French Open: Novak Djokovic vs Grigor Dimitrov Match Report and Stats June 1, 2013

Novak Djokovic guranteed there was no repeat of his recent Rome defeat by Grigor Dimitrov as he swept past the Bulgarian at the French Open. The world number one powered to a 6-2 6-2 6-3 win in the much-anticipated Saturday evening match at Roland Garros. A late bout of treatment to his shoulder in the third set was the only concern for Djokovic, who will next face Victor Hanescu or Philipp Kohlschreiber in the last 16. He remains on collision course with Rafael Nadal in the semi-finals, after the seven-time champion beat Fabio Fognini 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 6-4 in the preceding match on Court Philippe Chatrier. Having dropped sets in his first two matches, the seven-time champion made it through in three this time but was still far from his best show, making 40 unforced errors over two hours and 45 minutes. Match stats Djokovic Dimitrov 2 Aces 0 68% 1st serves 69% 0 Double faults 2 13 Winners 18 22 Errors 48 81% 1st serve win % 57% 57% 2nd serve win % 35% 7/16 Break points 1/5 “I have to play better,” said Nadal. “If I want to have any chance, I really need to play better. But always it’s the same story – when you win without playing your best, you have the chance to play better. Djokovic quickly set about avoiding that scenario with two breaks of serve in the first three Dimitrov service plays. Dimitrov has long been touted as a future number one, and the win over Djokovic in Rome last month only heightened expectations around him, but he was playing in the third round of a Grand Slam for the first time and it showed. Seventeen unforced errors in a ragged first set were followed by a wayward smash that gifted Djokovic a break early in the second, after the Serb had set it up with a rasping forehand. The only interruption to Djokovic’s progress was a Mexican Wave as the crowd entertained themselves in the absence of a real contest in front of them. Dimitrov had treatment to his shoulder in the second set and Djokovic followed suit at 4-3 in the third, but the Bulgarian was unable to put any pressure on as the errors continued to flow. A flowing Dimitrov backhand winner and a thumping forehand down the line saved the first two match points, and gave a glimpse of his talent, but a loose backhand on the fourth match point ended the match after an unexpectedly brief one hour and 44 minutes. Tags: novak djokovic, french open, grigor dimitrov, djokovic dimitrov live, djokovic dimitrov live stream, djokovic dimitrov match report, djokovic dimitrov match facts, djokovic dimitrov match stats