Novak Djokovic won a hard-fought five-set match against Italy's Lorenzo Musetti at the French Open, which finished at 3:07 a.m. local time in Paris.
In a third-round match that didn't start until 10:37 p.m. Saturday, at the end of a rain-affected day at Roland Garros, the defending champion rallied from two sets down to win 7-5, 6-7 (6-8), 2-6, 6-3, 6-0.
The 37-year-old Serbian player looked to be on the brink of elimination after a strong performance from 30th seed Musetti.
But a reinvigorated Djokovic found new momentum midway through the fourth set, breaking serve six times in a row to force a deciding set and win handily.
The pair shared a warm embrace after the match, with Djokovic joining the crowd at Court Philippe Chatrier in applauding his 22-year-old opponent in the slowest finish in French Open history.
The victory, which took four hours and 29 minutes, moves the world number one to seek a fourth French Open title and will face 23rd seed Francisco Cernudolo of Argentina in the last 16.
“I don't want to be a part of it. [the schedule]”I have my opinions, but I think there are some great things to say about today's match,” Djokovic said.
“I don't want to talk about the schedule because both Lorenzo and I have had outstanding performances. I think some things could have been handled differently, but there is also beauty in winning matches.” [so late]”
As a teenager, Musetti came close to beating Djokovic in the fourth round at the 2021 French Open but withdrew with an injury in the fifth set.
The 22-year-old Djokovic again started well, breaking serve in the third game, but he fought back quickly, surviving long rallies to convert the first set point.
But Musetti fought back from 4-1 down in the second set, saved a set point on Djokovic's serve to tie the score in the tiebreak, then broke Djokovic twice in the third to move within a set of victory.
While Musetti's level barely dropped at 2-2 in the fourth set, Djokovic, drawing on his years of experience, stepped up a gear and sealed the victory with a stunning cross-court forehand return winner.
