San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
DJOKOVIC MAKES IT LOOK EASY AGAIN
Surprising results and “Who is that?” stories abound as this one-of-these-is-not-like-theothers French Open heads to the fourth round — with the wild-card entry, the pair of qualifiers and the group of men and women who keep advancing in their tournament debuts.
And then there are the known quantities still around, the been-there-done-that crew, led by No. 1-seeded Novak Djokovic, who reached the round of 16 for the 11th consecutive year, equaling a record held by his Big Three rivals, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.
Forget the idea of an early upset or even slightest upstaging of Djokovic. He is outclassing opponents and making every contest uncompetitive, yet again ceding merely five games — as he has each time out so far on this trip to Roland Garros — in a 6-0, 6-3, 6-2 victory Saturday over 153rd-ranked Daniel Elahi Galan.
“If you impose yourself from the very beginning on the court, which I have in those first three matches here,” said Djokovic, who is 34-1 in 2020 as he bids for a second French Open championship and 18th Grand Slam title in all, “then it makes it hard for them to really believe that they can come back and make a turnaround in the match.” Galan confirmed as much. “Of course he’s superior (to) me, but you also feel like you have to make everything perfect or you will lose zero, zero and zero,” Galan said. “And I was (down 6-0, 2-0), and I was worried about it.”
Djokovic was concerned, truly, by just one matter: the rain that was falling.
As he said to chair umpire Jaume Campistol, “What is the reason for not closing the roof if we have it?”
Seems reasonable. Didn’t seem to affect Djokovic’s play, though.
The drop shot and lob combinations were working well. The reflex returns of 125 mph (200 kph) would-be aces were impeccable.
And those forehands?
“It was like a rocket. Every forehand,” said Galan, who called that stroke far more impressive in person than on TV. “I was not able to even react.”
No. 2-seeded Nadal, the 12time champion in Paris, and No. 3 Dominic Thiem, the runner-up to him the last two years, both play in the fourth round today against 20-year-old opponents who are ranked outside the Top 200. Nadal faces Sebastian Korda, the American who went through qualifying, while Thiem meets Hugo Gaston, the Frenchman who got in via a wild card.
There is something of a prevailing sense among some players that, as expressed by Daniel Altmaier, the 22-year-old German who is ranked 186th, and never had participated in a Grand Slam tournament until qualifying for this one, “Literally everyone can beat everyone at the moment.“
As if setting out to prove that all by himself, Altmaier hasn’t dropped a set through three main-draw matches, including a surprisingly simple 6-2, 7-6 (5), 6-4 humbling of No. 7 seed Matteo Berrettini of Italy to follow up on a victory over No. 30 Janlennard Struff, a friend, countryman and long-time practice partner.
Now comes another seeded foe for Altmaier: No. 17 Pablo Carreno Busta. The other fourth-round men’s matches Monday: Djokovic vs. No. 15 Karen Khachanov, No. 5 Stefanos Tsitipas vs. No. 18 Grigor Dimitrov, No. 13 Andrey Rublev vs. Marton Fucsovics.
The women’s matchups established Saturday: Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin against Fiona Ferro; two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova against Zhang Shuai; Paula Badosa against Laura Siegemund; and No. 30 Ons Jabeur vs. Danielle Collins.
“You can go out any round,” said Garbine Muguruza, the 2016 French Open champion who was beaten by the 57th-ranked Collins 7-5, 2-6, 6-4 in Saturday’s last match. “I’m seeing players that, you know, some of them (I’ve) never seen before, playing incredible.”