World No.3 Novak Djokovic has extended his winning streak on the tour to 15 matches after defeating Italy’s Marcos Cecchinato 6-4, 6-0, in the third round of the Rolex Shanghai Masters.
The three-time champion overcame a tentative start with a clinical display against his opponent. During the 69-minute match, Djokovic hit 20 winners to 11 unforced errors and broke Cecchinato four times. Recording his 42nd win of the season.
“He fights for every ball. We were both feeling the tension. But the second set was perfect.” Djokovic said afterwards.
Thursday’s encounter was a chance for Djokovic to avenge his loss to Cecchinato in the quarter-finals of the French Open. Since that clash, the Serbian has gone on to win 27 out of 29 matches player on the tour. Furthermore, Djokovic entered the match with 527 wins on a hard court. A stark contrast to his rivals tally of just four.
It was clear how much the victory meant for the 31-year-old. Three games in, Djokovic slammed his racket onto the ground out of frustration after failing to convert a duo of break points. Prompting the umpire to have words with him. Despite Djokovic’s fiery mood, his consistency and power proved too much for an error-stricken Cecchinato. At 3-3, back-to-back mistakes from the world No.21 elevated Djokovic to a break for a 4-3 lead. Firmly in the driving seat, the second seed eased his way to clinching the opener. Hitting an ace for trio of set points, before converting his second with the help another speedy serve out wide.
After grabbing the opening set, Djokovic charged towards the finish line. The defensive play by the Serbian draw more errors from his rival as he dictated almost all of the rallies. Prompting Cecchinato to rapidly fade away. A one-sided second set saw Djokovic win 27 out of 37 points played.
Djokovic’s reward will be a showdown against South Africa’s Kevin Anderson. Seventh seed Anderson dismissed Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4, 7-6(1). The upcoming match will be the eighth meeting between the two with Djokovic leading their head-to-head 6-1. His sole loss to Anderson was at the 2008 Miami Masters.
Zverev to clash with Edmund
Earlier in the day, German world No.5 Alexander Zverev swept aside Australian No.1 Alex de Minaur 6-4, 6-1. Zverev, who previously failed to reach the quarter-finals at his past three tournaments, dropped just six points behind his first serve as he broke de Minaur three times.
“I though I played well from start to finish, like yesterday.” Zverev told atpworldtour.com. “I’ve played two tough opponents and the draw doesn’t get any easier from here. I’m definitely happy with the match today, especially during the first set.”
Zverev has now won 48 matches on the tour this season. The joint-highest amount on the tour with Dominic Thiem. He will next take on Great Britain’s Kyle Edmund in Shanghai. Edmund battled past Nicolas Jarry 7-6(5), 6-3, in his match. Should Zverev defeat Edmund, he would secure his place at the ATP World Tour Finals for a second year in a row.
