French Open Round Up | Novak Djokovic to meet Alexander Zverev clash as Juan del Potro bows out
World No.1 Novak Djokovic breezed past Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff in straight sets on Monday and set up a mouth-watering clash with Alexander Zverev. However, the huge upset of day nine was surely Argentine star Juan del Potro getting eliminated by tenth seeded Russian Karen Khachanov.
The Serbian top-seed became the first man ever to reach the French Open quarter-finals for 10 successive seasons on Monday as he continued his contention to hold all four Grand Slam title for the second time in his career. Struff was hardly a competition for Djokovic who won it 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 hardly breaking any sweat.
He would next be facing another German, a better and more celebrated tennis player, in the fifth-seeded Alexander Zverev who reached back-to-back Roland Garros quarter-final for the second time with a hard-fought 3-6, 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 (7/5) victory over Italy’s Fabio Fognini.
However, the first upset of the tournament also took place on Monday when Karen Khachanov managed to reach his first Grand Slam quarter-final by defeating Juan Martin del Potro 7-5, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3. He is the first tennis player from Russia to reach the last eight in Paris since Mikhail Youzhny in 2010.
His next task would probably be the toughest so far when he faces 23-year-old Austrian prodigy Dominic Thiem, who was the runner-up to Rafael Nadal in 2018 final. Fourth-seeded Thiem had a relatively easier match against dangerous Gael Monfils as he won 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 in straight sets to reach his fourth successive French Open quarter-final.
