Novak Djokovic maintained his perfect record against Frenchmen at Roland-Garros, beating home hopeful Corentin Moutet to reach the third round of the French Open.

Djokovic kept his dream of a record-extending 25th grand slam title alive with a thrilling 6-3 6-2 7-6 (7-1) victory in a match that lasted over three hours. 

Moutet broke the Serbian early in the first set, but Djokovic was able to bounce back with two breaks of his own to take an early lead in Paris. 

The sixth seed broke in the second game of the following set before surging into a 5-2 lead, edging closer to victory as he eventually took set point at the fourth time of asking. 

Moutet, ranked 73rd in the world, managed to break his opponent's serve and go 4-2 up in the third after Djokovic took a medical timeout for treatment on his left foot. 

But Djokovic immediately hit back and then withstood pressure late in the set, saving a set point at 5-6 before staying composed in the tie-break to book his place in the next round. 

The three-time Roland Garros champion will meet Denis Shapovalov or Austrian qualifier Filip Misolic on Saturday. 

No problem for Novak

He powers past Moutet 6-3 6-2 7-6(1) to advance

.#rolandgarros #djokovic pic.twitter.com/GDGsLYqexK

— ATP Tour (@atptour) May 29, 2025

Data Debrief: Djokovic continues clay-court improvement

Having suffered opening-round defeats on clay in Monte-Carlo and Madrid in April, Djokovic has returned to form after clinching his 100th tour-level title in Geneva last week. 

And though he was made to work for a straight-sets win by Moutet, Djokovic now holds a 12-0 record against French players on the clay courts at Roland-Garros. 

He is also the second player to reach the round of 32 on 20 occasions in men's singles at a single grand slam event in the Open Era, after Roger Federer at the Australian Open (21).