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Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz inched closer to a blockbuster French Open semi-final showdown with imperious wins on Sunday as Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka skipped another press conference due to being asked to comment on the war in Ukraine earlier in the tournament.
Djokovic, who is chasing a men’s record 23rd Grand Slam to leapfrog Spaniard Rafa Nadal in the injured champion’s absence, blazed past Peruvian marathon man Juan Pablo Varillas 6-3 6-2 6-2 in a lopsided last-eight clash.
A two-time champion in Paris, Djokovic has now reached the quarters in Paris for a record 17th time, one more than Nadal.
“I’m proud of all the records but it also means I’m not young any more,” said the 36-year-old Djokovic. “It was the best level of tennis I have played here so I’m very satisfied.”
World number one and top seed Alcaraz, another tenacious Spaniard who is backed to take the mantle of 14-times champion Nadal, bulldozed his way to a 6-3 6-2 6-2 win over Italian Lorenzo Musetti.
World number two Sabalenka, who has been repeatedly urged by Ukrainian players to take a stand against the war, reached the quarter-finals by beating American Sloane Stephens 7-6(5) 6-4.
But she skipped her press conference for a second time having also done so on Friday citing mental health reasons and saying she did not feel safe after being grilled on what Russia calls a “special military operation” in Ukraine.
