Novak Djokovic staged a remarkable comeback from being two sets to one down and battled through a knee injury to overcome Francisco Cerundolo, securing his place in the French Open quarter-finals. The world No. 1 had to dig deep for the second match in a row following his marathon encounter against Lorenzo Musetti in the previous round. However, true to his resilience, Djokovic found a way to win, eventually prevailing 6-1, 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 in a grueling match lasting four hours and 39 minutes.

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This was their first-ever meeting, and Cerundolo will regret missing out on a golden opportunity to claim a major scalp and reach his maiden Grand Slam quarter-final. In contrast, Djokovic advances to the last eight of a major for the 59th time and continues his quest for a fourth French Open title, facing either Taylor Fritz or Casper Ruud next.

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Concerns over Djokovic's fitness arose after his late-night victory over Musetti, finishing at 3:07 am local time, but he quickly dispelled any doubts. Although they split the opening two sets, Djokovic dominated the first set by reeling off five consecutive games after Cerundolo held for a 2-1 lead. However, the match took a dramatic turn shortly afterward.

After Cerundolo held serve to lead 2-1 in the second set, Djokovic appeared to suffer a knee injury, summoning the trainer and later the doctor at the changeover to manage his condition. Sensing an opportunity, the Argentine outsider applied relentless pressure, eventually securing a crucial break to win the second set 7-5 and level the match.

As Djokovic continued to struggle physically, Cerundolo's confidence grew. He surged to a 3-0 lead in the third set and maintained his composure, moving within a set of a historic victory when Djokovic netted a forehand return. A break in the fifth game of the fourth set further bolstered Cerundolo's position, but Djokovic's unparalleled survival instincts kicked in.

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Summoning his best tennis under pressure, Djokovic won five of the next six games from 2-4 down to force a decisive fifth set and add another come-from-behind victory to his illustrious career. Cerundolo fought admirably, but Djokovic turned the tide when he broke from 40-0 down to go up 5-3 before serving out the match to book his spot in the 18th French Open quarter-final of his career.

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