Djokovic Cruises Through In Paris

Novak Djokovic extended his winning streak to eight matches on Friday at Roland Garros, cruising past Slovenian Aljaz Bedene 6-3, 6-3, 6-2 to safely move into the fourth round.

The World No. 1 captured a record-extending 38th ATP Masters 1000 crown in Rome earlier in May and has looked in control throughout the first week in Paris, where the 35-year-old is yet to drop a set.

In a strong performance against Bedene on Court Philippe Chatrier, Djokovic fired 30 winners and committed just 18 unforced errors as he dictated the baseline exchanges to book his place in the fourth round for the 16th time.

The Serbian, who is making his 18th appearance in Paris, is aiming to retain his title in Paris after he defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas to capture his second Roland Garros crown last year.

Following his one-hour, 45-minute victory, the Serbian will next play Argentine Diego Schwartzman. Djokovic will enter the match holding a 6-0 ATP Head2Head lead over the 15th seed.

In a confident display, Djokovic disrupted Bedene’s rhythm with his sliced backhand and looked strong on serve, losing just two points behind his first serve in the opening two sets. The top seed struck his groundstrokes cleanly, with Bedene continuously hitting the ball into Djokovic’s hitting zone.

The Slovenian was unable to harm the World No. 1 from the baseline in the third set as Djokovic continued to serve well and outmanoeuvre Bedene to record his 15th victory of the season.

The 20-time Grand Slam champion is in his record 371st week at No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, but his position is under threat from Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev in Paris. Djokovic will lose the 2,000 points he earned from the title on 13 June, as the tournament was played a week later last season, opening the door for Medvedev and Zverev.

Bedene eliminated Christopher O’Connell and Pablo Cuevas to reach the third round in Paris for the third time. The 32-year-old was unable to earn a maiden win against Djokovic, though, with the Serbian improving to 4-0 in their ATP Head2Head series.