By Sudipto Ganguly
LONDON (Reuters) – Top seed Novak Djokovic raised his level to put an end to the fairytale run of Dutch wildcard Tim van Rijthoven during a battling 6-2 4-6 6-1 6-2 victory on Sunday and keep his Wimbledon title defence on track.
Chasing a fourth straight Wimbledon crown and seventh overall at the grasscourt major, Djokovic is now unbeaten on the manicured lawns of the All England Club since retiring due to an elbow injury against Tomas Berdych in the 2017 quarter-finals.
Djokovic will play Italian 10th seed Jannik Sinner for a place in Friday’s semi-finals after the 20-year-old ousted fifth-seeded Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz in the previous contest on Centre Court.
The Serb broke his opponent’s serve twice in the opening set while saving three break points to take a one-set lead.
Van Rijthoven, the clear underdog against the 20-time major winner, brought the crowd under the Centre Court lights to their feet when he broke the 20-times major winner’s serve in the second set to level the contest.
But Djokovic showed why he has won 25 consecutive matches on grass, taking his level up a few notches in the third set to break twice and shut down the momentum the Dutchman had gained.
The 35-year-old got a break early in the fourth and let out roars of “come on” with his fists clenched, while a second break in the seventh game put the top seed firmly in control.
Djokovic then converted his first match point with a forehand winner — his 28th of the evening — to keep his title defence rolling on grass.
(Reporting by Sudipto Ganguly; editing by Ken Ferris)
