Djokovic through to last eight
Djokovic has won three titles this year
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Monday, 04, Jun 2007 09:51
Rising star Novac Djokovic booked his place in the quarter-finals of the French Open after overcoming Fernando Verdasco 6-3 6-3 7-6.
The 20-year-old, who has yet to get past the last eight in a grand slam, will face Igor Andreev in the next round after a dominant display against the Spaniard.
Djokovic raced to a 4-1 lead on his way to taking the opening set and opened up a 4-0 advantage in the second set before Verdasco showed some resistance.
In a gruelling third set that lasted 79 minutes, Djokovic stormed through the tiebreak, losing just one point, to seal victory in three hours and 45 minutes.
The world number six, who reached the quarter-finals at Roland Garros last year, said he was not getting carried away.
"I'm really happy with the way I played because I didn't play very well at all in the first three rounds," Djokovic said.
"I haven't come here with the goal of winning the tournament. I am going step by step. I just look at the next opponent and I know that the results will come sooner or later."
Andreev sealed his place in the quarter-finals of a grand slam for the first time after a shock 2-6 6-1 6-3 6-4 win over Marcos Baghdatis.
The Russian, the world number 125, is the lowest-ranked player to reach the last eight in Paris since 1999.