Djokovic is irresistible in round 1
DUBAI: Novak Djokovic continued his hot early season form on Monday, cruising past Tunisian wild card Malek Jaziri 6-1, 6-2 into the second round of the Dubai Championships.
The top seed and four-time champion made short work of Jaziri, who is ranked 260 in the world.
Djokovic owns a perfect 14-0 record this season after winning a title for Serbia at the ATP Cup followed by a record-extending eighth Australian Open crown. The world No.1 crashed seven aces past Jaziri in a match that lasted little more than an hour.
“A one-hour match.. .I did everything as well as I imagined it to be for the first match. Of course, there’s things that always can be improved, things that can be better.
“But I have to be satisfied with the performance.”
He reeled off the opening set in less than half an hour, broke twice in the second set and served out the win on his first match point.
He will face Philipp Kohlschreiber in the next round after the German veteran advanced past Egyptian Mohamed Safwat 4-6, 6-4, 6-0.
“It’s a great way to start out the tournament,” said Djokovic, who is playing the event for the first time since 2016. “I missed playing here. I really enjoy it. I enjoy night sessions.
“Philipp can deliver his best game in these kind of matches. He’s very capable. I’ll try to be ready.”
French third seed Gael Monfils, winner of back-to-back events this month in Montpellier and Rotterdam, beat Hungarian Marton Fucsovics 6-4, 7-5 in a match that lasted two hours.
Karen Khachanov earned a 7-6 (7/2), 6-1 win over Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Kukushkin to reach the second round.