ROME: Novak Djokovic eased into the Italian Open quarter-finals on Tuesday after breezing past Cameron Norrie although there was tension with the Briton after the top seed was hit by a smash.
While Djokovic dispatched Norrie 6-3, 6-4, Monte Carlo Masters winner Andrey Rublev and home hope Jannik Sinner both crashed out in Rome, a key warmup for the French Open.
Djokovic has reached the last eight in each of his previous 16 appearances in the Italian capital and he did it again, getting past Norrie on center court to set up a clash with Holger Rune.
It will be a rematch of last year’s Paris Masters final, when the 20-year-old Dane won his first Masters 1000 title by beating Djokovic in a thrilling match.
“Even though he’s really young, I know his game quite well. He’s been on the tour now for last few years playing some great tennis, particularly in the last I would say six to eight months,” said Djokovic.
“He’s in very good form and I look forward to a challenge. I think it’s going to be a very physical match.”
Djokovic is gunning for a seventh title on clay in Rome and his chances have been made a little bit easier by the shock elimination of Carlos Alcaraz on Monday.
Alcaraz, who won two consecutive tournaments at Barcelona and Madrid, will take world number one spot from Djokovic on May 22 but it is the 22-time Grand Slam champion who could go into Roland Garros with yet another title under his belt.
Djokovic won the first three games against Norrie and closed out the first set with little fuss, without needing to be at his best.
The 35-year-old then took the second set to 2-1 with a break, but in the next game Norrie broke back while angering Djokovic with a smash which hit him on the back of his left leg.
Norrie had the whole court to put the ball away as Djokovic had given up on the point and was walking back to the service line.
The Briton raised his hand to apologize but at the changeover after Norrie moved to 3-2, Djokovic gave him another long stare as he passed him.
And after Djokovic sealed victory with his second match point he gave Norrie a cursory handshake at the net, while avoiding eye contact and exchanging no words with his dispatched opponent.
Djokovic later explained that he had been irritated by Norrie’s on-court behavior since the start of the match, doing “things that we players know in the locker room it’s not fair play.”
“He’s very nice guy off the court, so I don’t understand this kind of attitude on the court, to be honest. But it is what it is. He brought the fire, and I responded to that,” said Djokovic.
“I’m not going to allow someone behaving like this just bending my head. I’m going to respond to that.
“That’s all it is. What happens on the court, we leave it on the court, and we move on.”
Fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas beat Lorenzo Sonego 6-3, 7-6 (7/3) in a third-round match which was suspended on Monday due to the rain, and will take on another Italian in Lorenzo Musetti in the last 16 on Tuesday night.
Rublev, seeded six, was upset 7-6 (7/5), 4-6, 6-3 by the world’s 101-ranked player, German qualifier Yannick Hanfmann.
And Italian eighth seed Sinner was sent packing by Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo 6-7 (3/7), 6-2, 6-2.
In the women’s draw, Iga Swiatek took her Rome winning streak to 14 matches with a 6-3, 6-4 success over Donna Vekic.
World number one Swiatek will take on Elena Rybakina in the quarter-finals after coming through the toughest match of her tournament so far.
Her bid for a third title in as many years has been boosted by seeds two to six all being eliminated.