French Open: Djokovic pulls off another great escape; de Minaur sends Medvedev packing

Novak Djokovic advances to French Open quarterfinals; Daniil Medvedev and Aryna Sabalenka also secure wins.

Novak Djokovic pulled off another astonishing escape as he beat Argentine 23rd seed Francisco Cerundolo in a five-set thriller to reach a 15th consecutive French Open quarterfinal on Monday, June 3, 2024.

The World No. 1 shrugged off an injury to his right knee as he came from two sets to one down to outlast Cerundolo 6-1, 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 after four hours and 39 minutes.

Victory gave him a record 370th Grand Slam win, eclipsing the mark he had shared with Roger Federer.

Daniil Medvedev suffered a four-set loss to Australia’s Alex de Minaur as his disappointing record at Roland Garros continued. The Russian fifth seed started strongly but slipped to a 6-4, 2-6, 1-6, 3-6 defeat.

Medvedev’s best performance in the French Open remains a quarterfinal run in 2021, while he has also lost in the first round in five of his eight appearances.

“Alex played better,” admitted Medvedev, who doubled-faulted on match point.

de Minaur had never got past the second round before this year, winning just three of 10 matches. But he has improved on clay this season, also reaching a first Masters quarterfinal on the surface in Monte Carlo.