SAN FRANCISCO, October 07, (THEWILL) – Novak Djokovic dropped his first set of the French Open but battled back to beat Pablo Carreno Busta 4-6 6-2 6-3, 6-4 to set up a semi-final with Stefanos Tsitsipas.
A month after being defaulted for striking a line judge with a ball while playing Carreno Busta in the US Open fourth round, the 33-year-old Serbian found himself in trouble once again.
Djokovic struggled early on and appeared to be suffering with an injury as his opponent took the opening set. Djokovic’s arm and neck were clearly bothering him as the chance of an upset grew.
A month after being defaulted for striking a line judge with a ball while playing Carreno Busta in the US Open fourth round, Djokovic looked flat and had to save breakpoints early in the second set before raising his game to level the match.
It looked plain sailing when he led 3-0 in the third set before a dip allowed Carreno Busta back. But Djokovic saved a breakpoint at 3-3 before pulling away.
Djokovic, bidding for a second French Open crown, produced several loud roars as he tried to fire himself up.
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Though Carreno Busta hung on gamely, THEWILL could see that Djokovic was superior in the big moments and one break in the fourth was enough for the Serbian to carry the day.
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