'Cactus' Djokovic eyes 13th Roland Garros quarter-final
Novak Djokovic bids to reach the Roland Garros quarter-finals for the 13th time on Monday.
PARIS (AFP) - Top seed Novak Djokovic bids to reach the Roland Garros quarter-finals for the 13th time on Monday while 17-year-old Amanda Anisimova looks to capitalise on a star-stripped women s draw to make the last-eight.
AFP Sport looks at three last-16 matches to watch at the French Open on Monday:
-- World number one Djokovic, bidding to become just the second man to hold all four Slams at the same time twice, faces world number 45 Struff.
In the last-16 for the 10th consecutive year in Paris, Djokovic faces an in-form Struff who defeated 13th seeded Borna Coric 4-6, 6-1, 4-6, 7-6 (7/1), 11-9 in the third round.
Former Grand Slam champion Mats Wilander said Saturday that had Djokovic played in a different era, he would have won many more Slams than his current 15.
The Swede said that Djokovic s career record was forged on having to face cactus players such as Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal who in turn had played only against lilies .
"I don t know what to say. I have never played or fought against cactus in my life, so when I do that, if I get a chance, then I will answer your question," said the Serb.
Struff, 29, who is ranked 45 in the world, is in the last 16 of a Slam for the first time.
-- Zverev, a quarter-finalist in 2018, has needed two five-setters to reach the last-16 and was defeated by colourful Italian Fognini on clay in Monte Carlo in the run-up to the French Open.
Fognini won a maiden Masters title in the principality and has played three successive four-setters to get this far in Paris.
The Italian, who is wearing different coloured shoes at the French Open, made the quarter-finals in Paris in 2011 but had to concede a walkover to Djokovic.
-- Just 17 years old, Anisimova is the youngest woman to play in the last-16 in Paris since Martina Hingis in 1998.
But this is hardly new territory for the world number 51 who also made the fourth round at the Australian Open in January.
In a section of the draw from which Naomi Osaka and Serena Williams have already exited, Spain s world 137 Bolsova is enjoying a breakthrough debut tournament.
She came through qualifying but should she go on and book an unlikely place in the final on Saturday, she will face a dilemma.
That is the day she is scheduled to sit university exams in Barcelona where she is studying history of art.
