Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
Novak Djokovic breezed through to the
third round of the 2021 French Open with a straight-sets victory (6-3, 6-2, 6-4) over
Pablo Cuevas at Stade Roland Garros in Paris.
Djokovic, who captured his only French
Open title in 2016, has showcased strong form in the early going by
winning six straight sets to open the season’s second Grand Slam
tournament. He recorded 32 winners and 10 aces in Thursday’s
second-round win.
The No. 1 seed in the men’s draw
advances to face Ricardas Berankis in Round 3.
Djokovic got off to a sluggish start to
the clay-court season with losses to Daniel Evans in the Monte Carlo
Masters Round of 16 and Aslan Karatsev in the Serbia Open semifinals.
He rebounded to reach the Rome Masters final—losing to Rafael Nadal—and went on to win the Belgrade Open title.
The 18-time major champion has looked
primed for a deep run during his first two matches in Paris.
He dropped just eight games in his
victory over Tennys Sandgren in the opening round, tallying 33
winners and securing five service breaks to move through in under
two hours.
It was more of the same type of
efficiency from the 34-year-old Serbian against Cuevas.
Djokovic was in total control for
virtually the entire match. He won 69 percent of the points on his
serve, 45 percent of points on return and converted five of his eight
break opportunities to advance.
“He has a lot of power and spin on
both the forehand and backhand, but I stayed focused and I think the
third set was really difficult for me,” Djokovic said. “I
raised my game. I stayed focused; I found my serve when it was
important.”
For his part, Cuevas didn’t play poorly
against the top-ranked player in the world. The 35-year-old Uruguayan
journeyman recorded more winners (31) than unforced errors (26) and
generated nine break chances. He only converted one, though, which halted
any thought of a serious upset bid.
Djokovic will once again be a heavy
favorite in the third round. He’s won all three of his prior meetings
with Berankis, 30, without dropping a set. That includes a dominant
6-1, 6-2, 6-2 victory over the Lithuania native in last year’s French
Open.
The road figures to get more difficult
for Djokovic, however, with Nadal and Roger Federer among the marquee
names on his half of the bracket.
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