French Open 2020: Novak Djokovic sets record as he cruises into the quarter-final in Paris

Top-seeded tennis player Novak Djokovic has passed the sternest challenge yet in the French Open as he thwarted 15th seed,  Karen Khachanov, to extend record over 12 time French Open winner Rafa Nadal.

The world No.1 delivered a skillful performance to go through the Russian 15th seed on Court Philippe-Chatrier. His first three matches were amazing but none carried the weight of his 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 victory over Karen Kachanov.

Watch the match highlights below

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The defeat of Karen Khachanov extended the Serb’s record run to 11 straight Roland-Garros quarter-finals and puts him rarely ahead of the man who owns almost every significant benchmark on the red dirt.

While he and Rafael Nadal have now reached 14 career quarter-finals each in Paris, the Spaniard has only strung together six of them in a row.

Djokovic’s most recent defeat before the last eight in Paris was far back in 2009 in the third round and it was German Philipp Kohlschreiber who claimed the honors that day.

And we might have almost witnessed a repeat of the Serb’s shock disqualification from his fourth-round US Open clash with Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta during Monday’s match when Djokovic’s return ricocheted off his outstretched racquet.

While the ball did hit the baseline line judge there was no intent and no harm done. Still, it made for a nervous split second.

“My gosh, it was very awkward déjà vu,” Djokovic says.

“I’m actually trying to find the linesperson and see if he’s OK because I saw he had a little bit of a bruise, like redness, in that place in the head where the ball hit him… It has happened to me and to many other players in the last 15 years that I’ve been on the tour.”

However, we now have a repeat of that matchup and Djokovic will have a chance to finish what he had set out to do in the fourth round in New York as the No.17 seed, Carreno Busta, defeated Daniel Altmaier to lock in a rematch in the quarter-finals.