"I didn't know much about him [Maestrelli] until a few days ago, it happens more often than not these days, Djokovic said about 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."
"The 38-year-old raced through the opening set on the back of a break in the second game and pounced again in the opening game of the next set to heap pressure on world number 141 Maestrelli, who struggled to capitalise on his few openings. Djokovic brought up set point with an acrobatic backhand and secured the set with an unreturned shot from the same flank to close in on his 399th Grand Slam match victory, and his 101st in Melbourne,"
Novak Djokovic defeated Italian qualifier Francesco Maestrelli 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 to advance to the Australian Open third round. The 38-year-old took an early break in the opening set, added another break at the start of the second, and maintained pressure throughout, converting points with acrobatic backhands and unreturned shots. The win moved Djokovic closer to his 399th Grand Slam match victory and his 101st in Melbourne. Maestrelli briefly recovered a break in the third set, but Djokovic raised his level to finish the match. Djokovic is pursuing a record-extending 11th Melbourne Park title and a 25th Grand Slam.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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