Djokovic made a slow start, with Ruud opening up a 3-0 lead, but the 22-time grand slam champion fought back to make it 4-4. Ruud got to 0-30 on Djokovic’s serve at 5-4 thanks in part to a tweener lob but he could not force a set point and with that his chance was gone.
It was a crushing blow to Ruud, and that was compounded when he dropped serve in the second game of the second set. Djokovic was now back in his comfort zone and progressing nicely towards his date with the history books.
Ruud managed to save two set points at 2-5 but Djokovic was imperious in serving it out. The Norwegian did not win a game in the third set against Nadal last year and he was determined that the same would not happen here.
And he found a better rhythm on his serve and applied some pressure to Djokovic, although he was left cursing his luck when his opponent benefited from a lucky netcord down 0-30 at 3-4, giving the French crowd a final chance for a round of booing.
Mirror