Novak Djokovic slogged into the French Open fourth round for the 17th time and 14th in a row as he outlasted Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 7-6 (4), 7-6 (5), 6-2 on Friday.
The Serb third seed, a two-time champion at Roland Garros, improved his record in the series to 3-1 over the Spaniard who beat him when they last played at 2022 Monte Carlo.
With the first two sets taking nearly three hours to complete, Djokovic was seen briefly by the trainer at the start of the third.
The 22-time Grand Slam winner admitted the opening stages were extremely slow going.
“A win is a win,” he said. “But maybe the first two sets were a bit too much,” he said after advancing on a second match point..
“If I had lost the second set we could have been playing for five hours.
“But you have to be ready, that’s what Grand Slams are all about – five sets on the slowest surface in the sport.
“It takes a lot of effort; we have to believe in ourselves and make the most of it.
“I’m proud of the performance today for sure.”
Lorenzo Sonego overhauled Andry Rublev from two sets to love down, sending the seventh seed to a 5-7, 0-6, 6-3, 7-6 (5), 6-3 defeat.
Rublev came to the court with a 14-4 record against Italians opponents over the last two and a half seasons.
He was denied a Paris fourth round place as No. 48 Sonego prevailed in three and three-quarter hours with his first upset of a Top 10 opponent at a Grand Slam after four defeats.
“I played my best tennis this year,” the winner said. “There were a lot of things in my mind, but I tried to stay focused on every point and enjoy the
moment.
“The crowd helped me a lot during the match.”the most most difficult win of my career.
“I’ve never won a match two sets down – I’m really happy for that.”
Karen Khachanov, the 11th seed, ended the dramatic run of Thanasi Kokkinakis two days after the Australian wild card knocked out 2015 Paris champion Stan Wawrinka in five sets.
The recent Australian and US Open semi-finalist prevailed 6-4, 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 (5), with Kokkinakis ending the contest as he slipped and fell while attempting to set up for a forehand pass.
The Aussie served for the fourth set leading 5-4 but missed out as Khachanov powered through in three and three-quarter hours of battle.
Kokkinakis saved a first match point for his opponent in the fourth-set tiebreaker during a three-shot rally with a broken racquet string.
Kachanov reached the fourth round here for a sixth time as he came form a break down in the fourth set.
Austrian qualifier Sebastian Ofner outlasted Italy;’s Fabio Fognini over five sets to advance to his best Grand Slam showing after a 5-7, 6-3, 7-5, 1-6, 6-4 win which took almost four hours.
Main photo:- Roland Garros Novak Djokovic (SRB) celebrates winning third round match by Roger Parker International Sports Fotos Ltd
