Defending champion Novak Djokovic recovered from a patchy start to defeat Spain’s Albert Ramos-Vinolas 7-6(4), 6-1, 6-3, in the fourth round of the French Open.
The clash on Court Philippe Chatrier was the fourth meeting between the two players. In their previous encounters, Djokovic has triumphed in straight sets. This time round, the one-sidedness was eased due to Ramos Vinolas’ emphatic start and determination. Nevertheless, it was the experience and superiority in Djokovic’s play that prevailed.
“The first set lasted about half the total of the match, it was really tough. Obviously for both of us it was important to win that one. Afterwards I started to play with more confidence and make fewer errors.” The defending champion said following his match.
During what was a brutal 73-minute opening set, Djokovic was forced to feel the brunt of Ramos-Vinolas’ aggression. It was the Spanish underdog that dictated from the start by breaking in the first game of the match. Engaged in a game of cat and mouse, the defending champion dropped two out of his first three service games before later breaking back. The roller coaster display from Djokovic (featuring a winner-error ratio of 12-18) took proceedings into a tiebreaker. Continuing the trend, the world No.2 roared to a 4-0 lead before being pegged back once again. Lifting the intensity in his shots, the Serbian finally secured the breakthrough his required after back-to-back errors from Ramos-Vinolas guided Djokovic to clinch the set.
Resuming his position as the match favourite, the danger was avoided with the help of a clinical second set. The error count of the Spanish underdog began to mount, allowing the world No.2 to secure a double break with little difficulty. Accumulating more consistency in his game as the match progressed, a place in his 38th grand slam quarter-final looked increasingly likely. A deep return followed by a smashed at the net was enough to secure the two-set lead in Djokovic’s favour.
Continuing to weather the storm, Djokovic still encountered resistance from his resilient opponent. The heavy investments by Ramos-Vinolas was a series of thrilling rallies generating him a growing fan base within the French Crowd, but still it was not enough to turn his fortunes around.
Ramos-Vinolas vs. Djokovic (🎥Eurosport) pic.twitter.com/vWlsQxifLP
— doublefault28 (@doublefault28) 4 June 2017
Djokovic’s seemingly calm and focus approached was what gave him the edge as he battled to a game away from victory. Serving for a place in his eighth consecutive French Open quarter-final, the second seed cruised to two match points with the help of a heavy serve down the line. Victory was then secured with a forehand cross-court winner.
Blasting 34 winners on route to the victory, Djokovic will next play Austria’s Dominic Thiem. Thiem crushed Argentina’s Horacio Zeballos 6-1, 6-3, 6-1, earlier in the day.
“In Grand Slam quarter-finals there are no easy matches. Dominic [Thiem] is one of the best players in the world, especially on clay, his best surface. It’s going to be very difficult for both of us, but I’ve got a day’s rest and I’m going to do my best.” He said about the upcoming match.
Sunday’s win was Djokovic’s 59th at Roland Garros. Only Roger Federer (65) and Rafael Nadal (75) has won more matches than him in the tournament.
