Novak Djokovic showcased his exceptional skills as he comfortably defeated Juan Pablo Varillas of Peru, advancing to his record 17th French Open men’s quarter-final.
The Serbian third seed, aged 36, triumphed with a 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 victory on the clay courts of Roland Garros, surpassing Rafael Nadal to claim sole ownership of the quarter-final record.
In addition to the quarter-final milestone, Djokovic has his sights set on surpassing Nadal’s record by capturing a remarkable 23rd Grand Slam men’s singles title. Meanwhile, top seed Carlos Alcaraz also advanced to the next round after defeating Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti.
Alcaraz considered Djokovic’s primary rival for the title in the absence of the injured Nadal, secured a commanding 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 victory against the 17th seed later on Sunday.
Djokovic and Alcaraz remain on a collision course, potentially meeting in the semi-finals. Reflecting on his achievement of claiming the quarter-final record, Djokovic expressed pride but swiftly shifted his focus to the upcoming match, stating, “I’m proud of it, but my attention is already on the next match. I know what my goal is here. I’m trying to stay mentally focused and, of course, not look too far ahead.”
Next up, Djokovic will face Russian 11th seed Karen Khachanov, while Alcaraz is set to take on fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas. Khachanov secured his place in the quarter-finals with a hard-fought 1-6, 6-4, 7-6 (9-7), 6-1 victory over unseeded Italian Lorenzo Sonego.
On the other hand, Tsitsipas defeated Austrian qualifier Sebastian Ofner with a 7-5, 6-3, 6-0 scoreline.
Alcaraz, the current world number one, has been in exceptional form since returning from an abdominal injury. With his dominant performances on clay, the 20-year-old Spanish player has won his last 11 Grand Slam matches, having missed the Australian Open, which Djokovic triumphed in earlier this year.
Following a convincing win over Musetti, who eliminated British number one Cameron Norrie in the previous round, Alcaraz expressed his focus on enjoying his tennis and bringing joy to the spectators.
He said, “I try to not think about the pressure of being world number one. I try to enjoy my tennis, I try to make people enjoy watching tennis. This is all I think about during the match.”
The stage is set for an exhilarating continuation of the tournament as Djokovic and Alcaraz aim to make their mark in their respective matches and move closer to their ultimate goals at the French Open.
