Djokovic, Nadal battle through
Source: Agencies |
May 29, 2011, Sunday
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NOVAK Djokovic looked to be back to his best at the French Open yesterday, extending his perfect season to 40 straight wins with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory over Juan Martin del Potro.
Djokovic, who has not lost in 42 matches dating back to last year's Davis Cup final, returned to Court Suzanne Lenglen in Paris yesterday after splitting the opening two sets on Friday - before the match was suspended because of darkness.
But the second-seeded Serb had no problems on Day 2 against del Potro, the 2009 US Open champion. He had 41 winners to Del Potro's 22 and had four of his five breaks in the final two sets.
Rafael Nadal also appeared to put his struggles behind him, advancing to the fourth round with a 6-1, 6-3, 6-0 win over Croatian qualifier Antonio Veic. Australian Open runners-up Andy Murray and Li Na also advanced.
Later, three-time grand slam champion Maria Sharapova was scheduled to be on court.
Djokovic's 40-0 start to 2011 is the second-best opening streak in the Open era, which started in 1968. The two-time grand slam champion's overall winning streak of 42 is only four fewer than the record set by Argentina's Guillermo Vilas in 1977.
Djokovic entered the French Open after beating Nadal in two claycourt finals, making him a co-favorite for his first French Open title. And if he makes the final, the Serb will be guaranteed to take over the No. 1 ranking.
In the next round, Djokovic will face No. 13 Richard Gasquet of France.
Spaniard Nadal, who needed five sets to win his opening match at Roland Garros, had only 18 unforced errors and managed to break his opponent nine times.
The five-time French Open champion has been dominant at Roland Garros since his debut in 2005, when he won the first of four straight titles.
Fourth round
His only loss at the claycourt grand slam came in 2009, when he was defeated by Robin Soderling in the fourth round, giving him a 41-1 record at the tournament.
But this year, Nadal started off with a bit of a wobble, needing five sets to beat John Isner. In the second round, Nadal defeated Pablo Andujar 7-6 (4) in the third set.
"I did a few things much better than the previous days. Happy for that," Nadal said. "Just the beginning of the second, for moments of the second set, I had a few more mistakes. But for the rest of the match, I think I started to have better control of the ball."
Murray advanced despite an injury scare in the second set when he twisted his right ankle. He eventually beat Michael Berrer 6-2, 6-3, 6-2. The fourth-seeded Brit called for a trainer and had his ankle taped before returning to court and breaking his opponent on the next point.
The German, however, said he failed to take advantage of the situation. "That was a very big chance. I think a chance like this you get maybe once in your life. I should have hurt him when he's down, but that's difficult for me."
Murray will next face Victor Troicki of Serbia, who beat No. 21 Alexandr Dolgopolov of Ukraine 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. Juan Ignacio Chela of Argentina advanced by defeating Czech Lukas Rosol 6-2, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (5).
The sixth-seeded Li, who this year became the first Chinese player to get to the final at a major tournament, defeated Sorana Cirstea of Romania 6-2, 6-2 and will next face No. 9 Petra Kvitova. Li has made at least the quarterfinals at the other three grand slam tournaments.
Kvitova defeated Vania King of the US 6-4, 6-2, while Ekaterina Makarova of Russia eliminated No. 16 Kaia Kanepi of Estonia 6-4, 7-5. Fourth-seeded Victoria Azarenka of Belarus also advanced, beating No. 30 Roberta Vinci of Italy 6-3, 6-2.
Djokovic, who has not lost in 42 matches dating back to last year's Davis Cup final, returned to Court Suzanne Lenglen in Paris yesterday after splitting the opening two sets on Friday - before the match was suspended because of darkness.
But the second-seeded Serb had no problems on Day 2 against del Potro, the 2009 US Open champion. He had 41 winners to Del Potro's 22 and had four of his five breaks in the final two sets.
Rafael Nadal also appeared to put his struggles behind him, advancing to the fourth round with a 6-1, 6-3, 6-0 win over Croatian qualifier Antonio Veic. Australian Open runners-up Andy Murray and Li Na also advanced.
Later, three-time grand slam champion Maria Sharapova was scheduled to be on court.
Djokovic's 40-0 start to 2011 is the second-best opening streak in the Open era, which started in 1968. The two-time grand slam champion's overall winning streak of 42 is only four fewer than the record set by Argentina's Guillermo Vilas in 1977.
Djokovic entered the French Open after beating Nadal in two claycourt finals, making him a co-favorite for his first French Open title. And if he makes the final, the Serb will be guaranteed to take over the No. 1 ranking.
In the next round, Djokovic will face No. 13 Richard Gasquet of France.
Spaniard Nadal, who needed five sets to win his opening match at Roland Garros, had only 18 unforced errors and managed to break his opponent nine times.
The five-time French Open champion has been dominant at Roland Garros since his debut in 2005, when he won the first of four straight titles.
Fourth round
His only loss at the claycourt grand slam came in 2009, when he was defeated by Robin Soderling in the fourth round, giving him a 41-1 record at the tournament.
But this year, Nadal started off with a bit of a wobble, needing five sets to beat John Isner. In the second round, Nadal defeated Pablo Andujar 7-6 (4) in the third set.
"I did a few things much better than the previous days. Happy for that," Nadal said. "Just the beginning of the second, for moments of the second set, I had a few more mistakes. But for the rest of the match, I think I started to have better control of the ball."
Murray advanced despite an injury scare in the second set when he twisted his right ankle. He eventually beat Michael Berrer 6-2, 6-3, 6-2. The fourth-seeded Brit called for a trainer and had his ankle taped before returning to court and breaking his opponent on the next point.
The German, however, said he failed to take advantage of the situation. "That was a very big chance. I think a chance like this you get maybe once in your life. I should have hurt him when he's down, but that's difficult for me."
Murray will next face Victor Troicki of Serbia, who beat No. 21 Alexandr Dolgopolov of Ukraine 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. Juan Ignacio Chela of Argentina advanced by defeating Czech Lukas Rosol 6-2, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (5).
The sixth-seeded Li, who this year became the first Chinese player to get to the final at a major tournament, defeated Sorana Cirstea of Romania 6-2, 6-2 and will next face No. 9 Petra Kvitova. Li has made at least the quarterfinals at the other three grand slam tournaments.
Kvitova defeated Vania King of the US 6-4, 6-2, while Ekaterina Makarova of Russia eliminated No. 16 Kaia Kanepi of Estonia 6-4, 7-5. Fourth-seeded Victoria Azarenka of Belarus also advanced, beating No. 30 Roberta Vinci of Italy 6-3, 6-2.
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