Melbourne: Novak Djokovic underlined his formidable form at the Australian Open by cruising into the third round with a commanding 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 victory over Italy’s Francesco Maestrelli, while defending women’s champion Madison Keys survived a stern test to keep her title defence on track.
The fourth-seeded Djokovic, playing just his second match since capturing his 101st tour-level title in Athens last November, looked sharp and in complete control at Melbourne Park. The 38-year-old moved effortlessly, dominated baseline rallies and delivered an authoritative serving display, winning 86 per cent of his first-serve points.
Djokovic needed seven set points to clinch the opening set in 47 minutes but rarely looked troubled thereafter. With the win, the record 10-time Australian Open champion moved to 399 career match victories at Grand Slam level. A third-round win would see him become the first player in history to reach 400 major match wins.
Djokovic will next face either Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp or China’s Shang Juncheng as he continues his bid for an unprecedented 11th Australian Open crown.
On the women’s side, ninth seed Madison Keys rallied strongly to defeat fellow American Ashlyn Krueger 6-1, 7-5 at John Cain Arena. After racing through the first set, Keys found herself trailing 5-2 in the second before digging deep to turn the match around and seal victory in straight sets.
“I expected her to raise her level, which she did,” Keys said. “Once I got the momentum back, I just tried to stay aggressive and do whatever I could to get back into the set.”
Another all-American encounter saw sixth seed Jessica Pegula deliver a dominant performance, easing past McCartney Kessler 6-0, 6-2 to reach the third round.
In the men’s draw, eighth seed Ben Shelton advanced comfortably with a 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 win over Australian qualifier Dane Sweeny. Fifth seed Lorenzo Musetti defeated compatriot Lorenzo Sonego 6-3, 6-3, 6-4, while 15th seed Karen Khachanov moved on with a 6-1, 6-4, 6-3 victory over Nishesh Basavareddy.
With top seeds safely through and milestone moments looming, the Australian Open gathered momentum as the tournament headed into the business end of the opening week at Melbourne Park.
Defending champion Jannik Sinner is set to return to action in the second round of the Australian Open on Thursday night, where he faces local wildcard James Duckworth at Rod Laver Arena. The Italian, who leads their head-to-head 2–0, will look to extend his title defence in front of a partisan Melbourne crowd when the night-session match gets underway.
Source: ESPN, ATP
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