Novak Djokovic overcame an early break deficit to defeat Roberto Carballes Baena 6-4 6-1 6-2 to reach the third round at Roland Garros.
The Serb was caught cold in the opening set but then raced past the Spaniard with ease to reach the third round.
Next for Djokovic will be the winner of tonight’s night session match between Lorenzo Musetti and Gael Monfils.
The world number one didn’t get off to the best of starts as he was just finding his rhythm on serve and Carballes Baena took advantage with some efficient returning to break in the opening game.
However that was one of the only things Carballes Baena could celebrate in the contest as Djokovic dictated play with the forehand to break back immediately to love.
There was continued success from Djokovic in the longer rallies as he created four break points in the next return game, only to be denied by some clever play from the Spaniard.
As the set grew on, Carballes Baena’s belief increased as he continued to survive the pressure on Djokovic as he created some great shots especially on the backhand side.
Towards the end of the set Carballes Baena threatened with the break only for Djokovic to shut him down with effortless ease.
Failing to take his chances would cost the Spaniard as Djokovic’s defence prevailed in the tenth game as he took his first set point to break Carballes Baena.
Djokovic’s old self was slowly returning and that was evident in the second set as he opened up the court with the forehand.
Despite being broken in the fifth game, Djokovic assumed dominance and control as broke on three occasions to win the second set in 36 minutes.
Frustration grew with Carballes Baena as he was unable to threaten Djokovic or outlast him in the longer rallies as another early break of serve did the damage for the world number one in the third set.
The stranglehold on this match from Djokovic was increased with another break of serve in the fifth game as he controlled the tempo of the contest.
Despite a late show of defiance from Carballes Baena, Djokovic steadied the ship and a forehand into the net from the Spaniard secured a comfortable performance.
After the match Djokovic thanked the crowd for their support, “Thank you for the support. There’s so much rain this year at Roland Garros, it’s so great so many came out to support under the roof,” Djokovic was quoted by the BBC as saying in his interview.
“It was a difficult match against Roberto. He scored a lot of very good and precise shots. The last game of the first set I played really well and started to play at the higher level. At the end of the match I was then playing very well. I am very happy with this performance.”
Now Djokovic is one win away from the second week in Paris and will play Lorenzo Musetti or Gael Monfils on Saturday.