Novak Djokovic has continued his dominant run at the French open with a straight sets win over Karen Khachanov in the fourth round on Monday.
The former champion, who last won the Paris trophy back in 2016, overcame some stiff resistance early on to prevail 6-4, 6-3, 6-3, on the Philippe Chatrier Court. Becoming only the second player in history to reach the last eight of a major for the 47th time after Roger Federer. Djokovic’s latest victory saw him hit 44 winners to 28 unforced errors as he clinched 70% of points behind his first serve. He is yet to drop a set in the tournament.
“It was definitely a closer match that what the score indicates,” Djokovic told Eurosport’s The Cube. “All three sets were kind of even and I managed to break his resistance towards the end of every set.’
“I’m happy with the way I closed out the match but it was a close one. Karen was very solid. Conditions, if you play a bit later in the day with the roof closed, there is no bounce at all.’
“I managed to find a way to win and that’s what matters.” He added.
It was during his latest encounter where Djokovic got flashbacks of his US Open disqualification for hitting a lines judge. Trying to return a monster Khachanov early on he accidentally hit the ball at an official and immediately apologised. Due to it being a pure accident, he received no warning or violation unlike New York.
Heading into the fourth round Djokovic had only dropped 15 games in three matches played but he was still wary of the threat posed by his Russian opponent. Khachanov is a former quarter-finalist at Roland Garros and had defeated the world No.1 once before in the final of the 2018 Paris Masters.
The latest showdown between the two started with a mainly high-quality opening set consisting of lengthy exchanges. After failing to convert a quartet of break points Djokovic finally prevailed 39 minutes into the match with the help of a Khachanov shot going out. Promoting an almighty roar from the Serbian as he nudged ahead 5-3. However, he still had his work cut out with his rival breaking back instantly. Despite the tussle the top seed capitalised on a momentary lapse in form from Khachanov in the following game who hit a double fault to hand him the opening set.
It was a case of deja vu in the second frame with another break proving decisive for Djokovic as he extended his stronghold. This time it took place four games into the set following another Khachanov forehand error. Despite dominating proceedings, the 17-time Grand Slam champion still showed glimmers of frustration on the court. Hitting the net with his racket after failing to break when up 5-3 and then glaring towards his camp in the crowd. Still, his temperament failed to derail him on the court.
Closing out the match was far from simple for Djokovic as he faced another resurgence in Khachanov’s form. Nevertheless, he once again wore down his opponent en route to victory after converting his first match point when a shot out wide proved too much for his opponent to return.
“I try to be mentally solid in my game all the time, especially in these kinds of conditions,” Djokovic explained. “You can’t afford to drop your focus or go too wild with your shots because if you play someone as experienced as Karen he is going to take his chances.’
“My drop shot was not that particularly great from the second set but you just find a way (to win).”
Reaching the quarter-finals for a record 11th time in a row, the 33-year-old will play either Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta or German underdog Daniel Altmaier. Carreno Busta was the player who he was facing at the US Open last month when he got disqualified.
Djokovic has now won 72 matches at Roland Garros, which is second on the all-time list for male players after Rafael Nadal who is on 97.
