Novak Djokovic Defeats Diego Schwartzman in 5 Sets at 2017 French Open
Defending champion Novak Djokovic needed five sets to overcome a determined Diego Schwartzman in the French Open third round on Friday, eventually winning 5-7, 6-3, 3-6, 6-1, 6-1 at Roland Garros.
Schwartzman flew out of the traps to take the first set, with Djokovic improving in the second to level up. The former, despite his underdog status, rallied again in the third, leaving the Serb on the brink of a shock exit.
With his back to the wall, Djokovic produced his best tennis in the fourth set, dropping just one game to force a decider. After an early break in the fifth, the 2016 winner was eventually too strong for the diligent Argentinian.
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Next up for the second seed will be the winner of the match between Lucas Pouille and Albert Ramos Vinolas.
Djokovic Survives Schwartzman Scare
After Djokovic secured an early break and moved into a 4-1 lead, those on the Philippe-Chatrier Court would have been thinking about what to purchase for their post-set refreshments. Schwartzman did not give up the ghost, though.
The diminutive player was striking the ball well and broke back to move level with the second seed. After an exchange of games between the pair, Schwartzman then set up a chance to serve for the stanza with another break.
Having spurned four chances to take the opener, this brilliant backhand gave the Argentinian a fifth set point, per Eurosport UK:
Djokovic eventually relented, pushing a backhand long down the line. Schwartzman was suddenly looking like a tricky opponent for the champion.
Indeed, per sports statistician Mohandas Menon, the Serb doesn't tend to turn Grand Slam matches around after losing the first set:
With that statistic in mind, it was no shock to see Djokovic begin the second set a little more tentatively than usual. Still, the Serb was able to re-establish himself against Schwartzman as it rumbled on.
Leading 4-3, the second seed grabbed a key break of serve, although the determined Argentinian did save five break points before Djokovic pulled 5-3 clear. In the next game, a wonderful volley saw the champion to three set points and eventually parity.
Tennis logic dictates that Djokovic should have kicked on from this point; Schwartzman wasn't adhering to that. He showed so much spirit to keep the third set on serve and eventually capitalised on a miserable game from Djokovic to go 5-3 in front.
The champion then let four break points pass to get back in the third set, before Schwartzman took his second set point to go 2-1 in front.
Per BBC Sport's David Law, Djokovic was looking at another potential upset in a Grand Slam:
In the fourth, Djokovic showed exactly why he's won 12 of these major competitions, producing some of the best tennis he's played all tournament. The second seed bossed point after point, winning the first four games in succession and finally finding some rhythm to his play.
An angry exchange with the umpire seemed to distract Djokovic in the fifth game, allowing Schwartzman to break back.
Per tennis journalist Dmitry Shakhov, the second seed was not happy about being issued with a warning after he was told by the match official to speed up:
It was only temporary respite for the Argentinian, though, as the champion bludgeoned his way through the next two games to force the decider.
Previously abuzz with confidence and energy, Schwartzman was starting to look jaded at the start of the fifth, and Djokovic capitalised with another early break.
It was enough to completely break the will of the outsider, who was only able to get one more game on the board as the champion took a big step forward in pursuit of back-to-back titles.
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