BIG GUNS BOOM
Djokovic leads top shots into French third round
Paris, May 25: World number one and defending champion Novak Djokovic eased into the French Open third round on Wednesday by defeating the new pupil of his former long-time coach.
Top seed Djokovic saw off Slovakia’s Alex Molcan, who is coached by Marian Vajda, the man who inspired most of his 20 Slam titles, 6-2, 6-3, 7-6
(7/4).
Djokovic fired 10 aces and 40 winners past his
38th-ranked opponent and will next face Slovenia’s Aljaz Bedene for a place in the Last 16.
“It was a real pleasure to play on Court Suzanne Lenglen. I don’t have a lot of opportunities to play here,” said the 35-year-old.
“I could feel the support. There were tricky conditions today with a lot of wind coming in different directions. So I had to stay focused and stay patient,” he added,
“I have a lot of respect for Alex, he’s a specialist on this surface,” Djokovic said.
Meanwhile, third seed and 2021 semifinalist Alexander Zverev saved a match point against Argentina’s Sebastian Baez as he battled back from two sets down to reach the third round. Zverev overcame Baez 2-6,
4-6, 6-1, 6-2, 7-5 after three hours and 36 minutes contest.
KERBER, AZARENKA ADVANCE
Former Grand Slam champions Angelique Kerber and Victoria Azarenka made the third round.
Kerber, who won her first clay title in six years on the eve of the French Open, defeated French wildcard and 2020 junior champion Elsa Jacquemot 6-1, 7-6 (7/2) as she seeks the only Grand Slam missing
from her collection. The German 21st seed next plays Aliaksandra Sasnovich, the Belarusian who knocked out US Open champion Emma Raducanu 3-6, 6-1, 6-1.
“I think the last week was really important for me to get the title,” former number one Kerber said of her Strasbourg triumph.
“I had a lot of confidence. It’s great to be back here and I hope I can still play a few more matches. When you achieve everything you want, you play for the love of the game. I just love the sport. Let’s see how long I can keep playing at a high level,” she added.
Azarenka, a two-time Australian Open winner, beat 2014 Roland Garros semi-finalist Andrea Petkovic 6-1, 7-6 (7/3). She meets Swiss 23rd seed Jil Teichmann for a place in the fourth round.