MELBOURNE: Novak Djokovic systematically dismantled Italian qualifier Francesco Maestrelli 6-3 6-2 6-2 to reach the Australian Open third round on Thursday, continuing his bid to make more history.
Fourth seed Djokovic, who is seeking a record-extending 11th Melbourne Park title and 25th Grand Slam trophy overall to break the deadlock ‌with Margaret ‌Court, maintained his ‌steady ⁠grip on ‌the second-round clash without needing to shift into top gear.
The 38-year-old raced through the opening set on the back of a break in the second game and pounced again in the ⁠opening game of the next set to heap ‌pressure on world number ‍141 Maestrelli, who ‍struggled to capitalize on his few ‍openings.
Djokovic brought up set point with an acrobatic backhand and secured the frame with an unreturned shot from the same flank to close in on his 399th Grand Slam match victory, ⁠and his 101st in Melbourne, leaving him one shy of record-holder Roger Federer.
Maestrelli had a rare moment of joy in the third set as he recovered a break after conceding two, but Djokovic raised his level again to close out the victory and book a meeting with either Botic ‌van de Zandschulp or Juncheng Shang.