Novak Djokovic vs. Aljaz Bedene: Score and Reaction from 2016 French Open

Novak Djokovic blazed a trail into the fourth round of the 2016 French Open on Saturday after defeating Aljaz Bedene 6-2, 6-3, 6-3, despite falling under pressure to finish in a race against the clock.  

Rain delayed the meeting, but the tournament's top seed shrugged off any distraction to eventually make light work of his third-round opponent, Bedene, whose best run at a Grand Slam came to an end.

The Serbian's search for a maiden title at Roland Garros endures as a result, with Djokovic hoping to complete a career Grand Slam by finally adding the one major missing from his collection.

ESPN Tennis highlighted the superb momentum Djokovic is enjoying, begging the question as to whether 2016 could be the year he ends his title drought in Paris:

"

Novak Djokovic wins his 24th consecutive match at a Major, downing Aljaz Bedene 6-2 6-3 6-3. He’s 37-1 in Slam matches since start of 2015.

— ESPNTennis (@ESPNTennis) May 28, 2016"

Djokovic was under some pressure to make his way past Bedene swiftly, owing to the fact he had just two hours before the game would be postponed until Sunday, an unwelcome diversion on his quest for French glory.

It was just as well the favourite delivered in that regard, and although the Sun's Dan King lauded Bedene for not shying away from the occasions, the gulf was present in the scoreline after five games:

Bedene's defiance yielded results and saw the Brit put up a strong fight, but Djokovic's class was clear in short, potent bursts, as he pushed into a 5-2 lead before breaking his opponent once more to claim the first set.

The 29-year-old remained cool under pressure and strutted his ability to pull Bedene back and forth across the court, nailing an excellent pressure shot to win the seventh game, per Roland Garros' official Twitter account:

The second set ran along a similar path, and while Bedene's camp may have felt encouraged by his glimpses of fine play, glimpses don't get you past a player like the world No. 1.

The Slovenia-born star looked impressive on his serve at times, but the longer rallies continued to go against him, and Bedene suffered two more breaks of serve, as his foe took a 5-1 lead in the second set.

Thankfully, Bedene managed to revive some sense of competition and recorded his first break of the match before pulling the scoreline within two games, but the pressure eventually told, as he dropped the set 6-3.

Bedene was struggling to maintain composure as the Serbian assembled a two-set lead, but as noted by Live Tennis, time was not on his side as he sought a clean sweep:

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#Djokovic's serene progress continues on a fading #Chatrier. Up 6-1, 6-3 but aware time is running out. pic.twitter.com/vegj9In36H

— Live Tennis (@livetennis) May 28, 2016"

Djokovic's first act in the third set was to break his opponent for a fifth time, and Bedene's frustrations got the better of him after he clipped the net. He let out a cry of anger as he slipped to a two-game deficit.

But again the Brit broke back and even appeared to be enjoying himself as he drew level at two games apiece, particularly as he recorded a majestic lob over the tournament favourite en route to his second break of the match.

Even more frustrating for Bedene was the fact that sets appeared to draw tighter as the match wore on, but his run at Roland Garros nevertheless came to an end, crashing to a close with a seventh serve break.

As tennis writer Carole Bouchard noted earlier in the fixture, it was Djokovic's fast and furious side that pushed him over the finish line without needing to continue on Sunday: 

Djokovic will face Roberto Bautista-Agut in the fourth round after the Spaniard blazed past Borna Coric in straight sets on Saturday evening, and he'll look to finally take the wind out of the Serbian's sails.

The world No. 1 proceeds into the next phase of the competition having yet to drop a set in three matches, and even the weather delays couldn't put a spin on Djokovic's momentum in the third round.

Post-Match Reaction

Alastair Grant/Associated Press

In the wake of such a valuable win, Djokovic was hardly shy in relishing in his latest victory and told the media just how pleased he was with the win, per the official ATP World Tour website:

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I tried to come up with the right tactics and execution of the tactics, which I did. I played very well. There were a couple of long games where I didn't use my opportunities. But, I closed out two sets pretty well and started the third great. I had a couple opportunities for a double break and 2-Love.

Then I dropped my serve and the games were very long... We went deep into night. I think we played to the maximum extent of time we could, with the light. I'm just glad I managed to finish tonight.

"

Equally, it was hardly a shock to hear the departing Bedene heap praise on his fellow professional, describing just how difficult it was to take on the world No. 1 in the hopes of recording a major upset:

"

Obviously it's not easy to play Novak. I honestly felt like he wasn't giving anything. I had to play well to get games. He was returning well, so I was under constant pressure, which wasn't easy. But I was playing some decent ball. I could maybe get a few more games, but I was fighting well. I'm pleased with the performance.

"

Bedene is within his rights to feel he put up a good fight, too, especially after mustering more of a challenge in the second and third sets than was necessarily apparent in the first.

Against another opponent, the Briton may have even had a chance of progressing in his best-ever Grand Slam campaign, but Djokovic proved once more he isn't the type to hand out such chances so easily.