Novak Djokovic Defeats Grigor Dimitrov to Advance to French Open Fourth Round

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic cruised through the third round of the 2013 French Open on Saturday, defeating 26th-seeded Grigor Dimitrov in straight sets, 6-2, 6-2, 6-3, according to the tournament's official Twitter account:

The victory advances Djokovic to the fourth round at Roland Garros, where he'll take on the winner of Victor Hanescu vs. Philipp Kohlschreiber (16) on Monday, per Roland Garros:

Djokovic came out strong in the opening set on Saturday, breaking his 22-year-old opponent twice to close it out in just over half an hour. Dimitrov recorded just two winners in the set while committing 17 unforced errors.

The second set featured more of the same, as Djokovic broke Dimitrov twice and watched the Bulgarian make 12 unforced errors. The top-ranked Serb would pull ahead two sets to love, taking a commanding lead into the third set. 

In what turned out to be the final set, Djokovic hit Dimitrov with a heavy dose of forehands, breaking his over-matched opponent early on to go ahead in the frame, per Roland Garros:

Djokovic would require a medical timeout late in the third set after seemingly feeling some discomfort in his arm or shoulder, but he bounced back quickly, winning the last two games of the set to close out the match in just over an hour and a half.

With the win, Djokovic has now reached the fourth round at the French Open for the fourth consecutive year. He reached the final at Roland Garros a year ago, losing to seven-time champion Rafael Nadal in four sets. 

Djokovic could potentially run into Nadal again in the men's semifinals on Friday.

A six-time Grand Slam winner, Djokovic needs only a French Open title to secure a career Grand Slam. Djokovic is a remarkable 59-4 over the past 10 Grand Slam tournaments dating back to the start of 2011.

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