A file image of Novak Djokovic during the second round of the French Open
Former World No. 1 Novak Djokovic on Wednesday overcame a resilient Jaume Munar in straight sets to advance to the next round of the Rolland Garros.
Seeded a lowly 20 in the latest French Open due to his injury-enforced absence recently, Djokovic was made to toil for every point in the Round of 64 of the Men's Singles with the first set going down to the tiebreaker, where Djokovic eased to a 7-1 win.
Although the 21-year-old Spaniard- Munar showed sparks of brilliance in patches, he could not sustain his tenacity for the remainder of the match. Coupled with recurrent erroneous shots and the technical superiority of his opponent, he bowed out to a 4-6, 4-6 loss in the following sets.
Djokovic, currently ranked 22 in the world, will now face 13th seeded Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut in the Round of 32, scheduled to be played on Friday.
Querrey Bows Out
Sam Querrey during the French Open
The French Open is Sam Querrey's least successful Grand Slam tournament and the American bowed out early again as this year's No. 12 seed.
He was beaten 1-6, 7-6 (3), 6-4, 6-1 by Gilles Simon of France in the second round.
Querrey hadn't even won a single match at Roland Garros since 2014 until beating Frances Tiafoe in the first round.
Querrey has been as far as the third round in Paris just once in 12 appearances.
Zverev Fights Back
Alexander Zverev during the French Open
Second-seeded Alexander Zverev trailed by a set and a break — and was down a broken racket, too — before eventually collecting himself and coming back to beat 60th-ranked Dusan Lajovic of Serbia 2-6, 7-5, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 in the French Open's second round.
Zverev equaled his best showing at Roland Garros; he also reached the third round two years ago.
If the 21-year-old German is going to get to the round of 16 he'll need to do something he never has at a Grand Slam tournament: defeat a player ranked in the top 50. Zverev's next match comes against 26th-seeded Damir Dzumhur.
Lajovic lost his eighth consecutive match that stretched to five sets.
William Sisters Advance
Serena and Venus Williams during the women's doubles at the French Open
Serena and Venus Williams have won their first Grand Slam doubles match in nearly two years.
The sisters moved into the second round of the French Open by coming back for a 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 victory over the 14th-seeded Japanese pairing of Shuko Aoyama and Miyu Kato in front of a Court 3 crowd that raucously supported the Americans.
The Williams-Williams duo last competed at a major tournament together at Wimbledon in 2016. They won their 14th Grand Slam title in women's doubles at the All England Club.
This return to doubles came a day after Serena Williams participated in Grand Slam singles for the first time in 16 months, winning her first-round match at Roland Garros. Venus Williams lost in the first round of singles on Sunday.
Halep Overcomes Nerves
Simona Halep advances at the French Open
Top-ranked Simona Halep overcame some opening-match nerves to advance to the second round of the French Open on Wednesday, beating 83rd-ranked Alison Riske of the United States 2-6, 6-1, 6-1.
Halep took a bathroom break after Riske jumped out to a 5-0 lead and won the opening set, and looked like a new player when she came back on court. The Romanian unwrapped a new racket and attacked Riske's serve with renewed vigor and aggression, breaking her to love in the second set's first game.
After making 16 unforced errors and winning less than half the points on her serve in the first set, Halep completely reversed the momentum of the match, rediscovering her range and accuracy on the clay of Court Philippe-Chatrier.
(With Agency reports)
