Djokovic Defeats Maestrelli To Qualify For Australian Open Third Round
Tennis legend Novak Djokovic defeated Italian qualifier Francesco Maestrelli 6-3 6-2 6-2 on Thursday to reach the Australian Open third round.
He brought up set point with an acrobatic backhand and secured the set with an unreturned shot from the same flank to close in on his 399th Grand Slam match victory.
Djokovic will now face 75th-ranked Botic van de Zandschulp in the third round.
The 38-year-old described the record-breaking crowds at the tournament as a good problem while encouraging Maestraelli.
Djokovic said: “Having too much crowd on this or any other tennis tournament is a very good problem to have.
“I mean, it’s a good sign. Obviously we want more attention, more people coming and wanting to watch the tennis live, follow it, livestream, et cetera.
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“You could argue that it was maybe a poor schedule, maybe they could schedule a bigger court, yes. Again, it’s a good problem to have, to be honest.
“Let’s just imagine if there’s a lack of people coming or that stands are empty.”
“I didn’t know much about him until a few days ago – it happens more often than not these days.
“The respect is always there and I didn’t underestimate him. He’s got a big serve and a big game, only lacking a bit of experience.
“He’s got the game to go far and high in the world rankings and I wish him that.”
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In other matches, Lorenzo Musetti defeated Lorenzo Sonego 6-3 6-3 6-4 to set up a third round clash against Stefano Tsitsipas or Tomas Machac.
Eighth seeded Ben Shelton earned a 6-3 6-2 6-2 win over Dane Sweeny to qualify for the third round, he will now take on Valentin Vacherot.
In the women’s category, Defending champion, Madison Keys recovered from a poor start to beat Ashlyn Krueger 6-1, 7-5 to advance to the third round.
Jessica Pegula pipped Paula Badosa 6-4, 6-4 while Amanda Anisimova brushed aside Katerina Siniakova 6-1, 6-4 on Margaret Court Arena.
Six-time Grand Slam winner Iga Swiatek produced a stunning performance to earn 6-2, 6-3 over Marie Bouzkova.
