Two things that stood out in Novak Djokovic's quarterfinal win over Karen Khachanov at French Open
Third seed Novak Djokovic beat 11th seed Karen Khachanov 4-6, 7-6 (0), 6-2, 6-4 in the quarterfinals of French Open on Tuesday, 6th June. The match lasted for a little more than three and a half hours, with the 36-year-old Serb doing just about enough to go through to the next round.
Djokovic will take on top seed Carlos Alcaraz in what promises to be an epic semifinal on Thursday, 8th June. Djokovic and Alcaraz are yet to meet at a Grand Slam, with the Spaniard winning their only clash in Madrid last year. Alcaraz is in a red-hot form at the moment, but Djokovic will count on his experience in the big match.
On that note, let us take a look at two things that stood out in Novak Djokovic's quarterfinal triumph:
#1. Karen Khachanov was arguably the better player in the first two sets:
Khachanov impressed with his big forehand in the first two sets, forcing the the Serb respond. Djokovic was also guilty of committing a lot of unforced errors -18 to be precise - in the first set. The majority of those errors came off his backhand, with the 36-year-old hitting it long on a number of occasions.
Khachanov got the requisite break of serve to win the first set, but Djokovic became a lot more disciplined with his shots in the second set. The Serb started playing his shots higher and slower in the second set to take pace off the ball and force the Russian to apply more power in his returns. He took the set to a tiebreak, where he dominated Khachanov and won every single point.
#2. Novak Djokovic's down-the-line shots proved to be very effective:
Midway through the second set, Djokovic started playing down-the-line shots off either wing, giving the Russian less time to retrieve the ball. With the ball having to travel less distance, the Russian needed to react quicker, making it harder for him to return effectively.
Djokovic's down-the-line forehand, especially, troubled Khachanov a lot as it was directed to the latter's backhand. The Serb raced through the third set and also got the decisive break in the fourth set to seal the deal. Novak Djokovic also hit 11 aces in the match to win easy points and keep the Russian under pressure.