Djokovic beats Musetti in 3:07am finish in Paris

Novak Djokovic overcame a five-set epic against Italian Lorenzo Musetti at the French Open, which ended at 03:07 local time in Paris.

In a third-round matchup that didn’t begin until 10:37 p.m. Saturday, toward the end of a rain-affected day at Roland Garros, the defending champion rallied from two sets to one down to win 7-5, 6- 7 (6-8) 2-6 6-3 6-0.

The 37-year-old Serbian appeared to be on the verge of exiting the tournament at the hands of an inspired Musetti, the 30th seed.

But a rejuvenated Djokovic found new momentum midway through the fourth set, posting six consecutive breaks of serve to force, and then facilitate, victory, a decider.

There was a warm hug between the two at the end of the match, and Djokovic joined the crowd on Court Philippe Chatrier to applaud his 22-year-old opponent in what was the last final in French Open history.

The victory in four hours and 29 minutes continued the world number one’s bid for a fourth French Open crown and he will play Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo, number 23, in the round of 16.

“I don’t want to get into that (schedule). I have my opinions, but I think there are great things to talk about in this match today,” Djokovic said.

“Both Lorenzo and my performances stand out, so I don’t want to talk about the schedule. I think some things could have been handled differently, but it’s also nice to win a game (so late).”

As a teenager, Musetti pressured Djokovic in the fourth round at Roland Garros in 2021 before retiring injured in the fifth set.

The 22-year-old also started fast on this occasion, breaking serve in the third game of the match, although Djokovic responded immediately and then outlasted his opponent on a long rally to convert his first set point.

But Musetti fought back from 4-1 down in the second set and saved a set point on Djokovic’s serve in the tie-break on his way to leveling the match, before breaking twice in the third set to get within one of the victory.

At 2-2 in the fourth, with Musetti’s level barely dropping, Djokovic took advantage of his many years of experience to find an extra gear and the victory was closed with an impressive cross-court forehand return.