Share

No sweat as Djokovic cruises into last 16 in Paris

Paris - World No 1 Novak Djokovic eased into the last 16 at Roland Garros on Saturday to step up his bid to hold all four Grand Slam titles simultaneously for the second time.

The Serbian saw off unseeded Italian Salvatore Caruso 6-3, 6-3, 6-2 to set up a fourth-round tie with either Germany's Jan-Lennard Struff or Croatian 13th seed Borna Coric.

"Finally, I think I found my best form in the second set," said Djokovic, who is yet to drop a set in the tournament after straightforward wins over Hubert Hurkacz and Swiss lucky loser Henri Laaksonen.

"It's good, I'm very motivated here at Roland Garros, the most beautiful tournament in the world."

It is the 10th successive year the top seed has reached the second week - and 13th in total - as he looks for a second French Open title after sealing his first 'Djoko Slam' in Paris in 2016.

Djokovic was never in any real trouble against world No 147 Caruso on Court Philippe Chatrier, breaking serve five times in the match and saving all of the five break points he faced.

The 32-year-old finished with eight aces and 25 winners against an outclassed opponent.

Results from the seventh day of the French Open on Saturday (x denotes seeding):

Men

Third round

Novak Djokovic (SRB x1) bt Salvatore Caruso (ITA) 6-3, 6-3, 6-2

Fabio Fognini (ITA x9) bt Roberto Bautista Agut (ESP x18) 7-6 (7/5), 6-4, 4-6, 6-1

Alexander Zverev (GER x5) bt Dusan Lajovic (SRB x30) 6-4, 6-2, 4-6, 1-6, 6-2

Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE x6) bt Filip Krajinovic (SRB) 7-5, 6-3, 6-7 (5/7), 7-6 (8/6)

Stan Wawrinka (SUI x24) bt Grigor Dimitrov (BUL) 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (10/8)

Women

Third round

Katerina Siniaková (CZE) bt Naomi Osaka (JPN x1) 6-4, 6-2

Madison Keys (USA x14) bt Anna Blinkova (RUS) 6-3, 6-7 (5/7), 6-4

Simona Halep (ROM x3) bt Lesia Tsurenko (UKR x27) 6-2, 6-1

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
25% - 1273 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1471 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2249 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE