Novak Djokovic Romps Past Tatsuma Ito Into Australian Open Round Three | Tennis News
Seven-time champion Novak Djokovic weathered a trying out 2d set and breezy stipulations to weigh down Eastern wildcard Tatsuma Ito and achieve the Australian Open 3rd spherical on Wednesday. The Serbian superstar gave up simply seven video games in opposition to the arena quantity 146 within the 6-1, 6-Four, 6-2 romp on Rod Laver Enviornment which lasted 95 mins. “Credit score to him for preventing until the tip, the second one set was once beautiful shut,” mentioned the reigning title-holder. “They had been tricky stipulations, beautiful windy and it was once laborious to grasp the place the balls had been going. My serve helped so much to get me out of hassle.”
His praise is a conflict in opposition to every other Eastern, Yoshihito Nishioka, who beat Britain’s Dan Evans in 3 units.
It was once Djokovic’s 70th event win at Melbourne Park to just 8 defeats, however a type of defeats was once in opposition to a wildcard — Denis Istomin — in the second one spherical 3 years in the past.
With that during thoughts, he got here out with all weapons blazing, racing in the course of the first set in simply 22 mins.
The 32-year-old dropped a set in a tough opening clash on Monday in opposition to German Jan-Lennard Struff, and in opposition to the chances Ito pressed laborious to stage the event in the second one set.
The skilled Eastern, bidding to succeed in a Grand Slam 3rd spherical for the primary time, reduce down on his error charge to push Djokovic across the courtroom and get into the rallies.
However the Serb inevitably were given the smash he was once chasing in sport 9 when Ito fluffed a forehand and he briefly served it out, blasting down an ace to head two units forward.
Djokovic, bidding for a 17th Grand Slam name, had by no means misplaced a Slam event to a participant ranked as little as Ito and the Eastern could not maintain his stage, leaking mistakes as the arena quantity two galloped to the end line.
Djokovic is looking for to transform most effective the 3rd guy to win 8 or extra titles on the identical Grand Slam after Rafael Nadal (12 at Roland Garros) and Roger Federer (8 at Wimbledon).
He’s now on an eight-match win streak after main Serbia to the ATP Cup name in Sydney forward of the primary Primary of the yr.
