World no.1 and two-time Shanghai Rolex Masters defending champion Novak Djokovic advanced to the last 16 at the eighth ATP Masters 1000 event of the season on Wednesday with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Austrian Dominik Thiem.
The match at Qi Zhong Tennis Center lasted one hour and 28 minutes.
Novak broke his rival in the eighth game of the first set and served it out 6-3 in 42 minutes.
The top seed made an early break in the second set and kept the advantage till the end, recording his 50th match win in 2014.
“I had to be on alert from the start because he was serving 215 kilometers per hour already in the first service game,” said Novak. “He was serving big, playing big. He’s definitely one of the most talented players. He’s got the power. Some shots he was playing today were incredible. Backhands down the line. He was going for it. I don’t blame him. He’s a young player, playing on center court, it’s his opportunity to shine. He did well. I thought we played some really good points and a great match overall.”
Statistics: aces (7-5), double faults (1-3), winners (17-26), unforced errors (8-26), total points won (73-55).
Novak will next meet world no.85 Mikhail Kukushkin of Kazakhstan, who upset no.16 seed Kevin Anderson 6-4, 6-2. It will be their first career encounter.
Photo: Getty Images
