TENNIS ATP SHANGHAI – World number one Djokovic advanced to third round after beating Austrian talented rising star Thiem.
Novak Djokovic needed an almost flawless performance to win his opening match in the ATP Master 1000 of Shanghai 6-3 6-4 against Austrian rising star Dominic Thiem.
The first seed needed only one break per set, but his effort and focus were at the very top, because he realised from the very beginning that he could not afford anything less in order to capture this win.
The 21-year-old from Wiener Neustadt played a very brave match, trying to attack the world number one, showing glimpses of great defence at times, but, most of all, mixing up his game and looking for great solutions.
In the end, the rock-solid game of the Serb paid off, as it forced the Austrian to hit more errors than winners, but the thorough display of talent from the young player is a great hope for his future.
At the moment, the game of the world number one proved to be to a level that it seems very hard to be challenged by anyone outside the top five, as the final of Beijing testified.
The key for the final result was the decisive rise in the quality of the aggression of Djokovic between the end of the first and the beginning of the second set, when he won five consecutive games.
The first seed will play his next match against Mikhail Kukushkin, who defeated Kevin Anderson in straight sets.
