French Open 2020: Novak Djokovic breezes into quarters; Stefanos Tsitsipas overcomes eye problem to win

Paris: Stefanos Tsitsipas on Monday overcame an eye problem to become the first Greek man to reach the Roland Garros quarter-finals with a 6-3, 7-6 (11/9), 6-2 win over Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria. Later in the day, Novak Djokovic racked up his 35th win of 2020 and a place in the Roland Garros quarter-finals for the 14th time with a 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 win over Russia’s Karen Khachanov. The 22-year-old will now take on Andrey Rublev in a repeat of the recent Hamburg final which was won by the Russian. Tsitsipas has now won 12 successive sets at the tournament having been two sets down to Jaume Munar in the opening round. “I had a problem with my eye so that’s why I had to call the doctor. It happened in my earlier matches too. It’s still red and irritated,” he explained. [caption id=“attachment_8881911” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Stefanos Tsitsipas receives medical assistance during his match against Grigor Dimitrov at the French Open on Monday. AP Photo[/caption] On Monday, he saved three set points in the second set tiebreaker while frustrating 18th seed Dimitrov by saving the only three break points he faced. “The tiebreak was where the money was,” said Tsitsipas who fell in a five-setter to former champion Stan Wawrinka in the last 16 in 2019. Djokovic wins 35th match of 2020 The World No 1, chasing a second title in Paris and 18th career Grand Slam, goes on to face either Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta or unseeded Daniel Altmaier of Germany for a place in the semi-finals. Djokovic, who hit 44 winners, has yet to drop a set in the tournament, losing just 25 games in four rounds. “It was a tight match and I am happy to win in straight sets,” said the World No 1 who has now reached 47 quarter-finals at the Slams. It will also be his 11th in a row in Paris. He had a heart-stopping moment in the first set when he stretched for a forehand and was unable to avoid seeing the ball accidentally hit a line judge.

The incident came just weeks after he was defaulted at the US Open for swiping at a ball which felled a line judge standing behind him.