French Open: Dominant Djokovic charges into quarterfinals, beats Juan Pablo Varillas in Roland Garros

PARIS :Two-time champion Novak Djokovic romped to another comprehensive victory at the French Open, reaching the last-eight stage for a record 17th time by beating Juan Pablo Varillas in straight sets at the Roland Garros on Sunday.

Djokovic thus maintained his chase for a record 23rd Grand Slam title and the World No.1 Ranking as he raced past Juan Pablo Varillas 6-3, 6-2, 6-2.

Djokovic dominated his No. 94-ranked opponent on Court Philippe Chatrier, where he struck the ball cleanly off both wings throughout his one-hour, 57-minute victory. He fired 35 winners and converted six of the 12 break points he earned to book a clash against Karen Khachanov in the last eight in Paris.

Djokovic has one more motivation to push for the title in the French capital as a third Roland Garros crown would also help him become the first player to complete three career Grand Slams.

After fending off a break point to hold in the opening game of the match, Djokovic raced to a 4-0 lead with some early high-class baseline hitting. The 36-year-old struck consistently with depth and power, offering Varillas few opportunities to dictate rallies. Aside from dropping serve in the fifth game as Varillas battled, Djokovic delivered a near-complete display to improve to 89-16 at Roland Garros.

Despite defeat to Djokovic, Varillas leaves Paris with fond memories of a dream run to his first fourth-round appearance at a major. The 27-year-old is the Peruvian to reach that stage at Roland Garros since Jaime Yzaga in 1994.

Khachanov earlier advanced to his third consecutive Grand Slam quarterfinal with a 1-6, 6-4, 7-6(7), 6-1 victory against Lorenzo Sonego.

Khachanov, who reached the semi-f'nals at last year's US Open and the Australian Open in January, finished the match having struck 36 winners to 34 unforced errors. He is now 21-6 at Roland Garros, where he also reached the quarter-finals in 2019.

World number one Carlos Alcaraz also powered his way into the quarter-finals of the French Open with a commanding 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 victory over Italian player Lorenzo Musetti.

Meanwhile Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova dug deep to return to the French Open quarter-finals for the first time since her runner-up finish two years ago while fellow Russian Karen Khachanov also fought his way through on a bright Sunday at Roland Garros.

Pavlyuchenkova, who was defeated in the 2021 final by Czech Barbora Krejcikova, skipped last year's edition as well as the second half of the season to nurse a knee problem and came into the match after three-setters in her last two encounters. She was tested again by 28th seed Elise Mertens but rallied from a set and a break down to seal a 3-6, 7-6(3), 6-3 victory in a little more than three hours.

Pavlyuchenkova, who has slipped to world number 333 after being forced to stop playing completely for around five months last year, is the lowest-ranked French Open quarter-finalist in the Open Era.

Khachanov, the 11th seed, also showed plenty of resolve as he battled past Italian Lorenzo Sonego 1-6, 6-4, 7-6(7), 6-1 to reach the last eight for the second time. (Agencies)

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