Djokovic beats Norrie to join French Open century club
Three-times champion Novak Djokovic roared into the French Open quarter-finals by beating Briton Cameron Norrie 6-2 6-3 6-2 for his 100th match victory at Roland Garros on Monday to join Rafa Nadal in one of sport's most exclusive fraternities.
The Serbian's determined performance ensured he became only the second man to win a century of matches at the Parisian Grand Slam following the retired Nadal (112), keeping him on track for a record 25th major at the site of his Olympic gold last year.
It also made Roland Garros Djokovic's most successful Grand Slam in terms of match wins, bettering the 99 victories that he has at the Australian Open, although the 38-year-old has lifted the trophy a staggering 10 times at Melbourne Park.
"It's a number which is very good and nice, but a 101st win is even better," Djokovic told the crowd in French.
"It's not finished for me here the tournament and I feel very good and good to make history here. I hope there will be another win here in two days."
By reaching the quarter-finals for the 16th straight year, Djokovic also became the oldest man entering the last eight at Roland Garros since 39-year-old Istvan Gulyas in 1971.
Djokovic arrived in Paris having won his 100th tour-level trophy in an otherwise lacklustre year and has not dropped a set in the tournament so far to remind his much younger title rivals of his undiminished hunger for more milestones.
He swapped breaks early on with Norrie in the first set but ran the 29-year-old ragged thereafter to win it before shrugging off another wobble on serve in a draining second set to pull away and double his advantage on Court Philippe Chatrier.
"I feel good I have a lot of expectations from my game," added Djokovic, who earned his sixth win over Norrie in as many meetings after also powering past the left-hander en route to the Geneva title.
"Every day I play better ... 12 sets played and 12 sets won. Everything is positive and solid at the moment."
Djokovic broke to love in the third game of the third set after an unforced error by Norrie and the former world number one never looked back from there to book a last-eight meeting with German third seed Alexander Zverev.
The last time the duo clashed was in the Australian Open semi-finals in January, when Djokovic had to retire injured, but he will now look to extend his 8-5 record over the German.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Express Tribune
an hour ago
- Express Tribune
Alcaraz overcomes Munar to reach Queen's quarters
Top seed Carlos Alcaraz was pushed all the way by fellow-Spaniard Jaume Munar in a thrilling contest before clinching a 6-4 6-7(7) 7-5 win and advanced to the Queen's Club Championships quarter-finals on Thursday. Alcaraz recently came out on top in an epic French Open final against Jannik Sinner, and while this second round clash in London may not have reached those same dizzying heights, the British crowd were served up an enthralling battle. The world number two was a break down in the deciding set but showed his strength once more as Alcaraz stretched his winning run to 15 matches, the longest streak of his career. "It was a really tough battle that we had today," Alcaraz said after more than three hours on court. "He's a great competitor and he showed how difficult it is to beat him." Alcaraz, the 2023 champion, looked well in control as he eased to take the opening set, and after saving four break and set points at 5-4 down in the second he forced Munar to a tiebreaker. The pair traded early breaks with neither player holding serve over the first four points, before a Munar double fault allowed Alcaraz to take a 5-4 lead. He smashed an ace but then hit a double fault of his own on match point. Munar made him pay this time to force a deciding set. After Alcaraz went 2-0 up, the French Open champion was broken in his next two service games and Munar went into a 4-2 lead. Alcaraz, however, was not done yet, and two more breaks of serve sealed a hard-earned victory as he continued his preparations for Wimbledon, where the Spaniard will be aiming to complete a hat-trick of triumphs. "I'm proud of the level I showed today. It's my second match on grass this year," Alcaraz said. "There were moments I struggled a lot mentally and physically. I still don't know how I'm standing here. But I'm really happy I've given myself another chance in the quarter-finals." Alcaraz will face French lucky loser Arthur Rinderknech after his 7-5 7-6(3) win over American Reilly Opelka. Rinderknech has lost both previous meetings with Alcaraz, the last loss coming at Queen's in 2023. British number two Jacob Fearnley reached his first ATP Tour quarter-final with a 6-3 2-6 6-2 win over French qualifier Corentin Moutet.
Express Tribune
an hour ago
- Express Tribune
More time to prepare for Wimbledon: Sinner
Jannik Sinner leaves Halle after his second round defeat to prepare for Wimbledon. PHOTO: AFP World number one Jannik Sinner is looking forward to a bit of unexpected down-time after his second round loss at Halle, to better prepare for Wimbledon. The Italian defending champion went down 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 to the 45th-ranked Kazakh Alexander Bublik in Thursday's second round in the German grasscourt Wimbledon warm-up. "I have to accept what happened. I'm now going to have a few days rest before Wimbledon, which are going to do me good" said Sinner. He now has 10 days between Thursday's loss and the start of his Wimbledon campaign, where he seeks to dethrone Carlos Alcaraz, his conqueror in a five-set epic French Open final at Roland Garros earlier this month. Halle in 2024 is the only grass court title Sinner has to his name. He made it to the semi-finals in Wimbledon two years ago. Last year he was beaten in the quarters. "Honestly a little break is going to do me good," the 23-year-old told Sky Italia. "I came here (to Halle), I gave it my all after the Roland Garros defeat, it wasn't easy," he added. "Despite everything I'm happy enough. "I've played two matches before Wimbledon, if there'd been more it would have been even better. "Now I've got to boost myself both mentally and physically, that takes a little time," but for Wimbledon, "everything will be fine". Sinner's loss to Alcaraz at the French Open was his first defeat in a Grand Slam final. Prior to that defeat Sinner also lost to Alcaraz in the Rome Open final just after returning from a three-month doping suspension following his Australian Open success. Zverev overcomes stomach bug to set up Halle semi-final with Medvedev Alexander Zverev's quest for a first grasscourt title took an unexpected turn at the Halle Open on Friday when the German second seed was forced to sprint from court to vomit mid-match before rallying to defeat Italy's Flavio Cobolli 6-4 7-6(8). Second seed Zverev started the match on the front foot by breaking in the first game but as he was serving in the second, he requested a toilet break to throw up and bolted down the tunnel. Once he returned, Zverev struggled with the intensity at first and clearly looked unwell, bending over in exhaustion after points and gasping for breath after a marathon rally. "I felt fine before the match. Then all of a sudden, out of nowhere, I felt really, really bad. I felt ill, went to throw up and then 15 minutes later I felt OK again," Zverev said. "I don't know what it was, I've never experienced that before. I hope I'll be fine in the next couple of hours when the adrenaline settles. After that I think it was a pretty good match." Although nowhere near 100%, Zverev held serve as he slowly drew on his reserves of energy, firing his first ace of the match on set point. The second set was an even contest as Cobolli relied on his movement to continue troubling Zverev, but the German eventually triumphed in a close tiebreak, finishing the match with 22 winners and 12 points at the net. The semi-final pits Zverev against Russian third seed Daniil Medvedev, a familiar foe who holds a 12-7 head-to-head advantage and has won their last three meetings. "I think he's the guy that I played the most in my career. I'm looking forward to it," Zverev added. "A lot of things happened in the last 18 months. He's one of my toughest opponents in my career. It's going to be a great match and I'm really looking forward to facing him." Medvedev moved into the semi-finals with a 6-4 6-3 victory over American Alex Michelsen despite suffering a nosebleed in the second set which forced the 2021 Halle runner-up to take a medical timeout. However, the Russian served well to deny his opponent a single break point opportunity and wrapped up the contest in 85 minutes as he reached the last four without dropping a set, with the only thing causing problems being the shadows on the court. "The shadows on the court made the conditions quite difficult. It took some time to get used to it. It was then better in the second set," said Medvedev, who will return to the top 10 ahead of Wimbledon.
Express Tribune
13 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Kerkez to Liverpool confirmed: LFC secure Milos Kerkez signature for £40 million left-back from Bournemouth, confirms David Ornstein
Liverpool have reached an agreement with Bournemouth to sign Hungarian left-back Milos Kerkez in a deal worth approximately £40 million, according to veteran sports journalist David Ornstein. The 21-year-old is expected to undergo a medical next week before completing a five-year move to Anfield. The transfer, now at the paperwork stage, will bring to a close a breakout Premier League season for Kerkez, who started all 38 of Bournemouth's league matches in the 2024–25 campaign. During that stretch, he contributed two goals and five assists — exceptional numbers for a full-back — while helping solidify the south coast club's best league finish to-date. 🚨 Liverpool reach agreement with Bournemouth to sign Milos Kerkez. Deal for 21yo left-back worth around £40m + now on to documentation stage. Hungary international expected to undergo medical next week & join #LFC from #AFCB on 5yr contract @TheAthleticFC — David Ornstein (@David_Ornstein) June 20, 2025 Liverpool's pursuit of Kerkez was first reported in early June following months of scouting. The Hungary international joined Bournemouth from AZ Alkmaar in July 2023 for a reported £15.5 million and quickly established himself as one of the league's most dynamic young defenders. He has also earned 23 senior caps for Hungary since debuting in 2022. The move signals Liverpool's intent to refresh their back line, particularly with long-serving full-back Andy Robertson now 31 and showing signs of wear. While Robertson's leadership and experience remain valued at Anfield, Kerkez is viewed as a long-term successor who offers energy, athleticism, and attacking drive on the left flank. Analysts have noted Kerkez's effectiveness in underlapping and overlapping runs, a hallmark of Liverpool's wing-play strategy under former manager Jürgen Klopp and continued by Arne Slot. Though still developing defensively, Kerkez's ability to stretch opposition shapes and support attacking transitions makes him a strong tactical fit. Bournemouth, meanwhile, appear prepared for his departure. The club signed left-backs Adrian Truffert from Rennes this summer and Julio Soler in January, signalling a rebuild in the position. The agreement marks Liverpool's third major signing of the summer, with Dutch right-back Jeremie Frimpong and German attacking-midfielder Florian Wirtz.
