As in his best days, as if he doesn't turn 39 in May - Novak Djokovic is masterful at the start of the Grand Slam, which he has won 10 times.
The man who owns 24 trophies from the four biggest tournaments did not give Francesco Maestrelli even the slightest chance, advancing to the 3rd round of the Australian Open with an easy and dominant 6:3, 6:2, 6:2.
The legendary tennis player is now just one win away from 400 Grand Slam triumphs, and if he defeats Botik van de Zaanschulp in the next round, he will become the first in history to reach that number.
The qualifier from Italy was an unknown in the second round.
"I didn't know much about Maestrelli until a few days ago, which happens more often these days than before. But the respect is always there and I didn't underestimate him. He has a strong serve and plays very well, he just lacks a little experience. He has the kind of game that could make him go far and high in the world rankings. That's what I wish for him," said Djokovic.
When it comes to Novak's 21st appearance at Melbourne Park, according to projections, he should meet Italian Lorenzo Musetti in the quarterfinals and Jannik Siner in the semifinals.
The champion is warming up, the end for Tsitsipas
And the champion from the previous two years had no problems in the second round either - Siner "finished" the local player James Daquatro with 6:1, 6:4, 6:2. The Italian gave up only seven games to the 88th tennis player in the world and celebrated after an hour and 49 minutes of play. The master from northern Italy will play against American Elliot Spiziri in the next round. One of the disappointments of this Grand Slam is Stefanos Tsitsipas, who said goodbye to Melbourne after the second match - he was better than Tomas Mahach 6:4, 3:6, 7:6, 7:6. In the next round, he will face Lorenzo Musetti, who easily celebrated in the Italian duel against Lorenzo Sonego (6:3, 6:3, 6:4).
Muzzetti thus equaled his career high at the Australian Open. The fifth seed had 23 break points against Sonego, converting six of them.
Even though he is 40 years old, Stan Wawrinka still has the strength for five-set matches - the Swiss defeated Frenchman Arthur Gaea 4:6, 6:3, 3:6, 7:5, 7:6 after four and a half hours of play.
Ben Shelton also advanced, defeating home representative Dane Sweeney after three sets (6:3, 6:2, 6:2), as well as Karen Khachanov and Jakub Menshik.
The Russian tennis player was better than Nišes Basavaredi (6:1, 6:4, 6:3), and the Czech was better than Rafael Hodár (6:2, 6:4, 6:4).
Confident champion
In the women's draw, the reigning champion was flawless, despite a somewhat less convincing second set - Madison Keys reached the third round over Ashlyn Krieger (6:1, 7:5).
"I started really well, but it was expected that Ashlyn would pick up her game. In the end, the most important thing was that I found a way to win in two sets," explained the American.
Keys will play Karolina Pliskova in the next round of the Australian Open, who defeated Janice Chen 6:4, 6:4.
Amanda Anisimova (against Katerina Siniakova 6:1, 6:4) and Jessica Pegula (McCartney Kessler 6:0, 6:2) recorded secure victories in this round.
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