2021 French Open: Novak Djokovic advances after beating Ricardas Berankis
Men's singles world number one Novak Djokovic eased past Ricardas Berankis in the third round of the 2021 French Open at Roland Garros on Saturday. Djokovic tamed Berankis 6-1, 6-4, 6-1 in straight sets to advance. In this one-sided victory, the Serbian dominated the show from the beginning. Djokovic will now face Italian teenager Lorenzo Musetti in the fourth round.
For Djokovic, this was his 77th match win at Roland Garros. He now has a 77-15 win-loss record here. This was Djokovic's 306th career Grand Slam match victory. This was the fourth career meeting between Djokovic and Berankis. Djoker has taken a 4-0 lead in the head-to-head meetings. Interestingly, Djokovic had beaten Berankis in the 2020 French Open round of 16.
Djokovic is enjoying yet another successful season. He began the year by clinching a record-extending ninth Australian Open title, his 18th major overall. Djokovic is bidding to capture his second Roland Garros crown, having won in 2016. Prior to the tournament, he won the Belgrade Open by defeating Alex Molcan in the final. Djokovic has now won 11 out of his last 12 encounters.
Djokovic fired five aces, besides enjoying an 88% win on the first serve. He converted five out of eight breakpoints. He also dominated the scenes in terms of total points (87) and games won (18).
Musetti extended his stay in Paris with a hard-fought five-set victory over fellow Italian Marco Cecchinato. Musetti eon the tie 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 in three hours and seven minutes. Notably, this was the first five-setter of his career. The 19-year-old hit 50 winners and clinched his 16th match win this season (16-8). He will face Djokovic next in the round of 16.
Take a bow, Lorenzo Musetti 🇮🇹
— ATP Tour (@atptour) June 5, 2021
It's a first ever five-set win for the 19-year-old as he beats Cecchinato 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3. #RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/iYlJCQ8WQG
Diego Schwartzman reached the fourth round in men's singles after beating Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-4, 6-2, 6-1 in straight sets. He is yet to drop at set this year at the Roland Garros.
Serbian ace Djokovic is headed to the fourth round at the Roland Garros for the 12th consecutive year. This is now a new Open Era record for the longest streak of Roland Garros round of 16 appearances.
