ROLAND GARROS MEN’S SINGLES: Djokovic eases past Bedene while Thiem ousts Zverev. Tsonga retires!

World number 1 and the first favorite to win the title, Novak Djokovic, battled against Aljaz Bedene and also with the clock, as he tried his best to finish his third round match this evening before the interruption due to a darkness. He succeeded in the end, ousting the inspired Brit 6-2 6-3 6-3, safely reaching the 4th round. Novak played a solid match despite losing few points due to the fact he wanted to finish the job as soon as possible, controlling both service games and also being dominant on the return as usual. He broke Bedene twice in the opening set in games 2 and 8, saving one break point in game 5 when he had the only troubles on his serve.

Bedene started to play better, relaxed and motivated by the big stage and a great rival on the other side of the net, showing why he reached the third round. He lost his serve in 4th and 6th games of the second set but manages to break back once after that, to at least prolong the set. Aljaz also saved 4 set points on his serve in game 8 for another nice hold but Novak had no troubles to close the set on own serve, looking good to end the match on time. The third set produced the biggest fight, especially in the first 6 games. Bedene lost his serve immediately in the first game but he broke back to level the score at 2-2, not having the deficit for the first time in the match. Still, Novak did his best to avoid any further resistance from his rival, breaking him in games 5 and 9 to bring the match home and to have a rest day tomorrow.  Biggest hope of the home crowd in Paris, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, had a good start against Ernests Gulbis, building a 5-2 lead before he was forced to retire …

continue reading in source www.tennisworldusa.org