Djokovic saves set point, battles past Moutet to stay on course for record Grand Slam
PARIS :Three-time champion Novak Djokovic battled past Frenchman Corentin Moutet 6-3 6-2 7-6(1) in a match that lasted more than three hours on Thursday, to reach the French Open third round and stay on track for a record-breaking 25th career Grand Slam title.
Moutet pushed the 38-year-old, who shares the Slam record with Australia's Margaret Court, especially in the third set where he carved out a set point.
"Mentally you have to be concentrated throughout such a match. Corentin is very quick, he is a fighter, especially in the third set," Djokovic said in a post-match interview.
"He had set point. At that moment anything could happen but I stayed in the set. At the right time I found a good serve.
"I know everyone asks me the secrets of success. It is not one thing but a combination, a formula that evolved with my career. For me now it is important to find the motivation. Obviously motivation now is to make more history."
Moutet broke the Serb, fresh from winning in Geneva last week for his 100th ATP Tour title of his career, early in the first set but Djokovic bounced back with two breaks of his own to snatch it.
He was at times troubled by the southpaw who slid, lunged and chased down every ball he could in his trademark style, to try and stay in the game, as the sold-out home crowd in Court Philippe Chatrier fired him on.
Djokovic, who looks to have found his form after splitting with coach Andy Murray a few weeks ago, snatched another two breaks to go 5-2 up and bagged the second set on his serve.
Moutet, ranked 73rd in the world, managed to break his opponent's serve and go 4-2 up after Djokovic took a medical timeout for treatment on the toes of his left foot.
But he gifted it back the very next game before earning a set point at 6-5. Djokovic held firm and secured his third round spot with a commanding tiebreak performance.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
31 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Telecoms engineer, music producer share how they forge their careers at ST Podcast Live event
Telecommunications system engineer Noel Png (left) and career coach Parameswari Seenivasan (centre) joined ST's manpower correspondent Tay Hong Yi for a live recording of Headstart on Record. ST PHOTO: DESMOND WEE Telecoms engineer, music producer share how they forge their careers at ST Podcast Live event SINGAPORE – Most people expect professional networking to happen at conferences or on LinkedIn, but for Mr Noel Png, 31, it was a part-time bartending job at a bar that unexpectedly opened doors to a career in the satellite industry. It all began in 2016, when Mr Png - then a mechanical engineering student in NUS - struck up a conversation with a group of Western visitors who were in town for a business convention. That chance encounter led to a local internship with Thales Alenia Space, a France-headquartered company that provides satellite-based systems for telecommunications, navigation and other purposes. In 2020, he left Singapore for the UK to pursue a Master's degree in engineering before going on to work on satellite and defence projects across Europe. Mr Png, who returned to Singapore in 2024 and is now a telecommunications system engineer at ST Engineering, shared his story during a live recording of Headstart on Record on June 3. He was joined by senior career coach Parameswari Seenivasan from Workforce Singapore (WSG), and the session was moderated by The Straits Times' manpower correspondent Tay Hong Yi. The event, which drew nearly 80 attendees to Rasa at Republic Plaza, marked the third edition of ST Podcasts Live, a series kicked off as part of ST's 180th anniversary celebrations. During the recording, Mr Png emphasised how networking has opened up more pathways for him. An extrovert by nature, he found it easy to speak to people from different fields and backgrounds - some of them would go on to become mentor figures in his professional life. His advice for introverted individuals is to make good use of virtual platforms like LinkedIn, where algorithms can help connect them with others in related industries. This episode of Headstart on Record was organised in partnership with WSG in support of Career Health, a SkillsFuture initiative. Ms Seenivasan from WSG encouraged the audience to seek guidance from career coaches throughout their professional journey. 'You don't have to wait till if something's gonna happen, you can always check in with a career coach,' she said. 'A career coach can always help you find out your values, interests and skills, work with you with a career plan, and look at the goals that you want to accomplish.' The full recording of this episode will be made available on ST Podcasts' YouTube, Apple Podcasts and Spotify on June 16. The event on June 3 also featured the recording of a Music Lab episode with award-winning Singaporean music director and producer Evan Low, one of the creators behind well-loved National Day Parade theme song The Road Ahead. Close to 80 people attended the ST Podcasts Live event, held at Rasa at Republic Plaza on June 3. ST PHOTO: DESMOND WEE Helmed by ST music correspondent Eddino Abdul Hadi, the session focused on how Mr Low found his calling in music and built a career rooted in his passion. Growing up, expressing himself did not come naturally to him, Mr Low said. That was because in his family, love was quietly served on a plate of cut fruits, but never spoken aloud. But this changed when he discovered the piano. The 36-year-old recalled a moment when he suddenly cried while playing the piano , and realised he could express his emotions through music. He took a leap of faith and went on to study music at Singapore Polytechnic and subsequently the prestigious Berklee College of Music. Catch the full episode of Music Lab on ST's podcasts platforms on June 25.
Straits Times
3 hours ago
- Straits Times
Carlos Alcaraz flattens Tommy Paul to reach French Open semis, Lorenzo Musetti through
Spain's Carlos Alcaraz celebrates his victory over Tommy Paul of the US. PHOTO: AFP PARIS - Carlos Alcaraz continued his French Open title defence with a display of breathtaking brutality for a 6-0 6-1 6-4 victory over American 12th seed Tommy Paul and a spot in the Roland Garros semi-finals on June 3. The second seed has searched in vain for his usual sublime form on Parisian clay this year, needing four sets in his last three matches to dismiss determined opponents, but he had no trouble on a balmy evening on Court Philippe Chatrier. "It was like I could close my eyes and everything went in," Alcaraz said in his on-court interview. "My feeling was unbelievable, I tried to hit my shots at 100%... today was just one of those matches where everything went in. "We were in the quarter-finals of Roland Garros and these matches aren't easy. I've lost to him twice and against Tommy, matches are very difficult. That helped me focus on my tennis and try not to go down or let him get into the match." Alcaraz motored through the opening set without dropping a game and grabbed his fourth break early in the second set after sparing Paul the ignominy of another bagel and the 22-year-old pulled further away to double his lead in only 53 minutes. He glided across the red clay while delivering punishing shots, knocking the racket out of Paul's hands at one point with a thunderous effort, before finally facing some resistance in the third set. Former junior French Open champion Paul stayed level with Alcaraz until 4-4 but soon faded away and the holder closed out the victory to book a clash with Italian eighth seed Lorenzo Musetti in the semi-finals. Musetti, 23, battled past American Frances Tiafoe, winning 6-2, 4-6, 7-5, 6-2 against the 15th seed after over two hours 45 minutes. For both Musetti and Tiafoe – twice a US Open semi-finalist – it was a first last-eight appearance at Roland Garros. And both struggled to find their feet. 'It was pretty windy and not that easy to find the right feelings with the ball, but I managed to win this incredible third set, which was probably the key of the match,' said the Italian. Musetti's serve proved to be a major weapon on the day as he fired down eight aces with an 81 per cent success rate on his first serve in gusty conditions in Paris. He also saved two of the three break points engineered by Tiafoe, who had 51 unforced errors to the Italian's 32. Italy's Lorenzo Musetti speaking to the US' Frances Tiafoe after winning their quarter-final match. PHOTO: REUTERS The Italian is now 13-4 at Roland Garros, where he will contest his second Grand Slam semi-final following his run to the same stage at Wimbledon in 2024. 'A lot of junk shots today,' said Tiafoe of his own performance. 'Yeah, he was just tougher in the winning-ugly department, because it wasn't going to be clean from either of us. It was really, really windy and tough conditions.' REUTERS, AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
4 hours ago
- Straits Times
Alcaraz inspired by rival Sinner for ruthless Roland Garros win
Tennis - French Open - Roland Garros, Paris, France - June 2, 2025 Italy's Jannik Sinner in action during his fourth round match against Russia's Andrey Rublev REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq Tennis - French Open - Roland Garros, Paris, France - June 3, 2025 Spain's Carlos Alcaraz celebrates after winning his quarter final match against Tommy Paul of the U.S. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse PARIS - Defending French Open champion Carlos Alcaraz drew inspiration from his main rival and world number one Jannik Sinner to race past Tommy Paul in 94 minutes and reach the Roland Garros semi-finals on Tuesday. Alcaraz gave a masterclass in attacking tennis to win the opening two sets in under an hour and overwhelmed the American 12th seed for a 6-0 6-1 6-4 win and a meeting with Italian Lorenzo Musetti. The Spanish second seed's ruthless display came a day after Sinner beat Andrey Rublev in three sets to continue his devastating form at the year's second Grand Slam. "I love to watch matches on my days off, and yeah, let's say he inspires me in some way just to give my 100% in every match," Alcaraz told reporters. "He sees how important it is to play at such a great level in the whole match, just to have more time to recover after the match. So I'm just trying to do it as well. "But for me, it's great to have tennis. I love Grand Slams for that because on my days off, I have great matches to watch and get inspired by watching them." Alcaraz beat Musetti in the Monte Carlo final and the Rome semi-final en route to the title but expected a tough test when they face off again in Paris. "It's going to be a beautiful battle, a beautiful match," Alcaraz added. "I think we're both playing great tennis. Monte Carlo final, semis in Rome, so it's going to be great for the people to watch as well. I have to be ready for that match." REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
