Novak Djokovic vs. Roberto Bautista Agut: Score, Reaction from 2016 French Open

Novak Djokovic blitzed his path into the 2016 French Open quarter-finals after defeating Roberto Bautista Agut 3-6, 6-4, 6-1, 7-5 on Wednesday after play resumed following Tuesday's rain delay.

For a long while, it appeared as though conditions weren't going to favour the world No. 1—not when Bautista Agut raced into a one-set lead after a 6-3 win—but the Serbian ultimately battered his way into a last-eight spot.

ATP Media Info detailed how rare it is for Djokovic to drop an opening set at a major and noted that history didn't favour a winning recovery from the Serb:

Struggles on serve had contributed to Djokovic's problems, as BBC Sport's Russell Fuller pointed out:

But the Serb returned the favour to break Bautista Agut and put himself a game away from wrapping up the second set. ESPN's Brad Gilbert noted how efficiency with the break had eluded Djokovic for most of the match:

Inexplicably, Djokovic wasted the chance serving for the set afforded him when a double-fault gave Bautista Agut the chance for yet another break point. Two broken strings condemned Djokovic and put Bautista Agut one game shy of evening up the set.

By now, it was easy to predict what was coming next—namely, another break point. This time, Djokovic claimed it to finally take the set and frustrate Bautista Agut's momentum.

Roland Garros relayed highlights of the decisive rally:

Despite the win, Djokovic let plenty of opportunities slip by him during the second, even though he outplayed his opponent. Bautista Agut's inconsistencies on serve let last year's beaten finalist back into the match.

Holding serve was the perfect way for Djokovic to start the third set, as Bautista Agut appeared to be running out of ideas with the rain still falling. Holding for a second time for a 2-1 lead sent a clear message Djokovic had overcome his earlier erratic play and was now firmly back in control.

But his return game was also impressive, with some shots wowing the drenched spectators and sending a message to another contender for this title, per Roland Garros:

Djokovic saved a pair of break points to make it 3-1. Play was then suspended on Philippe-Chatrier Court with Djokovic 4-1 up in the third after rescuing a third break point.

Another delay was irritating for both players and spectators, although the latter would suffer more directly, according to Dan King of the Sun:

Overcoming the conditions has been difficult for every player at Roland Garros, with Djokovic no exception. The effects of the stop-start schedule were obvious in the world No. 1's early struggles, but he rallied well to offer a reminder of his class.

Finishing off the third set was rudimentary for the world No. 1 on Wednesday, as the Serb took two quick games in succession, but Bautista Agut refused to bow down. The Spaniard fired by defending his serve in the fourth-set opener before punishing Djokovic's net approach:

Having dropped his first serve of the day, Bautista Agut proceeded to do a more admirable job from the baseline as the pair traded blows, and the 14th seed took a 3-2 lead in the fourth set.

Not content with finishing second-best to Djokovic, however, Bautista Agut claimed his first break since the second set and moved into a 4-2 advantage, much to the enjoyment of commentator David Law:

That momentum was swiftly lost, though, as Djokovic broke back with a 40-15 demolition job in the next game before levelling at four games apiece. Bautista Agut served back to reclaim a 5-4 lead, but his foe mounted a match-winning three-game spree to see out the set and the fixture.

Djokovic's drop shots in particular proved to be the undoing of Bautista Agut, who failed to match the same dynamism around the court despite forcing his opponent to deuce in the clutch game at 6-5 down, per Christopher Clarey of the New York Times:

The rain delays at Roland Garros haven't helped any French Open contenders attempting to build a head of steam, and Djokovic is no exception to the rule.

The fourth-round tie against Bautista Agut saw the Paris favourite look as vulnerable as he has at any point during the campaign, but Djokovic weathered the storm to set up a quarter-final opposite David Ferrer or Tomas Berdych.