Defending champion Novak Djokovic struggled into the French Open last 16 on Friday, downing battling Diego Schwartzman of Argentina 5-7, 6-3, 3-6, 6-1, 6-1.
The second seed endured a roller-coaster of an afternoon on Philippe Chatrier court, picking up warnings for his behaviour as his mindset became as gloomy as the weather.
The 30-year-old, almost undone by 55 unforced errors, eventually triumphed, racking up 12 of the last 14 games as Schwartzman’s challenge was foiled by a late back injury.
Djokovic will face either France’s Lucas Pouille, the 16th seed, or 19th-seeded Albert Ramos-Vinolas of Spain for a place in the last eight.
Schwartzman, a boyish-looking world number 41 standing at just 5ft 7ins (1.70m), had been routed in straight sets by Djokovic in their only other meeting at the 2014 US Open.
But he was fired up on Friday with the heavy, overcast conditions playing into his hands.
He carved a crucial break in the 11th game on his way to sealing the opening set.
Djokovic comfortably levelled before the Argentine, playing in the third round of a Slam for the first time, broke in the eighth game of the third.
The champion sprinted to a 4-0 lead in the fourth before he was warned for unsportsmanlike behaviour by umpire Carlos Ramos having received a time warning earlier in the match.
As light rain fell, Djokovic regained his composure — despite berating the ball boys — to level the match at two sets each and was quickly a break up in the decider.
In no time, he was 4-1 up and Schwartzman, playing just his fourth career five-set match, began to feel the pace, needing treatment for a back injury which effectively ended his hopes.
Belgian 10th seed David Goffin was forced to retire from his French Open third-round encounter against Argentine Horacio Zeballos after sustaining an ankle injury that has put his grass court season in doubt.
According to reports, Goffin, ranked 12th in the world, had not suffered a ligament tear but more time would be needed to determine the length of his absence and whether he would play during the grass season.
Goffin was leading 5-4 in the first set when Zeballos, who had earned his first break point, forced him to the edge of the court near a cover with a deep groundstroke. Goffin, a semi-finalist in Monte Carlo this year, managed to get to the ball, lifting a lob over the Argentine, but slipped and hurt his ankle. Medical staff rushed on and helped him off court for a medical check before the umpire announced minutes later that the 26-year-old had been forced to retire.
Zeballos, 32, who is in the fourth round at Roland Garros for the first time, will play sixth seed Dominic Thiem of Austria who beat American Steve Johnson on Friday.
This post was published on June 3, 2017 6:31 pm