Djokovic eases past Dimitrov

Novak Djokovic put young pretender Grigor Dimitrov in his place with an emphatic 6-2 6-2 6-3 third-round victory at the French Open.

It was billed as the match of the last 32 as the world number one took on the game's brightest young talent, but Djokovic cruised to a straight sets win in only an hour and 44 minutes.

The pair did not get on court until 7pm so there was plenty of motivation for Djokovic to wrap up victory before nightfall, while he had a point to prove after losing to Dimitrov in Madrid last month.

Djokovic certainly wasted no time stamping his authority on the match, winning five of the first six games.

French daily newspaper L'Equipe predicted what the top 10 of men's tennis will look like in 2018 and they had Dimitrov top, but it was clear the Bulgarian has some way to go.

Djokovic was stronger and more reliable and completely in control. The second set went much the same way as the first, with Dimitrov receiving treatment to his shoulder at 5-2.

The 22-year-old's time will come and he gave a late cameo of his terrific shot-making to pull back from 4-1 to 4-3.

There was then a brief moment of concern when Djokovic also received treatment to his right arm, but he responded by winning two straight games and the match.