Three-times champion Novak Djokovic roared into the French Open quarter-finals by beating Briton Cameron Norrie 6-2 6-3 6-2 for his 100th match victory at Roland Garros on Monday to join Rafa Nadal in one of sport’s most exclusive fraternities.
The Serbian’s determined performance ensured he became only the second man to win a century of matches at the Parisian Grand Slam following the retired Nadal (112), keeping him on track for a record 25th major at the site of his Olympic gold last year.
It also made Roland Garros Djokovic’s most successful Grand Slam in terms of match wins, bettering the 99 victories that he has at the Australian Open, although the 38-year-old has lifted the trophy a staggering 10 times at Melbourne Park.
“It’s a number which is very good and nice, but a 101st win is even better,” Djokovic told the crowd in French.
“It’s not finished for me here the tournament and I feel very good and good to make history here. I hope there will be another win here in two days.”
By reaching the quarter-finals for the 16th straight year, Djokovic also became the oldest man entering the last eight at Roland Garros since 39-year-old Istvan Gulyas in 1971.
Djokovic arrived in Paris having won his 100th tour-level trophy in an otherwise lacklustre year and has not dropped a set in the tournament so far to remind his much younger title rivals of his undiminished hunger for more milestones.
He swapped breaks early on with Norrie in the first set but ran the 29-year-old ragged thereafter to win it before shrugging off another wobble on serve in a draining second set to pull away and double his advantage on Court Philippe Chatrier.
“I feel good I have a lot of expectations from my game,” added Djokovic, who earned his sixth win over Norrie in as many meetings after also powering past the left-hander en route to the Geneva title.
Djokovic broke to love in the third game of the third set after an unforced error by Norrie and the former world number one never looked back from there to book a last-eight meeting with German third seed Alexander Zverev.
The last time the duo clashed was in the Australian Open semi-finals in January, when Djokovic had to retire injured, but he will now look to extend his 8-5 record over the German.
Zverev moved into his seventh Roland Garros quarter-final when Dutch opponent Tallon Griekspoor quit with an abdominal problem while trailing 6-4, 3-0. The German is still hunting a first Grand Slam title. He lost the 2024 final to Carlos Alcaraz and then finished runner-up to Jannik Sinner in Melbourne.
Alexander Bublik took down his second top-10 rival in Paris as the rejuvenated Kazakh came from a set behind to defeat British fifth seed Jack Draper 5-7, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4.
Bublik, ranked 62nd, is into his first Grand Slam quarter-final and awaits the winner of the night session match between world number one Sinner and Andrey Rublev.
Lois Boisson knocked out third seed Jessica Pegula to become the first home quarter-finalist at Roland Garros since 2017.
Boisson sent shockwaves through Roland Garros as she kept the French flag flying with an improbable 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 win over 2024 US Open runner-up Pegula, to join Coco Gauff and Mirra Andreeva in the last eight.
Boisson goes on to face 18-year-old Russian rising star Andreeva on Wednesday for a place in the semi-finals. Sixth seed Andreeva moved through in straight sets as she cut short an attempted fightback by Daria Kasatkina to advance 6-3, 7-5.
World number two Gauff brushed Russian 20th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova aside 6-0, 7-5 to step up her pursuit of a first Roland Garros crown, and second Grand Slam title.
Former US Open champion Gauff will play reigning Australian Open champion Madison Keys in an all-American quarter-final.
Eighth-ranked Keys saw off unseeded compatriot Hailey Baptiste 6-3, 7-5.
Agencies
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