Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal cruise through to fourth round at French Open
Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal remained on track for a quarterfinal matchup at the French Open with a pair of straight-sets victories Friday.
The top-ranked Djokovic beat Aljaz Bedene of Slovenia 6-3, 6-3, 6-2 at Court Philippe Chatrier in 1 hour, 44 minutes -- the quickest of his three wins. No. 5 Nadal defeated No. 26 Botic Van De Zandschulp 6-3, 6-2, 6-4.
Neither Djokovic nor Nadal has dropped a set in their first three matches at Roland Garros, and they are set to meet in the quarterfinals if each wins his fourth-round match. Djokovic will next face No. 15 Diego Schwartzman, and Nadal will play No. 9 Felix Auger-Aliassime, who beat Filip Krajinovic 7-6 (3), 7-6 (2), 7-5.
Nadal, a 13-time French Open champion, said it was the best of his three wins this week, at least up until Van De Zandschulp crept back into the third set. Nadal in his on-court interview said he was disappointed to miss a break point that would have put him up 5-0.
Schwartzman advanced to the fourth round by beating Grigor Dimitrov 6-3, 6-1, 6-2, as the 18th-seeded Bulgarian made 59 unforced errors. Schwartzman is 0-6 all-time against Djokovic, including a five-setter in the third round at the 2017 French Open.
Djokovic, a 20-time Grand Slam champion, hasn't lost in the third round at Roland Garros since 2009.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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