Djokovic cruises past Maestrelli to enter Australian Open third round

The Serbian tennis legend and 24-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic continued his fine run in the Australian Open, marching to the third round with a win over Francesco Maestrelli on Thursday. Djokovic, fresh off his 100th Australian Open win, defeated Francesco 6-3, 6-2, 6-2, continuing his pursuit for the first Grand Slam title since the US Open 2023.

Impressive Performance and Stats

The 38-year-old looked sharper and more effective than ever on the court, since sealing his 101st tour-level title in Athens last year in November, and his ball striking was clean, as per ATP’s official website. Djokovic needed seven set points and captured the 47-minute opener first set. He was well in control of his baseline rallies and serving, having won 86 per cent (43/50) of his first-serve points.

Facing two break points in the opening service game of set two, the legend managed to draw forehand return errors from the 23-year-old qualifier.

Nearing Historic Milestone

With this win, Djokovic is just one win away from securing 400 victories across Grand Slams and will become the first-ever player in history of the sport to complete 400 Grand Slam match wins. His next opponent would be Botic van de Zandschulp, who delivered a shocking defeat to tennis legend at ATP Masters 1000 event in Indian Wells, and the duo have a 1-1 record head-to-head.

Path Ahead in Melbourne

This is Djokovic’s 21st Australian Open appearance, and he is scheduled for matches against Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti and defending champion Jannik Sinner in semifinal, who is eyeing a hat-trick of title wins here at Melbourne. Mussetti beat a compatriot 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 and matched his career best effort at the Australian Open and will meet the 31st seed Stefanos Tsitsipas or Czech Tomas Machac.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)