Djokovic edges closer to Grand Slam record with spot in last-eight • Alcaraz cruises
17th time, one more than 14-time champion Rafa Nadal who is absent this year due to injury.
“I am proud of all the records but it also means I am not young any more,” said the 36-year-old.”It was the best level of tennis I have played here so I am very satisfied.”
“I put in a lot of effort like all the players and the situation today is not the same like, say, 10 years ago. When I play like today I am satisfied and motivated to continue.”
Djokovic, who next faces 11th seed Karen Khachanov in the quarterfinals, attacked Varillas at every opportunity to avoid being drawn into lengthy baseline battles that had seen the 27-year-old win all his three previous rounds in five-set marathons.
He played the angles from the start, moving Varillas around and the tactic instantly paid off with two quick breaks in succession for a 4-0 lead.
Varillas had come back from two sets down in two of his three previous matches but could not get back into this game as his opponent clinched the first set.
It was a similar story in the next two with Varillas playing catch-up from the start and Djokovic firing winners at will before an easy volley on his first match point saw him seal his record last eight spot.
Khachanov showed good resilience to down Italian Lorenzo Sonego 1-6, 6-4, 7-6(7), 6-1 and reach the last-eight for the second time earlier Sunday.
The Russian 11th seed looked out of sorts in the opening set before finding his range on Court Suzanne Lenglen, using his forehand to devastating effect.
Sonego never recovered from wasting a 4-0 advantage in the third-set tiebreak, which proved to be the turning point of an entertaining encounter.
“After the first set and a half, I was thinking, what am I doing here, he was hitting all over the place so I decided all I could do was fight,” said the Russian, who made it to the last-four in the last two Grand Slams in New York and Melbourne.
Right after Djokovic won, world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz bulldozed his way into quarterfinals with an awe-inspiring 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 crushing of Italian Lorenzo Musetti.
The 20-year-old Spaniard, whose maiden run at Roland Garros ended in the last-eight last year, next faces Stefanos Tsitsipas or Sebastian Ofner with a potential mouthwatering semifinal clash against Djokovic looming.
On paper, Musetti had all the tools to unsettle Alcaraz – the touch, a superb backhand and a victory on clay in their only encounter. On court, however, the Italian had nothing to bother his opponent.
Alcaraz had way too much firepower and grit for the 17th seed, who also got tortured at the net on Court Philippe Chatrier.
“I had a high quality of shots, I played really aggressive and he played a complete match from the first point to the last so I’m happy to be through to the next round,” said Alcaraz, watched by his coach Juan Carlos Ferrero, who lifted the Musketeers Cup 20 years ago.
“I try not to think about being world No. 1 or the pressure. All these thoughts, I keep them out of my mind.
I just want to enjoy myself, entertain the crowd, and smile. This is the key to everything.”
In women’s action, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, a 2021 finalist, fought back from the brink to earn an impressive 3-6, 7-6(3), 6-3 comeback win over Belgian 28th seed Elise Mertens to reach the quarterfinals.
Mertens was 4-1 up in the second set but then struggled to deal with Pavlyuchenkova’s relentless power as the Russian prevailed in a tiebreak and cruised through the decider, sealing the win after more than three hours on court.
Also, Elina Svitolina recovered from a break down in the second set and battled through a tiebreak to knock out Russia’s ninth seed Daria Kasatkina 6-4, 7-6(5) and reach the quarterfinals at Roland Garros for a fourth time.
The Ukrainian, in search of her maiden major title, is brimming with confidence after winning the Strasbourg title last month following her maternity break and is quickly rediscovering the form that took her to the last-eight in Paris in 2015, 2017 and 2020.
Doubles pair disqualified after ball girl is hit
Meanwhile, Japan’s Miyu Kato and Indonesia’s Aldila Sutjiadi were disqualified from the French Open after Kato struck a ball down the court between points, hitting a ball girl, during their women’s doubles third-round match.
Umpire Alexandre Juge gave Kato a warning before Czech Marie Bouzkova and Spain’s Sara Sorribes Tormo, on the other side of the net, asked for their opponents to be disqualified.
“No, no, let me explain to you. [Kato] didn’t do it on purpose, she [the ball girl] didn’t get injured,” Juge said.
“She didn’t do it on purpose? She’s crying,” Sorribes Tormo said.
“And she has blood,” Bouzkova added, prompting the umpire to go to see the ball girl, who was sobbing.
After speaking to the girl, the umpire went back up to his chair and announced the end of the match with the disqualification of Kato and Sutjiadi.
Bouzkova and Sorribes Tormo were leading 7-6(1), 1-3 at the time.