New Delhi: Novak Djokovic didn’t face much difficulty to enter the Australian Open’s third round as he continued his bid for record number of Grand Slam victories with a 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 win over qualifier Francesco Maestrelli.
The record 10-time champion in Melbourne Park systematically dismantled his Italian opponent as he continued his quest for a record-extending 11th Melbourne Park title and 25th Grand Slam trophy overall.
The fourth seed maintained control throughout and didn’t need to shift into top gear to win at Margaret Court Arena.
The 38-year-old moved freely and struck the ball cleanly despite playing only his second match his 101st tour-level title in Athens in November.
More records beckon
In his 21st Australian Open appearance, the Serb is now only one victory away from 400 victories at the Grand Slam level and with 101 match wins in Mebourne is one shy of record holder Roger Federer.
“I didn’t know much about him (Maestrelli) until a few days ago, it happens more often than not these days,” he said on his 23-year-old opponent.
“But the respect is always there and I didn’t underestimate him. He’s got a big serve and a big game, only lacking a bit of experience. He’s got the game to go far and high in the world rankings and I wish him that.”
Djokovic claimed his 100th match win at the Australian Open in the opening round, and needed seven set points to race through the opneng set in 47 minutes.
He didn’t need to relinquishing control in baseline rallies, and broke his opponent’s serve in the second game. He also produced a dominant serving display, winning 86 per cent (43/50) of his first-serve points.
Djokovic broke world number 141 Maestrelli in the opening game of the next set and pocketed it win a winner.
Maestrelli recovered a break in the third set after conceding two, but Djokovic completed the victory to book a meeting with either Botic van de Zandschulp or Juncheng Shang.