Novak Djokovic aims to secure his 15th straight French Open quarter-final on Monday after setting an unfortunate Roland Garros record. The defending champion and 24-time Grand Slam winner reached the last 16 by overcoming Italy's Lorenzo Musetti in a grueling five-set match, which ended at 3:07 a.m. Sunday, marking the latest finish ever at the tournament.
"I think certain things could have been handled differently," said the 37-year-old Djokovic. "There is a certain beauty in winning the match at three in the morning if it is the last of the tournament, but this wasn't the case."
On Monday, Djokovic, a three-time French Open champion, will face Argentina's 23rd seed Francisco Cerundolo for a spot in the quarter-finals. A victory would give him a record 370th Grand Slam match win. Cerundolo and Djokovic have never played before, but Cerundolo has shown his capability on clay by defeating world number four Alexander Zverev in Madrid earlier this season on his way to the quarter-finals. The 25-year-old also reached the last 16 in Paris in 2023, losing in five sets to Denmark's Holger Rune.
Zverev, who eliminated 14-time champion Rafael Nadal in the first round, narrowly survived a third-round scare from Tallon Griekspoor, coming back from 4-1 down in the final set. The 27-year-old German is playing under the cloud of an ongoing trial in Berlin over allegations of assaulting an ex-girlfriend. Zverev is in the fourth round at Roland Garros for the seventh consecutive year and is the only player to reach the semi-finals at the last three French Opens. Rune, a two-time quarter-finalist in Paris, defeated Zverev in straight sets in their only previous clay meeting in Munich in 2022.
Fifth-seeded Russian Daniil Medvedev faces Australian 11th seed Alex de Minaur. Medvedev, a former US Open champion, reached the quarter-finals in 2021 after four consecutive first-round exits.
Casper Ruud, the runner-up to Nadal and then Djokovic in the last two years, plays Taylor Fritz for a quarter-final spot. Fritz showcased his power with 56 winners against Thanasi Kokkinakis in a five-set third-round battle on Saturday.
Women's Tournament Highlights
In the women's tournament, world number two Aryna Sabalenka, who was a semi-finalist in 2023 and has reached at least the last four in her past six Grand Slams, faces American 22nd seed Emma Navarro. The 23-year-old Navarro is making her debut in the last 16 of a Grand Slam, having defeated fellow American Madison Keys in the third round.
Former Wimbledon champion and fourth seed Elena Rybakina, the only woman to beat world number one Iga Swiatek on clay this season, will compete against Ukrainian 15th seed Elina Svitolina. Moscow-born French player Varvara Gracheva takes on 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva, the youngest woman to reach the last 16 on all three Slam surfaces since Anna Kournikova in 1998.
"I know Varvara pretty well. We've been practising together for almost two years, so I know what to expect. She's at a great level right now," said Andreeva of her 88th-ranked opponent.
Monday's other last 16 clash features Elina Avanesyan, also from Russia, against Italian 12th seed Jasmine Paolini.
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