Djokovic runs to 19th win over Monfils

Novak Djokovic nailed down an overwhelming 19-0 record over Gael Monfils as he dismissed his longtime rival 6-3, 6-2 in the third round of the Cincinnati Masters on Thursday.

The Serb second seed took barely an hour to get the late-night job done against the opponent he has faced since junior days,

The pair of 36-year-olds were mismatched on the day, with No. 211 Monfils still coming back from months of knee problems.

He reached the quarter-finals last week in Toronto, losing to eventual champion Jannik Sinner.

Djokovic claimed a lead of a set and 5-0 but was broken while serving for the win; he bounced back to conclude the evening two games later.

Djokovic will next play Taylor Fritz, who advanced 5-0 when Dusan Lajovic retired with a toe injury.

“Gael is one of the most athletic guys on the Tour and he showed that in the first set,” Djokovic said. “Every ball comes back from him.

“I served well and made him play. After the first break I didn’t look back and raised my level.

“I had an almost flawless second set. Hopefully I can keep it going.”

Main photo:- Novak Djokovic winning in Cincy – ATPTour.com

Bill Scott

Recent Posts

Nadal goes down in final match

Rafael Nadal lined up for what was to be the final match of his career…

3 days ago

Sinner flattens de Minaur in runaway home start

Jannik Sinner took charge in front of his home crowd on Sunday, crushing ATP Finals…

2 weeks ago

Madcap Medvedev suffers temperamental Turin Finals loss

Daniil Medvedev went into meltdown mode on Sunday during a highly charged 6-4, 6-3 loss, with opponent…

2 weeks ago

Team Sinner considering skipping Monte Carlo

Jannik Sinner could well be missing from the opening European clay event of next season…

2 weeks ago

Davis Cup Final to mark Nadal goodbye to tennis

Rafael Nadal will bring down the curtain on his career next month as he plays his…

1 month ago

Wimbledon lowers the boom on human linecalling

Wimbledon on Wednesday brought an end to human linecalling at the most traditional of the…

1 month ago