Djokovic and Alcaraz advance at Roland Garros

Novak Djokovic reached the 55th Grand Slam men’s singles quarter-final of his career, only Roger Federer (58) has played in more
Photo: PHOTOSPORT

Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz inched closer to a blockbuster semi-final showdown with imperious victories at the French Open on Sunday as Elina Svitolina continued her sparkling run after returning from a maternity break to reach the quarter-finals.

Djokovic, who is chasing a men’s record 23rd Grand Slam to leapfrog Spaniard Rafa Nadal in the injured champion’s absence, blazed past Peruvian marathon man Juan Pablo Varillas 6-3 6-2 6-2 in a lopsided last-eight clash.

A two-time champion in Paris, Djokovic has now reached the quarters in Paris for a record 17th time, one more than Nadal.

“I’m proud of all the records but it also means I’m not young any more,” said the 36-year-old Djokovic.

“It was the best level of tennis I have played here so I’m very satisfied.”

World number one and top seed Alcaraz, another tenacious Spaniard who is backed to take the mantle of 14-times champion Nadal, bulldozed his way to a 6-3 6-2 6-2 win over Italian Lorenzo Musetti.

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 number one 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.”

Musetti won the first two games of the match but it was all downhill from there as he hit a brick wall, Alcaraz finding the best defence in all circumstances and relentlessly attacking when he saw the tightest opening.

The Spaniard bagged five games in a row and the first set quickly before getting a 2-0 advantage in the second, finding gravity-defying angles and showing his outstanding skills at the net.

Musetti fought back for 2-2 but that was not enough to unsettle Alcaraz, who peppered the court with winners including jaw-dropping shots over, or around, the net.

U.S. Open champion Alcaraz won four games in a row to take the second set and finished his demolition job in the third.

Although he had been showing some of his best tennis in Paris, Musetti said that he was too passive on Sunday, even if he admitted the best player won.

“I was too worried about him. I was always too much in a rush during the game,” he told a press conference.

“I think it’s a pity because I was playing for sure my best tennis, and today maybe I didn’t take the chance that I had.”

The conclusion he drew from the match, however, was: “I think today he showed that he probably can win this tournament.”

A fired-up Elina Svitolina advanced to the quarter-finals for the fourth time with a 6-4 7-6(5) victory over Russian ninth seed Daria Kasatkina to stay on track for a maiden Grand Slam in her first major since the birth of her daughter Skai in October.

Earlier, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova dug deep to return to the quarter-finals for the first time since her runner-up finish two years ago before fellow Russian Karen Khachanov also fought his way through on a bright Sunday.

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova became the first player to enter the quarters of the 2023 French Open.
Photo: Photosport

Pavlyuchenkova, who was defeated in the 2021 final by Czech Barbora Krejcikova, skipped last year’s edition as well as the second half of the season to nurse a knee problem and came into the match after three-setters in her last two encounters.

She was tested again by 28th seed Elise Mertens but rallied from a set and a break down to seal a 3-6 7-6(3) 6-3 victory in a little more than three hours.

Pavlyuchenkova, who has slipped to world number 333 after being forced to stop playing for five months last year, is the lowest-ranked French Open quarter-finalist in the Open Era.

Khachanov, the 11th seed, also showed plenty of resolve as he battled past Italian Lorenzo Sonego 1-6 6-4 7-6(7) 6-1 to reach the last eight for the second time.

“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 Khachanov, who has reached the semi-finals in his last two Grand Slams in New York and Melbourne.

There were dramatic scenes on Court 14 as Miyu Kato and Aldila Sutjiadi were disqualified from their women’s doubles third-round match after Kato struck a ball down the court between points and hit a ball girl to leave her sobbing.

Kato was initially warned by chair umpire Alexandre Juge but Czech Marie Bouzkova and Spain’s Sara Sorribes Tormo, who were leading 7-6(1) 1-3 at the time of the incident, pointed out to him that the ball girl was crying.

“No, no, let me explain to you. She (Kato) didn’t do it on purpose, she (the ball girl) didn’t get injured,” Juge said.

“She (Kato) didn’t do it on purpose? She’s crying,” Sorribes Tormo said, pointing to the ball girl.

“And she has blood,” Bouzkova added.

After speaking to the girl, the umpire went back up to his chair and announced the end of the match by disqualifying Kato and Sutjiadi to spark boos from the crowd.

-REUTERS