Novak DjokovicNovak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic demolished Richard Gasquet 6-1 6-2 6-3 in an awe-inspiring performance at the French Open yesterday to set up a much-anticipated quarter-final clash with Rafael Nadal.

The Serb needed seven break points to break the 20th seed’s serve in the third game but once he had that advantage in the bag, there was no looking back. The top seed won nine games in a row to put Gasquet on the ropes.

Drop shots, gravity-defying crosscourt backhand winners and steely defence – Djokovic had way too much in his reserves to sink a hapless Gasquet.

The French favourite managed to please the Court Philippe Chatrier crowd with some sublime one-handed backhands but they failed to stall Djokovic’s charge towards the quarter-finals.

Djokovic ended Gasquet’s ordeal with an exquisite dropshot as he continued his quest to win the only grand slam title missing from his collection.

Nadal warmed up for the quarter-final blockbuster against Djokovic with a 6-3 6-1 5-7 6-2 triumph over American tyro Jack Sock.

The omens had looked rather foreboding for Sock even before he stepped on court for the fourth round encounter – with his rival holding an 11-0 win-loss record against Americans on clay.

Dejected... Maria Sharapova after losing her match yesterday.Dejected... Maria Sharapova after losing her match yesterday.

Sock’s hopes of stalling that run looked all but over within the opening exchanges when he fell 3-0 behind to the nine-times champ.

The 22-year-old unexpectedly snatched the third set from Nadal but that only delayed the inevitable as the Spaniard became the first man to win a record 70 matches at Roland Garros when he fired down an unreturnable serve.

Earlier, Maria Sharapova, the title holder, was frozen out of the tournament in the fourth round.

A day after rain played havoc with the schedule, Sharapova’s hopes of reaching a fourth successive final at Roland Garros were turned to dust by the dynamite forehand of Lucie Safarova, the Czech winning 7-6 6-4.

Sharapova was one of eight grand slam champions in action on day nine with Serena Williams and Roger Federer making sure they did not suffer the same fate as the Russian.

Top seed Williams relied on her famed survival instincts rather than her explosive firepower to extinguish the challenge of fellow American Sloane Stephens 1-6 7-5 6-3.

As she came back from a set down for a third match in a row, her exertions turned her hot-pink outfit into darker shade of cerise – but that mattered little to the fashion-conscious Williams.

“I keep fighting, I never give up,” a grinning Williams summed up.

Fellow 33-year-old Federer also harbours hopes of landing another title in Paris.

Resuming the match at one-set all, Federer dazzled Monfils with an array of spine-tingling winners for a 6-3 4-6 6-4 6-1 victory that kept him on track for a record 18th grand slam title.

At 33, Federer would have been relieved with such a swift conclusion to the match because, thanks to Sunday’s rain-curtailed programme, he will be back on court for the third day running today for his all-Swiss quarter-final against Stan Wawrinka.

Meanwhile, David Ferrer ended US Open champion Marin Cilic’s run with a 6-2 6-2 6-4 romp.

His next challenge will be ending the 14-match claycourt winning streak of Andy Murray after the British third seed tamed France’s Jeremy Chardy 6-4 3-6 6-3 6-2.

Women’s fourth round: Bacsinszky bt Kvitova 2-6 6-0 6-3.

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