.
The Related Press contributed to this report.
