Novak Djokovic gave up a set for the first time in the course of this French Open, but in the end the number three seeded Serb made it through to the semifinals: the two-time Paris winner won against the Russian Karen Chatschanov 4: 6 7: 6 (7 /0) 6:2 6:4 and now meets the winner of the match Carlos Alcaraz (ESP/1) against Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE/5).
Chatschanov managed a break to 3: 2 and used his fourth set ball. In the second round, the tie-break went into the tie-break without loss of service, which Djokovic confidently won for the fourth time in his career. Chatchanov’s resistance was broken, and Djokovic remained safe in the following sentences.
Djokovic after falling behind in the semifinals
“He (Chachanov, note) was the better player for almost two sets. I started the game slowly and made mistakes, but then played a perfect tie-break. After that, my level was a lot higher. You don’t get anything for free here, you have to get the win,” explained Djokovic.
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