Novak Djokovic seems in a hurry as he chases his ninth Grand Slam title – and the only one he’s never won – racing into the French Open fourth round with a 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 win against 19-year-old Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis.
Ranked 84th, Kokkinakis never stood a chance against the top-ranked Serb. He dropped his serve three times and could not force a single break point in a match lasting 1 hour, 49 minutes.
Next up for Djokovic is either 15th-seeded Kevin Anderson of South Africa, or No. 20 Richard Gasquet of France, who played later on Saturday.
Earlier, two-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray extended his impressive winning streak on clay, reaching the fourth round after beating big-hitting Nick Kyrgios 6-4, 6-2, 6-3.
The third-seeded Briton, who lost in the semifinals last year against nine-time champion Rafael Nadal, was hardly troubled on court Suzanne Lenglen.
After Kyrgios saved a first match point with a stunning forehand at the net, Murray took his next chance by returning a serve with a powerful two-handed backhand from the back of the court that zipped past the Australian.
He beat the 29th-seeded Kyrgios for the second straight Grand Slam, having knocked him out of the Australian at the quarterfinal stage earlier this year, and has not dropped a set against him in three meetings.
Next up for Murray, who hasn’t lost a match on clay this season with titles in Munich and Madrid, is Frenchman Jeremy Chardy, who beat 17th-seeded David Goffin of Belgium 6-3, 6-4, 6-2.
“This is the best I have played on clay. The results would obviously suggest that. Never won a clay court tournament, never been to the final and had many wins against any of the top guys for a while on clay,” Murray said. “Obviously in Madrid, I managed to do that against Kei (Nishikori), Milos (Raonic), and against Rafa.”
U.S. Open champion Marin Cilic also advanced to the fourth round in style with a 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 win against No. 23 Leonardo Mayer of Argentina, while in the women’s draw fourth-seeded Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic and former finalist Sara Errani of Italy both advanced. But 2010 champion Francesca Schiavone went out.
Later, Nadal was playing against 120th-ranked Andrey Kuznetsov, while top-ranked Serena Williams was facing two-time Australian Open winner Victoria Azarenka.
Under bright sunshine, Kyrgios entertained the crowd more than he threatened Murray.
After retrieving a good lob with a superb shot through his legs, he then raised his arms in triumph to milk the point..
Under the watchful eye of coach Amelie Mauresmo – a two-time Grand Slam winner – Murray broke in the seventh game to lead 4-3, and overcame a brief wobble in the next game.
