Roland Garros 2021: 3 things that stood out in Novak Djokovic's win over Pablo Cuevas

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic sailed into the third round at Roland Garros with a straight-sets victory over Uruguay's Pablo Cuevas on Thursday. The Serb is now on a six-match unbeaten streak on clay having won the title in Belgrade last week.

Djokovic dominated the opening exchanges and raced into a two-set lead, but Cuevas tested his resolve in the third. However, the Serb held his nerve to close out the match and reach the third round in Paris for the 16th consecutive year.

Fun match to watch. Decent level from Cuevas, lot of rhythm and good points. In the end, Djokovic wins 6-3 6-2 6-4. Ričardas Berankins up next for Novak. #RG21
— Saša Ozmo (@ozmo_sasa) June 3, 2021

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On that note, here's a look at three key takeaways from Djokovic's straight-sets win:

#1 Statistically speaking, Novak Djokovic was impeccable

Novak Djokovic's dominant performance against Pablo Cuevas is evident from the match statistics. The Serb hit 32 winners as compared to 22 unforced errors, and won 42% of the points on Cuevas' serve. Djokovic also won 98 points in total, 28 more than the Uruguayan.

Djokovic's numbers on serve were exemplary as well. He fired 10 aces and dropped his serve just once throughout the match. The World No. 1 did not hesitate to move forward and enjoyed quite a bit of success at the net, 70% (14/20) of the points.

#2 Not entirely a smooth ride for the World No. 1

Cuevas looked dead in the water for the first two sets but he sprung to life in the third. The Uruguayan produced some of his best tennis early in the third set and earned four break points in the Serb's first couple of service games.

Cuevas served up a spectacle for the fans by smashing down 15 winners and three aces in the third set, but he was unable to find a way past a resilient Djokovic, who closed out the win in just over two hours.

Make that 3️⃣5️⃣0️⃣ Grand Slam match wins for Novak Djokovic 🙌🎥: @rolandgarros | @DjokerNole pic.twitter.com/t33k1hVW7A
— ATP Tour (@atptour) June 3, 2021

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#3 Novak Djokovic's clutch play is unrivalled

Novak Djokovic produced his best tennis under pressure

In his second-round encounter against Pablo Cuevas, Novak Djokovic proved once again that there is no player who performs better under pressure than the Serb. Cuevas threw all he could at Djokovic in the third set and had the backing of a vocal French crowd, but the World No. 1 held firm.

During the course of the match, Djokovic saved eight of the nine breakpoints he conceded, and converted five of the eight he earned. Moreover, dropping his serve early in the first set only seemed to sharpen his focus, following which he reeled off 10 of the next 12 games.

Djokovic will next face Ricardas Berankis in the third round, following which he could play either Marco Cecchinato or Lorenzo Musetti.

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