French Open: Novak Djokovic, defeats Peruvian Juan Pablo Varillas

The third-ranked player in the world, Novak Djokovic, defeated Peruvian Juan Pablo Varillas 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 on Sunday to advance to the quarterfinals of the French Open, moving him one step closer to a record-breaking 23rd Grand Slam victory.

On a windy day on Philippe Chatrier court, the Serbian, who is presently tied with Spain’s Rafa Nadal at 22 majors, seemed unfazed by his 94th-ranked opponent, the first Peruvian to reach a Grand Slam fourth round in 29 years.

To avoid getting sucked into drawn-out baseline fights that had seen the 27-year-old win all three of his previous rounds in five-set marathons, he targeted Varillas at every chance.

Djokovic, a two-time winner in Paris, has now advanced to the quarterfinals at the French Open for a record 17th time—one more than Rafa Nadal, who has won the tournament 14 times but is out this year due to injury.