Novak Djokovic had to dig deep for his victory over 11th seed Karen Khachanov that secured his passage into the French Open semi-finals on Tuesday.
Djokovic did not have a great start but once he got into his groove, the Serbian star secured a 4-6, 7-6 (7/0), 6-2, 6-4 victory to reach the last four.
Djokovic, chasing a third French Open crown and record 23rd men's Grand Slam singles title, advanced to a 45th major semi-final and his 12th at Roland Garros. "I think he was a better player for most of the first two sets," said Djokovic. "I was struggling to find my rhythm.
I came into the match quite slow but played a perfect tie-break and from that moment onwards played a couple levels higher. "It's a big fight, something you expect in the quarter-finals.