Top seed Novak Djokovic continued his pursuit of a record-extending 25th Grand Slam title with another commanding performance at the French Open on Thursday. Meanwhile, Alexander Zverev followed up his significant win over Rafael Nadal with a dominant victory against David Goffin.
Chasing his fourth French Open title, the 37-year-old Djokovic displayed his top form in a decisive 6-4, 6-1, 6-2 win against Roberto Carballes Baena. Djokovic turned up his level late in the first set, securing a crucial break at 5-4 with aggressive baseline play.
He then maintained his momentum, securing a double break to lead 4-0 in the second set and eventually securing the match. Djokovic thrilled the crowd in the third set's opening game with an impressive shot around the net post in response to a drop shot from Carballes Baena.
Djokovic won 55 percent of his return points and broke Carballes Baena’s serve seven times, improving his ATP head-to-head record against the Spaniard to 3-0, all at Grand Slam level. He needs to reach at least the final to retain his World No. 1 ranking against Jannik Sinner.
Zverev, the fourth-seeded German, showcased his prowess with a solid 7-6(4), 6-2, 6-2 win over Goffin, striking 37 winners under the roof on Court Suzanne-Lenglen. Zverev, who is recovering from a severe ankle injury sustained at the 2022 French Open, appears to have regained his form, having recently claimed his sixth ATP Masters 1000 title in Rome. He will face either Tallon Griekspoor or Luciano Darderi next, aiming for his first major title.
In other matches, Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov and Canada's Denis Shapovalov advanced to the third round. Dimitrov, the 10th seed, easily defeated Fabian Marozsan 6-0, 6-3, 6-4, while Shapovalov overcame a first-set loss to beat 25th seed Frances Tiafoe 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 on Court 11.
Felix Auger-Aliassime progressed by beating Germany’s Henri Squire 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, marking his second trip to the third round in Paris. The 23-year-old Canadian, who reached the final at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Madrid earlier this year, will face either Ben Shelton or Kei Nishikori next.
Additionally, eighth seed Hubert Hurkacz defeated American Brandon Nakashima 6-7(2), 6-1, 6-3, 7-6(5) in a marathon three hours and 20 minutes match. Hurkacz delivered 16 aces and won 83 percent of his first-serve points to advance.
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