French Open: Novak Djokovic demolished Diego Schwartzman to reach the quarter-finals of the French Open, where he will face 13-time champion, Rafael Nadal.
The incumbent champion and world No. 1 breezed through his 52nd Grand Slam quarter-final, defeating Argentina’s Schwartzman 6-1 6-3 6-3 in under two hours and fifteen minutes.
After being brought to five sets for only the third time at Roland Garros, Nadal set up the much-anticipated quarter-final versus his adversary.
The Spaniard eventually defeated Felix Auger-Aliasimme, the ninth seed, 3-6 6-3 6-2 3-6 6-3.
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On Court Suzanne Lenglen, Schwartzman was clearly favoured by a huge South American and Spanish contingent, with Djokovic being booed as he walked on.
As he marched to win in the third set, Djokovic cupped his ear at an oddly angry crowd.
“I have a lot of respect for him. He’s a good guy on and off the court and he’s a clay-court specialist so it’s not easy especially in slow conditions today with a ball that was not bouncing high,” said Djokovic of Schwartzman, a semi-finalist at Roland Garros in 2020.
“I found the good serves at the right moments.”
Djokovic,was prevented from playing at the Australian Open by local authorities due to his unwillingness to get vaccinated against COVID-19. It was scarcely troubled by the small Schwartzman as he advanced to the last eight for the 13th year in a row.
Later, Nadal defeated Auger-Aliassime in the fourth round to set up a thrilling tie versus his great rival.
“Of course, we know each other well. We have a lot of history together,” Nadal said of Djokovic.
“I am going to be focused, I will try my best. I don’t know what will happen but I will fight until the end.”
Djokovic vs Nadal rivalry continues
It will be Djokovic and Nadal’s 59th head-to-head match, more than any other two men in the professional era of tennis.
In their 58 prior meetings, Djokovic has a 30-28 advantage over Nadal.
Another subplot will be whether Roland Garros officials decide to stage the blockbuster event as the showcase night match. Despite the fact that it will not be shown on French free-to-air television.
The players will have a say as well; Nadal has remarked that he does not enjoy playing at night, while Djokovic smiled and said, “All I can say is Rafa and I would have different suggestions.”
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After a tumultuous two hours and 45 minutes, third seed Alexander Zverev halted Spanish qualifier Bernabe Zapata Miralles’ dream run at Roland Garros with a 7-6 (13-11) 7-5 6-3 victory, advancing to the quarter-finals for the fourth time in five years.
“He was driving me nuts,” Zverev said of the 131st-ranked Spaniard. “He is one of the fastest players. I felt every return was put on the baseline.”
“We played three sets but we played three hours. He was playing the best tennis of his life, with the crowd supporting him. You can see how hardworking he is.”
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