Agassi shines as Djokovic romps to win
FRENCH OPEN Ex champion’s star appeal undeniable as his ward demolishes Portugal’s Joao Sousa to move to third round of title defence
He may be carrying a little more around the middle than in his Roland Garros pomp, but the star appeal of Andre Agassi was undeniable at the French Open on Wednesday as his new charge Novak Djokovic romped to a second-round win.
Almost as many cameras were trained on the U.S. tennis star as were trained on Djokovic throughout the latter’s 6-1, 6-4, 6-3 dismantling of Portugal’s Joao Sousa.
Reigning champion Djokovic teamed up with 1999 champion Agassi in a dream-team playercoach combination just before the start of the tournament.
Already the signs were good on Court Suzanne Lenglen. There was a spring in the step of the world number two that had seemed missing in recent months.
Djokovic looked every bit a champion as he controlled his opponent throughout, with Agassi closely monitoring from courtside, a look of concern occasionally clouding his mien.
But Agassi needn’t have worried. Having raced through the first set in a little over half an hour, second seed Djokovic established his rhythm and then just pulled away.
“In the first and second rounds I’m the favourite, but it’s sport and nothing is predictable,” said Djokovic.
“I think the first two sets went very well, the third was was more difficult.”
He next meets Argentine Diego Schwartzman in the third round.
Young Austrian hope Dominic Thiem came through a testing workout against Simone Bolelli at Roland Garros on Wednesday, dropping the first three games before overcoming the Italian qualifier 7-5, 6-1, 6-3.
Facing a player competing in his first tour-level event since undergoing knee surgery last June and languishing at 470 in the rankings, the sixth seed came off second-best in the early baseline exchanges.
Taking the ball early, Bolelli hurried Thiem into mistiming his trademark booming ground- strokes as the Austrian - an outside bet for title and the only player to have beaten Rafa Nadal on clay this year - sent a succession of crosscourt backhands wide.
The Italian saved three break points in the ninth game before surrendering his serve two games later. That left Thiem, who recorded his best grand slam showing in reaching last year’s semi-final, to serve out the first set.
The Italian faded in the second set, when he had a medical timeout for work on muscles around his rebuilt knee, and Thiem finished off the match in just under two and a half hours with an ace to progress to the third round.
Hopes of a first French men’s champion since Yannick Noah in 1983 suffered a huge blow as 12th seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga crashed out in his opening match.
He was defeated by Roland Garros debutant Renzo Olivo 7-5, 6-4, 6-7 (6/8), 6-4 in a tie held over from Tuesday.