Novak Djokovic cruised past Gael Monfils and Carlos Alcaraz fended off in-form American Tommy Paul to reach the Cincinnati Open quarter-finals on Thursday while other top seeds Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas were sent packing.
Djokovic, twice a winner in Cincinnati, dominated the baseline rallies in his 6-3 6-2 win over Monfils and extended his perfect record against the Frenchman to 19-0 – the most lopsided unbeaten ATP head-to-head record in the Open Era.
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The Serbian made the most of a loose service game from Monfils and broke to love at 5-3 in the first set to close it out.
After racing to a 5-0 lead in the second he faltered on his first attempt to serve it out, but completed the win two games later in an hour and eight minutes. Djokovic will next face home favorite Taylor Fritz.
“We’ve been playing each other in different parts of the world, also in juniors,” Djokovic said. “Early on, I struggled with him physically.
Source: reuters.com
Photo: Profimedia
