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Diamars 8 Juni 2021

Djokovic, Nadal beat Italian teens to reach French Open QFs

Grand Slam matches in 2021 6-3, 6-1. Gauff now meets
and hadn't ceded more than Barbora Krejcikova, a 6-2, 6-0
four games in any set in Paris winner against Sloane Ste-
— let alone an entire set — phens, the 2017 U.S. Open
while dropping a total of just champion and 2018 French
23 games until Monday. Open runner-up.

Eventually, Djokovic earned Another quarterfinal will be
his fifth career comeback Maria Sakkari against defend-
from two sets down by limit- ing champion Iga Swiatek or
ing his mistakes and making Marta Kostyuk. Sakkari elim-
Musetti look like what he inated 2020 runner-up Sofia
is: Someone with plenty of Kenin 6-1, 6-3.
promise but not much expe-
rience. Gauff, Krejcikova and Sakkari
are three of the six women
Djokovic's 49th major quar- making Grand Slam quarter-
terfinal will come against an- final debuts, the most at any
other Italian, No. 9 seed Mat- major in the professional era.
teo Berrettini, who advanced
without needing to swing his On an afternoon that began
racket Monday. with the sun shining, before
The man Berrettini was sup- clouds intervened, Djokov-
posed to face, Roger Federer, ic's two-handed backhand,
(AP) — For two sets and champion Nadal took eight on his break-point chances withdrew Sunday in order his best shot, was off. Way off.
more than two hours games in a row and, after a and with a 53-30 edge in win- to let his surgically repaired
at the French Open on blip in the second set, re- ners. right knee and the rest of By the second game of the
Monday, Novak Djokovic sumed his excellent play and How shocking was it just his 39-year-old body recover third set, he already had accu-
found himself being out- closed his 7-5, 6-3, 6-0 win to see Musetti take a pair of with an eye to Wimbledon, mulated two dozen unforced
played by a 19-year-old on another eight-game run. sets against Djokovic, who which starts June 28. errors off that wing alone.
opponent from Italy mak- is seeking his second French
ing his Grand Slam debut. "He played better. That's all Open championship and Just as Nadal vs. Sinner was And while Djokovic is nor-
there is to say," Sinner sum- 19th Grand Slam trophy a rematch from last year in mally adept at tiebreakers —
And yet, to hear Djokovic tell marized. overall? Paris — Sinner also served he made no errors at all in the
it afterward, he had the kid "Even for me," Musetti ac- for the first set in that one be- three tiebreakers of his 2019
right where he wanted him. About the only thing that knowledged, "it was a little fore losing in three — Nadal Wimbledon final win against
Which turned out to be true. bothered Nadal down the surprising." will play No. 10 seed Diego Federer — Musetti was on-
stretch: He complained to the Schwartzman next in a re- target and so good in that
Rafael Nadal also faced an chair umpire that the stadi- The top-seeded Djokovic prise of a 2020 semifinal. high-pressure, high-stakes
Italian who's just 19 in the um's artificial lights shouldn't never has been beaten at environment. Musetti is now
fourth round — and also have been switched on while Roland Garros by someone Schwartzman saved seven 10-0 in tour-level tiebreakers
needed a bit of time to get there was still sunlight. ranked as low as the No. 76 set points in the opening set for his nascent career.
going. Nadal's trouble lasted Musetti. Djokovic's only pre- Monday on the way to elimi-
all of eight games and less "They say it is because of the vious loss against a teen at nating Jan-Lennard Struff After that, though, Djokovic
than 45 minutes Monday be- TV," Nadal said. "But my an- the French Open came back 7-6 (9), 6-4, 7-5. took over.
fore he seized control, ran his swer is: We used to have TV in 2006 against a guy named
Roland Garros streak to 35 before we had the lights on Nadal. And Djokovic entered Earlier, 17-year-old Ameri- "I never thought I had it
consecutive sets and joined here in Roland Garros. I saw the day 14-0 in the fourth can Coco Gauff became the won. Absolutely not," Mu-
Djokovic in reaching a record plenty of matches here — round at the place. youngest player since 2006 to setti said. "Against a cham-
15th quarterfinal at the clay- and from the TV, the quality reach the women's quarterfi- pion like Djokovic, you truly
court major tournament. of the image was great with- Plus, consider Djokovic's re- nals at a Slam by overwhelm- only have a victory when he
After dropping a pair of tie- out the lights." cent form: He was 10-0 in ing No. 25 seed Ons Jabeur shakes your hand at the end."
breakers, Djokovic suddenly
went from a big deficit to his Sinner and Musetti had
best tennis. He grabbed 13 planned to practice together
games in a row before Loren- at Court Philippe Chatrier
zo Musetti stopped playing on Monday morning before
because of lower back pain their matches there. But Sin-
and cramps while trailing 6-7 ner said his coach — Ric-
(7), 6-7 (2), 6-1, 6-0, 4-0. cardo Piatti, who mentored
Djokovic years ago — messed
"I like to play young guys in up the timing.
best-of-five, because I feel Musetti, a talented Italian so
even if they are leading a set good at the outset with his
or two sets to love, as it was one-handed backhand and
the case today, I still like my tremendous touch, is hardly
chances," said the top-seeded used to this best-of-five-set
Djokovic, who is 34, "be- format at the majors and he
cause I feel like I'm physically took a medical timeout after
fit and I know how to wear the fourth.
my opponent down."
"It didn't make sense to keep
Nadal, who turned 35 last playing. I couldn't win any
week, trailed 5-3 early on points or stay in the rallies.
against the 18th-seeded Jan- It was hard for me to move,"
nik Sinner, who served for Musetti said. "I was at my
the first set at 5-4. limit."

But 13-time French Open Djokovic wound up 9 for 9