Novak Djokovic makes history with third round win in Cincinnati

August 18, 2023

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Novak Djokovic makes history with third round win in Cincinnati

Novak Djokovic has broken an Open Era record with his straight sets victory over Gael Monfils in Cincinnati, as he reaches an 11th quarter-final at the event.

Djokovic beat Monfils, 6-3 6-2, to extend his dominant record against the former No.6 to 19-0, which is now the most one-sided head-to-head in ATP tour history.

Dominant. Devastating. Djokovic.

It's *another* record for @DjokerNole as he beats Monfils for the 19th straight time! ?#CincyTennis pic.twitter.com/yQWi5NsS6I

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) August 18, 2023

The 23-time Grand Slam champion reflected on his victory, “It was an evolution of both players over the last 15 years. We’ve been facing each other in different parts of the world, also in juniors.. early on I struggled with him physically.

“When you’re playing against one of the most athletic guys in the world, you have to be ready for every ball to come back.. I guess his game suits me. It’s nice to see him back. We haven’t played for quite a few years. Great to see him back playing at a high level.”

Djokovic and Monfils’ first meeting at senior level came in the first round of the 2005 US Open, when they were both 18-years-old, with the former coming through in five sets.

Although Monfils has never beaten the Serb on the main ATP tour, he did manage to beat him in a futures event in Italy back in 2004.

Djokovic now moves onto the quarter-final stages of the Masters 1000 event in Ohio, where he will take on Taylor Fritz, who is another player that he is unbeaten against.