Novak Djokovic holds off Grigor Dimitrov to storm into 4th round, Iga Swiatek wins 12th consecutive game

By India Today Sports DeskNovak Djokovic advanced to the fourth round of the Italian Open after defeating Grigor Dimitrov in a closely contested three-set match on Sunday.

The Serbian dropped the second set after Dimitrov won four straight games to force a decider, but Djokovic showed his class in the third set, breaking Dimitrov’s serve three times to close out the match 6-3, 4-6, 6-1.

Djokovic was satisfied with his performance, acknowledging that he could have won the match in straight sets had he not let his level drop in the second set. He praised his ability to remain focused and calm under pressure, citing his experience of winning more matches than he has lost in difficult circumstances.

Djokovic’s victory over Dimitrov improved his head-to-head record against the Bulgarian to 11-1.

“[I was] very solid. I think I could have won in straight sets,” said Djokovic. “I was a set and 4-2 up and had a pretty decent forehand in the middle of the court at deuce on his serve and missed that. He held his serve well, we had new balls the next game, I did a double fault, the crowd got into it and got behind him and of course the energy of the place and the of the match changed.

“I dropped my level a bit, but luckily I managed find it right away in the first game [of the third set], made that crucial break and kind of shifted the momentum to my side, so I’m really pleased with the way I closed out the match.”

The defending champion will next face either Cameron Norrie or Marton Fucsovics as he looks to reach the quarter-finals for the 17th consecutive time in Rome. Djokovic has won the Italian Open five times and has an impressive 66-10 win-loss record in the tournament.

SWIATEK EXTENDS WINNING STREAK

Polish tennis star Iga Swiatek reached the Round of 16 after beating Lesia Tsurenko 6-2, 6-0 in the third round on Sunday. The World No.1 and two-time defending champion started slow, dropping the opening two games, but quickly regained control to win 12 consecutive games and close out the match in just over an hour.

Swiatek will face either Liudmila Samsonova or Donna Vekic in the next round.

Despite her recent struggles on clay, Tsurenko came into the match with some confidence after back-to-back upsets over Elina Svitolina and Bernarda Pera. However, Swiatek proved too strong for the Ukrainian and maintained her impressive form on clay this season.

The 19-year-old has now won 27 matches this year and holds an 11-1 record on clay in 2023. Swiatek said”After a pretty rusty start, I was able to break back pretty quickly, so I’m happy that I played solid game. Just have another experience playing on center court, and I’m happy that it wasn’t raining.”