Novak Djokovic’s French Open has been something of a magical mystery tour so far and it will continue into round three after a convincing win over Swiss Henri Laaksonen on Thursday, Reuters writes.
The 32-year-old world number one will face Italian qualifier Salvatore Caruso on Saturday — his third consecutive match against a player he has never previously faced.
His first round saw him ease past Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz and on Thursday he got his first look at 104th-ranked Laaksonen — swatting him aside in clinical fashion 6-1 6-4 6-3. It will be another step into the unknown, so to speak, when he lines up against 147th-ranked Caruso.
It has certainly been a gentle start for Djokovic, as it has been for his title rivals Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer with that trio winning all 18 sets they have played so far.
Djokovic dropped only three points on serve in the opening set against Laaksonen — the lesser-known Swiss in the draw after Federer and 2015 champion Stan Wawrinka.
There was a brief loss of focus when Djokovic was broken to love midway though the second set but he was quickly back in the groove to move two sets ahead.
He then polished off the third set in 24 minutes. Djokovic, bidding to hold all four Grand Slams simultaneously for the second time in his career, had no such dramas as he followed Osaka on to Court Suzanne Lenglen.
The Serb was in cruise control as he beat Swiss lucky loser Henri Laaksonen, the world number 104, 6-1 6-4 6-3 to set up a third-round clash with Italian qualifier Salvatore Caruso.
Reigning champion Simona Halep overcame stiff resistance from Magda Linette, as well as her own nerves and a bout of illness, to book her place in the third round of the French Open with a 6-4 5-7 6-3 victory on Thursday.
Tennis - French Open - Roland Garros, Paris, France - May 30, 2019. Romania's Simona Halep in action during her second round match against Poland's Magda Linette. REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach
Following a solid opening set, the third seed from Romania served for the match in the second but lost the plot and her Polish opponent seized the opportunity to push the tie into a decider.
Halep, however, regained her composure to set up a meeting with Ukraine’s Lesia Tsurenko or Serbian Aleksandra Krunic.
Linette had brought with her some strategy notes on a piece of paper and she kept Halep in check throughout with some aggressive tennis.
Halep broke for 3-2 in the first set and she held serve to take the lead, but her game was still riddled with unforced errors.
She went 5-4 up in the second, only for Linette to break back and then break again in the 12th to force a third set.
Her first serve, however, then went AWOL, allowing Halep to secure the win.
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