No.4 seed Novak Djokovic recorded his second straight-sets victory this week to reach the third round of the Australian Open.
The record 10-time Australian Open champion outplayed Francesco Maestrelli 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 in two hours and 15 minutes on Rod Laver Arena.
“The scoreline was the same (as in the first round), and overall I had a similar feeling. It felt like two completely different tournaments — the wind was blowing stronger than it ever has since I’ve been playing in Australia. He’s a good server, but I’m happy with how I’m striking the ball and how I feel, and I’m heading into the next round with confidence,” Novak said after the match.
As the match went on and on, the Serbian star was raising his level. He broke once in the opening set and twice in the second and third, before the Italian qualifier managed to clinch his first break in the match. Djokovic converted one more chance and served it out for a routine win.
Match statistics: aces (5-10), double faults (4-4), winners (19-29), unforced errors (23-35), total points won (102-69).
Novak will next meet Botic van de Zandschulp (1-1 H2H record). The Dutch beat Juncheng Shang of China (7-6, 6-2, 6-3).
Photo: Getty Images
