Nineteen Lexus ATP Head2Head conferences. Nineteen wins for Novak Djokovic in opposition to Gael Monfils.
The Serbian prolonged his dominance within the matchup into historic territory on Thursday on the Western & Southern Open. Following his 6-3, 6-2 victory, Djokovic now owns essentially the most wins with no defeat in any Lexus ATP Head2Head matchup — breaking a tie with Rafael Nadal, who’s 18-0 in opposition to Richard Gasquet.
“It was type of an evolution of each gamers over the previous 15-plus years that we have been taking part in one another in numerous elements of the world, additionally in juniors,” Djokovic stated of their historical past. “I believe early on I struggled loads with him, I believe bodily as effectively. If you play on of essentially the most athletic guys on the Tour, it’s a must to be prepared, each ball comes again. A few factors at present, particularly within the first set he confirmed his athleticism.”
After a second-set retirement by Alejandro Davidovich Fokina handed Djokovic a win in his first match on American soil since 2021, the World No. 2 performed two stable units to dismiss Monfils, dominating the baseline rallies in a one-hour, eight-minute victory. With victory in his first accomplished match since he misplaced to Carlos Alcaraz within the Wimbledon last, Djokovic stays on track for a possible rematch with the World No. 1 Spaniard within the title spherical.
Now 17-1 on exhausting courts this season, Djokovic is in search of his third Cincinnati title. His first Western & Southern Open crown in 2018 earned him a Profession Golden Masters, finishing his field set of trophies on the ATP Masters 1000. He repeated as champion in 2020, when the occasion was held in New York.
Monfils, who reached the Toronto quarter-finals final week, was bidding to make back-to-back runs to that stage at Masters 1000s for the primary time since 2016 (Indian Wells, Miami). The Frenchman was additionally denied a second Prime 4 win in as many weeks, following his upset of Stefanos Tsitsipas in Toronto.
Djokovic took over on the Cincinnati centre courtroom from 3-3 within the first set. The Serbian capitalised on a free service recreation from Monfils to interrupt at love for 5-3, then moved by means of the gears to win eight straight video games and construct a 5-0 lead in set two. Monfils claimed his first break level of the night time to keep away from a bagel second set, however Djokovic made no mistake on his second try and serve out the win.
“I simply managed to carry my serve actually comfortably. I believe I used to be hitting the spots effectively, and simply made him play,” stated Djokovic, who pressured the significance of serving effectively within the fast Cincinnati situations. “He made a number of unforced errors at 4-3 within the first set handy me the break. After that it was no wanting again for me. I began to boost the extent increasingly more, nearly a flawless second set. I assume his recreation fits me. It is good to see him again. We’ve not performed for fairly a number of years. It is nice to see him again taking part in at a excessive stage.”
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Subsequent up for Djokovic will probably be residence favorite Taylor Fritz, who superior to the quarters when Laslo Djere retired whereas trailing 0-5 of their Thursday assembly. The American is thru to his second straight Cincinnati quarter-final and his twelfth total this season, together with eight on exhausting courts. He’ll deliver a 31-8 hard-court document this season into his seventh Lexus ATP Head2Head assembly with Djokovic, who has received all six of their earlier encounters.
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