Djokovic Aims for 15th French Open Quarter-Final After Record-Breaking Late Finish

Novak Djokovic, the defending champion and 24-time Grand Slam winner, will aim to extend his record-breaking streak of 14 consecutive French Open quarter-finals on Monday. However, his latest victory came at a cost, setting an unwanted record for the latest finish in Roland Garros history.

Djokovic's five-set epic against Lorenzo Musetti concluded at 3:07 a.m. Sunday, leaving the 37-year-old Serbian questioning the scheduling. "Certain things could have been handled differently," he said. "There is a certain beauty in winning at three in the morning if it's the last of the tournament, but this wasn't the case."

Despite the late finish, Djokovic remains focused on his goal of reaching the last eight. He will face Argentine 23rd seed Francisco Cerundolo, who stunned Alexander Zverev on clay earlier this season. Cerundolo has never met Djokovic before, but he has shown impressive form in Paris, reaching the last 16 in 2023.

Zverev, who defeated Rafael Nadal in the first round, survived a scare against Tallon Griekspoor in the third round, battling back from 4-1 down in the final set. The German is playing under the shadow of an ongoing trial in Berlin over allegations of assaulting an ex-girlfriend.

Holger Rune, a two-time quarter-finalist in Paris, will face fifth-seeded Daniil Medvedev. Medvedev reached the quarter-finals in 2021, ending a run of four successive first-round losses. Casper Ruud, the runner-up to Nadal and Djokovic in the last two years, will tackle Taylor Fritz for a quarter-final spot.

In the women's tournament, world number two Aryna Sabalenka will play American 22nd seed Emma Navarro. Sabalenka has made at least the last four at her past six Grand Slams, while Navarro is in the last 16 of a Grand Slam for the first time.

Former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina will face experienced Ukrainian 15th seed Elina Svitolina. Rybakina is the only woman to defeat world number one Iga Swiatek on clay this season. Moscow-born French player Varvara Gracheva will play 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva, the Russian teenager who is the youngest woman to reach the last 16 on all three Slam surfaces since Anna Kournikova in 1998.

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