Points won by each set: | 32-21, 42-43, 16-29, 50-51 |
Points won directly behind the serve:
19 % Cecchinato – 30 of 157
22 % Djokovic – 29 of 127
Cecchinato’s advancement to the French Open semifinals, it’s the biggest Parisian surprise of the previous decade. The 26-year-old Italian [72] remained a Challenger player for many years, and entering the French Open ’18 he hadn’t even won a match at majors in his four previous attempts… he won’t win a match in seven that followed (at least). Unusual encounter because Djokovic [22] won more points in three sets, yet he lost it in four (!), it’s his most dramatic 4-set defeat. The Serbian was deprived of confidence at the time because he hadn’t played on the tour for many months in 2017, and his form in the first quarter of the 2018 season didn’t even indicate that he’d advance to the quarterfinals in Paris. He was struggling with pain in his neck, yet he could have won it if had played better in crucial moments. In the 2nd set he squandered three set points at 6:5* (well-constructed baseline point, service winner, FH winner) and another three set points in the 23-minute 4th set tie-break (7:6* BH error, 8:7* drive-volley winner in 20-stroke rally and 9:8* FH error) earlier blowing three break points at 4:1* in that set. The Italian won the tie-breaks 7/4 & 13/11 converting his fourth match point with a backhand return winner (Djokovic attacked the net behind the serve).