2011 French Open: Novak Djokovic defeats Thiemo De Bakker in the first round
Unstoppable Serb, Novak Djokovic continues his winning streak on tour as he secured a straight set win against Dutch Thiemo De Bakker in the first round at 2011 Roland Garros.
Following the Italian defending champion, Francesca Schiavone at the Philippe Chatrier, Djokovic met De Bakker for the first time on tour in his opening round clash here.
Dominating the lower ranked opponent from the start, Djokovic maintained his winning form as he rushed to a 3-0 lead in the opener. Holding his opening serve plausibly, Djokovic broke De Bakker in the second game to get ahead.
Fighting back hard, De Bakker managed to win the fourth game reducing the deficit. However, he needed more than a single win if he was to find any footing against the season’s juggernaut. Winning games on their service, Djokovic was able to comfortably glide to a 6-2 win in the opener, going one up in the set score. Hitting a meagre 68% on his first service, the Djoker was successful in winning a whopping 85% points on it.
Having already put down his opponent, the Djoker continued to humiliate his opponent. Carrying over his form into the second set, the unstoppable Serb rushed to a 4-0 lead before comfortably closing the set with a breadstick.
Strong on his path for a straight sets win, Djoker entered the third set on a high note as well. However, this time around the Dutch succeeded in putting up a faint opposition, though it did not last long. Keeping the score board ticking on even terms in the first four games, De Bakker kept games tied at 2-2.
However, breaking the Dutch in the fifth game and then winning the next on his own serve, Djokovic was able to go 4-2 in the lead. The unstoppable Serb extended his lead further in the set before finally clinching a 6-3 victory.
With this win, the unstoppable Serb has now extended his winning streak to 38 matches for the season and 40 if you consider his wins in the singles rubbers in the Davis Cup Final last December. The 2011 Australian Open champion is not only hoping for another Grand Slam win this year but also looks to break legend Mc Enroe’s season winning streak of 42 matches.
The Serb now moves on ahead to play either Frenchman Benoit Paire or 2011 Open de Nice finalist, Victor Hanescu from Romania.
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