Djokovic survives Fokina scare

PARIS, June 2

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Twice champion Novak Djokovic huffed and puffed his way into the French Open fourth round with a 7-6(4) 7-6(5) 6-2 win over Spanish 29th seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina today.

Djokovic, who is aiming to leapfrog injured champion Rafa Nadal and win a record 23rd Grand Slam title, came into the match on Court Philippe Chatrier having lost to Davidovich Fokina the last time they met in Monte Carlo. “I knew it was going to be a very difficult match, a very physical match,” Djokovic said. “We played three hours for only two sets. He contested very well. He is an amazing fighter and an amazing player. He has very few weaknesses in his game. Congratulations to him for fighting. Bad luck, but he played a great match.”

The 36-year-old Serbian was given an early reminder of his struggles in that 2022 match by the man-bun sporting Davidovich Fokina, who had the world No. 3 tied up in knots with some heavy hitting and breathtaking drop shots.

Djokovic creaked on serve but hit back when it mattered to level at 3-3 and edged the 83-minute first set with a blistering crosscourt winner that drew huge roars.

A charged-up Djokovic responded to an early break with two of his own but dropped serve again in the wildly swinging second set, before shrugging off three double faults at 5-5 and a time violation to double his advantage in another tiebreak.

He called the trainer onto court for an apparent left leg issue, sparking fears the injury that accompanied his run to the Australian Open title in January had returned, but pulled away in the third set and crossed the finish line in style. Reuters

Day 6: highlights
Italian SONEGO UPSETS RUBLEV

Italian Lorenzo Sonego upset seventh seed Andrey Rublev 5-7 0-6 6-3 7-6(5) 6-3 to reach the fourth round of the French Open for a second time. Karen Khachanov, seeded 11th, beat Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis 6-4 6-1 3-6 7-6(5).

SVITOLINA TO FACE KASATKINA

In a rematch of last week’s final in Strasbourg, Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina once again got the better of Anna Blinkova, advancing to the fourth round after recovering from a set down to clinch a 2-6 6-2 7-5 victory over the Russian. Svitolina, a three-time French Open quarterfinalist, next faces ninth seed Daria Kasatkina. Kasatkina made light work of Peyton Stearns in their third-round match, dispatching the American 6-0 6-1 in just under an hour.

MERTENS sends PEGULA HOME

World No. 3 Jessica Pegula became the highest-ranked player in the women’s draw to exit the tournament after a 6-1 6-3 loss to Belgium’s Elise Mertens in the third round.

SABALENKA SKIPS PRESS CONFERENCE

World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus skipped her post-match press conference on Friday citing mental health reasons, after she was asked to comment on the war in Ukraine on Wednesday following her second-round win. “I should be able to feel safe when I do interviews with the journalists after my matches,” Sabalenka said in an interview with tournament organisers. Sabalenka moved into the fourth round with a clinical 6-2 6-2 win over Russian Kamilla Rakhimova.