Battling Djokovic grinds out win
Former champion tested by Bautista Agut, No 2 seed Zverev saves match point vs Dzumhur
PARIS : Former champion Novak Djokovic wore down obdurate Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut to grind out a 6-4, 6-7(6), 7-6(4), 6-2 victory in the French Open third round on Friday.
Still fighting to find the form that took him to 12 Majors, Djokovic huffed and puffed and demolished a racket in anger near the end of the second set, before regaining his composure to set up a last 16 clash with Spanish veteran Fernando Verdasco.
It was never comfortable for the 31-year-old Serb, though, and he found himself in dire trouble in the third set when dropping serve to love at 3-4.
He fell back on his old survival instincts, however, breaking back in the following game before playing a solid tiebreak to move to within a set of victory.
Thirteenth seed Bautista Agut, playing just a few days after the death of his mother, lost some belief in a fourth set played out in drizzle and Djokovic quickly wrapped up victory.
After consoling his opponent at the net Djokovic saluted the crowd who raised their umbrellas in approval.
“It was a magnificent four hours of tennis, I’m very tired but delighted to come through,” 2016 champion Djokovic said on court in accomplished French. “He plays with so much consistency you have to have patience.”
Djokovic is playing at his lowest seeding at a Grand Slam since 2006 having dropped to 22 in the rankings but has now reached the last 16 of a Grand Slam for the 43rd time -- second on the all-time list behind Roger Federer.
ZVEREV SURVIVES
Second seed Alexander Zverev saved a match point on his way to a five-set win over Bosnian Damir Dzumhur 6-2, 3-6, 4-6, 7-6(3), 7-5 in the third round, securing his first trip to the last 16 at Roland Garros.
The German wunderkid, 21, looked to be on the brink of another disappointing early exit from a Grand Slam, with 26th seed Dzumhur serving for the match at 5-4 in the fourth set. But Zverev held his nerve to force a tiebreak, which he won comfortably.
Matching Zverev for power and stamina and showing a fine touch, with multiple winning drop shots, Dzumhur took the match to his bigger opponent, pushing the German to his second five-set encounter in a row.
In their only previous meeting, last year in Shenzen, Dzumhur won in straight sets and he showed confidence throughout until the closing stages.
Zverev’s win, which secures his spot in the fourth round in Paris, was his first against a top 50 player in a Grand Slam.
DIMITROV OUSTED
Grigor Dimitrov’s claycourt gremlins struck again as his hopes bit the dust in predictable fashion in the third round against Spanish veteran Fernando Verdasco.
The 27-year-old Bulgarian has still never reached the fourth round in Paris and he admitted after bowing out 7-6(4), 6-2, 6-4 that he will have to go back to the drawing board.
The fourth seed failed to convert any of the four set points that arrived when 34-year-old Verdasco served at 5-6 in a tight first set and after that he faded badly. Verdasco is far more reliable on the dirt although he will have to find a way to end his fourth-round hoodoo at Roland Garros having fallen at that stage six times.
Seventh seed Dominic Thiem muscled his way into the fourth round, putting out Italian claycourt specialist Marco Berrettini 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-2. Hitting forehands and serves of up to 224 kph, Thiem was in combative form.
› It was a magnificent four hours of tennis, I’m very tired but delighted to come through... He plays with so much consistency you have to have patience. NOVAK DJOKOVIC, On the win
› You have to draw the line and look for the next chapter. In tennis you never know, one week can always turn things around for you. G DIMITROV, On looking ahead