Novak Djokovic advances to French Open quarter-finals after straight victory over Juan Pablo Varillas

The Serbian, who is currently tied with Spain's Rafa Nadal at 22 majors, was untroubled by his 94th-ranked opponent, the first Peruvian in 29 years to reach a Grand Slam fourth round, on a windy day on Philippe Chatrier court.

FPJ Web Desk Updated: Sunday, June 04, 2023, 09:38 PM IST

World number 3 Novak Djokovic, currently took a significant step towards securing his record-breaking 23rd Grand Slam title at the French Open. In a dominating display on Sunday, he crushed Juan Pablo Varillas from Peru with a resounding 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 victory, advancing to the quarter-finals.

Facile straight-set victory

The Serbian player, who is currently tied with Rafa Nadal from Spain with 22 major titles, faced little resistance from his opponent, ranked at 94th. Despite the challenging windy conditions on the Philippe Chatrier court, Djokovic remained composed and in control throughout the match.

Djokovic employed an aggressive strategy, aiming to avoid getting entangled in lengthy baseline exchanges that had proven successful for Varillas in his previous rounds, all of which ended in grueling five-set battles. Seizing every opportunity to attack, Djokovic outplayed Varillas in the majority of shorter rallies, leaving his opponent struggling to find a foothold in the match.

With this victory, Djokovic now sets his sights on the quarterfinals, where he will face the 11th seed Karen Khachanov. As a two-time champion at the French Open, Djokovic's remarkable performance has propelled him to the quarter-finals for a record-breaking 17th time, surpassing even the absent Rafa Nadal, who holds 14 titles but is unable to compete this year due to injury.

Published on: Sunday, June 04, 2023, 09:38 PM IST

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