French Open 2021: Novak Djokovic, Coco Gauff Wins Highlight Monday's Results
The French Open marches closer to crowning a men's and women's champion.
The fourth round was held on Monday, with a number of huge names, including Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, in action.
Below, we'll break down the day's results and recap the top moments.
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Men's Scores
(1) Novak Djokovic def. Lorenzo Musetti, 6-7 (7-9), 6-7 (7-2), 6-1, 6-4, 4-0 (retired)
(10) Diego Schwartzman def. Jan-Lennard Struff, 7-6 (11-9), 6-4, 7-5
(3) Rafael Nadal def. (18) Jannik Sinner, 7-5, 6-3, 6-0
Women's Scores
Barbora Krejcikova def. Sloane Stephens, 6-2, 6-0
(24) Coco Gauff def. (25) Ons Jabeur, 6-3, 6-1
(17) Maria Sakkari def. (4) Sofia Kenin, 6-1, 6-3
(8) Iga Swiatek def. Marta Kostyuk, 6-3, 6-4
Recap
Djokovic had quite the day.
The top seed dropped the first two sets to the 19-year-old Musetti in tiebreakers, leaving the 2016 Roland Garros victor in danger of a surprisingly early exit. But he rallied in a big way, pulling off the reverse sweep, with Musetti retiring in the fifth set due to cramps and lower back pain.
Two things were certain after the match: Musetti's potential is immense, but if you come at the king, you best not miss.
"I was saying before that I like to play young guys in best-of-five, because I feel even if they are leading a set or two sets to Love as was the case today, I still like my chances," Djokovic told reporters after the match. "I feel like I'm physically fit and I know how to wear my opponent down, you know, in the best-of-five match. And I've won most of the five-setters I have played in this tournament and in my career, so I think that experience helps."
Djokovic wasn't above poking fun at himself after the match, though:
Another 19-year-old, Sinner, made Nadal sweat a bit in the first round, though the King of the Clay quickly recovered to dispose of his young counterpart.
No surprises there—Nadal hasn't won a staggering 13 French Opens by losing to young up-and-comers.
"I'm excited to play against him, because it's a huge test, you know, on what you would like to win in one way," Sinner told reporters. "But in the other way, you know, like today, it gives me the answer that I already said it before, that the way is very long still."
On the women's side, Gauff dominated Jabeur after fellow countrywoman Stephens failed to get past Krejcikova.
Gauff has yet to drop a set in Paris, which is all the more impressive considering she's just 17.
"I feel like this has been the most consistent tennis I have played at this level," she told reporters. "Hopefully I can keep that going."
One player who won't be continuing on is the 4-seed Kenin, who was dispatched fairly easily by Sakkari. She was the highest-seeded player remaining after a number of upsets rocked the women's draw, including Serena Williams bowing out early.
That has left open the door for red-hot players like Gauff to break through and potentially earn a first Grand Slam. As it stands, Gauff's place in the quarterfinals is already a Grand Slam best.
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